memeorandum: Politically connected sex offender Jeffrey Epstein settles suit, averting victim testimony (Associated Press)

12:10 PM ET, December 4, 2018

Top Items:

Michael Isikoff / Yahoo News:

Mueller preparing end game for Russia investigation — WASHINGTON — Special counsel Robert Mueller's prosecutors have told defense lawyers in recent weeks that they are “tying up loose ends” in their investigation, providing the clearest clues yet that the long-running probe into Russia's interference …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Shakesville, The Week, Politico, Taylor Marsh, Fox News Insider, The Gateway Pundit, KBZK, POLITICUSUSA and Axios

Mikhaila Fogel / The Atlantic:

Mueller Is Laying Siege to the Trump Presidency — “Today is the first day I actually thought Donald Trump might not finish his term in office,” said the legal commentator Jeffrey Toobin on CNN last Thursday. — “This is the beginning of the end for Trump,” declared Neal Katyal, a former acting solicitor general, on MSNBC.

Discussion: Raw Story

Adam Schiff / USA Today:

Trump is compromised. What else is he hiding and who else knows about it? — Now we know Trump, like Flynn, was compromised by the Russians. Was the Moscow deal their only financial leverage over the president, or is there more? — CONNECT — For more than a century …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story and Salon

Benjamin Weiser / New York Times:

Why Michael Cohen, Trump's Fixer, Confessed to It All — Of all of President Trump's former associates who have come under scrutiny in the special counsel's Russia investigation, his former personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, has undertaken perhaps the most surprising and risky legal strategy.

Discussion: The Crime Report

Christine Stapleton / Palm Beach Post:
End to Manafort plea deal could put Palm Beach Gardens home at risk

Discussion: Raw Story

Wall Street Journal:
Mike Flynn Report Expected to Shed Light on Mueller Probe

Discussion: CNBC

Sarah N. Lynch / Reuters:
Mueller's office to recommend sentencing for ex-Trump aide Flynn

Discussion: Raw Story and Political Wire

Washington Post:
Did Trump obstruct justice in public on Monday?

Discussion: CNN, Lawfare and New York Daily News

USA Today:
Maybe now we know why Donald Trump won't criticize Vladimir Putin: Today's talker

Discussion: The Guardian, Raw Story, HuffPost and LifeZette

NBC News:
Think President Trump seems rattled now? There may be more to come

Discussion: Political Wire, RAPPLER, Washington Post, New York Times and Law & Crime

Elie Honig / CNN: Mueller is about to have his say — in a big way

Deanna Paul / Washington Post:
Trump's latest tweets cross clear lines, experts say: Obstruction of justice and witness tampering

Discussion: NBC News, KBZK, Raw Story, POLITICUSUSA, Mediaite, Mother Jones, The Week, Law & Crime and The Guardian

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Republicans plan vote Tuesday on curbing powers of Gov.-elect Tony Evers, limiting early voting — MADISON - Wisconsin lawmakers are set to take up plans Tuesday to diminish the powers of the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general that brought opponents to the state Capitol this week …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, NPR, No More Mister Nice Blog and Feeds

Donald P. Moynihan / Washington Post:
Wisconsin Republicans are trying to subvert the will of the voters. They're part of a larger trend.

Discussion: ABC News, Bloomberg, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Week, AOL and Talking Points Memo

Reid Wilson / The Hill:
GOP legislatures seek to cement Republican power

Discussion: Mother Jones

Allan Smith / NBC News:
‘Banana republic dictators’: Democrats fume over last-minute GOP power-grabs in Wisconsin, Michigan

Discussion: New York Magazine, HuffPost, The Atlantic, Associated Press and Hullabaloo

Associated Press:

Politically connected sex offender Jeffrey Epstein settles suit, averting victim testimony — WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A last-minute settlement has been reached in Florida in a long-running lawsuit involving a politically connected financier accused of sexually abusing dozens of teenage girls.

Discussion: Axios, The Daily Beast and twitchy.com

Julie K. Brown / miamiherald:

Jeffrey Epstein, sexual abuser of dozens of girls, settles case, apologizes. Now what? — A trial that could have allowed the victims of serial molester Jeffrey Epstein to finally tell their stories from a witness stand was aborted Tuesday when it was announced in court that the case had been settled.

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post and HuffPost

John Bresnahan / Politico:

Exclusive: Emails of top NRCC officials stolen in major 2018 hack — The House GOP campaign arm suffered a major hack during the 2018 election, exposing thousands of sensitive emails to an outside intruder, according to three senior party officials. — The email accounts of four senior aides …

Arlette Saenz / CNN:

Joe Biden believes he is the “most qualified person in the country to be president” — Biden: We must reset our nation's moral compass — (CNN)During a stop for his book tour in Missoula, Montana, Monday night, former Vice President Joe Biden discussed his 2020 prospects …

Mike Memoli / NBC News:
Joe Biden: 'I'm the most qualified person in the country to be president'

Discussion: Hot Air, CNN, The Hill, CNBC and POLITICUSUSA

Eliana Johnson / Politico:

Trump handles Bush's death with abnormal normality — A taboo-busting president who has often trashed the Bush clan observes traditional norms of etiquette after its patriarch's passing. — For President Donald Trump, there was once no worse insult than being “a Bushie.”

Discussion: Breitbart, Talking Points Memo and Washington Post

Charles Lane / Washington Post:
Supporting a tax increase was bad for George H.W. Bush. But tax cuts may no longer work for the GOP.

