memeorandum: We've been told that facts have lost their power, that debunking lies only makes them stronger … (Daniel Engber/Slate)

3:55 PM ET, January 3, 2018

Top Items:

David Smith / The Guardian:

Trump Tower meeting with Russians ‘treasonous’, Bannon says in explosive book … Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon has described the Trump Tower meeting between the president's son and a group of Russians during the 2016 election campaign as “treasonous” and “unpatriotic” …

Michael Wolff / New York Magazine:

Donald Trump Didn't Want to Be President — One year ago: the plan to lose, and the administration's shocked first days. — Election Night: It “looked as if he had seen a ghost.” — On the afternoon of November 8, 2016, Kellyanne Conway settled into her glass office at Trump Tower.

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Steve Bannon touches the third rail of Trumpworld — Steve Bannon gave an interview to author Michael Wolff that is jaw dropping — even by Bannon's extreme standards. — Why this matters: Bannon's comments won't surprise anyone who's spoken to him, but as on the record statements they are shocking sources close to the president.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, RedState, New York Magazine, Washington Press, Raw Story, New Republic, The Week, The Atlantic, Business Insider, CNBC, Roll Call, The Guardian, No More Mister Nice Blog and Common Dreams

Joel B. Pollak / Breitbart:

NeverTrump Celebrates Donald Trump Attack on Steve Bannon — Members of NeverTrump — conservative pundits who said they would never vote for Donald Trump — are celebrating President Donald Trump's attack Wednesday on Breitbart News executive chairman Steve Bannon.

Bloomberg:

Trump Says Bannon ‘Lost His Mind’ After Leaving White House — President breaks from strategist considered campaign architect — Bannon is said to have disparaged Trump and his family — President Donald Trump denounced his former top strategist, Steve Bannon, on Wednesday, saying that he …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Axios, Business Insider, The Stranger …, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Washington Press and Politico

Charlie Spiering / Breitbart:

Donald Trump Furious: Steve Bannon ‘Not Only Lost His Job, He Lost His Mind’ — President Donald Trump responded personally to his former chief strategist Steve Bannon's comments about his family members Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. — The statement was released to reporters …

Discussion: TheBlaze, Washington Press, Washington Free Beacon, Raw Story, The Week, Politico and IJR

Breitbart:
Book: Steve Bannon Calls Kushner, Manafort, Don Jr. Trump Tower Meeting with Russians ‘Treasonous’

Discussion: Raw Story, Common Dreams and Washington Press

Washington Post:
Trump slams Bannon: ‘When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind’

Discussion: Breitbart, Washington Times, The Root and CNBC

Max Greenwood / The Hill:
Bannon said there's ‘zero’ chance Trump didn't know about Don Jr.'s Russia meeting: report

Discussion: RedState

Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
New book: Rupert Murdoch called Trump a ‘f—ing idiot’

Discussion: RedState, Axios, Business Insider, Raw Story, The Daily Caller and Mediaite

Alexandra DeSanctis / National Review:
Trump Blasts Bannon in Official Statement: ‘He Lost His Mind’

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mother Jones and Political Wire

Maegan Vazquez / CNN:
Bannon: 2016 Trump Tower meeting was ‘treasonous’

Discussion: Washington Press, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, The Week, theGrio and FOX31 Denver

Ben Shapiro / Daily Wire:
WAR: Bannon Goes To War With Trump, Calls Trump-Russia Campaign Activities ‘Treasonous’

Discussion: IJR

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:

The scary reality behind Trump's long Tuesday of weird tweets — He's relying on Fox News for all his information. — As many of the people I follow on social media headed to bed on January 2 alarmed by President Donald Trump's decision to tweet out a penis size comparison challenge …

Discussion: Raw Story, New York Times, Business Insider, IJR, The Atlantic, AOL, Washington Post, CNBC, RedState, Outside the Beltway, Washington Press and bradford-delong.com

Mike Allen / Axios:

Some White House officials fear accidental war — President Trump's boast last night that he has a “bigger & more powerful” Nuclear Button (caps, Trump's) than North Korea has some administration insiders worried that we could blunder into war. — What they're saying …

Discussion: Washington Post, ThinkProgress, Mashable, The Daily Signal, Daily Kos, Associated Press, New York Times, Raw Story, Shakesville, Mediaite and New Republic

CNN:
North Korea calls hotline to South Korea in diplomatic breakthrough

Paul Musgrave / Washington Post:
There is no secret master plan. Trump is the WYSIWYG president.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Daily Wire, The Daily Caller, National Review, CNN, CBS New York, Roll Call, Mother Jones, TheBlaze, The Gateway Pundit, Talking Points Memo and New York Times

Cristiano Lima / Politico:
Biden cautions Trump against North Korea taunts: ‘This is not a game’

Discussion: Vox, Axios, CNN and The Atlantic

Avery Anapol / The Hill:
Protesters accuse Twitter CEO of being ‘complicit’ after Trump nuclear button tweet

Discussion: The Verge, Motherboard, Common Dreams, Washington Post, IJR and Washington Press

Russell Goldman / New York Times:
The ‘Nuclear Button’ Explained: For Starters, There's No Button

