Top Items:
Washington Post:
Republicans finalize plan, expand benefits for working families in bid to win over Rubio … Congressional Republicans finished rewriting their massive plan to overhaul the tax code on Friday, adding in a significant expansion of the Child Tax Credit aimed at boosting benefits for low-income families.
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
GOP Increases Child Tax Credit in Bid to Satisfy Rubio, Lee — Move could help lock up needed votes to pass tax overhaul — WASHINGTON—Republicans will make more of the child tax credit refundable in a last-minute concession to Sens. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) and Mike Lee (R., Utah) …
Discussion:
Axios and Mother Jones
Alayna Treene / Axios:
Trump: “People are very, very angry” with FBI and Justice Department
Trump: “People are very, very angry” with FBI and Justice Department
Discussion:
ABC News
Jim Tankersley / New York Times:
Republicans Are Set to Release Compromise Tax Bill
Republicans Are Set to Release Compromise Tax Bill
Discussion:
RedState and FiveThirtyEight
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, New York Magazine, NPR, Mashable, electionlawblog.org, Shareblue Media, Common Dreams, HuffPost, The Week, IJR, Business Insider, Raw Story, Daily Kos and Mediaite
RELATED:
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
That painful exchange between a Trump judicial pick and a GOP senator, annotated
That painful exchange between a Trump judicial pick and a GOP senator, annotated
Discussion:
Vox, The Atlantic, RedState, CNN, New Republic, Mother Jones and Popehat
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, Raw Story, Daily Kos, The Week and Politicus USA
RELATED:
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
The Russia facts are hiding in plain sight
The Russia facts are hiding in plain sight
Discussion:
National Review and Judicial Watch
John Bowden / The Hill:
Mueller requests emails from Trump campaign data firm: report
Mueller requests emails from Trump campaign data firm: report
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
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
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 …
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Del Quentin Wilber / Wall Street Journal:
FBI Agent Removed From Russia Probe Held Dim Views of Holder, Sanders
FBI Agent Removed From Russia Probe Held Dim Views of Holder, Sanders
McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Kansas Dem Andrea Ramsey, accused of sexual harassment, will drop out of US House race — McClatchy Washington Bureau and The Kansas City Star — WASHINGTON — Andrea Ramsey, a Democratic candidate for Congress, will drop out of the race after the Kansas City Star asked her about accusations …
Discussion:
Politico, Axios, Roll Call, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Free Beacon, Political Wire and twitchy.com
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:
Politico, Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine and Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times
RELATED:
Henry C. Jackson / Politico:
In phone call, Trump thanks Putin for praise, looks for help on North Korea
In phone call, Trump thanks Putin for praise, looks for help on North Korea
Discussion:
New York Times, The Week, Axios and Associated Press
John Bowden / The Hill:
Official: Tillerson ‘not really speaking’ for Trump anymore
Official: Tillerson ‘not really speaking’ for Trump anymore
Discussion:
RedState
Amie Parnes / The Hill:
Dems: Black voters deserve more from party — Democrats say their party needs to “wake up” and stop ignoring major parts of their coalition, particularly black voters. — The party, they say, must build off Doug Jones's win in the Alabama Senate race this week by working hard on issues …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
RELATED:
Michael Gerson / Washington Post:
To save the GOP, Republicans have to lose
Matt Bruenig:
What actually happened in Alabama?
What actually happened in Alabama?
Discussion:
USA Today, American Prospect, The Guardian, AOL, New York Times, Washington Post, VICE and The Root
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:
Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, The Gateway Pundit, Lawfare, Shakesville, Fox News and ABC News
RELATED:
Natasha Bertrand / Business Insider:
DOJ now says early release of FBI agents' private texts to reporters was ‘not authorized’ by the department
DOJ now says early release of FBI agents' private texts to reporters was ‘not authorized’ by the department
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, Lawfare and Washington Post
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, Lawfare and Reason
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 Daily Caller, The Guardian, IJR, The Week, Mediaite, Hollywood Life, IndieWire and CBS Los Angeles
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.
RELATED:
The Hill:
Exclusive: Prominent lawyer sought donor cash for two Trump accusers — A well-known women's rights lawyer sought to arrange compensation from donors and tabloid media outlets for women who made or considered making sexual misconduct allegations against Donald Trump
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, The Right Scoop and Raw Story
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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Ramin Setoodeh / Variety:
Inside Matt Lauer's Secret Relationship With a ‘Today’ Production Assistant (EXCLUSIVE) — In 1999, Addie Collins arrived at NBC's “Today” as a young intern with big aspirations. A few months later, she landed her dream job as production assistant, forming close bonds with her new colleagues Katie Couric, Ann Curry and Al Roker.
Discussion:
AOL, NBC News, Hollywood Life, FOX31 Denver, East Bay Times, The Daily Caller, Mediaite and twitchy.com
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
Bill Moyers:
Farewell — To Our Readers: — When I turned 80 three years ago, I retired my weekly PBS series and have since focused on the web with a small, dedicated team as the avenue for our journalism. Your response rewarded our efforts, and we have been pleased and grateful for your interest and attention.
Associated Press:
Americans pessimistic about Trump, country: AP-NORC Poll — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump frequently casts his first year in office as a string of successes and campaign promises fulfilled. But less than a quarter of Americans think Trump has made good on the pledges he made to voters …
Discussion:
Political Wire
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:
Mediaite, Business Insider, IJR, Deadspin, TheBlaze, The Daily Caller and TVNewser
Ben Collins / The Daily Beast:
New Mexico School Shooter Had Secret Life on Pro-Trump White-Supremacy Sites … In real life, William Edward Atchison—people called him Bill—lived in a little yellow house with his parents, about a mile away from the Giant gas station where he worked and from Aztec High School …