memeorandum: Utah could be Steve Bannon's next battleground, especially if Mitt Romney runs (Callum Borchers/Washington Post)

8:10 PM ET, January 2, 2018

Top Items:

Roy Moore's Jewish lawyer voted for Doug Jones, raised money for his campaign — The Jewish attorney who Roy Moore's wife touted employing in an attempt to fight off claims of anti-Semitism is actually a longtime friend and supporter of Senator-elect Doug Jones, who defeated Moore last month.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Mediaite, The Stranger … and The Week

Richard Johnson / Page Six:

Russia probe grand jury looks like ‘a Black Lives Matter rally,’ says witness — The federal grand jury handing down indictments for special counsel Robert Mueller doesn't appear to include any supporters of President Donald Trump, according to one witness who recently testified before the panel.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Politicus USA, The Gateway Pundit, Political Wire and Raw Story

Jonathan Martin / New York Times:

Orrin Hatch, Utah Senator, to Retire, Opening Path for Mitt Romney — Orrin G. Hatch, the longest-serving Senate Republican, will announce that he will retire at the end of the year, clearing a path for Mitt Romney to run. — January 2, 2018 — Trump Accuses Former Clinton Aide of Failing to Follow Security Protocols

Discussion: Axios, Althouse, FiveThirtyEight, Townhall.com, New York Magazine, The Stranger …, RedState, Lawyers, Guns & Money, No More Mister Nice Blog, Outside the Beltway, The Root, Daily Kos, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Salt Lake Tribune

Callum Borchers / Washington Post:

Utah could be Steve Bannon's next battleground, especially if Mitt Romney runs — Stephen K. Bannon needs a new project, and Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) might have just given him one by announcing on Tuesday that he will not seek reelection this year. — Bloomberg News reported in October …

Discussion: Axios, New York Magazine and Roll Call

Mitt Romney:

I join the people of Utah in thanking my friend, Senator Orrin Hatch for his more than forty years of service to our great state and nation. As Chairman of the Senate Finance and Judiciary Committees and as the longest-serving Republican Senator in U.S. history, Senator Hatch has represented …

Discussion: Washington Post, Business Insider, TheBlaze, FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV, KTLA, The Daily Caller, NBC News, IJR and twitchy.com

Seung Min Kim / Politico:
Hatch announces retirement, Romney likely to run

Discussion: The Atlantic, New Republic, The Daily Beast, NPR, Vox, CNBC, Breitbart, ABC News, The Gateway Pundit, The Last Refuge, The Stream and Politicus USA

Jason Samenow / Washington Post:

Monster storm to blast East Coast before polar vortex uncorks tremendous cold late this week — Unforgiving cold has punished the eastern third of the United States for the past 10 days. But the most severe winter weather conditions will assault the area late this week.

Discussion: Mashable and thecut

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

How bad is the Republican coverup on Trump and Russia? We may soon find out. — THE MORNING PLUM: — As we head into 2018, one big, looming unknown is this: Just how far will congressional Republicans go to prevent a full accounting of Russia's interference in our election and any possible Trump campaign conspiracy with it?

David Nakamura / Washington Post:
Trump urges Justice Department to ‘act’ on Comey, suggests Huma Abedin should face jail time

Discussion: Fox News, The Daily Caller, The Guardian, Hullabaloo, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Washington Times, ABC News, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, TalkLeft and Balloon Juice

Emily Chang / Vanity Fair:

“Oh My God, This Is So F—ed Up”: Inside Silicon Valley's Secretive, Orgiastic Dark Side — Some of the most powerful men in Silicon Valley are regulars at exclusive, drug-fueled, sex-laced parties—gatherings they describe not as scandalous, or even secret, but as a bold, unconventional lifestyle choice.

Discussion: naked capitalism and Longreads, more at Techmeme »

Anita Kumar / miamiherald:

Foreign governments are finding ways to do favors for Trump's business — WASHINGTON — In Indonesia, a local government plans to build a road to shorten the drive between the main airport on the island of Bali and the new high-end Trump resort and golf course.

