Top Items:
New York Times:
Trump Says Russia Inquiry Makes U.S. ‘Look Very Bad’ — WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Trump said Thursday that he believes Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel in the Russia investigation, will treat him fairly, contradicting some members of his party who have waged a weekslong campaign …
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New York Times:
Excerpts From Trump's Interview With The Times — President Trump spoke on Thursday with a reporter from The New York Times, Michael S. Schmidt. The interview took place in the Grill Room of his golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla., whose noise made some portions at times hard to hear.
Mike Allen / Axios:
Trump unchained: staff leaves, hardline ideas rise — If you ask some close to President Trump what worries them most about 2018, it's not Robert Mueller's probe. It's that establishment guardrails of 2017 come down — and Trump's actual instincts take over.
Discussion:
NPR, The Week, Raw Story, New York Times, NK News, Business Insider, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Politico, IJR, KFOR-TV, Mediaite and Townhall.com
Brandon Carter / The Hill:
Trump: Even if there was collusion with Russia, 'it's not a crime' — in a new interview denied any collusion between his 2016 presidential campaign and Russia, adding “even if there was, it's not a crime.” — Speaking to The New York Times Thursday, Trump praised lawyer Alan Dershowitz …
Brian M. Rosenthal / New York Times:
The Most Expensive Mile of Subway Track on Earth … An accountant discovered the discrepancy while reviewing the budget for new train platforms under Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. — The budget showed that 900 workers were being paid to dig caverns for the platforms as part …
Discussion:
Instapundit and Marginal REVOLUTION
New York Times:
Even Sharks Are Freezing to Death: Winter Rages and the Nation Reels — ERIE, Pa. — Shivering, snowbound cities are scrapping their outdoor New Year's Eve countdowns. Polar-bear plunges are being canceled because of fears of frostbite and hypothermia. Winter-hardened towns are gaping …
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Sammy Roth / USA Today:
It's cold outside, but that doesn't mean climate change isn't real
It's cold outside, but that doesn't mean climate change isn't real
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Watts Up With That?, twitchy.com, The Weather Channel, Washington Post, The Daily Caller and New York Times
Andrew Freedman / Mashable:
It's so cold in the U.S. and Canada that windows are breaking, and there's no end in sight
It's so cold in the U.S. and Canada that windows are breaking, and there's no end in sight
Discussion:
Vox, GeekWire, AOL, Washington Post and Associated Press
Apple:
A Message to Our Customers about iPhone Batteries and Performance — We've been hearing feedback from our customers about the way we handle performance for iPhones with older batteries and how we have communicated that process. We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down. We apologize.
Martin Gould / Daily Mail:
EXCLUSIVE: White power at the White House - Trump intern flashes ‘alt-right’ symbol used by notorious extremists during group photo with the president — Former White House intern Jack Breuer held up a ‘white power’ sign during a photo-op with President Trump and fellow interns in the East Room in November
Andrea Cavallier / New York's PIX11:
12 dead, including baby, in massive fire at Bronx apartment building — BELMONT, the Bronx — Twelve people, including a baby, are dead and several others were critically injured when a massive fire ripped through an apartment building in the Bronx on a frigid Thursday night, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
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CNN, KTLA, KFOR-TV, France 24, WTKR-TV, abc7.com, ABC News, CBS Pittsburgh, WHNT-TV and New York Magazine
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Heather Mac Donald / National Review:
Don't Take the Wrong Lessons from NYC's Murder Drop — Proactive policing still matters. — Cop critics who assiduously ignored the 20 percent increase in the national homicide rate over the previous two years have suddenly become enthusiastic purveyors of crime statistics.
