Top Items:
Del Quentin Wilber / Wall Street Journal:
FBI Agent Removed From Russia Probe Held Dim Views of Holder, Sanders — Texts between agent and FBI lawyer reveal harsh words for several prominent figures — Two FBI employees who used to work for Special Counsel Robert Mueller have already been criticized by Republicans for texts they shared insulting President Donald Trump.
Discussion:
The Federalist, The Hill, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, New York Magazine, Axios, Shareblue Media, IJR, Media Matters for America and Mediaite
RELATED:
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Poll: 54 percent say Mueller has conflict of interest — A majority of polled voters say special counsel Robert Mueller has a conflict of interest because of his past ties to former FBI Director James Comey, according to the latest Harvard CAPS-Harris survey.
Discussion:
Scared Monkeys, The Right Scoop, Althouse and RedState
Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:
Democrats want to know why Justice Department released FBI texts — Democrats pressed the Justice Department on Thursday to explain why it released salacious, anti-Donald Trump text messages exchanged between two FBI employees who are still under investigation for their work on the Russia special counsel investigation.
Discussion:
Business Insider, ABC News, Lawfare and Talking Points Memo
Matt Vespa / Townhall.com:
So, What's This ‘Insurance Policy’ Against Trump That These FBI Agents Discussed In Text Messages?
So, What's This ‘Insurance Policy’ Against Trump That These FBI Agents Discussed In Text Messages?
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Reason, Lawfare and Bloomberg
National Review:
Yes, Investigate the Investigators
Yes, Investigate the Investigators
Discussion:
Judicial Watch and New York Magazine
Fox News:
Comey edits revealed: Remarks on Clinton probe were watered down, documents show
Comey edits revealed: Remarks on Clinton probe were watered down, documents show
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, IJR, The Last Refuge, The Gateway Pundit, TheBlaze, Fox News Insider, MichelleMalkin.com and The Right Scoop
Rebecca Ballhaus / Wall Street Journal:
Mueller Sought Emails of Trump Campaign Data Firm — Special counsel asked Cambridge Analytica to hand over employees' emails, in sign of investigators' interest in campaign data operation — Special Counsel Robert Mueller has requested that Cambridge Analytica, a data firm that worked …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, Raw Story, Politicus USA and The Week
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Natasha Bertrand / Business Insider:
Democrats want to know more about a strange omission from the Trump campaign's digital director …
Democrats want to know more about a strange omission from the Trump campaign's digital director …
Discussion:
Raw Story
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
The Russia facts are hiding in plain sight
Michael R. Bloomberg / Bloomberg:
This Tax Bill Is a Trillion-Dollar Blunder — Congress and President Trump put politics ahead of smart reform. — Last month a Wall Street Journal editor asked a room full of CEOs to raise their hands if the corporate tax cut being considered in Congress would lead them to invest more.
Discussion:
Reuters
Washington Post:
Trump allies say Tillerson has ‘not learned his lesson’ and cannot continue in job for long … Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seemed focused this week on rebooting his image as a beleaguered Cabinet member on the outs with his boss and his own employees — holding a rare town hall with employees …
Discussion:
Political Wire
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John Bowden / The Hill:
Official: Tillerson ‘not really speaking’ for Trump anymore
Official: Tillerson ‘not really speaking’ for Trump anymore
Discussion:
RedState
CNN:
UN official who visited Pyongyang sees ‘high risk’ of miscalculation
UN official who visited Pyongyang sees ‘high risk’ of miscalculation
Discussion:
The Hill and The Atlantic
Daniel Lippman / Politico:
RUBIO pulls emergency brake on tax debate …
RUBIO pulls emergency brake on tax debate …
Discussion:
New York Times and Vox
Daniel Holloway / Variety:
Dustin Hoffman Accused of Exposing Himself to a Minor, Assaulting Two Women (EXCLUSIVE) — Cori Thomas was in high school when she says Dustin Hoffman exposed himself to her in a hotel room. Melissa Kester was a recent college graduate when Hoffman allegedly sexually assaulted her while recording audio for the film “Ishtar.”
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, IJR, Mediaite, The Week, Hollywood Life, IndieWire and CBS Los Angeles
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Jackson McHenry / thecut:
Dustin Hoffman Accused of Assaulting Two Women, Exposing Himself to Minor Hoffman had previously been accused of sexual harassment by three women. December 14, 2017 — Matt Damon Is Sharing All His Bad Opinions on Sexual Misconduct “I do believe that there's a spectrum of behavior.”
Foreign Policy:
Haley's ‘Smoking Gun’ on Iran Met With Skepticism at U.N. — She claims ‘undeniable evidence’ that Iran is violating U.N. restrictions. But not everyone is on board yet. — Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, claimed Thursday that the international body has obtained …
Discussion:
Just Security, Politico, Al Jazeera English and RedState
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Wall Street Journal:
The Internet Is Free Again — Killing Obama-era rules will remove the FCC as political gatekeeper. — The Editorial Board — Disney's deal announced Thursday to buy some premium 21st Century Fox properties for $52.4 billion underscores how technology is remaking the media landscape.
