memeorandum: A Kindler, Gentler Republican President Is Dead (Todd S. Purdum/The Atlantic)

10:00 AM ET, December 1, 2018

Top Items:

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:

George Bush, 41st President, Dies at 94 — George Bush, the 41st president of the United States and the father of the 43rd, who steered the nation through a tumultuous period in world affairs but was denied a second term after support for his presidency collapsed under the weight …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Power Line, Axios, Reuters, Houston Chronicle, NBC News, Wall Street Journal, The Week, Clinton Foundation, Washington Times, Political Wire, Fox News, CNBC, LGBTQ Nation, Outside the Beltway, TalkLeft and KyivPost

Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:

George H.W. Bush, 41st president of the United States, dies at 94 — George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States and the father of the 43rd, was a steadfast force on the international stage for decades, from his stint as an envoy to Beijing to his eight years as vice president …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Political Wire, The Week, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The American Conservative, FOX6Now.com, Florida Politics and Hit & Run

New York Times:

George H.W. Bush, Public Servant — The editorial board represents the opinions of the board, its editor and the publisher. It is separate from the newsroom and the Op-Ed section. — Historians will measure the presidency of George H.W. Bush in familiar ways — by how well or poorly …

Discussion: The Week and Axios

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:

Trump to name Dec. 5 a national day of mourning for George H.W. Bush — BUENOS AIRES — President Trump plans to attend the Washington funeral of former president George H.W. Bush and is designating next Wednesday a national day of mourning, the White House said Saturday.

Jeet Heer / New Republic:
George H.W. Bush, embodiment of an older Republican Party, is dead. RIP.

Discussion: Washington Post, RedState and KRON

Todd S. Purdum / The Atlantic: A Kindler, Gentler Republican President Is Dead

Mary Kate Cary / USA Today:
George H.W. Bush was an ‘American great’ committed to unity, diversity and generosity

Discussion: CBS Dallas

Washington Post:
George H.W. Bush dies at 94. …

Discussion: Florida Politics and twitchy.com

Jennifer Epstein / Politico:
George H.W. Bush dies at 94

Discussion: Politico, Axios, EU Press Room, Associated Press, ABC News, Los Angeles Times and The Daily Beast

Eleanor Clift / The Daily Beast:
George H.W. Bush, One of the Most Prepared Men to Be Elected President, Dead at 94

Discussion: Politico and Inquirer Globalnation

Michael Graczyk / Associated Press:
Former President George H.W. Bush dies at age 94

Discussion: Politico and Associated Press

CNN:

Cohen believed Trump would pardon him, but then things changed — Washington (CNN)Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney for President Donald Trump who is now a key witness in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, was under the impression Trump would offer him a pardon …

Discussion: Mediaite and Media Matters for America

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

Cohen claims ‘regular contact’ with Trump legal team when crafting false statement to Congress — President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen said Friday he was in “close and regular contact” with Trump's White House staff and legal team when he prepared a statement …

Discussion: Political Wire and Raw Story

Bret Stephens / New York Times:

Scent of the Russians — There's a connection between Cohen's guilty plea and Ukraine's desperate plight. — Garry Kasparov, the chess champion and chairman of the Renew Democracy Initiative (with which I'm associated), has an excellent suggestion for how to respond immediately …

Discussion: Washington Press, Breitbart, Sputnik International and Mediaite

Justin Miller / The Daily Beast:

Cohen: Trump Knew I Called Kremlin for Help With Trump Tower Moscow — The president downplays his knowledge of the project, but his ex-fixer says he knew a lot—and that a cover-up before Congress was crafted while talking to Trump's lawyers. — Justin Miller

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA and Informed Comment

John R. Schindler / Observer:
As Trump Panic-Tweets, Putin Cracks His Whip and Shows Him Who's Boss

Discussion: CNN, Raw Story, New York Post and Bloomberg

Alexandra Petri / Washington Post:
What long-ago ‘favor’ made Trump keep Michael Cohen around? Here are my guesses.

