memeorandum: At ‘60 Minutes,’ Independence Led to Trouble, Investigators Say (New York Times)

7:05 AM ET, December 7, 2018

Top Items:

CNN:

Inside the frantic decision to open a Trump obstruction probe before Mueller got the job — Washington (CNN)In the hectic eight days after President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and top FBI officials viewed Trump as a leader who needed to be reined in …

Discussion: Raw Story, Breitbart and The Week

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Giuliani: The Dog Ate My Counter-Report to Mueller

Discussion: HuffPost, Shareblue Media, POLITICUSUSA, Balloon Juice, Raw Story, New Republic and Splinter

New York Times: Arrest of Huawei Executive Intensifies Trade War Fears

Sean Sullivan / Washington Post:

Trump ally who served on voter integrity panel expresses concern about fraud in North Carolina — Kris Kobach, an ally of President Trump who served on a voter integrity panel, expressed worry Thursday that Republican fraud might have tainted a North Carolina congressional election …

Discussion: Raw Story and Daily Kos

Washington Post:

Republican officials had early warnings of voting irregularities in North Carolina — BLADENBORO, N.C. — When GOP Rep. Robert Pittenger lost his primary by a narrow margin in May, he suspected something was amiss. — The congressman turned to a group of friends and family who had gathered …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, Splinter, Daily Kos, The Charlotte Observer, Axios, The Daily Beast, HuffPost, KBZK, The Root, Roll Call, NPR and Talking Points Memo

Alan Blinder / New York Times:
North Carolina Republicans Express Increasing Doubts on Disputed Election

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, HuffPost and Shareblue Media

Otillia Steadman / BuzzFeed News:
“I Don't Vote” — But He Did. Here's How Alleged Election Fraud Works In North Carolina.

Discussion: HuffPost, Politico and AOL

John Wagner / Washington Post:
Democrat Dan McCready withdraws his concession in North Carolina congressional race roiled by accusations of fraud

Discussion: Associated Press, The Charlotte Observer, The Daily Caller, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit and KTLA

Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:
The GOP Is Making Its Contempt for Democracy Clear. Will the Mainstream Media?

Discussion: Washington Post

Bloomberg:

Trump to Pick Nauert to Replace Haley as UN Ambassador, Sources Say — Nauert has been State Department spokeswoman, Fox News anchor — Maintaining North Korea sanctions, defending Israel key jobs — President Donald Trump has decided to nominate State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert …

Discussion: Politico, RT, CNN, The Week, Axios, Washington Times, Mediaite and New York Post

Fox News:
Trump to announce Heather Nauert as pick for UN Ambassador Friday, sources tell Fox News

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Caitlin Johnstone, Townhall, TheBlaze, RedState, HuffPost and The Daily Caller

Daniel Strauss / Politico:
Trump picks State Department spokeswoman for top U.N. post

Discussion: Axios, Breitbart and One America News Network

New York Times:
Trump Is Expected to Name State Dept. Spokeswoman to U.N. Post

Discussion: Al Jazeera, The American Conservative and Mediaite

Miriam Jordan / New York Times:

Making President Trump's Bed: A Housekeeper Without Papers — At the president's New Jersey golf course, an undocumented immigrant has worked as a maid since 2013. She said she never imagined she “would see such important people close up.” — BEDMINSTER, N.J. — During more than five years …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill, FOX2now.com, Common Dreams, Breitbart, Axios, Hot Air, Splinter, CNN, The Root, Shareblue Media, twitchy.com, Law & Crime, VICE News, The Week, Mediaite, The Atlantic, Daily Kos, New Republic, Raw Story and Talking Points Memo

BostonGlobe.com:

Deval Patrick knew when to call it quits on a presidential bid. Other politicians take note — Running for president is hard. — Deciding not to run? That can be even harder. — Over the last year, two-term former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick has explored the possibility …

Discussion: Deval Patrick, Chicks On The Right, HuffPost, CNN, Daily Caller News Foundation, twitchy.com and Washington Free Beacon

Associated Press:

Democrats speeding up their 2020 campaign launches — NEW YORK (AP) — Democrats are hitting fast forward. — The first major presidential campaign announcements could come before year's end. The Democratic National Committee plans to announce a debate framework by then featuring 15 to 20 candidates.

Brent Scher / Washington Free Beacon:
Boston Globe Advises Warren to Bow Out of 2020 Field

Discussion: Townhall

Steven Perlberg / BuzzFeed News:

Reporters At Bloomberg News Are Worried About Michael Bloomberg's Potential Presidential Run — Reporters at Bloomberg News are on edge after their boss announced that if he chooses to run for president in 2020 — a decision he will have to finalize relatively soon — it could mean the end of the news outlet's political coverage.

