Top Items:
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Inauguration Spending Under Criminal Investigation by Federal Prosecutors — Probe looking into whether committee misspent funds and top donors gave money in exchange for access to the administration — Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating whether President Trump's …
RELATED:
Tom Winter / NBC News:
Trump was in the room during hush money discussions, NBC News confirms — A source confirms to NBC News that the “other member of the campaign” present when Michael Cohen and David Pecker agreed to silence women was Donald Trump. — Donald Trump was the third person in the room in August 2015 …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Just Security, Washington Post, Hot Air, Law & Crime, Bloomberg, Townhall, RedState, Wonkette, Washington Press, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Daily Wire, Joe.My.God., Chicks On The Right, Roll Call, HuffPost, Sputnik International, Fox News Insider, CNBC, CNN, Wall Street Journal, IJR, The Guardian, Daily Kos, Mediaite, Dan Bongino and Vox, more at Mediagazer »
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
7 quotes that show how blatant the Trump hush money coverup was — President Trump on Thursday tacitly admitted, for the first time, that he directed Michael Cohen to facilitate hush-money payments to two women who had alleged affairs with Trump, Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels.
Tommy Christopher / Mediaite:
Former Apprentice Staffer Claims Trump Was ‘Speed Freak,’ Invited Teen Beauty Queens to His Suite — A former staffer on The Apprentice and current stand-up comic named Noel Casler claims that Donald Trump was a “speed freak” who snorted crushed-up Adderall, and also says that Trump invited …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, Joe.My.God. and Balloon Juice
Caleb Ecarma / Mediaite:
Watch Napolitano Debunk All of Fox & Friends' Trump Defenses: ‘John Edwards Case Actually Hurts the President’ — As the co-hosts of Fox & Friends rallied to defend their favorite president, as their colleague, senior judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano, continued to confront them with the implication …
NBC News:
Trump confides to friends he's concerned about impeachment — Despite public declarations that he's unconcerned, the president has told people close to him he's alarmed about the prospect of impeachment. — WASHINGTON — Despite President Donald Trump's public declaration that he isn't concerned …
CNN:
Trump inaugural committee under criminal investigation, source says — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's 2017 inaugural committee is currently being investigated by federal prosecutors in New York for possible financial abuses related to the more than $100 million in donations raised …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo and Raw Story
Associated Press:
As protectors abandon Trump, investigation draws closer
As protectors abandon Trump, investigation draws closer
Discussion:
Media Matters for America and NOQ Report
Brian Stelter / CNN:
How the National Enquirer broke up with President Trump
How the National Enquirer broke up with President Trump
Discussion:
TVNewser, AOL, KXLF-TV, Contemptor and Outside the Beltway
HuffPost:
Trump Considering Son-In-Law Jared Kushner For Next Chief Of Staff — The president is in the third round of his search for a job not many people seem to want. — WASHINGTON Having run through his first choices for his chief of staff vacancy without any luck, President Donald Trump is considering his own son-in-law for the job.
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Christine Stapleton / Palm Beach Post:
BREAKING: Trump plans 16-day holiday visit to Mar-a-Lago — President Donald Trump is expected to spend 16 days at Mar-a-Lago over the Christmas and New Year's holidays, according to an alert issued by the Federal Aviation Administration this morning. — The alert warns pilots to avoid …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Raw Story and POLITICUSUSA
Howard Kurtz / Fox News:
Trump cancels White House Christmas party for the press — EXCLUSIVE - President Trump has canceled the White House holiday party for the media, making the decades-old tradition a victim of his increasingly contentious relationship with major news organizations.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Politico, The Last Refuge, Chicks On The Right, LifeZette, One America News Network, RedState, Wonkette, Liberty Unyielding, Conservative News Today, Splinter, Breitbart, Raw Story, Shakesville, Daily Wire, HuffPost, The Gateway Pundit, Dan Bongino, Sputnik International, Talking Points Memo, Salon, Joe.My.God., Mediaite, Washington Free Beacon and twitchy.com, more at Mediagazer »
Rebecca Morin / Politico:
David Bossie emerges as divisive chief of staff hopeful — Depending on who you ask, David Bossie, a controversial Republican operative excluded from the president's earliest batch of hires, is either a frontrunner or a nonstarter in President Donald Trump's chief of staff sweepstakes.
