Top Items:
Bloomberg:
Cohen Will Talk After Mueller Probe Is Complete, Lawyer Says — Michael Cohen, the former lawyer and fixer for President Donald Trump, is willing to reveal publicly what he knows about his former client once Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation is complete and findings are released, Cohen's lawyer said Wednesday.
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, Joe.My.God., Informed Comment, Washington Press, IJR, Reuters and New Republic
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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 …
Discussion:
Political Wire and Raw Story
Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:
A ‘loud gong’: National Enquirer's surprise deal could imperil Trump — The National Enquirer's parent company has agreed to tell prosecutors everything it knows about Donald Trump — and it might know a lot. — In a court document released Wednesday, the tabloid publisher, American Media Inc. …
Discussion:
CNBC, CNN, POLITICUSUSA, Politico and Mother Jones, more at Mediagazer »
New York Times:
Tabloid Publisher's Deal in Hush-Money Inquiry Adds to Trump's Danger
Tabloid Publisher's Deal in Hush-Money Inquiry Adds to Trump's Danger
Discussion:
The Big Lead, Outside the Beltway, Daily Wire, Mediaite and Liberty Unyielding
New York Times:
‘His Dirty Deeds’ — Michael Cohen said President Trump led him into darkness.
‘His Dirty Deeds’ — Michael Cohen said President Trump led him into darkness.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Just Security and CNN
Brian Stelter / CNN:
Meet the reporters who started exposing Michael Cohen's payments two years ago
Meet the reporters who started exposing Michael Cohen's payments two years ago
Discussion:
New York Times, Mediaite and Vox
Hunter Walker / Yahoo News:
Rudy Giuliani says Trump's legal team wants Mueller to ‘wrap the damn thing up’
Rudy Giuliani says Trump's legal team wants Mueller to ‘wrap the damn thing up’
Renato Mariotti / Politico:
Did Trump Just Move a Step Closer to Unindicted Co-conspirator?
Did Trump Just Move a Step Closer to Unindicted Co-conspirator?
Discussion:
CNN, The Moderate Voice, Law & Crime, Mediaite, The Guardian, Breitbart, The Atlantic, NPR and Raw Story
Josh Campbell / CNN:
The most damning revelation from the Cohen case
The most damning revelation from the Cohen case
Discussion:
KXLF-TV and Washington Post
Justice News:
Michael Cohen Sentenced To 3 Years In Prison
Michael Cohen Sentenced To 3 Years In Prison
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Atlantic, Shareblue Media, Damian J. Penny, The Daily Beast, Raw Story, New York Times, Joe.My.God., Law & Crime, Splinter, The Gateway Pundit, HuffPost, Mother Jones, Boing Boing, TalkLeft, CANNONFIRE, CBS News, Hit & Run, Hot Air, Hullabaloo, Vox, Washington Monthly, The Daily Caller, Balloon Juice and Wall Street Journal
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, Mediaite, Dan Bongino, Joe.My.God., Raw Story, twitchy.com and Political Wire
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Peter Nicholas / Wall Street Journal:
Mark Meadows Out of Running for White House Chief of Staff
Mark Meadows Out of Running for White House Chief of Staff
Discussion:
Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, The Resurgent, CNN and Washington Times
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:
Raw Story
Courier-Journal:
Courier Journal and ProPublica to launch state government investigation — The Courier Journal and the national nonprofit news outlet ProPublica will partner in a yearlong investigation of a Kentucky state government program, the news organizations announced Wednesday.
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Globe and Mail:
Canadian Michael Spavor missing in China after detention of Kovrig — Michael Spavor, a Canadian whose company brings tourists and hockey players into North Korea, has gone missing in China, days after Beijing's detention of former diplomat Michael Kovrig, two sources say.
Discussion:
Yahoo News, VICE News, Toronto Star, Crisis Group and New York Times
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David Ljunggren / Reuters:
Canada says missing Canadian is businessman Michael Spavor
Canada says missing Canadian is businessman Michael Spavor
Discussion:
NPR
Lachlan Markay / The Daily Beast:
Sen. James Inhofe Bought Defense Stock Days After Pushing for Record Pentagon Spending—Then Dumped It When Asked About It — Ethics experts say the purchase underscores the moral hazard of lawmakers owning assets in areas of industry affected by legislation they are in positions to author.
Discussion:
KXLF-TV, Splinter, Washington Press and Investor's Business Daily
Marc Caputo / Politico:
‘He got screwed’: Gillum absent from indictment after DeSantis bashed him as corrupt — MIAMI — Federal authorities unveiled a 44-count, 66-page indictment Wednesday of a Tallahassee politician and a city official that involved six companies, five other players and a bank in a wide-ranging bribery …
Discussion:
Tallahassee Democrat, Washington Post, Washington Free Beacon and Florida Politics
Timothy Williams / New York Times:
North Carolina Legislature Calls for New Primary if New Election Is Held in Disputed District — LUMBERTON, N.C. — The North Carolina legislature Wednesday approved a bill requiring new primary elections if the state elections board calls for a second vote of an election.
Discussion:
Joe.My.God.
