Top Items:
Spencer Ackerman / The Daily Beast:
White House Aide's Plan to Stop Leaks: Spy on His Co-Workers … A former National Security Council official now working for Attorney General Jeff Sessions explored ways to surreptitiously monitor the communications of White House staff for leaks or perceived political disloyalty to Donald Trump …
Discussion:
Mediaite
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
White House leakers leak about leaking — This White House leaks like there's no tomorrow. — The big picture: The leaks come in all shapes and sizes: small leaks, real-time leaks, weaponized leaks, historical leaks. Sensitive Oval Office conversations have leaked, and so have talks in cabinet meetings and the Situation Room.
Discussion:
The Week
RELATED:
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Top White House officials feud over China — The Trump team is bitterly divided over what's happening with China. — Between the lines: Treasury Steven Mnuchin and Larry Kudlow, Trump's top economic adviser, want a deal that has China buying billions in U.S. products in exchange for not facing retaliations on alleged theft of IP.
Discussion:
Mediaite
Emily Stewart / Vox:
The White House's John McCain death joke controversy, explained
The White House's John McCain death joke controversy, explained
Discussion:
The Guardian, Washington Press, AOL, Mediaite and Politico
Bill Hutchinson / ABC News:
Meghan McCain still waiting for public apology for White House aide's comment about her father
Meghan McCain still waiting for public apology for White House aide's comment about her father
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and CBS News
Olivia Nuzzi / New York Magazine:
Donald Trump and Sean Hannity Like to Talk Before Bedtime — Life inside the bunker of Fox News' resident Trumplegänger. — Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Pool via Bloomberg/Getty Images (Trump head); Rob Kim/Getty Images (Hannity head); NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images (phone)
Gardiner Harris / New York Times:
He Was a Tireless Critic of the Iran Deal. Now He Insists He Wanted to Save It. — WASHINGTON — While many hands gripped the sword that undercut the Iran nuclear deal, no one outside the Trump administration was a more persistent or effective critic than Mark Dubowitz, the chief executive of a hawkish Washington think tank.
Carl Bildt / Washington Post:
Trump's decision to blow up the Iran deal is a massive attack on Europe — Few ideas are as holy in President Trump's international liturgy as the concept of national sovereignty. His National Security Strategy speaks of a “beautiful vision—a world of strong, sovereign, and independent nations …
Discussion:
Axios
RELATED:
Jon Swaine / The Guardian:
US threatens European companies with sanctions after Iran deal pullout
US threatens European companies with sanctions after Iran deal pullout
Discussion:
Axios
Washington Post:
Pompeo says U.S. assuring Kim that it does not seek his overthrow
Pompeo says U.S. assuring Kim that it does not seek his overthrow
Discussion:
Townhall
Rebecca Morin / Politico:
Trump team sends mixed signals to Europe
Trump team sends mixed signals to Europe
Discussion:
One America News Network, ABC News and Breitbart
New York Times:
Trump Vows to Save Jobs at China's ZTE Lost After U.S. Sanctions — SHANGHAI — President Trump wrote on Twitter on Sunday that he was working with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to prevent the collapse of the Chinese electronics giant ZTE, which shut down major operations …
Discussion:
Politico, Mashable, Washington Press, Raw Story, NY State of Politics, New York Magazine, twitchy.com and Mediaite, more at Techmeme »
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Wall Street Journal:
Michael Cohen's D.C. Consulting Career: Scattershot, With Mixed Success — Pitching himself as the president's lawyer to companies expecting a Clinton win, Mr. Cohen won AT&T and Novartis but was spurned by Ford and Uber — When Michael Cohen came knocking after the 2016 election … SL
Gerard Alexander / New York Times:
Liberals, You're Not as Smart as You Think — I know many liberals, and two of them really are my best friends. Liberals make good movies and television shows. Their idealism has been an inspiration for me and many others. Many liberals are very smart. But they are not as smart, or as persuasive, as they think.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Washington Post:
‘Buckle up’: As Mueller probe enters second year, Trump and allies go on war footing … The grand jury witnesses arrive one by one at the windowless room in the federal courthouse on Constitution Avenue in downtown Washington. They are struck first by how commonplace the setting feels …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
New York Times:
Trying for House Gains, Democrats Bless Moderates and Annoy Liberals — CONWAY, Ark. — To many Democratic leaders, the path to power in Washington looks like Clarke Tucker. — He supports the Affordable Care Act, but not a single-payer system. He signals misgivings about Nancy Pelosi as the next House speaker.
