Top Items:
Kate Bennett / CNN:
Exclusive: Iconic White House tree to be cut down — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Washington (CNN)The south facade of the White House will undergo a dramatic change this week: the historic Jackson Magnolia, a tree that has been in place since the 1800s, is scheduled to be cut down and removed.
Dan Zak / Washington Post:
What's a Wendy's doing there? The story of Washington's weirdest traffic circle. — First things first. There's a Wendy's in the middle of the intersection. Hard to get around that. — It's been there since the mid-'80s, on a wedge of land bordered by First Street NE and Florida …
Paul Waldman / Washington Post:
Russia is going to attack our next election. The Trump administration may not even try to stop it. — The Russians are coming for our elections — to disrupt them, to discredit them, and even to affect their outcome. They'll be coming in 2018, and in 2020.
Discussion:
Raw Story, Booman Tribune, Washington Monthly and The Week
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Michael Morell / Washington Post:
Russia never stopped its cyberattacks on the United States — Michael Morell is a former deputy director and twice acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2010 to 2013. Mike Rogers, a Republican from Michigan, served in the House from 2001 to 2015 and was chairman of the Intelligence Committee from 2010 to 2015.
Discussion:
Shareblue Media
Associated Press:
13 Days in July: The Trump White House's crucible — WASHINGTON (AP) — They were the 13 days that transformed the White House. — Even for an administration that spent most of 2017 throwing off headlines at a dizzying pace, events in the second half of July unfolded at breakneck speed.
Discussion:
Axios, Mediaite, Daily Kos, Shareblue Media and Raw Story
Annie Karni / Politico:
Pro-Trump singer files assault claim against Lewandowski over butt-slap incident — The woman accusing President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, of unwanted touching at a Trump International Hotel party last month has filed a sexual assault report …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Splinter, IJR and thecut
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Avery Anapol / The Hill:
Pro-Trump singer files sexual assault report against Lewandowski
Pro-Trump singer files sexual assault report against Lewandowski
Discussion:
RedState
Laura Vozzella / Washington Post:
Democrat in tied Va. House race says she will challenge disputed ballot in court — Lawyers for a Democrat locked in a tied Virginia House of Delegates race were preparing a court challenge Tuesday, hoping to head off a name-drawing scheduled for Wednesday that will decide not only that race, but also which party controls the chamber.
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Sattkisson / Sharyl Attkisson:
Investigating the Investigators at DOJ and FBI — Why do heads seem to be rolling—or at least tilting—at the Department of Justice and FBI? — Eight high ranking Department of Justice and FBI officials have been removed, reassigned or are rumored to be leaving.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Business Insider, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, ThinkProgress, IJR, The Gateway Pundit and AOL
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Rowan Scarborough / Washington Times:
FBI says Russia dossier's collusion charges unsubstantiated
FBI says Russia dossier's collusion charges unsubstantiated
Discussion:
Law & Crime, Reuters, bizpacreview.com, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Politico and Mediaite
Andrés Miguel Rondón / Washington Post:
To beat President Trump, you have to learn to think like his supporters — Scandals will never defeat a populist. — Almost a year later, Donald Trump is still president. Powerful men in entertainment, media and even politics have seen their public lives implode under scandal almost instantly for months now, but Trump holds on.
Discussion:
The Daily Banter
USA Today:
U.S. retail holiday sales jump 4.9%, biggest increase since 2011 — When it comes to shopping, it turns out we spend quite a bit on ourselves, and, often, it's not really out of need. Buzz60's Nathan Rousseau Smith (@fantasticmrnate) has more. Buzz60 — Despite thousands of store closings …
Discussion:
Breitbart and Scared Monkeys
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Suzanne Kapner / Wall Street Journal:
Retailers Feel Shoppers' Christmas Cheer
Retailers Feel Shoppers' Christmas Cheer
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Daily Caller, CBS Philly and The Gateway Pundit
Edward-Isaac Dovere / Politico:
What's Bill de Blasio's Problem? — DES MOINES—The website for the Progressive Agenda Committee that Bill de Blasio launched in 2014 is now just an error message. — The mayors of Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans and Boston all declined or didn't return several requests seeking comment on him.