Discussion:
Betsy's Page and Washington Free Beacon
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Derek Hawkins / Washington Post:
Trump judicial nominee fumbles basic questions about the law — Nomination hearings for U.S. district judges tend to be dry affairs that offer little in the way of mass entertainment — in other words, they're not typically the stuff of viral videos. — But a clip of one of President …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Raw Story and Business Insider
Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
Good Riddance to the Biggest Fake in American Politics — Paul Ryan makes noises about going back to Janesville. — Ring and run, you wretched cur. — In what passes for a genuine scoop — , Tim Alberta and Rachael Cade broke the news in — Politico — o
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Free Beacon, The Gateway Pundit, IJR, The Week and The Daily Caller
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Rachael Bade / Politico:
Paul Ryan Sees His Wild Washington Journey Coming to An End
Paul Ryan Sees His Wild Washington Journey Coming to An End
Discussion:
ABC News, Weekly Standard, CNN, The Week, Big League Politics, Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit, IJR, Fox News, No More Mister Nice Blog, Townhall.com, Business Insider, New Republic, Shakesville, The Atlantic, New York Magazine, Daily Kos, CNBC, The Daily Caller, KTLA, TheBlaze, twitchy.com, The Right Scoop, RedState, Raw Story, Politicus USA, Mediaite, myfox8.com, Roll Call, Talking Points Memo, HuffPost, Axios and FOX6Now.com
Niall Stanage / The Hill:
The Memo: Omarosa's exit is headache for White House — Team Trump is bracing for negative revelations from Omarosa Manigault Newman after she resigned from the White House in disputed circumstances on Wednesday. — “She is a total press hog, so we will certainly see her say horrible things …
Discussion:
Raw Story, CNN and The Gateway Pundit
Jenn Abelson / BostonGlobe.com:
At ESPN, the problems for women run deep — When ESPN canceled its new program with Barstool Sports this fall after just one episode, the network tried to distance itself from the men's blog that has stoked criticism for everything from calling Rihanna fat to saying girls wearing skinny jeans deserve to be raped.
Discussion:
Business Insider, IJR, Deadspin, TheBlaze, The Daily Caller, Mediaite and TVNewser
CNN:
Homeland Security senior adviser promoted birtherism, said Obama knew ‘nothing about the black American experience’ — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — (CNN)A White House senior adviser at the Department of Homeland Security previously promoted conspiracy theories about former President Barack Obama's birthplace …
BostonGlobe.com:
One last chance for Collins to reject bad GOP tax bill — It's becoming clear that Republican leaders in Congress won't meet the conditions that Senator Susan Collins of Maine set out in the tax legislation. So now what? — The final version of the GOP's tax bill, whose framework …
Jana Winter / Foreign Policy:
Head of Congressional Ethics Office Sued for Abusing Position, Accused of Assaulting Women — A key official involved in House investigations faces a federal lawsuit alleging misconduct. — A top congressional ethics official who oversees investigations into misconduct by lawmakers …
Discussion:
Roll Call, Washington Free Beacon, Splinter and Vox
Bloomberg:
Ivanka Opens Her First Store Just In Time For Christmas — Located in the lobby of Donald Trump's tower in midtown Manhattan, the store is equal parts gift shop and tourist attraction. — To get to Ivanka Trump's store in Trump Tower, shoppers must first walk past metal barricades and police in body armor toting automatic weapons.
Jenny Strasburg / Wall Street Journal:
Deutsche Bank Had Flagged Manafort-Related Transactions — Transfers reflect bank's role as global money conduit — Deutsche Bank AG earlier this year flagged around $30 million in potentially suspicious transactions as part of an internal investigation into its role as a conduit …
Zach Schonbrun / New York Times:
Why Did Disney Expand Its Sports Kingdom With Out-of-Favor Networks? — Disney's chief executive, Robert A. Iger, will wake up Friday morning as the most powerful person in United States sports, with a massive portfolio of media rights to the N.F.L., the N.B.A., tennis majors …
Discussion:
CNBC, Splinter and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »
New York Times:
With Billions at Stake in Tax Debate, Lobbyists Played Hardball — WASHINGTON — As the largest tax rewrite in decades powered through Congress, lobbyists found themselves sprinting to keep up and find ways to persuade, influence or cajole the small group of lawmakers empowered to tweak language …
Jordan Strauss / People.com:
Actresses to Protest Harassment in Hollywood by Wearing Black to the Golden Globes — The red carpet will be all-black at the 2018 Golden Globes. — Multiple sources confirm to PEOPLE that many major actresses — including presenters and nominees (Jessica Chastain, Meryl Streep and Emma Stone …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Page Six, The Daily Caller, Hollywood Life, Mashable, IndieWire, Full Feed and thecut