memeorandum: Nadler wins top Democratic post on Judiciary Committee (Heather Caygle/Politico)

1:35 PM ET, December 20, 2017

Top Items:

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 …

Janet Hook / Wall Street Journal:
Republican Tax Bill Has Grown More Unpopular, Poll Shows

Discussion: Shareblue Media, US News, The Daily Caller, Politico, Scripting News and The Atlantic

Paul Ryan / Wall Street Journal:
Tax Reform Means Your Paycheck Will Grow

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Townhall.com

CNN:

Democrats' 2018 advantage expands — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — WASHINGTON (CNN)Democrats' already wide advantage over Republicans in a hypothetical Congressional matchup has grown, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS. At the same time, enthusiasm about voting next year …

Discussion: Political Wire

Brooke Singman / Fox News:
Hillary Clinton popularity hits all-time low, poll shows

Discussion: The Daily Caller, IJR, The Hill, Scared Monkeys, Gallup and RedState

Carrie Dann / NBC News:
Poll: Just 36% of Americans indicate they would vote for Trump in 2020

Discussion: AOL, No More Mister Nice Blog, Real Clear Politics, Power Line and Political Wire

Ryan Struyk / CNN:
Trump's approval rating just entered a league of its own

Discussion: New York Times and Lawyers, Guns & Money

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 …

Discussion: thecut and Mediaite

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

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 …

New York Times:
How Republicans Rallied Together to Deliver a Tax Plan

Discussion: New York Magazine, Axios and Washington Post

U.S. Department of the Treasury:

Treasury Targets Individuals Involved in the Sergei Magnitsky Case and Other Gross Violations of Human Rights in Russia — A total of 49 individuals have been designated under the Magnitsky Act — WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) …

Discussion: Axios

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

Oliver Darcy / CNNMoney:

Breitbart went all out for Roy Moore. Now its top editor says he was a ‘weak candidate’ — Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow was in his home office last Tuesday night running the front page of the far-right website when he learned that Judge Roy Moore would not be elected as the next senator from Alabama.

Discussion: Mediaite and Washington Post

Lloyd Grove / The Daily Beast:
Breitbart News Helped Trump Win. Under Steve Bannon, It Might Also Help Him Lose

Discussion: Politico and Washington Free Beacon

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, The Guardian, The Stranger …, bradford-delong.com, New York Times and Althouse, more at Mediagazer »

Associated Press:

Last uncounted ballots: Moore can't close 20,000-vote loss — MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Republican Roy Moore hasn't conceded his 20,000-vote loss to Democrat Doug Jones in Alabama's Senate race, and provisional ballots and military votes still being counted show Moore can't close the deficit.

Discussion: Daily Kos

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 …

Discussion: thecut and Balloon Juice

Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:

The GOP's Tax Bill Kicks Puerto Rico When It's Down — The island is getting slapped with new taxes as it drowns in debt and tries to recover from a catastrophic hurricane. — WASHINGTON The hits just keep coming for Puerto Rico. — As the U.S. island struggles to climb …

Discussion: Daily Kos, Washington Post, Associated Press, Splinter and CNN

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?”

Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:

Mar-a-Lago hikes New Year's Eve party ticket prices — Partying with President Donald Trump on New Year's Eve is getting more expensive. — Ticket prices for the annual Dec. 31 bash at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in South Florida are going up to $600 for dues-paying members and $750 for their guests …

Discussion: Palm Beach Post

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

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: ThinkProgress, Foreign Policy, The Hill, Business Insider, middleeastmonitor.com, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, IJR, Washington Free Beacon, Raw Story and twitchy.com

Julia Reinstein / BuzzFeed:

A Man Got Stranded On A Fountain After Taking A Ton Of Molly And Stealing A Swan Boat — The man told police he “wanted to go be with the swans because they don't judge him.” — A man had to be rescued early Friday morning in Orlando after taking “a large quantity of Molly,” stealing a swan boat …

Discussion: thecut

Bob Dreyfuss / The Nation:

Maxine Waters Connects the Dots on Trump, Deutsche Bank, and Russia — Mueller's bank subpoenas could shed light on Trump associates' ties to Russian money-laundering. — Representative Maxine Waters, the California Democrat who is the ranking member on the House Committee on Financial Services …

Discussion: Shakesville and NewsBusters

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: bizpacreview.com, Mediaite, IJR, Project Republic, The Hill, Washington Free Beacon, Politicus USA, The Daily Caller, Refinery29 and AOL

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

‘Racist’ trees separating a black neighborhood from a golf course will come down — PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Palm Springs will remove a row of trees blocking a historically African-American neighborhood from a city-owned golf course. — At an informal meeting with neighborhood residents Sunday …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News

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 …

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, Raw Story and Media Matters for America, more at Mediagazer »

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

Discussion: Taylor Marsh

Aaron Elstein / Crain's New York Business:

New York golfers avoiding Trump's course — The president opened a big, beautiful course in the Bronx two years ago that players are increasingly shunning — Donald Trump enjoys few things more than golf and has built some well-regarded courses. Yet many New Yorkers clearly prefer …

Discussion: Political Wire

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

Heather Caygle / Politico:

Nadler wins top Democratic post on Judiciary Committee — House Democrats have tapped New York Rep. Jerry Nadler as their next leader on the Judiciary Committee, the panel that would potentially initiate impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump if Democrats win back the House.

Discussion: Axios