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11:00 PM ET, December 20, 2018

memeorandum

 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.
RELATED:
Thomas Gibbons-Neff / New York Times:
U.S. to Withdraw About 7,000 Troops From Afghanistan, Officials Say  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is withdrawing roughly 7,000 troops from Afghanistan in the coming months, two defense officials said Thursday, around half of what the American military has there now.
Discussion: Politico and Political Wire
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.
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.
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.
BuzzFeed News:
Mattis Isn't The Only One Worried About Allies And Rivals In Syria  —  The US is set to shut a special forces base in Syria that has been the subject of repeated Russian complaints — and that some US officials have cast as a key part of US efforts not just to defeat ISIS but to counter Iranian influence in the country.
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.
Discussion: HuffPost, Raw Story, KTLA and Vox
Ali Vitali / NBC News:
‘This is scary’: Mattis' resignation triggers bipartisan chorus of concern on Capitol Hill  —  “That's what happens when you ignore sound military advice,” Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois said.  —  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' impending departure shook an already tense Capitol on Thursday night …
Discussion: CNN, Townhall and AOL
Paul Szoldra / Task & Purpose:
In 2014, Mattis Said What Would Make Him Resign In Protest. In 2018, He Actually Did It
Discussion: New York Times
Washington Post:   ‘A sad day for America’: Washington fears a Trump unchecked by Mattis
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:   The Year in Trump Freakouts
The Atlantic:
James Mattis's Letter of Resignation
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 …
RELATED:
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 …
Wall Street Journal:
Schumer Says Mueller Memo Disqualifies Barr From Attorney General Job  —  Graham, the incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, says written opinion shouldn't affect Barr's confirmation  —  WASHINGTON—A newly disclosed memo by William Barr criticizing special counsel Robert …
Laura Jarrett / CNN:
Exclusive: Whitaker told he does not need to recuse himself from overseeing Mueller investigation
Marty Lederman / Just Security:
A First Take on Bill Barr's Memo on Presidential Authority and the Mueller Investigation
Discussion: Lawfare and National Review
Nahal Toosi / Politico:
A ‘Never Trumper’ bets on Trump, and loses  —  James Jeffrey, President Donald Trump's special representative for Syria engagement, probably should have seen it coming.  —  In August 2016, the well-respected veteran diplomat signed an open letter denouncing then-presidential candidate Trump as a danger to America.
RELATED:
Liz Sly / Washington Post:   This time, the United States is betraying more than just the Kurds, allies say
Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
Trump is leaving 50,000 Syrian civilians to die
Missy Ryan / Washington Post:
White House weighs whether to continue airstrikes in Syria after troops withdraw
Andrew E. Kramer / New York Times:
Vladimir Putin Welcomes U.S. Withdrawal From Syria
Victoria Nuland / Washington Post:
In a single tweet, Trump destroys U.S. policy in the Middle East
New York Times:
U.S. Will Send Migrants Back to Mexico as They Wait on Asylum Claims
Discussion: RedState
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 …
RELATED:
Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Trump shutdown moves leave GOP senators in disbelief
Washington Post:
Trump ‘at this moment’ opposes deal to avert shutdown, wants more border funding
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 …
RELATED:
Washington Post:   Trump agitating for major military withdrawal from Afghanistan, advisers say
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.
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 …
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 …
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 …
RELATED:
Josh Boak / Associated Press:   Stock market woes raise a nagging fear: Is a recession near?
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.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Edward-Isaac Dovere / The Atlantic:
Barack Obama Goes All In Politically To Fight Gerrymandering
Alexander C. Kaufman / HuffPost:
Democrats Just Killed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Push For A Green New Deal Committee
Discussion: E&E News and ThinkProgress
David Brooks / New York Times:
A New Center Being Born  —  The market and the welfare state go together.
Discussion: Hit & Run
Asma Khalid / NPR:
Democrats Can't Avoid Identity Politics In 2020
Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Stay issued in lawsuit over Trump hotel
 Earlier Items: 
Ken Dilanian / NBC News:
Democrats want to use obscure law to grab Donald Trump's tax returns
Joshua Sharpe / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Former Ga. candidate for governor indicted
Discussion: Joe.My.God.
Politico:
Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts to consider retirement over holidays
Chicago Tribune:
How bad does the ‘Illinois Exodus’ have to get?
Katherine Rosman / New York Times:
The Itsy-Bitsy, Teenie-Weenie, Very Litigious Bikini
Discussion: The Daily Caller
Associated Press:
Democrats to Start Presidential Primary Debates in June 2019
Discussion: Joe.My.God. and twitchy.com
 

 
From Techmeme:

Financial Times:
Sources: the US FTC plans to investigate allegations that Microsoft is abusing its market power in productivity software to prevent customers from leaving Azure

Maxwell Zeff / TechCrunch:
OpenAI says the ChatGPT desktop app for macOS can now read code from some developer-focused apps, including VS Code, Xcode, TextEdit, Terminal, and iTerm2

Decrypt:
Eighteen US states, led by Kentucky, sue the SEC and its commissioners, including Chairman Gary Gensler, over its crackdown on the crypto industry
 
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