memeorandum: Trump's controversial election integrity commission is gone. Here's what comes next. (Charles Stewart III/Washington Post)

3:45 PM ET, January 4, 2018

Top Items:

“You Can't Make This S— Up”: My Year Inside Trump's Insane White House — Author and columnist Michael Wolff was given extraordinary access to the Trump administration and now details the feuds, the fights and the alarming chaos he witnessed while reporting what turned into a new book.

Mike Allen / Axios:

Scoop: Wolff taped interviews with Bannon, top officials — Michael Wolff has tapes to back up quotes in his incendiary book — dozens of hours of them. — Among the sources he taped, I'm told, are Steve Bannon and former White House deputy chief of staff Katie Walsh.

Discussion: Washington Post, Bloomberg, Breitbart, IJR, Vox, Politico, Washington Press, Media Matters for America, Talking Points Memo, Politicus USA, CNBC, Daily Kos, Fox News Insider, Shareblue Media, Daily Wire, RedState and ABC News, more at Mediagazer »

Peter Baker / New York Times:

Trump Demands That Publisher Halt Release of Critical Book — WASHINGTON — President Trump escalated his attack on a new book portraying him as a volatile and ill-equipped chief executive on Thursday as his legal team demanded that the author and publisher halt the release of the account scheduled …

Timothy L. O'Brien / Bloomberg:

Forget Treason. Money Laundering Is Serious. — Steve Bannon's charge against Trump's son isn't the worst thing he's saying about the president's inner circle. — Trump watchers have been treated to a world-class cage match over the last couple of days between President Donald Trump …

Discussion: Politico, CNN, ABC News, Right Wing Watch, Talking Points Memo, USA Today, The Daily Beast, The Guardian, bizpacreview.com and Breitbart, more at Mediagazer »

Mike Allen / Axios:

Axios AM — Jeffrey Smith / New York Magazine (Used by permission) — Amid the firestorm over Michael Wolff's forthcoming book “Fire and Fury,” a lawyer for President Trump says legal action against Steve Bannon is “imminent,” accusing the former White House aide of breaking a confidentiality …

Discussion: Althouse, Washington Post, New Republic, CANNONFIRE and Raw Story

John Santucci / ABC News:

Trump attorney sends Bannon cease and desist letter over ‘disparaging’ comments — Lawyers on behalf of President Donald Trump sent a letter Wednesday night to former White House Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon demanding he refrain from making disparaging comments against the president and his family.

John Santucci / ABC News:

Trump legal team blasts explosive Michael Wolff book in cease-and-desist letter — President Donald Trump's lawyer, Charles Harder, has demanded on behalf of his client that author Michael Wolff and his publisher immediately “cease and desist from any further publication, release or dissemination” …

Discussion: The Intercept, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Business Insider, Washington Post, The Guardian, IJR, Daily Wire and AOL

Michael Wolff / British GQ:

How Donald Trump's White House team handles his giant ego — Soon after the inauguration of Donald Trump on 20 January 2017, GQ columnist Michael Wolff was granted special access to the White House. Over seven months, in more than 200 interviews with the president and his staff …

Discussion: Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Scoop: White House officials discuss removing Katie Walsh from outside group — Senior White House officials are debating whether Katie Walsh should be fired from Trump's main outside group, America First, after comments she reportedly made to the author Michael Wolff, according to two sources with direct knowledge.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Breitbart, IJR and The Daily Caller

Jennifer Jacobs / Bloomberg:
White House Bans Staff From Using Personal Mobile Phones at Work

Discussion: Daily Wire, Business Insider and Talking Points Memo, more at Techmeme »

John Harwood / CNBC: Questions about Trump's fitness raised by bombshell new book pose growing threat for Republicans in 2018 elections

John Bowden / The Hill:
Bannon loses support of pro-Trump billionaire backer over media fights

Discussion: Washington Post, MarketWatch, Lawyers, Guns & Money, RedState, Vox, CNBC, Business Insider, 1A, TheBlaze and Talking Points Memo

Madison Park / CNN:
Despite blast by Trump, Bannon reiterates support for President

Discussion: Washington Post, Axios, The Hill, Politico, The Root, IJR, AOL, bizpacreview.com, theGrio, thecut, The Daily Caller, Daily Wire, Townhall.com and The Week

Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
New book: Hannity was open to giving Trump questions before interview

Discussion: RedState, Hollywood Reporter, Shareblue Media, The Daily Caller and Raw Story

James Hohmann / Washington Post:
The Daily 202: Trump's break with Bannon over Wolff book shows the limits of loyalty

Discussion: The Daily Beast and Politico

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:
President Trump tries to quash bombshell book

Discussion: Raw Story and Daily Kos

Diana Stancy Correll / Washington Examiner:
Top Trump donor Rebekah Mercer cuts off Steve Bannon

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Axios, Washington Post, National Review and Fox News Insider

Sadie Gurman / Associated Press:

AP NewsBreak: US to end policy that let legal pot flourish — WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions is rescinding the Obama-era policy that had paved the way for legalized marijuana to flourish in states across the country, two people with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.

