memeorandum: Cohen seeks ‘time served’ prison sentence, says again his crimes were meant to protect Trump (Matt Zapotosky/Washington Post)

11:55 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 …

Bill Clinton / Washington Post:

George H.W. Bush's Oval Office note to me revealed the heart of who he was — Bill Clinton was the 42nd president of the United States. — On Jan. 20, 1993, I entered the Oval Office for the first time as president. As is the tradition, waiting for me was a note from my predecessor, George Herbert Walker Bush.

Discussion: IJR and Mediaite

Michael S. Rosenwald / Washington Post:

'Wouldn't be prudent': George H.W. Bush's unlikely friendship with Dana Carvey — In early December 1992, a month after Bill Clinton had whipped him in the election, President George H.W. Bush held a holiday party for his deflated staffers. — They were in for a big surprise.

Discussion: Bloomberg

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

Jeet Heer / New Republic:

George H.W. Bush, embodiment of an older Republican Party, is dead. RIP. — On Friday night, the family of former president George Herbert Walker Bush announced his death at age 94. … He was a Republican through and through, but towards the end of his life lived to see his party evolve away from his politics.

Discussion: Washington Post, RedState and The Daily Caller

Philip Rucker / Washington Post: Trump to name Dec. 5 a national day of mourning for George H.W. Bush

Clinton Foundation:
Statement by President Clinton and Secretary Clinton on the Passing of President George H.W. Bush

Discussion: Axios, LifeZette, IJR, NPR, Washington Free Beacon, CBS Dallas, Althouse and Sputnik International

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

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

Discussion: Florida Politics and twitchy.com

NBC News:
Former President George H.W. Bush is dead at 94

Discussion: Washington Monthly, ABC News, New York Times, IJR, The Gateway Pundit, WTOP, Roll Call, Washington Times, Contemptor and HuffPost

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

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog

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

Discussion: Politico and Associated Press

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

Discussion: ABC News, Politico, Axios, FiveThirtyEight, Washington Post, Associated Press and The Daily Beast

New York Times:
George H.W. Bush, Public Servant

Discussion: The Week

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

Discussion: Axios, Inquirer Globalnation and Politico

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: Splinter, Political Wire and Raw Story

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

Matt Zapotosky / Washington Post:

Cohen seeks ‘time served’ prison sentence, says again his crimes were meant to protect Trump — Lawyers for former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen argued Friday that their client should not go to prison for the criminal charges to which he has pleaded guilty, and unequivocally linked …

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, Mediaite, Sputnik International and Breitbart

Sputnik International:

Kremlin: Cohen Indeed Contacted Administration, Was Invited to Economic Forum — BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) - Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen, had indeed contacted the Russian presidential administration on a construction project, but was said that the administration is not in charge …

Justin Miller / The Daily Beast:
Cohen: Trump Knew I Called Kremlin for Help With Trump Tower Moscow

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA and Informed Comment

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

Discussion: The Reality-Based Community

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

Discussion: RT, CNN, Weekly Standard and Raw Story

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: KBZK, 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.

Discussion: Raw Story

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: POLITICUSUSA and Raw Story

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.

Phillip Walter Wellman / Stars & Stripes:

The US has dropped more munitions in 2018 in Afghanistan than it has in any year in over a decade — KABUL, Afghanistan — The United States dropped more bombs and other munitions in Afghanistan during the first ten months of 2018 than in any other full year since documentation began, new Air Force data shows.

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.

Discussion: The College Fix

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

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

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 …

Discussion: Washington Post