Top Items:
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?
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David Nakamura / Washington Post:
Trump urges Justice Department to ‘act’ on Comey, suggests Huma Abedin should face jail time
Trump urges Justice Department to ‘act’ on Comey, suggests Huma Abedin should face jail time
Louis Nelson / Politico:
Trump suggests Huma Abedin be jailed after State Department email release
Trump suggests Huma Abedin be jailed after State Department email release
Discussion:
Associated Press
Luke Rosiak / The Daily Caller:
Abedin Forwarded State Passwords To Yahoo Before It Was Hacked By Foreign Agents
Abedin Forwarded State Passwords To Yahoo Before It Was Hacked By Foreign Agents
Discussion:
Fox News, Washington Post, Axios, Washington Times, Raw Story, AOL, The Gateway Pundit, Scared Monkeys, IJR, Mediaite, New York Times, RedState, Talking Points Memo and The Week
Jonathan Martin / New York Times:
Orrin Hatch to Retire from Senate, 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:
Townhall.com, The Root, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
RELATED:
Axios:
Orrin Hatch announces retirement, leaving opening for Romney
Orrin Hatch announces retirement, leaving opening for Romney
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, RedState and ABC News
Sean Sullivan / Washington Post:
Orrin Hatch announces he will retire from the Senate
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:
The Hill, The Atlantic, Axios, Politico, Roll Call, Political Wire and Washington Free Beacon
Kyle Mantyla / Right Wing Watch:
Michele Bachmann Is Asking God Whether She Should Run For Al Franken's Senate Seat — Former Minnesota congresswoman and current “pastor to the United Nations” Michele Bachmann joined End Times prepper pastor Jim Bakker for a series of television programs that aired last week …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Axios, Political Wire, New York Magazine, AOL, FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV, Daily Kos, Washington Times, Mediaite, Raw Story and The Week
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Mark Zdechlik / mprnews.org:
Al Franken officially resigns Senate seat
Al Franken officially resigns Senate seat
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Democrats.com
Michael Tomasky / The Daily Beast:
Senator Al Franken's Resignation Is Deeply Unfair
Mariam Khan / ABC News:
Al Franken marks last day as US senator after sexual misconduct accusations
Al Franken marks last day as US senator after sexual misconduct accusations
Discussion:
Associated Press and Breitbart
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, Common Dreams and Shareblue Media
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, Mother Jones, Forbes, Washington Post, Political Wire, IJR, New York Magazine, The Atlantic, RedState, Raw Story, ThinkProgress, Mediaite, Business Insider, The Daily Caller, AOL, CNN and Breitbart
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John Bowden / The Hill:
2017 was safest year ever for commercial air travel, with zero deaths
2017 was safest year ever for commercial air travel, with zero deaths
Discussion:
Politico, Shareblue Media, Reuters, Mother Jones, The Independent, NPR, Vox, Common Dreams, IJR and The Week
Eun Kyung Kim / TODAY.com:
Hoda Kotb joins Savannah Guthrie as co-anchor of TODAY — Hoda Kotb has been named the co-anchor of TODAY, making her official debut Tuesday just after an announcement by NBC News Chairman Andy Lack. — Kotb, 53, will join Savannah Guthrie at the anchor desk during the first two hours of the morning news program.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Page Six, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, IJR, AOL and TheBlaze, more at Mediagazer »
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Zach Johnson / E! Online:
Matt Lauer Reacts to Hoda Kotb Replacing Him on Today
Matt Lauer Reacts to Hoda Kotb Replacing Him on Today
Discussion:
Business Insider, AOL and TVNewser
Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:
Hoda Kotb named permanent co-host of NBC's ‘Today’
Hoda Kotb named permanent co-host of NBC's ‘Today’
Discussion:
New York Times, People.com, Washington Post, The Root, The Daily Caller, theGrio, IJR, Mediaite, The Week, TVNewser, thecut, Mashable and ABC News
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, Business Insider, WBUR, Raw Story and Mediaite
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 »
New York Times:
The Trump Effect: Business, Anticipating Less Regulation, Loosens Purse Strings — WASHINGTON — A wave of optimism has swept over American business leaders, and it is beginning to translate into the sort of investment in new plants, equipment and factory upgrades that bolsters economic growth …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, RedState, The Daily Caller, IJR, NewsBusters, Cafe Hayek and Althouse
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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
Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
Graham: I ‘fully believe that if North Korea goes to the Winter Olympics, we do not’ — (R-S.C.) on Monday said if North Korea goes to the Winter Olympics, the U.S. should not attend. — “Allowing Kim Jong Un's North Korea to participate in #WinterOlympics would give legitimacy …
Discussion:
Fox News, AOL, Mediaite, NBC News and The Daily Caller
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Gabriel Debenedetti / Politico:
Warren positions herself for potential 2020 run — Elizabeth Warren has spent the past year making a series of below-the-radar moves that would put her in prime position to run for president in 2020 if she decides to. — The liberal icon and Republican bete noire has amassed more money …
Discussion:
New Republic, The Stranger …, Axios, The Daily Caller and The Week
RELATED:
Julia Manchester / The Hill:
Warren has raised more campaign money than nearly any senator ever: report
Warren has raised more campaign money than nearly any senator ever: report
Discussion:
RedState, MichelleMalkin.com and The Week
Alex Ward / Vox:
The 5 biggest Trump-Russia events to watch for in 2018 — Yes, one of them is indicting Donald Trump. — President Trump spent 2017 trying to bat back accusations that his campaign colluded with Russia. But 2018 could be even worse, with potential indictments of Trump's closest aides — and possibly the president himself.
Discussion:
Crooked Timber
RELATED:
Edward-Isaac Dovere / Politico:
John Dean: Nixon 'Might Have Survived If There'd Been a Fox News'
John Dean: Nixon 'Might Have Survived If There'd Been a Fox News'
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
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:
Roll Call
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:
Axios
RELATED:
David Weigel / Washington Post:
Alabama Sen.-elect Doug Jones picks an African American for chief of staff
Alabama Sen.-elect Doug Jones picks an African American for chief of staff
Discussion:
The Root
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:
Talking Points Memo, Mashable, ThinkProgress, Mediaite and USA Today
Olga Kharif / Bloomberg:
The Criminal Underworld Is Dropping Bitcoin for Another Currency — Monero and others lure criminals as bitcoin's privacy weakens — Some coins post fake blockchain entries to hamper surveillance — Bitcoin is losing its luster with some of its earliest and most avid fans — criminals …
Discussion:
RedState, The Daily Caller and The Week
Benedict Carey / New York Times:
‘Fake News’: Wide Reach but Little Impact, Study Suggests — Fake news evolved from seedy internet sideshow to serious electoral threat so quickly that behavioral scientists had little time to answer basic questions about it, like who was reading what, how much real news they also consumed …
Discussion:
Axios, Media Matters for America, Brendan Nyhan, The Daily Caller and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »