Top Items:
ProPublica:
Trump's Inauguration Paid Trump's Company — With Ivanka in the Middle — As the inaugural committee planned the landmark celebration, internal concerns were raised about whether Trump's Washington hotel was overcharging for event space. The spending could be a violation of the law.
Discussion:
Axios, POLITICUSUSA, The Mahablog, Hullabaloo, New York Daily News, Daily Kos, Politico, Shareblue Media, Law & Crime, Chicks On The Right, Al Jazeera, Splinter, The Daily Caller and Daily Wire
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Christina Wilkie / CNBC:
The Trump inaugural committee's fundraising was a mess from the start, but a new investigation could finally provide some answers — Federal prosecutors have reportedly opened a criminal investigation into President Donald Trump's inaugural committee's finances, but its funding was a mess from the start.
CNN:
Mystery Mueller mayhem at a Washington court — Washington (CNN)Fridays at the DC federal courthouse are typically days of high alert for the press corps trying to discern what special counsel Robert Mueller's next legal action will be. — But this Friday, court officials went to extreme measures …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Jamie Dupree - AJC and Law & Crime
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Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Reporters shooed away as mystery Mueller subpoena fight rages on
Reporters shooed away as mystery Mueller subpoena fight rages on
Discussion:
Joe.My.God. and Raw Story
Oliver Darcy / CNN:
The Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine critical of Trump, to shutter after 23 years — New York (CNN Business)The Weekly Standard, the magazine that espouses traditional conservatism and which has remained deeply critical of President Donald Trump, will shutter after 23 years …
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John Podhoretz / Commentary:
The Murder of the Weekly Standard — The Weekly Standard will be no more. There is no real reason we are witnessing the magazine's demise other than deep pettiness and a personal desire for bureaucratic revenge on the part of a penny-ante Machiavellian who works for its parent company.
Discussion:
Vox, New York Times, The American Conservative, National Review, The Daily Beast, The Guardian, RedState and alicublog, more at Mediagazer »
Jon Levine / The Wrap:
Bill Kristol's The Weekly Standard to Shut Down: ‘This Was the Step We Needed to Take’
Bill Kristol's The Weekly Standard to Shut Down: ‘This Was the Step We Needed to Take’
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, The Gateway Pundit and Daily Wire
Washington Post:
Trump's claim that he didn't violate campaign finance law is weak — and dangerous — The case against the president would be far stronger than the case against John Edwards was. — Last week, in their case against Michael Cohen, federal prosecutors in New York filed a sentencing brief concluding that …
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George Stephanopoulos / ABC News:
Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen says Trump knew it was wrong to make hush-money payments during campaign — Donald Trump directed Michael Cohen to arrange hush-money payments with two women because then-candidate Trump “was very concerned about how this would affect the election” …
Discussion:
Washington Post, New York Daily News, NPR, New York Times, Breitbart, IJR, HuffPost, Reuters, LifeZette, Conservative News Today, Chicks On The Right, Al Jazeera, Joe.My.God., Wonkette, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, Daily Wire, Mother Jones, CNN, Vox, Fox News Insider, The Daily Caller, AOL, Daily Kos, VICE News, POLITICUSUSA, The Guardian, CNBC, Washington Times, Washington Press, Bloomberg, Roll Call, Townhall, The Hill, USA Today and Law & Crime, more at Mediagazer »
Ronn Blitzer / Law & Crime:
Trump Cites John Edwards Case in His Defense, But His 2012 Comments About It Seriously Undermine That Argument (VIDEO)
Trump Cites John Edwards Case in His Defense, But His 2012 Comments About It Seriously Undermine That Argument (VIDEO)
Discussion:
Mediaite
George Stephanopoulos / ABC News:
Michael Cohen talks to George Stephanopoulos: TRANSCRIPT
Michael Cohen talks to George Stephanopoulos: TRANSCRIPT
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Post, Booman Tribune, IJR, Breitbart, Washington Times, Joe.My.God., Shakesville and Daily Kos
Murray Waas / Vox:
Exclusive: Paul Manafort advised White House on how to attack and discredit investigation of President Trump — We now have details as to how the indicted former campaign manager worked with the president to undermine federal law enforcement. — Paul Manafort, who served as the manager …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Observer, Law & Crime and Raw Story
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Chris Mills Rodrigo / The Hill:
Chris Christie declines White House chief of staff role
Chris Christie declines White House chief of staff role
Discussion:
Washington Press, Joe.My.God. and Big League Politics
Lucien Bruggeman / ABC News:
Special counsel Robert Mueller's team: FBI interview did not lead Michael Flynn to make false statements
Special counsel Robert Mueller's team: FBI interview did not lead Michael Flynn to make false statements
Discussion:
New York Times and Raw Story
Katherine Faulders / ABC News:
Trump ramps up interviews in chief of staff search as Christie bows out
Trump ramps up interviews in chief of staff search as Christie bows out
Discussion:
Politico, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, LifeZette, Mediaite and Daily Kos
The Daily Beast:
Jared Kushner Replaced Michael Cohen as Trump's National Enquirer Connection — The president's son-in-law grew tight with David Pecker during the early months of the administration. — Shortly after the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner was handed …
hatch.senate.gov:
Hatch on Comments He Made Earlier This Week about Accusations Against President Trump — Washington,D.C.—Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) issued the following statement about comments he made earlier this week about accusations made against President Trump:
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, CNN and Law & Crime
Ben Riley-Smith / Telegraph:
Exclusive: George Papadopoulos reveals plan to run for Congress in first newspaper interview since prison release — Follow the author of this article Follow the topics within this article — Sipping a kale and cucumber smoothie on a swanky hotel rooftop in Los Angeles, George Papadopoulos looked a million miles away from prison.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Joe.My.God., KXLF-TV, The Daily Caller, Raw Story and Mediaite
RELATED:
Yvonne Wingett Sanchez / Arizona Republic:
Jon Kyl will resign from the U.S. Senate on Dec. 31, setting up another appointment by Ducey to John McCain's seat — U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl will resign from the U.S. Senate on Dec. 31, The Arizona Republic has confirmed, setting up a second appointment by Gov. Doug Ducey to the seat once occupied by the late John McCain.
