Top Items:
CNN:
Trump lashed out at Whitaker after explosive Cohen revelations — Cohen says he lied about project in Moscow — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump has at least twice in the past few weeks vented to his acting attorney general, angered by federal prosecutors who referenced …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and Mediaite
Associated Press:
Trump call with Turkish leader led to US pullout from Syria — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw American troops from Syria was made hastily, without consulting his national security team or allies, and over strong objections from virtually everyone involved …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Daily Beast, New York Magazine, Washington Post, emptywheel, Vox, Politico, Wall Street Journal, The Mahablog, Hot Air, Raw Story, Daily Kos, New Republic, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Booman Tribune, IJR, Washington Monthly, Hullabaloo, The Defense Post, The Week, CNN, Mother Jones, Washington Examiner, Joe.My.God., Al-Monitor and Patterico's Pontifications
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Washington Post:
A tumultuous week began with a phone call between Trump and the Turkish president — When he spoke to President Trump on the telephone a week ago Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's agenda had not changed from when they met two weeks earlier at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina.
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, Task & Purpose, Test Feed Using Fields and ABC News
The Daily Beast:
Bolton's Hawkish Syria Plan Backfired, Pushing Trump to Get Out — The national security adviser expanded U.S. goals in Syria to challenge Iran. But Trump wasn't on board, senior officials say, and Turkey took an opportunity to push the U.S. out. — A fateful decision by national security …
Discussion:
New York Times, National Review, Hill Reporter and Raw Story
Burgess Everett / Politico:
Trump sees dangerous cracks in Hill GOP support — President Donald Trump faces a dangerous erosion of support among rank-and-file Republicans thanks to a series of jarring recent moves that have alienated even some close GOP allies. — From his defense of Saudi Arabia's crown prince …
Discussion:
Washington Post
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Julia Davis / The Daily Beast:
Russia Gloats: ‘Trump Is Ours Again’ — If Moscow was happy about the Syria pullout, it's ecstatic about Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' resignation. — By JULIA DAVIS12.21.18 12:49 PM ET — The Kremlin is awash with Christmas gifts from Washington, D.C. and every move by the Trump administration seems to add to that perception.
Discussion:
TASS, Joe.My.God., Hullabaloo, Sydney Morning Herald, Breitbart, Mediaite and Washington Monthly
Axios:
What should worry Trump most: Republican allies are turning on him
Discussion:
Washington Post, Mediaite, Breitbart, Hot Air, Bloomberg, Politico, POLITICUSUSA, Joe.My.God., Hullabaloo, Raw Story and The Gateway Pundit
Colby Hall / Mediaite:
Maggie Haberman: ‘Disgusted’ Republicans Now Privately Admitting They Regret Supporting Trump
Discussion:
Shakesville, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Week
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Trump Is Building a Team of Lackeys to Go to War With Mueller
Discussion:
Vox, Politico and New York Times
Andrew Restuccia / Politico:
Trump bumps Mar-a-Lago getaway amid shutdown confusion
Discussion:
Breitbart, Raw Story and New Republic
Andrew Kaczynski / CNN:
Mick Mulvaney in 2015: Trump's views on border wall ‘simplistic,’ ‘absurd and almost childish’ — (CNN)Incoming White House acting-chief of staff Mick Mulvaney once called President Donald Trump's views on a border wall and immigration “simplistic” and “absurd and almost childish.”
Discussion:
New York Times, Hullabaloo, Political Wire, Washington Post, Joe.My.God., Raw Story, HuffPost, Talking Points Memo, Axios and Mediaite
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Axios:
Pre-Christmas Trump: Rebuked, rampaging
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Daily Beast, Hot Air, Daily Kos, Associated Press, The Resurgent, POLITICUSUSA, AOL, Politico, NPR, The Atlantic, Defense One, The Guardian, Althouse, Taylor Marsh, Just Security, Reuters, The Week, The Defense Post and HuffPost
Rick Wilson / The Daily Beast:
Jim Mattis Was the Only Thing Keeping Trump's Insane Clown Posse in Check
Discussion:
New York Times, Breitbart, New Republic and CNN
Emmie Martin / CNBC:
The budget breakdown of a 25-year-old who makes $100,000 a year and is excellent with money — Trevor Klee, he admits, is a “terrible employee.” But he's great at working for himself — and at taking tests. — So the 25-year-old entrepreneur started a thriving business of his own.