Discussion: The Reality-Based Community and The Guardian

David French / National Review:
NPR Takes a Big Swing at Donald Trump Jr., Misses Badly

Discussion: Conservative News Today, Raw Story, Liberty Unyielding, Daily Wire and Mediaite

Warren P. Strobel / Wall Street Journal:

CIA Intercepts Underpin Assessment Saudi Crown Prince Targeted Khashoggi — Conclusion that Mohammad ‘probably ordered’ killing relies in part on 11 messages he sent to adviser who oversaw hit squad around time it killed journalist — WASHINGTON—Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent …

Discussion: Bloomberg, Raw Story and Al Jazeera

Kenneth P. Vogel / New York Times:

Trump Fund-Raiser Received Laundered Foreign Money, Prosecutors Say — WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors cited the involvement of a onetime top fund-raiser to President Trump on Friday in a scheme to launder millions of dollars into the country to help a flamboyant Malaysian financier end a Justice Department investigation.

Matt Zapotosky / Washington Post: Ex-Justice Dept. employee admits to helping aid lobbying effort meant to shut down Malaysian corruption probe

Mike Levine / ABC News: Feds accuse Fugees founder and former DOJ official of ties to Malaysian financial conspiracy

Elena Schneider / Politico:

Inside the GOP's California nightmare — Rep. Steve Knight's (R-Calif.) campaign went into election night thinking another tough victory was at hand. — Knight grinded out a win in 2016, in a district President Donald Trump lost, despite relentless Democratic attacks linking Knight and his party's leader.

Discussion: Raw Story and San Francisco Chronicle

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

GOP seeks to limit Wisconsin early voting, strip powers from Tony Evers and Josh Kaul in lame-duck session — MADISON - Republican lawmakers are seeking to limit voter turnout and want to take away key powers from the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general before GOP Gov. Scott Walker leaves office in January.

Heather Caygle / Politico:

Pelosi creates leadership position for Barbara Lee — Rep. Barbara Lee will be joining the House Democratic leadership team, filling a key void for the caucus after its elections earlier this week left the group without a woman of color in the top ranks. — Lee is expected to fill …

Mike DeBonis / Washington Post:
A low-key Colorado Democrat is trying to settle the Nancy Pelosi speaker dispute

Discussion: Daily Herald

Washington Post:

Senate Intelligence Committee has referred cases of suspected lying to Mueller — The Senate Intelligence Committee has referred cases to the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election after witnesses questioned in the panel's own Russia probe were suspected of lying, the committee chairman said Friday.

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA

Ben Wolfgang / Washington Times: Sen. Richard Burr on Cohen plea: 'If you lie to us, we're going to go after you'

Travis Gettys / Raw Story:

Trump defender Alan Dershowitz is deeply involved in the sordid Jeffrey Epstein scandal — Attorney Alan Dershowitz's name appears 19 times in an investigative report on the ways billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein manipulated the legal system to torment his accusers and escape serious punishment.

Fabiola Santiago / miamiherald:
Alex Acosta, you made a mockery of Florida's sex offender laws. It's time to resign.

Discussion: Women in the World

Salvador Hernandez / BuzzFeed News:

Mike Pence Tweeted, Then Deleted, A Picture With A Florida Deputy Wearing A QAnon Conspiracy Patch — Vice President Mike Pence on Friday tweeted, and then quickly deleted, a picture of himself and a Florida sheriff's deputy wearing a QAnon conspiracy patch on his uniform.

Discussion: Gizmodo and Sputnik International

Chris Mills Rodrigo / The Hill:

Iowa Dem who lost state House race by 9 votes sues to have absentee ballots counted — A Democrat who lost her race for an Iowa state House seat by fewer than 10 votes filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to get 33 absentee ballots counted. — Kayla Koether filed the emergency suit …

Associated Press: Republican takes House race by 1 vote after recount

Andrew Sullivan / New York Magazine:

The Right's Climate Change Shame — A cartoon popped up in my Twitter feed last week that seemed the perfect coda for the latest, congressionally mandated report on climate change. It shows a dinosaur looking up into the heavens at night, at all the twinkling stars.

Craig R. McCoy / Philly.com:

U.N. speech by Temple prof draws fire from university's board chair — The chairman of Temple University's board came out firing Friday against professor Marc Lamont Hill for a speech he made at the United Nations this week criticizing Israel and its treatment of Palestinians.

Associated Press:

Friends say Tim Scott's opposition to Farr not surprising — COLUMBIA, S.C. — U.S. Sen. Tim Scott's opposition to one of President Donald Trump's nominees bucked GOP leadership this week, but it wasn't necessarily out of character. — Scott's decision denied Thomas Farr the chance …