Jeffrey Toobin / New Yorker:
Adam Schiff's Plans to Obliterate Trump's Red Line — With the Democrats controlling the House, Schiff's congressional investigation will follow the money. — President Trump said some time ago that he believes his personal finances should be off limits to investigators.
Discussion:
Joe.My.God.
New York Times:
Wisconsin's Scott Walker Signs Bills Stripping Powers From Incoming Governor — FOX CROSSING, Wis. — Scott Walker, the outgoing Republican governor of Wisconsin, on Friday signed into law measures that diminish the power of his Democratic successor and expand the authority of Republican lawmakers …
Discussion:
Vox, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Mother Jones and Joe.My.God.
RELATED:
Amanda Terkel / HuffPost:
Scott Walker Signs Wisconsin GOP's Massive Power Grab Into Law
Scott Walker Signs Wisconsin GOP's Massive Power Grab Into Law
Discussion:
VICE News and Shareblue Media
Mark Joseph Stern / Slate:
New Jersey Democrats' Diabolical Gerrymandering Scheme Is an Affront to Democracy
New Jersey Democrats' Diabolical Gerrymandering Scheme Is an Affront to Democracy
Discussion:
Vox, Washington Post and NJ Spotlight
Lisa Girion / Reuters:
Johnson & Johnson knew for decades that asbestos lurked in its Baby Powder — A REUTERS INVESTIGATION A REUTERS INVESTIGATION — Facing thousands of lawsuits alleging that its talc caused cancer, J&J insists on the safety and purity of its iconic product.
Discussion:
CNBC, KXLF-TV, Al Jazeera, The Daily Caller, FOX2now.com, Common Dreams and CBS Los Angeles
CNN:
CNN Poll: Looking to 2020, Beto O'Rourke on the horizon — WASHINGTON (CNN)As candidates for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020 begin to declare their intentions, a handful of potential candidates hold on to most of the early support, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS …
Discussion:
Townhall, The Cook Political Report, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, twitchy.com and Vox
RELATED:
Chris Sommerfeldt / New York Daily News:
New Jersey AG probes Trump golf club after undocumented maids claim racially-charged harassment, threats — New Jersey's top law enforcement agency is looking into claims of widespread harassment and immigration fraud at President Trump's Garden State golf club after several former …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God.
Scott Stedman:
FBI actively investigating Papadopoulos days after his release from prison — Federal authorities out of Washington DC, working in coordination with Robert Mueller's team, have in recent days sought to arrange an interview with the author of a letter sent to Congress last month that claimed …
NBC News:
Seven-year-old girl who died at border did not receive medical care for 90 minutes — The incident raises questions about the Border Patrol's emergency procedures and the Trump administration's policy of delaying immigrants at legal ports of entry. — WASHINGTON — A seven-year-old Guatemalan girl …
Discussion:
RedState, Associated Press, Splinter and Washington Post
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Marc Fisher / Washington Post:
THE PARTISAN WARRIOR … What happened to Michael Flynn? — Before he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, before he became a folk hero to many of President Trump's most loyal supporters, before he pivoted from accomplished military officer to purveyor of shocking stories about the evils of Islam …
Discussion:
Wonkette
Washington Post:
Trump routinely says things that aren't true. Few Americans believe him. — Take the quiz to see how your fact-checking skills stack up against others nationwide. — For months, President Trump has claimed that U.S. Steel has announced plans to build more than six new plants.
Lawfare:
The Steele Dossier: A Retrospective — The dossier compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele remains a subject of fascination—or, depending on your perspective, scorn. Indeed, it was much discussed during former FBI Director Jim Comey's testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee on Dec. 7.
Dan Lamothe / Washington Post:
Former Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus selected to join Navy with backing from Mattis — Reince Priebus, a former chief of staff to President Trump and Republican power broker, could join the Navy after a months-long process in which Defense Secretary Jim Mattis recommended him and a board …
Discussion:
CNN and Task & Purpose
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
“This Is Not a Normal Time”: Trump and the Rapidly Expanding “Witch Hunt” — The criminality of the key figures in the President's inner circle is now established, and they have started to implicate Trump himself. — Shortly after 11 a.m. on Thursday, Senator Jeff Flake, of Arizona, took to the Senate floor for his farewell speech.
George Packer / The Atlantic:
The Corruption of the Republican Party — Why has the Republican Party become so thoroughly corrupt? The reason is historical—it goes back many decades—and, in a way, philosophical. The party is best understood as an insurgency that carried the seeds of its own corruption from the start.