Washington Examiner:

Reps. Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan: It's time for Jeff Sessions to go, as shown by the latest FBI leak … As the first year of the Trump administration comes to a close, one can't help but look back on how allegations of “Russian collusion” dominated the headlines of almost every news agency.

Discussion: Politico, ThinkProgress, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Vox, Axios, Business Insider, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story and IJR

Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:

Justice Department ‘Looking Into’ Hillary Clinton's Emails— Again … Justice Department officials are taking a fresh look at Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state, The Daily Beast has learned. — An ally of Attorney General Jeff Sessions who is familiar …

Discussion: Politico, ABC News, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Washington Press, Shareblue Media, Daily Wire, Front Page Magazine, The Week, Axios, Associated Press, The Gateway Pundit, Law.com and Raw Story

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:

Cory Gardner just showed how Senate Republicans could check Trump if they wanted to — But they don't want to. — This morning, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced changes to Obama-era marijuana policy guidelines that had in effect allowed several states to move forward with pot legalization …

Discussion: Washington Press, Raw Story and FOX31 Denver

Olivier Knox / Yahoo:
Republican Sen. Gardner torches Sessions over pot reversal

Discussion: Gizmodo, TheBlaze, IJR, Mediaite and Business Insider

Laura Jarrett / CNN:
Sessions to rescind Obama-era rules on non-interference with states where pot is legal

Discussion: Popehat, IJR, theGrio and The Root

Jennifer Kaplan / Bloomberg:
Sessions Ending Obama-Era Policy That Ushered in Legal Weed

Discussion: naked capitalism

Cristiano Lima / Politico:
Sessions announces end to policy that allowed legal pot to flourish

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Hit & Run, Daily Wire and Breitbart

Reid Wilson / The Hill:
Sessions will end policy that allowed legalized marijuana to prosper

Discussion: The Cannabist, Shakesville, Reason, Hit & Run, CBS San Francisco, Balloon Juice and ThinkProgress

Kira Lerner / ThinkProgress:

Democrat on defunct voting commission says Kobach lied about why it dissolved — Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap (D) had strong words for Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R) on Thursday after Kobach tried to lay blame for the failure of President Trump's Election Integrity Commission …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos and Right Wing Watch

Charles Stewart III / Washington Post:
Trump's controversial election integrity commission is gone. Here's what comes next.

Discussion: Mother Jones, The White House, Hit & Run, Election Academy and Breitbart

USA Today:
Trump disbands controversial voting commission, citing ‘endless legal battles’

Discussion: Townhall.com, Fox News Insider, The Daily Caller, Front Page Magazine, Fox News, Washington Times, bizpacreview.com, The Lid, CBS San Francisco, Washington Free Beacon and Off the Kuff

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Trump's explanation for shutting down his voter fraud commission is just as untrue and partisan

Discussion: New Republic, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times and Business Insider

Darryl Fears / Washington Post:

Trump administration to expand drilling off U.S. continental waters — The Trump administration unveiled a controversial plan Thursday to permit drilling in most U.S. continental shelf waters, including protected areas of the Arctic and the Atlantic, where oil and gas exploration is opposed …

Discussion: ABC News, Raw Story, Political Wire, Tampa Bay Times, The Week and Daily Wire

Lisa Friedman / New York Times: Trump Moves to Open Nearly All Offshore Waters to Drilling

Associated Press:
Trump moves to vastly expand offshore drilling off US coasts

Discussion: Axios

Richard Morgan / Washington Post:

I read decades of Woody Allen's private notes. He's obsessed with teenage girls. — His 56-box archive is filled with misogynist and lecherous musings. — Woody Allen is making a new movie. Just kidding: He doesn't make new movies. What he's editing now, “A Rainy Day in New York,” …

Discussion: Shakesville

New York Daily News:

Socialite Jacqueline Kent Cooke accused of smacking lawyer with her glass purse in anti-Semitic attack — Millionaire NFL heiress Jacqueline Kent Cooke allegedly got blitzed on New Year's Eve, spewed anti-Semitic remarks in a Manhattan restaurant and then bashed a man bloody with her glass purse …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Washington Post, Tablet Magazine, Raw Story and Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Andrew Prokop / Vox:

Virginia just determined control of its state house by picking a name out of a bowl — The random drawing to settle a tied race delivered the house majority to Republicans. — Virginia settled the outcome of a tied House of Delegates race that would determine control of the chamber …

Discussion: ABC News and Politico

Kevin Robillard / Politico:
Republican wins drawing to decide control of Virginia statehouse

Discussion: Axios

Wall Street Journal:

Dow Industrials Cross 25000 for First Time — Should it close above that mark, milestone would represent the fastest 1,000-point gain in the blue-chip index's history — The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped past 25000 for the first time Thursday, on pace to notch the fastest run to a fresh 1,000-point milestone in history.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, CNBC, bizpacreview.com and IJR