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, Talking Biz News, Mediaite and Political Wire, more at Mediagazer »

Natasha Korecki / Politico: Bloomberg holds private meetings with top Iowa Democrats ahead of 2020 decision

Kristopher Tapley / Variety:

Kevin Hart Refuses to Apologize, Despite Academy Ultimatum, for Past Anti-Gay Comments — It appears the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences may be looking for a new host for the upcoming Oscars ceremony very soon. — In a new Instagram video, Kevin Hart, who was tapped to emcee …

Discussion: The Week

Jack Suntrup / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Missouri Secretary of State Ashcroft launches investigation into Josh Hawley — • Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has launched an investigation into the way Attorney General Josh Hawley ran his attorney general's office, Ashcroft's deputy general counsel wrote to the Democratic-allied American Democracy Legal Fund on Thursday.

Discussion: Washington Press and Talking Points Memo

Kansas City Star: Missouri Secretary of State begins investigation into Josh Hawley

Nicole Chavez / CNN:

CNN's New York offices evacuated due to bomb threat — (CNN)CNN's New York offices and studios have been evacuated due to a phoned bomb threat, the company said. — Several fire alarm bells rang inside CNN's New York newsroom, signaling an evacuation shortly after 10:30 p.m.

Discussion: Contemptor, The Daily Beast, Politico, Raw Story, Mediaite, RT, WPIX 11 New York, CBS New York, TheBlaze, Splinter and interfax.ru, more at Mediagazer »

NBC New York:
NYPD Investigates Phoned Bomb Threat at Time Warner Center

Discussion: Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart and Boing Boing

Washington Post:

William Barr is leading attorney general candidate in Trump discussions — Former attorney general William P. Barr is President Trump's leading candidate to be nominated to lead the Justice Department — a choice that could be made in coming days as the agency presses forward with a probe …

Mark Follman / Mother Jones:

Documents Point to Illegal Campaign Coordination Between Trump and the NRA — The National Rifle Association spent $30 million to help elect Donald Trump—more than any other independent conservative group. Most of that sum went toward television advertising, but a political message loses …

Discussion: Balloon Juice, POLITICUSUSA and The Trace

New York Times:

At ‘60 Minutes,’ Independence Led to Trouble, Investigators Say — For decades, “60 Minutes” has reigned at the top of television news, bringing in hundreds of journalistic awards, not to mention weekly ratings for CBS that are the envy of the industry. The success has allowed “60 Minutes” …

Discussion: Deadline and KBZK, more at Mediagazer »

Isabel Wilkerson / New York Times:

Isabel Wilkerson on Michelle Obama's ‘Becoming’ and the Great Migration — The former first lady's long-awaited new memoir recounts with insight, candor and wit her family's trajectory from the Jim Crow South to Chicago's South Side and her own improbable journey from there to the White House.

Deanna Paul / Washington Post:

Tucker Carlson says Trump is ‘not capable’ and hasn't kept his promises — Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson set straight any misinformation concerning his views on President Trump: “I don't think he's capable,” he said during an interview on Tuesday. — Urs Gehriger, an editor at …

Discussion: Hot Air, The American Conservative, Breitbart, AOL, Daily Wire and Mediaite

BuzzFeed News:

A Mysterious Imposter Account Was Used On Facebook To Drum Up Support For The Migrant Caravan — Days before the migrant caravan left Honduras, a fake Facebook account was used to try to bolster its numbers. The social media giant has since deactivated the account but has refused to provide information about who created it.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, more at Mediagazer »

Dan Alexander / Forbes:

How Donald Trump Shifted $1.1M Of Campaign-Donor Money Into His Business — On the day Donald Trump became president of the United States, while inauguration festivities were still in full swing, he officially launched his 2020 reelection campaign. Donations poured in from more than 50,000 people across the country.

Discussion: Shareblue Media and Law & Crime

Alex Isenstadt / Politico: Trump to split reelection campaign between New York and D.C.

John Harwood / CNBC:

Donald Trump could be the first president since Jimmy Carter to run for re-election during a recession — Until now, Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation has loomed as a singular threat to further erode the President Trump's standing. — But the uncertainty on display …

Trudy Ring / Advocate:

New Justice Department Spokeswoman Comes From Anti-LGBTQ Hate Group … The new top spokesperson at the Department of Justice comes from the anti-LGBTQ hate group Alliance Defending Freedom. — Kerri Kupec has been appointed director of the DOJ's Office of Public Affairs, a development first reported by The Daily Beast.

Discussion: LGBTQ Nation

Pete Williams / NBC News: In potential blow to Manafort, Supreme Court unlikely to change double jeopardy rule

Pema Levy / Mother Jones:

Florida Voted to Give Ex-Felons the Franchise. Now Republicans Are Throwing a Wrench in That Process. — Florida's GOP elections chief is resisting implementation of the ballot initiative to expand voting rights. — A month after Florida voters approved a measure to restore the franchise …

CBS News:

President George H.W. Bush laid to rest — A final service for former President George H.W. Bush was held Thursday in Houston, the city Mr. Bush adopted as his hometown, before he is laid to rest at his presidential library at Texas A&M University, in College Station, Texas.