Top Items:
Janet Hook / Wall Street Journal:
Republican Tax Bill Has Grown More Unpopular, Poll Shows — Overall, 41% of Americans in the survey said the tax plan was a bad idea, up from 35% in October. — The Republican tax-cut bill has grown more unpopular in the two months it has taken to usher it through Congress …
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, US News and Politico
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New York Times:
Republican Tax Bill Passes Senate in 51-48 Vote — WASHINGTON — Republicans took a critical step toward notching their first significant legislative victory since assuming full political control, as the House and Senate voted along party lines on Tuesday and into early Wednesday to pass …
Will Wilkinson / New York Times:
The Tax Bill Shows the G.O.P.'s Contempt for Democracy — The Republican Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is notably generous to corporations, high earners, inheritors of large estates and the owners of private jets. Taken as a whole, the bill will add about $1.4 trillion to the deficit in the next decade …
Chris Edwards / Cato Institute:
Final Tax Bill: Biggest Cuts for the Middle — The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) has released its distributional analysis of the final Republican tax bill. The bill provides even larger percentage cuts for middle earners than previous versions of the legislation.
Discussion:
Scared Monkeys, The Daily Caller, Power Line, National Review, bizpacreview.com and America Rising PAC
Paul Ryan / Wall Street Journal:
Tax Reform Means Your Paycheck Will Grow
Tax Reform Means Your Paycheck Will Grow
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Townhall.com
NBC News:
Sizing up the 2017 scorecard for Trump and the GOP — First Read is your briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter. — Paul Ryan: 'Don't forget this is a big tax cut for families as well' 9:20
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Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Hillary Clinton Favorable Rating at New Low
Hillary Clinton Favorable Rating at New Low
Discussion:
Fox News, Scared Monkeys, The Hill and RedState
Bruce Bartlett / USA Today:
After tax cuts, Republicans may suddenly find Trump is more trouble than he's worth — After months of debate, Congress has released a final tax reform bill. The bill eliminates some personal exemptions while increasing the standard deduction. — The GOP members of Congress had a brilliant plan …
Discussion:
The Root
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Heather Long / Washington Post:
The Republican tax bill was the easy part. The next debate could be much uglier. — The Republican overhaul of the tax code sets the stage for years of politically fraught debate over what the government should provide for its citizens and how much it should demand in taxes.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Mother Jones, Axios and The Stranger …
Lloyd Grove / The Daily Beast:
Breitbart News Helped Trump Win. Under Steve Bannon, It Might Also Help Him Lose … Breitbart News was the bright, shiny object of 2016, when the angry-populist, nationalist, right-wing web operation went all-in for Donald Trump, and the bet paid off with lavish winnings.
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Oliver Darcy / CNNMoney:
Breitbart went all out for Roy Moore. Now its top editor says he was a ‘weak candidate’
Breitbart went all out for Roy Moore. Now its top editor says he was a ‘weak candidate’
Discussion:
Mediaite and Washington Post
Gregory S. Schneider / Washington Post:
Democrat wins Va. House seat in recount by single vote, creating 50-50 tie in legislature — NEWPORT NEWS — A Republican seat flipped Democratic in a wild recount Tuesday - with the Democrat winning by a single vote - creating a rare 50-50 tie between the parties in the House of Delegates …
Discussion:
USA Today, Shareblue Media, Shakesville, FiveThirtyEight, Hullabaloo, ThinkProgress, New York Magazine, Vox, Weekly Standard, Axios, Washington Monthly, IJR and Lawyers, Guns & Money
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Trip Gabriel / New York Times:
In Virginia, a 11,608-to-11,607 Lesson in the Power of a Single Vote
In Virginia, a 11,608-to-11,607 Lesson in the Power of a Single Vote
Discussion:
Mashable, Politicus USA, Daily Kos, Business Insider and Raw Story
Noa Landau / Haaretz:
Nikki Haley in Threatening Letter to UN Members: Trump ‘Will Be Watching’ Who Votes Against U.S. Recognition of Jerusalem — U.S. envoy's letter, obtained by Haaretz, sent one day before resolution rejecting U.S. move expected to pass by sweeping majority at the General Assembly
Discussion:
middleeastmonitor.com
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David Corn / Mother Jones:
Donald Trump's Holiday Gift to America: A Fundamental Crisis — In a commencement speech years ago, author David Foster Wallace told this story: Two young fish are swimming along, and they pass an older fish swimming the other way. The older fish says, “Morning, boys, how's the water?”
