Top Items:
Helene Cooper / New York Times:
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis Resigns, Rebuking Trump's Worldview — WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, whose experience and stability were widely seen as a balance to an unpredictable president, resigned on Thursday in protest of President Trump's decision to withdraw 2,000 American troops from Syria.
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New York Times:
U.S. to Withdraw About 7,000 Troops From Afghanistan, Officials Say — President Trump made the decision at the same time he decided he was pulling American forces out of Syria, one official said. — Turmoil in Congress, National Security and Markets: The State of Play — There is too much news to fit in one story.
Discussion:
Politico
Washington Post:
‘A tailspin’: Under siege, Trump propels the government and markets into crisis — President Trump began Thursday under siege, listening to howls of indignation from conservatives over his border wall and thrusting the government toward a shutdown. He ended it by announcing the exit …
The Daily Beast:
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' Resignation Message to Trump Is Basically ‘F*** This’ — The Pentagon chief quit after Trump announced plans to withdraw troops from Syria and just before he ordered a drawdown in Afghanistan. — By SCOTT BIXBY12.20.18 5:27 PM ET — Jim Mattis had enough.
Discussion:
New York Times, Politico, ABC News, Axios, Breitbart and Washington Post
James N. Mattis / Washington Post:
Read the Jim Mattis resignation letter — Dear Mr. President: — I have been privileged to serve as our country's 26th Secretary of Defense which has allowed me to serve alongside our men and women of the Department in defense of our citizens and our ideals.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice and The Daily Signal
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Is Considering Substantial Afghan Troop Drawdown — The administration is considering a substantial reduction of troops in Afghanistan and could begin a drawdown in several weeks, officials said.
Discussion:
Politico, CNN, HuffPost, Breitbart, Defense One, USNI News, KTLA, Hit & Run, BuzzFeed News, POLITICUSUSA, The Guardian, Task & Purpose, Splinter, The New Civil Rights Movement, Daily Wire, Mediaite and Reuters
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
The Year in Trump Freakouts — Jim Mattis is out, the President is leaving Syria without consulting anyone, and that's just this week in crises of the President's own making. — President Trump is ending the year as he began it: outraging Washington with a Twitter diktat, one that was cheered in Moscow and jeered on Capitol Hill.
John Podhoretz / Commentary:
What the Mattis Resignation Means — Reading James Mattis's resignation letter, one gets the sense of our secretary of defense serving as a kind of Hans Brinker these past two years—holding his finger in the dike lest the floodwaters drown the town. This week, with the abrupt revelation …
David Rothkopf / The Daily Beast:
Mattis' Message to the World: Trump Is Out of Control — That was more than a letter of resignation provided today by Defense Secretary James Mattis, it was a bright red line in American history. — On Thursday, President Trump suffered the most serious repudiation of his presidency to date …
Paul Szoldra / Task & Purpose:
In 2014, Mattis Said What Would Make Him Resign In Protest. In 2018, He Actually Did It — Looking for a great career? Or know another veteran, service member, or military spouse who is? Get started at Hirepurpose. — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has resigned in protest …
Discussion:
New York Times
David French / National Review:
Will the Nation Heed the Warning Jim Mattis Delivered Today? — Defenders of Trump have long argued that his worst impulses can and will be tempered by the good men and women in his administration. And when they listed the good men and women, the first name on that list was always James Mattis.
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KXLF-TV, Raw Story, Mother Jones, KTLA, Middle East Eye and Law & Crime
Washington Post:
‘A sad day for America’: Washington fears a Trump unchecked by Mattis
Discussion:
Shareblue Media
Ali Vitali / NBC News:
‘This is scary’: Mattis' resignation triggers bipartisan chorus of concern on Capitol Hill
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
With Mattis out, we're in uncharted territory
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, twitchy.com and Raw Story
David A. Graham / The Atlantic:
James Mattis's Final Protest Against the President
Discussion:
ABC News, Joe.My.God., Washington Press, Chicks On The Right, Raw Story and NY State of Politics
Henry Olsen / Washington Post:
Trump is now forging foreign policy on his own. Where will he take us?