Discussion: Washington Post, Shareblue Media, Common Dreams and Daily Kos

Maegan Vazquez / CNN:

Michele Bachmann eyeing run for Franken's Senate seat — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — (CNN)Former GOP congresswoman and presidential candidate Michele Bachmann says she is considering running for Democratic former Sen. Al Franken's Minnesota seat. — Bachmann, who was a member …

Discussion: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV

Kyle Mantyla / Right Wing Watch:
Michele Bachmann Is Asking God Whether She Should Run For Al Franken's Senate Seat

Discussion: Washington Blade, AOL, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, New York Magazine, Daily Kos, TheBlaze, Washington Times, Axios, The Week, Mediaite and Political Wire

Mark Zdechlik / mprnews.org:
Al Franken officially resigns Senate seat

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Democrats.com

Salena Zito / Washington Examiner:

GOP Rep. Bill Shuster to retire, spend final year working with Trump on massive infrastructure bill — Rep. Bill Shuster, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, will not seek re-election in November, telling the Washington Examiner that he wants to focus exclusively on working …

Discussion: RedState, The Hill, The Atlantic, Politico, Axios, Roll Call, Shareblue Media and Washington Free Beacon

Justin Baragona / Mediaite:

MSNBC Guest Rips Bill Kristol's Support of Iran Protests: 'You've Been Advocating Killing Iranians' — Things got a bit tense today on MSNBC when neo-conservative commentator and Weekly Standard editor-at-large Bill Kristol was directly challenged over his hawkish Middle East policy positions as they relate to Iran.

Discussion: New Republic, Washington Post and IJR

Spencer Ackerman / The Daily Beast:

The Iran Nuclear Deal Could Be Dead in 11 Days … Protests throughout Iran are cresting right as a crisis point for the landmark nuclear deal approaches. — Starting on January 13, a week from Saturday, Trump will face a deadline over reimposing economic sanctions that the U.S. agreed to lift under the 2015 nuclear deal.

Discussion: Politico, Associated Press, CNN, Hot Air, ThinkProgress and Breitbart

Max Greenwood / The Hill:

US to hold reception for countries that didn't vote to approve UN Jerusalem resolution — The U.S. will hold a reception for countries that did not vote to approve a United Nations resolution last month condemning the Trump administration's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley

Cristiano Lima / Politico:
Trump floats cutting payments to Palestinians

Discussion: Political Wire

Associated Press: Trump threatens to cut off US aid to Palestinian Authority

Jake Tapper / CNN:

Sheriff David Clarke temporarily blocked on Twitter after violating terms of service — Clarke plagiarized portions of thesis (May 2017) — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Washington (CNN)Former Milwaukee Sheriff David A. Clarke, Jr., a vocal surrogate for President Donald Trump on the campaign trail …

Discussion: Deadline, Mashable, Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, twitchy.com, Mediaite and USA Today, more at Mediagazer »

Jon Ostrower / CNNMoney:

Flying in 2017 was safer than it's ever been — Five new planes you'll be flying soon — By nearly all measures, flying in 2017 was safer than ever. — Last year, there were 10 fatal commercial passenger and cargo air crashes that killed 44 passengers and crew members.