Discussion:
One America News Network, Breitbart and Raw Story
Grace Segers / CBS News:
Jared Kushner under consideration for White House chief of staff
Jared Kushner under consideration for White House chief of staff
Discussion:
Joe.My.God. and Raw Story
Ginger Gibson / Reuters:
Pelosi says House Democrats will begin process to obtain Trump tax returns
Pelosi says House Democrats will begin process to obtain Trump tax returns
Discussion:
Daily Kos
Ana Colón / Glamour:
Nancy Pelosi's Red Coat Was Such a Moment It's Coming Back to Stores in 2019
Nancy Pelosi's Red Coat Was Such a Moment It's Coming Back to Stores in 2019
Discussion:
CNN, CBS San Francisco, Vox and Washington Examiner
CNN:
Alleged Russian spy Maria Butina admits to engaging in conspiracy against US — Washington (CNN)Alleged Russian spy Maria Butina admitted in federal court Thursday morning to engaging in a conspiracy against the United States. — Butina, 30, was accused of working to infiltrate Republican …
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Washington Post:
Russian Maria Butina pleads guilty in effort to forge Kremlin bond with U.S. conservatives
Russian Maria Butina pleads guilty in effort to forge Kremlin bond with U.S. conservatives
Discussion:
Above the Law and The Mahablog
Matthew Rosenberg / New York Times:
Maria Butina Pleads Guilty to Role in a Russian Effort to Influence Conservatives
Maria Butina Pleads Guilty to Role in a Russian Effort to Influence Conservatives
Discussion:
The Atlantic and Daily Kos
Washington Post:
7-year-old migrant girl taken into Border Patrol custody dies of dehydration, exhaustion — A 7-year-old girl from Guatemala died of dehydration and shock after she was taken into Border Patrol custody last week for crossing into the United States illegally with her father and a large group …
New York Times:
Senate Votes to Limit War Powers in Yemen, Angered by Saudi Killing of Journalist — WASHINGTON — The Senate voted resoundingly on Thursday to withdraw American military assistance for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen, issuing the latest in a series of stinging bipartisan rebukes of President Trump …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, VICE News, CNN and The Hill
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Alex Emmons / The Intercept:
Sen. Tom Cotton Is Trying to Cripple a Bill to End U.S. Support for the War in Yemen
Sen. Tom Cotton Is Trying to Cripple a Bill to End U.S. Support for the War in Yemen
Discussion:
NPR, Vox, ThinkProgress, Common Dreams, Breitbart, Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye
Marianne LeVine / Politico:
Senate defies Trump, rebuking Saudi Arabia after Khashoggi killing
Senate defies Trump, rebuking Saudi Arabia after Khashoggi killing
Discussion:
Daily Kos
Mariam Khan / ABC News:
Senate votes to stop US support for Yemen war, condemns Saudi crown prince
Senate votes to stop US support for Yemen war, condemns Saudi crown prince
Discussion:
Politico
David Corn / Mother Jones:
Did Michael Flynn Try to Strike a Grand Bargain With Moscow as It Attacked the 2016 Election? — In early December, special counsel Robert Mueller, in preparation for the upcoming sentencing of Michael Flynn, submitted two memos outlining his recommended punishment for President Donald Trump's former national security adviser.
Discussion:
Raw Story, Shakesville, Talking Points Memo, CANNONFIRE and Bloomberg
RELATED:
Erin Banco / The Daily Beast:
Get Ready for Mueller's Phase Two: The Middle East Connection — The ‘Russia investigation’ is set to go global. In court filings due to drop in 2019, prosecutors will unveil Middle Eastern countries' attempts to influence U.S. politics. — Over the past year, the indictments, convictions …
Discussion:
Financial Times, New Republic, Breitbart, Talking Points Memo and Raw Story
Stephen Robinson / Wonkette:
Totally Non-Evil ICE Arrests 170 Immigrants Trying To Save Babies From Baby Jails — It's the holiday season, and in between debating the merits of Love Actually and “Baby It's Cold Outside,” you've probably wondered what's going on with all those migrant children the Trump administration separated from their families.