Discussion: Raw Story and Forbes

Associated Press:
The Latest: Prince Charles to attend George HW Bush funeral

Discussion: Politico and Talking Points Memo

Karen Ruiz / Daily Mail:

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Get this b***h under control!’ Joy Behar tears into Meghan McCain off-air after the conservative host lashed out at her for throwing shade on President Trump during The View's tribute to George H. W. Bush — Whoopi Goldberg was forced to cut to commercial break during another …

Discussion: Mediaite, Contemptor, Raw Story, Louder With Crowder, TheBlaze and twitchy.com

Washington Post:

North Carolina election-fraud investigation centers on operative with criminal history who worked for GOP congressional candidate — DUBLIN, N.C. — In a low-slung, aging commercial strip across the street from an online-gaming parlor here, a local operative named Leslie McCrae Dowless ran …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mother Jones, WSOC-TV, Breitbart, CNN, POLITICUSUSA, The Charlotte Observer and ThinkProgress

Joe Bruno / WSOC-TV:
Channel 9 uncovers similarities between absentee ballots in U.S. House District 9 race

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Week, Jamie Dupree - AJC, TheBlaze, Political Wire and Popular Information

Ruth Graham / Slate:

Don't Spend Your Emotional Energy on Sully H.W. Bush — In January 2009, a pilot named Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger steered his struggling aircraft to a safe landing in the Hudson River and became a national hero. Almost 10 years later, a dog named for the pilot has become a beloved “hero” …

Reuters:

Macron makes U-turn on fuel-tax increases in face of ‘yellow vest’ protests — PARIS (Reuters) - France's prime minister on Tuesday suspended planned increases to fuel taxes for at least six months in response to weeks of sometimes violent protests, the first major U-turn …

Discussion: Daily Wire, NPR and JustOneMinute

James McAuley / Washington Post:
France suspends fuel tax after weeks of unrest

Discussion: RedState, New York Magazine, New Republic, Power Line and Daily Caller News Foundation

Adam Nossiter / New York Times:
France Suspends Fuel Tax Increase That Spurred Violent Protests

Discussion: Washington Post, twitchy.com, TheBlaze, The Resurgent, The Week, Business Insider and Patterico's Pontifications

Meagan Flynn / Washington Post:

‘Who is Scott Free?’ A search for meaning after Trump's misuse of a medieval idiom. — From the moment he tweeted “covfefe” in the middle of the night, President Trump has been perplexing his millions of Twitter followers with cryptic messages ranging from vague threats to North Korea …

Discussion: Althouse, Dictionary by Merriam-Webster and Daily Wire

John D. Dingell / The Atlantic:

I Served in Congress Longer Than Anyone. Here's How to Fix It. — In my six decades in public service, I've seen many changes in our nation and its institutions. Yet the most profound change I've witnessed is also the saddest. It is the complete collapse in respect for virtually every institution …

Discussion: Splinter

Justin Miller / The Texas Observer:

'Damn Right, I'm a White Nationalist' Declares Texas GOP Platform Committee Member — At the Texas Republican Party's 2018 convention, Ray Myers was a part of a select group of activists charged with crafting the platform for the biggest and most influential state party in the country.

Discussion: Raw Story and ThinkProgress

Salvador Rizzo / Washington Post:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's $21 trillion mistake — “$21 TRILLION of Pentagon financial transactions ‘could not be traced, documented, or explained.’ $21T in Pentagon accounting errors. Medicare for All costs ~$32T. That means 66% of Medicare for All could have been funded already by the Pentagon.”

Discussion: Fellow Travelers, New York Times, Breitbart, Louder With Crowder, Mediaite, Washington Free Beacon, twitchy.com, Politifact.com Truth …, RedState, Vox, Townhall, Hot Air and The Daily Caller

New York Times:

Manafort Discussed Deal With Ecuador to Hand Assange Over to U.S. — WASHINGTON — In mid-May 2017, Paul Manafort, facing intensifying pressure to settle debts and pay mounting legal bills, flew to Ecuador to offer his services to a potentially lucrative new client — the country's incoming president, Lenín Moreno.

Discussion: emptywheel, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, RT, KBZK, CNBC, The Canary and Axios

Jonathan D. Salant / New Jersey Online:

Bruce Springsteen doesn't think anyone can topple Trump in 2020. Here's why. — WASHINGTON — Bruce Springsteen tried to help Hillary Clinton defeat Donald Trump in 2016. Now he worries no one can defeat the president the next time. — “I don't see anyone out there at the moment …

Discussion: CNN, Observer and LifeZette

Jeremy Barr / Hollywood Reporter:

CNN President Jeff Zucker Says He's “Still Interested” in Running for Political Office — He also said he “never was aware” of Matt Lauer's misbehavior during their time together at NBC. — In a wide-ranging podcast interview with one of his employees, CNN president Jeff Zucker revealed …

Discussion: Political Wire

Brian Stelter / CNN:
CNN's Jeff Zucker dissects Trump's criticism of network with David Axelrod

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Isaac Stanley-Becker / Washington Post:

Born in Philadelphia, U.S. citizen says he was held for deportation to Jamaica at ICE's request — When Peter Sean Brown turned himself in to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office in April, he expected to be back to work in no time at Fogarty's, a laid-back restaurant in Key West, Fla., where diners flock for the Cajun chicken.

Discussion: ACLU, Splinter, Shakesville and KTLA

Kate Riga / Associated Press:

With State Official's Fate Looking Grim, NH Could Lose First In Nation Status — CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The longtime protector of the New Hampshire presidential primary could get ousted by the Legislature this week despite concerns from his supporters that replacing him could jeopardize the state's coveted first-in-the-nation status.

Daniel Victor / New York Times:

Black Man Killed by Police in Alabama Was Shot From Behind, Autopsy Shows — A black man killed by the police in an Alabama mall in November was shot three times from behind, according to a forensic examination commissioned by the man's family. — The finding, announced in a news conference on Monday …

Discussion: The Week and NPR