memeorandum: Kim Jong-un's Overture Could Drive a Wedge Between South Korea and the U.S. (New York Times)

8:55 AM ET, January 2, 2018

Top Items:

Eli Lake / Bloomberg:

The West Can Help Iranians Take Back Their Country — The perfect man for the job: Barack Obama. — In case anyone was wondering, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and the rest of America's political class are with the protesters in Iran. Statements have been issued. Tweets have been tweeted.

Discussion: Common Dreams, Breitbart, IJR, NBC News and CNN

Washington Post:

The West should support the protesters in Iran — FIVE DAYS of street protests in cities across Iran have underlined the fundamental weakness of a regime sometimes portrayed in Washington as a regional juggernaut. Despite the lifting of most Western economic sanctions after 2015 …

Discussion: New York Post, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, israpundit.org, NBC News, The Moderate Voice, IJR, National Review, CNN and Business Insider

Michael Georgy / Reuters:
Iranian protesters attack police stations, raise stakes in unrest

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Weekly Standard, The Times of Israel and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Ben Shapiro / National Review: Trump Reverses the Obama Doctrine on Iran

Thomas Erdbrink / New York Times:
Iranians Protest Across Country, Defying a Crackdown

Discussion: Just Security and RedState

Asawin Suebsaeng / The Daily Beast:

Anthony Scaramucci Is Telling Pals That Donald Trump Wants Him Back … Losing your job in a fit of self-immolation after a mere ten days may seem like the type of professional stumble that doesn't lend itself to a comeback. But Anthony Scaramucci, a.k.a. the Mooch, appears to be positioning himself to give politics another go.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, New York Magazine, Hullabaloo and Axios

Andrew Restuccia / Politico:

White House aides already anxious about 2018 — President Donald Trump returned to Washington from his sunny holiday break in Florida in an upbeat mood, relaxed and rested — but many of his top aides are dreading what's to come in 2018. — After ending their first year on a high …

Discussion: New York Magazine, Daily Kos and The Week

Jake Sherman / Politico:

AND WE'RE BACK: Washington kicks into gear for bruising January ... ADVANTAGE DEMOCRATS? — TRUMP losing ground in Iowa — SCARAMUCCI telling people TRUMP wants him back — B'DAY: Mike Zapler — DRIVING THE DAY — Good Tuesday morning. THIS WEEK: The Senate is out. The House is in.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal

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: Raw Story

Brad Reed / Raw Story:

Colorado shooting suspect was an Iraq War vet who posted alt-right ‘Pepe’ memes on social media — Matthew Riehl, the man accused of killing a suburban Denver sheriff's deputy and wounding four others, is a veteran of the Iraq War who is also fond of posting alt-right memes on his Facebook account.

CNN:
Colorado gunman who killed deputy was an Iraq veteran, official says

Discussion: KTLA, TheBlaze, Breitbart and Mediaite

Andrew C. McCarthy / National Review:

As the Dossier Scandal Looms, the New York Times Struggles to Save Its Collusion Tale — The totality of the evidence undermines the Times' collusion narrative. — rump Adviser's Visit to Moscow Got the F.B.I.'s Attention. " That was the page-one headline the New York Times ran on April 20 …

Discussion: Power Line, Washington Post, emptywheel, RedState and Business Insider, more at Mediagazer »

Bwittes / Lawfare:

Why Trump's War on the Deep State Is Failing—So Far — In May of 2016, when Donald Trump was still a long-shot candidate for president, I warned with some specificity about what he would try to do to the U.S. Department of Justice and the law enforcement apparatus of the United States:

Discussion: CANNONFIRE

Travis Gettys / Raw Story:

GOP lawmakers surprised to learn no black soldiers served under Confederacy in South Carolina — The justification for building a monument to black Confederate soldiers is crumbling as historians point out there's no evidence such combatants ever existed. — State Rep. Bill Chumley …

Associated Press:
Records show no black armed Confederates

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

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 and AOL, more at Mediagazer »

Raf Sanchez / Telegraph:

Defiant Iran protesters steal Revolutionary Guard's trousers even as death toll mounts — The Basij militiaman, a paramilitary storm trooper of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, was reportedly swinging an electric shock baton when the crowd of angry protesters closed in around him.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, BBC, RedState, Washington Post, TheBlaze, Common Dreams, CNBC, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart and Fox News

Daniel Serwer / peacefare.net:
Unwise — In response to protests in Iran, President Trump is calling for regime change:

Discussion: Fox News Insider, The Last Refuge and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Sue Surkes / The Times of Israel:
Kuwaiti report: US gives Israel go-ahead to kill powerful Iranian general

Discussion: RedState

A. G. Sulzberger / New York Times:

A Note From Our New Publisher — IN 1896 my great-great-grandfather left his hometown, Chattanooga, and traveled north to purchase a small, fading newspaper in New York. — The moment was not unlike our own. Technological, economic and social turmoil were upending the traditions of the country.

Theodoric Meyer / Politico:

Tax overhaul means years of paydays for K Street — President Donald Trump just signed into law the biggest tax overhaul in a generation, but that means more work — not less — for Washington's tax lobbyists. — Rather than streamlining the tax code, Republicans have made it more complicated …

Robin Pogrebin / New York Times:

Peter Martins Retires From New York City Ballet After Misconduct Allegations — After accusations of sexual harassment and physical and verbal abuse, Peter Martins, the powerful leader of New York City Ballet who shaped the company for more than three decades, has decided to retire.

Discussion: The Week and NPR

Edward-Isaac Dovere / Politico:

John Dean: Nixon 'Might Have Survived If There'd Been a Fox News' — John Dean, the former Nixon White House counsel, has a stark warning for White House lawyer Ty Cobb and the rest of President Donald Trump's defenders as they enter 2018: Believing the investigation and prosecutions will be over any time soon is “wishful thinking.”

Associated Press:

Pence's office says VP visit to Israel remains in plans — JERUSALEM (AP) — Mike Pence's office on Monday said the U.S. vice president still plans on visiting Israel this month, despite an apparent delay in the schedule. — Pence had been scheduled to come during the week of Jan. 14.

Raphael Ahren / The Times of IsraelRaphael Ahren:
Pence visit indefinitely postponed due to ‘scheduling conflicts’

Discussion: Breitbart, The Hill and Politico

David M. Halbfinger / New York Times:

Emboldened Israeli Right Presses Moves to Doom 2-State Solution — JERUSALEM — An emboldened Israeli right wing is moving quickly in the new year to make it far more difficult to create a Palestinian state, signaling its intention to doom hopes for a two-state solution to the conflict.

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: Political Wire