Discussion:
NBC News
Kate Bennett / CNN:
Melania Trump's poll numbers plummet — Washington (CNN)Melania Trump's favorable rating has fallen by double-digits, according to a new CNN poll. The first lady, whose favorability stood at 54% in October, has slipped to 43% in just two months. — Additionally, 36% of those polled found …
Discussion:
Washington Times, AOL, Mediaite and Splinter
RELATED:
Matthew Choi / Politico:
Melania Trump's approval rating drops 11 points in CNN poll
Melania Trump's approval rating drops 11 points in CNN poll
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
J. K. Trotter / New York Times:
Chris Hayes's Work Diary: ‘My Life Is an Unceasing Festival of Impatience’ — The journalist and MSNBC host wakes up to Twitter and ends the day “basically a brain-dead mess.” — As told to J. K. Trotter — Before he began hosting “All In,” which airs weeknights on MSNBC …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo
Nick Corasaniti / New York Times:
Democrats in New Jersey Have a Firm Grip on Power. They Want Even More. — A Democratic proposal would essentially write gerrymandering into the State Constitution and relegate Republicans to a permanent minority. — The measure, which must be approved by voters …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Mother Jones and Outside the Beltway
Sean Sullivan / Washington Post:
For Arizona governor, McSally's star dims as possible choice for Senate seat — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has lost enthusiasm for appointing Rep. Martha McSally, a fellow Republican, to the Senate in recent weeks even as Republican leaders in Washington have championed her.
Jonathan Martin / New York Times:
Sanders and Warren Meet and Agree: They Both Are Probably Running — WASHINGTON — Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Bernie Sanders met Wednesday night at her condominium in Washington to discuss their political intentions but did not reach any accord about coordinating …
Discussion:
The Intercept, CNN, Joe.My.God., Political Wire and BostonGlobe.com
Peter Aldhous / BuzzFeed News:
The Cities Where The Cops See No Hate — The victims were beaten or threatened with deadly weapons. They were taunted with racist or anti-gay abuse. Yet the police decided these weren't hate crimes. — The dispute ended in a severe beating on the street in Irving, Texas …
Sarah McGregor / Bloomberg:
U.S. Budget Deficit Hits Widest on Record for Month of November — Federal outlays double revenue collections, Treasury data show — U.S. ran largest fiscal gap in six years in fiscal 2018 — The U.S. posted the widest November budget deficit on record as spending doubled revenue.
Discussion:
Mother Jones
Laura Davison / Bloomberg:
After Voting for Tax Law, Rubio Slams It for Helping Corporations Over Workers — Florida Republican aligns himself with Democrats on tax law — Stock buybacks have jumped as wages show modest increase — Republican Senator Marco Rubio broke with his party by blasting …
RELATED:
Marco Rubio / The Atlantic:
America Needs to Restore Dignity of Work
America Needs to Restore Dignity of Work
Discussion:
American Affairs Journal, twitchy.com and Mother Jones
Jacob Snow / ACLU:
Amazon's Disturbing Plan to Add Face Surveillance to Your Front Door — Recently, a patent application from Amazon became public that would pair face surveillance — like Rekognition, the product that the company is aggressively marketing to police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement …
Sam Levin / The Guardian:
'They don't care': Facebook fact-checking in disarray as journalists push to cut ties — Journalists paid to help fix Facebook's fake news problem say they have lost trust in the platform — Journalists working as fact-checkers for Facebook have pushed to end a controversial media partnership …
Discussion:
Breitbart, Common Dreams, RT, Mashable, Real Clear Politics and Liberty Unyielding, more at Mediagazer »
Michael Van Sickler / Tampa Bay Times:
Ron DeSantis says Amendment 4 should be delayed until he signs bill from lawmakers — In an interview with the Palm Beach Post, Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis says the ballot measure that allows most ex-felons to vote (and that he opposed) shouldn't go into effect until state lawmakers approve an implementation bill that he signs.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and Palm Beach Post