Discussion: The Hill, ThinkProgress, Forbes, NBC News, The Atlantic, IJR, Raw Story, New York Magazine, The Daily Caller, RedState, Mother Jones, Mediaite, Business Insider, AOL and CNN

John Bowden / The Hill:
2017 was safest year ever for commercial air travel, with zero deaths

Discussion: Shareblue Media, Reuters, Politico, Mother Jones, NPR, Vox, IJR, The Independent and The Week

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Trump's claim that he prevented air-traffic deaths is his most questionable yet

Discussion: CNN, The Hill, Althouse, Raw Story, ThinkProgress, Common Dreams and IJR

Zach Johnson / E! Online:

Matt Lauer Reacts to Hoda Kotb Replacing Him on Today — No one is happier for Hoda Kotb's career advancement than Matt Lauer. — Hours ago, Kotb was named Lauer's successor as co-anchor of Today. She will join Savannah Guthrie for two hours a day, starting at 7 a.m. …

Discussion: Business Insider, TVNewser and AOL

Eun Kyung Kim / TODAY.com:
Hoda Kotb joins Savannah Guthrie as co-anchor of TODAY

Discussion: People.com, NBC News, Page Six, Talking Points Memo, IJR, AOL, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and TheBlaze, more at Mediagazer »

Susan B. Glasser / Politico:

Donald Trump's Year of Living Dangerously — When President Donald Trump sat down for dinner on September 18 in New York with leaders of four Latin American countries on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly, anxieties were already running high.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Mother Jones, WBUR, Business Insider, Raw Story and Mediaite

Dean Baker / cepr.net:

The Trump Investment Boom: Is It Really His Fault Oil Prices Jumped by 40 Percent — The NYT had an article touting the fact that businesses are investing more under Donald Trump than before he was elected. It notes that non-residential investment has risen at an annual rate of 6.2 percent in the first three quarters of 2017.

Discussion: The Nation and Hullabaloo

New York Times:
The Trump Effect: Business, Anticipating Less Regulation, Loosens Purse Strings

Discussion: NewsBusters, RedState, ThinkProgress, IJR, The Daily Caller, Cafe Hayek and Althouse

Toronto Star:

Joshua Boyle, Canadian hostage in Afghanistan, arrested and faces list of charges in Ottawa — Boyle appears in court Wednesday to face 15 charges, including sexual assault and forcible confinement. — OTTAWA—Joshua Boyle, the Canadian man who was held hostage with his American wife …

Discussion: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV and Business Insider

Alex Daugherty / miamiherald:

Republicans can't generate buzz for Ros-Lehtinen's seat, and some say it's unwinnable — WASHINGTON — The GOP's inability to find top-shelf candidates to run for Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's U.S. House seat has some Republicans ready to write off the race and shift money and attention to more winnable contests.

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Roll Call

Elaine Godfrey / The Atlantic:

The Future of Trumpism Is on Campus — In August of 2016, Michael Straw had just gaveled in the year's first meeting of the Penn State College Republicans. The classroom was packed, with students filling every seat and lining the walls. Many were returning members, and some were brand new.

Discussion: Breitbart and The Daily Caller

The Weather Channel:

Arctic Outbreak Setting Record Lows as Dangerously Cold Wind Chills Infiltrate Plains, Midwest and East — Story Highlights — Arctic cold air will keep the eastern half of the nation shivering through the first week of January. — A reinforcing shot of bitter, Canadian air is expected to arrive late this week.

Discussion: Mother Jones and Breitbart

Wall Street Journal:

About That Trump ‘Autocracy’ — Remember all those progressive predictions of looming fascism? — As Donald Trump heads into his second year as President, we're pleased to report that there hasn't been a fascist coup in Washington. This must be terribly disappointing to the progressive elites …

Discussion: New York Magazine

The Local:

France left shocked by ‘savage’ New Year attacks on police — The Local/AFP — The French government has vowed a crackdown after separate attacks on French police officers over New Year, which which included a policewoman being repeatedly kicked and beaten in a “savage” assault that was filmed and posted on social media.

Discussion: Power Line, Voice of Europe, The Daily Caller and Daily Mail

Daniel Strauss / Politico:

Doug Jones hires African-American chief of staff — Sen.-elect Doug Jones (D-Ala.) has hired former transportation official and congressional aide Dana Gresham as his new chief of staff. — Jones will be the only Senate Democrat to have an African-American chief of staff once Gresham comes on board.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Axios