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.
RELATED:
Zeke Miller / Associated Press:
White House: FBI records show ‘extreme bias’ against Trump — WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Friday newly revealed FBI records show there is “extreme bias” against President Donald Trump among senior leadership at the FBI. The accusation came hours before Trump was scheduled …
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, Shakesville, ABC News, Talking Points Memo and Lawfare
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 and Lawfare
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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David Ignatius / Washington Post:
The Russia facts are hiding in plain sight — President Trump's recent denunciations of the Russia investigation recall the famous legal advice: “If the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like hell.”
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
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:
Talking Points Memo, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times and Political Wire
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John Bowden / The Hill:
Official: Tillerson ‘not really speaking’ for Trump anymore — A White House official sharply rebuked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson — on Thursday, telling The Washington Post that President Trump — 's Cabinet member no longer speaks for the administration.
Discussion:
RedState
Jerry Harmer / Associated Press:
US special envoy backs unconditional talks with N. Korea
US special envoy backs unconditional talks with N. Korea
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Daniel Lippman / Politico:
RUBIO pulls emergency brake on tax debate …
RUBIO pulls emergency brake on tax debate …
Discussion:
New York Times and Vox
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:
ThinkProgress, HuffPost, Mediaite, Business Insider and Raw Story
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, The Week, Mediaite, Hollywood Life, IndieWire and CBS Los Angeles
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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
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
RELATED:
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:
IJR, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Gateway Pundit, The Last Refuge, TheBlaze, Fox News Insider, MichelleMalkin.com and The Right Scoop
New York Times:
U.S. Accuses Iran of U.N. Violation, but Evidence Falls Short — WASHINGTON — The Trump administration tried to mount a case on Thursday that Iran violated an international agreement to limit its arms dealing, but American officials failed to show how an array of weaponry presented as evidence proved the charges.
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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 …
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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Eleanor Clift / The Daily Beast:
Trump's Numbers Near a Tipping Point … Public opinion can take off like a runaway train once it gets going. President Donald Trump, already polling lower than any of his predecessors in his first year, might soon be hearing the hoofbeats of history. — At 32 percent in the most recent Pew …
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
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:
The Daily Caller, Roll Call, Washington Free Beacon, Splinter and Vox
Danielle Douglas-Gabriel / Washington Post:
Betsy DeVos hit with two lawsuits in one day over backlog of student debt relief claims — Pressure is mounting on Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to take action on thousands of federal student loan forgiveness applications languishing at the U.S. Department of Education.
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon
Christine Hauser / New York Times:
Death of Man in Skyscraper Fall in China Puts a Spotlight on ‘Rooftopping’ — For months, Wu Yongning had climbed towers and buildings high above the streets of cities in China, turning a camera on himself as he teetered on ledges or clutched an antenna with one hand.
Discussion:
Scripting News and Althouse
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 …
Michael Gerson / Washington Post:
To save the GOP, Republicans have to lose — I find myself wandering in an unfamiliar place. As a pro-life conservative, I am honestly happy — no, positively elated — that pro-choice Democrat Doug Jones won Alabama's U.S. Senate election. — It is an odd position for me, and a complicated one.
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 …
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 …