Page Six:
Koch heir sues ex-fiancée to get giant ring back — Wyatt Koch — the son of billionaire Bill Koch — is suing his ex-fiancée to get back an 8.24-carat ring after she broke off their engagement, according to court documents. Wyatt's lawyers claim that he purchased …
Emily Steel / New York Times:
2 Women Who Settled With O'Reilly Over Sexual Harassment Sue for Defamation — Two women who reached sexual harassment settlements with Bill O'Reilly joined a defamation lawsuit against Mr. O'Reilly and Fox News on Wednesday, asserting that statements that he and the network made depicted them as liars …
U.S. Department of the Treasury:
Resource Center — Home » Resource Center » Financial Sanctions » OFAC Recent Actions » Publication of Magnitsky Act Sanctions Regulations; Magnitsky Act-Related Designations — Publication of Magnitsky Act Sanctions Regulations; Magnitsky Act-Related Designations
Susan Ferrechio / Washington Examiner:
House must vote again on tax bill after Senate changes — The House will have to vote a second time on the GOP's tax cut bill after the Senate was forced to change the bill to clear a parliamentary hurdle. — Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced to House lawmakers Tuesday …
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Gus Garcia-Roberts / Los Angeles Times:
The ‘Lost Boys’: Hollywood producer Gary Goddard accused of sexual misconduct by 8 former child actors — Bret Nighman, 56, is among at least eight former Santa Barbara child actors who allege that producer Gary Goddard molested or attempted to molest them. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Discussion:
Deadline
Elana Schor / Politico:
Senators, White House lay groundwork for Dreamers deal — Top senators and White House officials are laying the groundwork for a major immigration deal in January to resolve the fate of young undocumented immigrants whose legal protections were put in limbo by President Donald Trump.
Discussion:
Breitbart, Vox and The Daily Caller
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Mara Siegler / Page Six:
The Mooch rips ‘loser’ Steve Bannon at Hanukkah party — Potty-mouthed flameout White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci spoke to NYC Jews about his inspiring pilgrimage to Israel — but still couldn't resist laying into his nemesis Steve Bannon as a “messianic loser.”
Discussion:
RedState, Business Insider and Raw Story
German Lopez / Vox:
Cornel West's attacks on Ta-Nehisi Coates, explained — Coates is the latest target in West's war against Obama. — A public feud between two of America's top black intellectuals has led one of them to abandon Twitter. — Cornel West, author of the well-known Race Matters …
Discussion:
Salon, bradford-delong.com, The Stranger …, New York Times, Althouse and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
News 12 Connecticut:
Parents pull kids from class as Ivanka Trump visits CT school — NORWALK - — First daughter Ivanka Trump made a surprise visit to the Norwalk Early College Academy Monday, prompting some parents who oppose the president's views to pull their kids out of school.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Project Republic, IJR, The Hill, Politicus USA, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Caller, Refinery29 and AOL
Joseph A. Wulfsohn / Mediaite:
Tucker Carlson Hits Media Over Mueller: Journalists Shouldn't Be ‘Cheerleaders For Prosecutions’ — On Tuesday night, Tucker Carlson chided media critics who have slammed Fox News for their recent coverage of the Robert Mueller investigation. — The Fox News host began by mocking …
Louis Nelson / Politico:
Ryan calls reports that he'll retire ‘rank speculation’ — House Speaker Paul Ryan said Wednesday that he has not discussed the prospect of stepping away from Congress anytime soon with anybody, nor has the thought even crossed his mind, calling reports that he might resign next year “rank speculation.”
Discussion:
Associated Press, Political Wire, The Atlantic and Washington Free Beacon
Kyle Swenson / Washington Post:
Fox News contributor, channeling Alex Jones, suggests FBI plot to assassinate Trump — For weeks, Fox News and far-right pundits have been working overtime to discredit the FBI and special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference in the U.S. 2016 presidential election.
Discussion:
The Hill, Media Matters for America and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »
Ryan Rainey / Morning Consult:
Exclusive: GOP Engages Political Ground Game to Defend Tax Overhaul in 2018 — Republicans readying election-year tactics of phone-banking and canvassing to sell tax reform — Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is overseeing a political ground game effort to drum …
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
What North Korea told a U.N. envoy trying to prevent war — A senior U.N. envoy who visited Pyongyang this month carrying a pressing appeal for diplomacy was told by his North Korean hosts that it was “too early” for steps that might ease the confrontation over their nuclear program.
Discussion:
Just Security and The Hill