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Wall Street Journal:
The Flynn Entrapment — A court filing shows the ugly tactics employed by James Comey's FBI.
David Folkenflik / NPR:
Tribune, Tronc And Beyond: A Slur, A Secret Payout And A Looming Sale — Several months after taking control of the troubled Tribune Publishing Co. in 2016, Chicago investor Michael Ferro convened a session of corporate leaders from within his own news empire, including chief news executives …
Discussion:
Politico and Breitbart, more at Mediagazer »
Department of Homeland Security:
Walls Work — WE ARE BUILDING THE FIRST NEW BORDER WALL IN A DECADE. — DHS is committed to building wall and building wall quickly. We are not replacing short, outdated and ineffective wall with similar wall. Instead, under this President we are building a wall that is 30-feet high.
Carol D. Leonnig / Washington Post:
Federal judge seeks documents related to Michael Flynn's January 2017 interview with FBI agents — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered both former national security adviser Michael Flynn and the special counsel to turn over additional investigative records describing his January 2017 interview …
Discussion:
Right Wing Watch
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Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
Michael Flynn Judge Seeks Review Of Key FBI Notes Before Sentencing Decision
Michael Flynn Judge Seeks Review Of Key FBI Notes Before Sentencing Decision
Discussion:
Power Line and Washington Examiner
Ben Boskovich / Esquire:
Damnit, Ted Cruz's Beard Looks Tolerable Now — His greatest political opponent has always been his face. A few weeks off the razor has changed that. — Clean-shaven, Ted Cruz might have the most upsetting face in politics. It was just about two years ago, that feels like two decades ago …
New York Times:
The Rise of Right-Wing Extremism, and How We Missed It … Listen and subscribe to our podcast from your mobile device: — Despite repeated warnings over the past two decades, federal law enforcement officials in the United States have ignored the threat of violence from far-right extremists.
Charles Dunst / The Atlantic:
Trump Moves to Deport Vietnam War Refugees — The Trump administration is resuming its efforts to deport certain protected Vietnamese immigrants who have lived in the United States for decades—many of them having fled the country during the Vietnam War. — This is the latest move …
Discussion:
Vox, POLITICUSUSA, New York Times, Common Dreams, Splinter, Lawyers, Guns & Money, National Review and Joe.My.God.
CNN:
Key lawmakers seek to haul in Trump associates working with Mueller — (CNN)Now that President Donald Trump's former “fixer,” Michael Cohen, has been sentenced to prison, leaders of the House and Senate Intelligence committees are preparing to haul him back before Congress before he begins serving time.
Washington Post:
Trump and Democrats can reach a deal on the wall — if they have the spine to take it — PUT ASIDE Tuesday's Oval Office theatrics and remember this: There's a compromise within reach on the wall and immigration for President Trump and congressional Democrats — if each side has the spinal fortitude …
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
A top cardinal's sex-abuse conviction is huge news in Australia. But the media can't report it there. — The front page of Thursday's Herald Sun newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, is dominated by a single word in huge white type, all caps, on a black background: CENSORED.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, NPR and Breitbart, more at Mediagazer »
Kyle Kondik / Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball:
Senate 2020: Republican exposure on paper, but not necessarily in practice — GOP defending a lot of turf, but much of it is dark red — KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE — Of the 34 Senate races on the ballot in 2020, Republicans already control 22 of them while Democrats hold only 12.
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:
Real Clear Politics
HuffPost:
5 Democrats Bail Out Paul Ryan And Protect Saudi Arabia — Reps. Jim Costa, Al Lawson, Collin Peterson, Dutch Ruppersberger and David Scott helped the GOP ensure the House won't consider a companion bill to anti-Saudi legislation soon expected to pass the Senate.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Shadowproof and CNN
Ceylan Yeginsu / New York Times:
Have You Experienced a Petty Crime in London? Tell Us Your Story — As the city's level of violent crime rises, help us understand how the London police are responding to minor property crimes. — A surge in violent crime in London has exacerbated a decade of service cuts under …
Discussion:
Spectator USA and Coffee House
Lauren Theisen / The Concourse:
Conservative Gays Need To Shut The Fuck Up — On Tuesday, conservative rag The Federalist—a website perhaps best known for its endorsement of statutory rape and its former use of a “Black Crime” tag—published an opinion blog by a gay guy named Chad Felix Greene titled …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, twitchy.com, Big League Politics and Out Magazine
Raphael Satter / Associated Press:
AP Exclusive: Iran hackers hunt nuclear workers, US targets — LONDON (AP) — As U.S. President Donald Trump re-imposed harsh economic sanctions on Iran last month, hackers scrambled to break into personal emails of American officials tasked with enforcing them, The Associated Press has found …
Discussion:
Washington Post
Bradley A. Smith / National Review:
Michael Cohen Pled Guilty to Something That Is Not a Crime — The prosecutor is twisting campaign-finance law. — Donald Trump's wayward counsel, Michael Cohen, was sentenced today as part of a plea bargain with the government. As part of that settlement, Cohen has admitted …
Discussion:
Power Line