Discussion:
Splinter, MichelleMalkin.com and The Week
Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
GOP lawmaker calls for ‘purge’ of FBI … (R-Fla.) on Tuesday called for a “purge” of the FBI, warning of “deep state” figures at work in the agency. — Rooney said during an interview on MSNBC that the American people have “very high standards” for the country's government agencies, and suggested they aren't being met.
Julia Craven / HuffPost:
Why Black People Own Guns — HuffPost spoke with 11 black gun owners to figure out what gun ownership means in a country determined to keep its black populace unarmed. — As much as America loves her guns, she has never liked the idea of seeing them in black hands.
Discussion:
IJR
Ezra Klein / Vox:
The inside story of Doug Jones's win in Alabama — A top Doug Jones staffer explains the Alabama win. — “The day before the Washington Post story came out, we were behind by one point, 46 to 45,” says Joe Trippi. “And the day before the election, we were ahead in our own survey by 2 points.
Discussion:
New York Magazine
New York Times:
New York's Attorney General in Battle With Trump — Eric Schneiderman, New York's attorney general, reached a milestone of sorts recently. — By moving to sue the Federal Communications Commission over net neutrality this month, his office took its 100th legal or administrative action …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Law & Crime, AOL, Washington Times and New York Daily News
Associated Press:
Cities sue Defense Dept. over gun-check system failures — Three large U.S. cities filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the Department of Defense, arguing that many service members who are disqualified from gun ownership weren't reported to the national background check system.
RELATED:
Richard A. Oppel Jr / New York Times:
Cities Sue Over Pentagon's Failure to Report Crimes to Gun Database
Cities Sue Over Pentagon's Failure to Report Crimes to Gun Database
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Splinter and The Daily Caller
Heather Caygle / Politico:
Impeachment debate divides Democrats as 2018 wave builds — A tidal wave of liberal disdain for President Donald Trump may help deliver the House to Democrats in 2018. And if it does, the new majority will face an immediate, fateful choice: to pursue Trump's impeachment as the base demands …
Discussion:
RedState, Business Insider and IJR
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
America Is Not Yet Lost — Many of us came into 2017 expecting the worst. And in many ways, the worst is what we got. — Donald Trump has been every bit as horrible as one might have expected; he continues, day after day, to prove himself utterly unfit for office, morally and intellectually.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Hullabaloo and Daily Kos
Bloomberg:
Analysts Cut iPhone X Shipment Forecasts, Citing Lukewarm Demand — High price and few innovations dimming buyer interest, JL says — Asian Apple supplier shares fell on iPhone X order cut reports — Apple Inc. looks like it's having a not-so Merry Christmas.
Discussion:
Deadline and Daily Mail
Tom Newton Dunn / The Sun:
TRUMP SNUB FEAR Government pleads with Prince Harry not to invite Barack Obama to his wedding — Prince, 33, became friends with former US President after bonding with them at the Invictus Games — GOVERNMENT mandarins are urging Prince Harry not to invite the Obamas to his wedding for fear of infuriating Donald Trump.
Discussion:
The Root, AOL, The Daily Banter, Politico, Balloon Juice, Althouse and Raw Story
Emily Holden / Politico:
Where is Trump's Cabinet? It's anybody's guess. — The Cabinet members carrying out President Donald Trump's orders to shake up the federal government are doing so under an unusual layer of secrecy — often shielding their schedules from public view, keeping their travels under wraps …
Discussion:
Shareblue Media and Raw Story
Nicholas Burns / USA Today:
America is on the brink of a historic break with Europe, thanks to Trump — Foreign service officers like me saw ourselves as guardians of this vital alliance. But Trump isn't interested in leading it or writing its next chapter. — The Trump administration's newly unveiled national …