Discussion: Business Insider, RedState and The Week

Ankit Panda / The Diplomat:
When a North Korean Missile Accidentally Hit a North Korean City

Discussion: The Daily Caller

New York Times:

The Republicans' Fake Investigations — A generation ago, Republicans sought to protect President Richard Nixon by urging the Senate Watergate committee to look at supposed wrongdoing by Democrats in previous elections. The committee chairman, Sam Ervin, a Democrat, said that would be …

Discussion: RedState, Talking Points Memo, Politico, Washington Monthly, Washington Press, CNBC, The Daily Caller, The Guardian, Washington Times, Gizmodo, The Gateway Pundit, NBC News, Taylor Marsh, Power Line, The Last Refuge, Raw Story and CANNONFIRE

Evan Perez / CNN:

Trump lawyers talked with special counsel team — Trump predicts exoneration in Russia probe — (CNN)President Donald Trump's legal team held talks with the members of special counsel Robert Mueller's team a few days before Christmas, a source briefed on the matter told CNN.

Discussion: The Week

Brandon Carter / The Hill:
Manafort sues Mueller, Justice Department

Discussion: Political Wire

Tucker Higgins / CNBC:
Trump ex-campaign chair Manafort sues Mueller, Rosenstein, and Department of Justice

Discussion: Raw Story

TMZ.com:

Paul Sorvino Says About Harvey Weinstein, ‘I Will Kill That MF’ for Blacklisting Mira — Paul Sorvino seems to prefer street justice to the whole judicial thing ... because he wants revenge against Harvey Weinstein in the worst way. — Sorvino was leaving Bristol Farms in WeHo Tuesday night …

Discussion: RedState, The Daily Caller and The Gateway Pundit

The Register:

‘Kernel memory leaking’ Intel processor design flaw forces Linux, Windows redesign — Other OSes will need an update, performance hits loom — A fundamental design flaw in Intel's processor chips has forced a significant redesign of the Linux and Windows kernels to defang the chip-level security bug.

Discussion: CNBC, Axios, Mashable, The Daily Caller, The Guardian, BGR, The Verge and Gizmodo, more at Techmeme »

Bloomberg:
Intel Confronts Potential ‘PR Nightmare’ With Reported Chip Flaw

Discussion: Axios, more at Techmeme »

Eric Bradner / CNN:

The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2018 — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Washington (CNN)The most interesting Senate race in 2018 might have nothing to do with whether Republicans or Democrats control the chamber after this year's midterm elections. — The decision Tuesday by Sen. Orrin Hatch …

Discussion: RedState

Jessica Taylor / NPR:
Senate Transforms With Arrival Of 2 New Democrats

Discussion: IJR and The Daily Caller

Cara Buckley / New York Times:

Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks on Power and the #MeToo Moment — In a wide-ranging conversation, the stars discuss President Trump, the fallout from the Harvey Weinstein case and why they hadn't worked together until “The Post.” — “The Post” tells of the tense days leading …

Discussion: Axios, TheBlaze, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Mashable, Washington Times, Washington Post, IJR, thecut, Mediaite and Washington Free Beacon

lohud.com:

Fire reported at Hillary and Bill Clinton's house in Chappaqua — New Castle police have confirmed a fire at the Clintons' home in Chappaqua. — Police declined to give further details on the fire at 15 Old House Lane where Bill and Hillary Clinton have lived for nearly 20 years after buying it for $1.7 million in 1999.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Business Insider and Washington Free Beacon

Ryan J. Reilly / HuffPost:

Some Trump Supporters Think Mueller's Grand Jury Has Too Many Black People — The racist attack on the federal grand jury in D.C. adds to the ways the president's backers are trying to discredit the Russia probe. — WASHINGTON Supporters of President Donald Trump have opened a new line …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress, Booman Tribune, The Root, Media Matters for America, theGrio, The Gateway Pundit, Page Six and Polipace Insider …

Melanie Schmitz / ThinkProgress:
Fox & Friends host delivers racist attack on Mueller grand jury

Discussion: The Hill, AOL, Front Page Magazine, Hullabaloo, IJR, Media Matters for America and Raw Story

James Risen / The Intercept:

My Life as a New York Times Reporter in the Shadow of the War on Terror … I was sitting in the nearly empty restaurant of the Westin Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, getting ready for a showdown with the federal government that I had been trying to avoid for more than seven years.

Discussion: New Republic, Axios and emptywheel, more at Mediagazer »

Emily Smith / Page Six:

Hoda Kotb's ‘Today’ salary won't even compare to Lauer's — Hoda Kotb made history by officially landing Matt Lauer's former “Today” show job — but she is still being paid around $18 million less per year than her disgraced male predecessor. — On Monday, Kotb was named co-anchor of the NBC franchise …

Discussion: Fox News, The Daily Caller, AOL and thecut, more at Mediagazer »

CNN:

Winter ‘bomb cyclone’ threatens East Coast, bringing temps colder than Mars — (CNN)A massive “bombogenesis” — an area of rapidly declining low pressure — will wreak havoc on the Northeast this week, threatening hurricane-force winter wind gusts in a region already crippled by deadly cold.