Daniel Friedman / Mother Jones:
Qatari Investor Accused in Bribery Plot Appears With Michael Cohen in Picture Posted by Stormy Daniel's Lawyer — He's shown meeting with Cohen at Trump Tower shortly after the election. … Members of the Trump transition team appear to have met on December 12, 2016 with a group from Qatar …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Raw Story, Law & Crime, Hot Air, Mediaite and New York Post
New York Times:
Education Department Unwinds Unit Investigating Fraud at For-Profits — WASHINGTON — Members of a special team at the Education Department that had been investigating widespread abuses by for-profit colleges have been marginalized, reassigned or instructed to focus on other matters, according to current and former employees.
Discussion:
CNN, Axios, Washington Press, Daily Kos, Bustle, Common Dreams and Splinter
The Times of Israel:
Jerusalem soccer team to be renamed ‘Beitar Trump’ — Controversial sports team permanently rebrands itself in honor of US president recognizing Israel's capital and moving embassy — Jerusalem's largest soccer club announced Sunday that it has changed its name to “Beitar Trump Jerusalem …
Discussion:
New York Times, Facebook, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Breitbart and The Stream
Scott Johnson / Power Line:
Axios of weasel — Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei are two of the three founders of the news site Axios. Allen came out of Politico via the Washington Post; VandeHei had co-founded Politico after work at the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. They are heavy hitters in the news business.
Discussion:
Axios
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
All the problems at NBC News aren't just coincidence. They're symptoms. — As months go, this has been a terrible one for NBC News. Among the low points: — The ace reporter whose work the network's management couldn't seem to support adequately — Ronan Farrow — broke another huge story for the competitor he fled to.
Discussion:
Instapundit
The Times of Israel:
Israel sends troop reinforcements to Gaza, West Bank ahead of US embassy opening — Army braces for efforts by hundreds of thousands of Gazans to breach border, and upsurge in unrest in West Bank and East Jerusalem — The Israeli army is deploying three additional brigades to Gaza …
Discussion:
Breitbart and Jihad Watch
RELATED:
Josef Federman / Associated Press:
Israel kicks off US Embassy celebration, boosts border force
Willie Brown / San Francisco Chronicle:
Trump is more popular than Dems want to admit — It's time for the Democrats to stop bashing President Trump. — It's not going to be easy, given his policies and personality. It might even mean checking into a 12-step program. But setting a winning agenda is like maneuvering an aircraft carrier.
Discussion:
Power Line, Breitbart and The Gateway Pundit
WAFF-TV:
‘I knew it was wrong’: WI officer caught on video punching teen — WAUWATOSA, WI (WITI) - A violent punch from a police officer to a Wisconsin teen can be seen on a video recorded by a bystander who says he “knew it was wrong” as he saw it. — Cell phone video shows the takedown in the parking lot of a mall in a Milwaukee suburb.
Discussion:
The Root, ThinkProgress, Law & Crime and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Neal Rothschild / Axios:
The Senate Democrats who keep saying no to Trump nominees — A handful of Senate Democrats are committed to opposing President Trump's executive branch nominations at every turn — and the group bears an uncanny resemblance to the rumored 2020 frontrunners.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and twitchy.com
Alistair Barr / Bloomberg:
Apple CEO Lauds Gun-Control Activists; Jabs at Google, Facebook — Fearlessness a major theme of Cook address to Duke graduates — Cook went to Duke's business school three decades ago — Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook waded into divisive political topics such as gun control …