The Atlantic:
James Mattis's Letter of Resignation
Discussion:
Patterico's Pontifications and The Root
Alex Ward / Vox:
James Mattis, the last “adult” in the Trump administration, resigns as defense secretary
Discussion:
Hot Air, Daily Wire, HuffPost, POLITICUSUSA and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Washington Post:
Ethics officials said Whitaker should recuse from the Mueller probe, but his advisers told him not to, officials say — A senior Justice Department ethics official concluded acting attorney general Matthew G. Whitaker should recuse from overseeing special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's probe …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Reuters, Hot Air, emptywheel, Raw Story, RedState, Hullabaloo, Lawfare, Talking Points Memo and National Review
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NBC News:
Mueller may submit report to attorney general as soon as mid-February, say sources — “They clearly are tying up loose ends,” said a lawyer who has been in contact with the Mueller team. — WASHINGTON — Special counsel Robert Mueller is nearing the end of his historic investigation …
Discussion:
Law & Crime and The Week
Wall Street Journal:
Schumer Says Mueller Memo Disqualifies Barr From Attorney General Job
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, Washington Post, New York Magazine, Politico and emptywheel
Laura Jarrett / CNN:
Exclusive: Whitaker told he does not need to recuse himself from overseeing Mueller investigation
Discussion:
Washington Post, Washington Press, Breitbart, Law & Crime, Townhall, Conservative News Today, ABC News, The Week, Joe.My.God., The Root, Axios, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo and Shakesville
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Trump's Attorney General Nominee Criticized Russia Investigation
Discussion:
CNN, Law & Crime, The Daily Beast, Axios, Vox, Fox News and New Republic
NBC News:
Founder of viral fundraiser for Trump's border wall has questionable news past — Brian Kolfage told NBC News he didn't want to mention his previous projects because he “didn't want it to be a distraction.” — An internet fundraiser for Donald Trump's border wall took in more than $7 million …
Discussion:
Media Matters for America and Snopes.com
Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
Trump is leaving 50,000 Syrian civilians to die — President Trump's surprise decision to rapidly withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria is meeting with intense criticism by foreign policy experts, who denounce it as strategically stupid, reckless for national security and a blow to America's global credibility.
Discussion:
Sulome Anderson, Washington Press, Test Feed Using Fields, New York Times and Washington Free Beacon
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Nahal Toosi / Politico:
A ‘Never Trumper’ bets on Trump, and loses
Discussion:
Raw Story, Defense One, CNN and Washington Post
BuzzFeed News:
Mattis Isn't The Only One Worried About Allies And Rivals In Syria
Discussion:
The American Spectator, Power Line, National Review, New York Times, Breitbart, Daily Wire and ThinkProgress
Liz Sly / Washington Post:
This time, the United States is betraying more than just the Kurds, allies say
Victoria Nuland / Washington Post:
In a single tweet, Trump destroys U.S. policy in the Middle East
Discussion:
The Hill, The Times of Israel, The Resurgent and Mother Jones
New York Times:
A Top Aide's Exit Plan Raises Eyebrows in the White House — WASHINGTON — After weeks of discussions about his future, Zachary D. Fuentes, the 36-year-old deputy White House chief of staff, had a plan. — Mr. Fuentes told colleagues that after his mentor, John F. Kelly …
Paul Kane / Washington Post:
In budget brinkmanship, Republicans once again hold themselves hostage — House Republicans are ending their eight-year run in the majority exactly the way it began — grabbing a hostage and seeking ransom. — This week's standoff, like so many others this decade, pits an alienated House GOP caucus …
Discussion:
Political Wire
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Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Trump shutdown moves leave GOP senators in disbelief
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress and Booman Tribune
BuzzFeed News:
Russian Agents Sought Secret US Treasury Records On Clinton Backers During 2016 Campaign — US Treasury Department officials used a Gmail back channel with the Russian government as the Kremlin sought sensitive financial information on its enemies in America and across the globe, according to documents reviewed by BuzzFeed News.
Discussion:
Hill Reporter, Washington Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Law & Crime, Daily Kos, Shakesville, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo and Wonkette
Washington Post:
As stocks drop, Trump fears he's losing his best argument for re-election — President Trump has kept an almost obsessive watch on the stock market as it has lurched lower in recent weeks. — He has complained to aides how unfair it is that he is blamed for the market's slide …
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New York Times:
Planned Parenthood Is Accused of Mistreating Pregnant Employees — Employers that champion women face accusations of discriminating against their pregnant workers, showing how widespread the problem is in American workplaces. — As a medical assistant at Planned Parenthood …
Discussion:
Daily Wire, KXLF-TV, Axios, Louder With Crowder, The Daily Caller, The DC Chronicle, LifeNews.com, Townhall, Washington Free Beacon and twitchy.com
Aram Roston / BuzzFeed News:
Jerry Falwell: I Lent $1.8 Million To A Venture Involving A Pool Attendant — The prominent evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr. has for the first time acknowledged putting up $1.8 million for a business venture managed by a young pool attendant whom he and his wife befriended during a stay at a luxury hotel in 2012.
Alexander C. Kaufman / HuffPost:
Democrats Just Blocked Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Push For A Green New Deal Committee — Instead, Democrats are sticking to their original plan, and channeled Exxon Mobil in an announcement refusing to bar members who take fossil fuel money. — Democratic leaders on Thursday tapped Rep. Kathy Castor …
Discussion:
E&E News and ThinkProgress
Zoe Tillman / BuzzFeed News:
Former Senate Intelligence Committee Staffer James Wolfe Will Serve Two Months In Prison For Lying To The FBI — WASHINGTON — James Wolfe, the former head of security for the Senate Intelligence Committee, was sentenced on Thursday to spend two months in prison for lying to the FBI about his communications with reporters.
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