Top Items:
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.
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
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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, FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV, The Daily Caller, IJR, KTLA, NBC News and twitchy.com
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?
Discussion:
The Hill, Little Green Footballs, Hullabaloo, Politico, IJR, Salon, Shakesville, Raw Story, New York Times, Breitbart, Roll Call, The Week, Washington Times, USA Today, Business Insider, emptywheel, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Free Beacon, theGrio, The Daily Caller, Fox News Insider, Talking Points Memo, NBC News, RedState and Deadline
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Mandy Mayfield / Washington Examiner:
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
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, Politico, Axios, Shareblue Media, Roll Call, Political Wire and Washington Free Beacon
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, Daily Kos, Shareblue Media and Common Dreams
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 »
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, AOL and TVNewser
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Eun Kyung Kim / TODAY.com:
Hoda Kotb joins Savannah Guthrie as co-anchor of TODAY
Hoda Kotb joins Savannah Guthrie as co-anchor of TODAY
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Page Six, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, IJR, AOL and TheBlaze, more at Mediagazer »
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
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:
CNN, Talking Points Memo, Axios, AOL, TheBlaze, New York Magazine, Washington Times, FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV, Raw Story, Daily Kos, Political Wire, The Week and Mediaite
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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
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, Raw Story, NBC News, Washington Post, Forbes, The Daily Caller, ThinkProgress, Mother Jones, The Atlantic, IJR, New York Magazine, RedState, Political Wire, Mediaite, Business Insider, 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:
Shareblue Media, Politico, Reuters, NPR, Mother Jones, Common Dreams, Vox, The Independent, IJR and The Week
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, Deadline, twitchy.com, Mashable, ThinkProgress, Mediaite and USA Today, 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, Business Insider, WBUR, 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
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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 anytime soon is “wishful thinking.”
Discussion:
Raw Story and The Daily Caller
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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, The Gateway Pundit, Political Wire and Raw Story
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:
Washington Post, New Republic and IJR
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, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, AOL and NBC News
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Howie Carr / Boston Herald:
Trump's tough talk tamps down threat
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
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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
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
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
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:
The Hill, The Daily Caller, RedState, The Stranger …, New Republic, The Week, Axios and MichelleMalkin.com
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