Discussion:
alicublog, Splinter, ThinkProgress, Mother Jones and New York Times
Washington Examiner:
In 2017, the media flunked the Trump challenge — President Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration was notable for more than just its small crowd sizes. It was notable because it marked the beginning of the worst year of political journalism in modern history. — On the same day that Trump was sworn …
Alexandra Glorioso / Politico:
Billionaire kingmakers swarm Florida governor's race after Trump endorsement — After Donald Trump appeared to endorse Ron DeSantis' campaign for Florida governor last week, a handful of the biggest and most influential billionaires in Republican politics threw their support behind …
Discussion:
Political Wire
Mark Landler / New York Times:
Trump, the Insurgent, Breaks With 70 Years of American Foreign Policy — President Trump has transformed the world's view of the United States from an anchor of the international order into something more inward-looking and unpredictable. — WASHINGTON — President Trump was already revved …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Raw Story, Business Insider, Splinter and IJR
BBC:
Egypt attack: Twelve die as gunmen hit Coptic Christians — Twelve people have died in twin attacks on Coptic Christians in the Helwan area south of Cairo, officials say. — Ten people died when gunmen tried to storm a church south of Cairo, but were intercepted by police.
Discussion:
NPR, The Daily Caller and Jihad Watch
Politico:
Was 2017 the Craziest Year in U.S. Political History? — Imagine how future historians might try to summarize 2017: A U.S. president, his family and his political aides came under investigation by a special counsel for possibly helping a foreign government meddle in the election.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice and Raw Story
Dorsa Derakhshani / New York Times:
Why I Left Iran to Play Chess in America — Right now in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the World Chess Championships are underway. But some world champions are noticeably absent: The Israeli players were blocked from participating when Saudi Arabia denied them visas.
Discussion:
Washington Post
Matt Flegenheimer / New York Times:
The Year the News Accelerated to Trump Speed — WASHINGTON — Barack Obama was president earlier this year. — Really, eyewitness accounts from the period confirm this. It lasted nearly three weeks, it seems, or roughly the time elapsed since a Democrat won a Senate seat in Alabama …
Jennifer Medina / New York Times:
Rooftop Snipers. Helicopters. A Hostage Team. Las Vegas Gears Up for New Year's Eve. — LAS VEGAS — With their rifles at the ready for an active shooter, Sgt. Charles Jivapong and half a dozen other police officers moved quickly through an industrial building not far from the airport here …
Melissa Gray / CNN:
Drexel professor resigns amid threats over controversial tweets — (CNN)A Drexel University professor who received death threats after posting several controversial tweets said Thursday he is resigning because the year-long harassment has made his situation “unsustainable.”
Discussion:
IJR, Althouse and twitchy.com
Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:
Trump Inc. Had a Rough Year, but His D.C. Hotel Is Killing It … For a host of Trump-branded properties, 2017 brought...hiccups. — Workers removed the “TRUMP” sign from the hotel formerly known as TRUMP SOHO last week in the dark of night. The move came six months after the hotel formerly known …
Discussion:
Axios
Tim Starks / Politico:
The latest 2018 election-hacking threat: 9-month wait for government help — States rushing to guard their 2018 elections against hackers may be on a waiting list for up to nine months for the Department of Homeland Security's most exhaustive security screening, according to government officials familiar with the situation.
Discussion:
Political Wire
Washington Post:
White House looks to make internal changes amid worries of a tough year ahead … PALM BEACH, Fla. — While President Trump spent the past week at his Mar-a-Lago Club — golfing, tweeting, relaxing with family and talking to old friends — White House officials have been in quiet talks …
Discussion:
Politico, Political Wire, Washington Times, Raw Story and IJR
Danny Vinik / Politico:
138 things Trump did this year while you weren't looking — In Donald Trump's first act as president, he signed a high-profile executive order intended to dismantle Obamacare, instructing federal agencies to take any measures they could to roll back the Affordable Care Act.
Joshua Hoyos / ABC News:
100 days after Hurricane Maria, San Juan mayor thanks Americans, slams Trump as ‘disaster-in-chief’ — On the 100-day mark since Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, San Juan's Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz called federal response to the storm inadequate while slamming President Donald Trump as the “disaster-in-chief.”
Discussion:
Mediaite
Fox News:
Bumped United passenger fires back at Rep. Jackson Lee's racism charge, airline — A United passenger whose first-class seat on a recent flight from Houston to D.C. was given to Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is firing back at the Democratic congresswoman's accusations of racism - while challenging the airline's account of the incident.
Discussion:
Instapundit, bizpacreview.com and IJR