NBC News:
Trump warns shutdown could last ‘very long time,’ urges McConnell to go ‘nuclear’ and end filibuster — “Mitch, use the Nuclear Option and get it done! Our Country is counting on you!” Trump tweeted. — President Donald Trump on Friday said the chances of a partial government shutdown were …
Discussion:
Knoxville News-Sentinel, The Hill, Townhall, Roll Call, New York Times, ThinkProgress, Breitbart, Washington Post, Hit & Run, RedState and IJR
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Daniel Horowitz / Conservative Review:
Trump doesn't need 60 Senate votes to fix the border and short-circuit a shutdown
Discussion:
WORLD, Breitbart, Talking Points Memo, United States Senator … and The DC Chronicle
Robert Barnes / Washington Post:
Supreme Court denies Trump administration request to immediately enforce new asylum rules — The Supreme Court on Friday denied the Trump administration's request that it be allowed to immediately enforce a new policy of denying asylum to those who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border …
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Daily Wire, Chicks On The Right, The Last Refuge, Raw Story, Axios, Daily Kos and The New Civil Rights Movement
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Elise Viebeck / Washington Post:
Violence Against Women Act to expire with government shutdown — The Violence Against Women Act is set to expire at midnight Friday as the government shuts down, cutting off funding for programs that help victims of sexual assault, domestic abuse and stalking.
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Supreme Court Won't Revive Trump Policy Limiting Asylum
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Joe.My.God., Mother Jones, Townhall, The Week and twitchy.com
Washington Post:
In a normal administration, Whitaker would listen to government ethics experts — Why the acting attorney general should be recused from the Russia investigation. — President Trump's pick to serve as acting attorney general, Matthew G. Whitaker, asked his department's career ethics officials whether …
Discussion:
BuzzFeed News and Wonkette
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Marty Lederman / Just Security:
What's Noticeably Missing from the Whitaker Nonrecusal Explanation — The Department of Justice issued a letter yesterday explaining why Matthew Whitaker has decided he won't recuse from superintending the Russia Investigation overseen by Special Counsel Robert Mueller …
New York Times:
As Markets Tumble, Tech Stocks Hit a Rare and Ominous Milestone — When it comes to the stock market, America's technology giants have become a harbinger of more pain to come. — If Facebook, Apple or Google looked shaky this year — as investors worried about growth, regulation or mismanagement — the rest of the market felt it.
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Brian Schwartz / CNBC:
Billionaire megadonor Robert Mercer cuts back on support for GOP after being scrutinized for backing Trump — Yet people close to Mercer say he's “disappeared” and he's no longer playing as big a role in supporting the Republican Party as he used to. — “He's out,” said a former associate of Mercer.
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA
Ronald A. Klain / Washington Post:
Justice Alito, you owe President Obama an apology — The recent guilty plea by Maria Butina for her scheme to use Russian money to impact U.S. politics — including, potentially, part of the $30 million that the National Rifle Association spent to support President Trump's election …
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Jeffrey Goldberg / The Atlantic:
Mattis Always Understood Trump's Severe Defects
Discussion:
Hmm Daily, PJ Media Home, The Guardian, The Week, Jewish Insider and Mediaite
Travis Gettys / Raw Story:
Michael Cohen discussed mysterious $1.8 million loan to pool boy that Jerry Falwell Jr and his wife befriended: report — Jerry Falwell Jr. confirmed that he loaned $1.8 million to a young pool attendant he and his wife had befriended while staying six years ago at a luxury hotel.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and BuzzFeed News
Luke O'Neil / gofundme.com:
Build a Giant Escalator Over the Wall — $1,658 of $200.0M goal Raised by 105 people in 21 hours — The wall is never going to be built but just in case it is we will build a series of giant escalators that are spaced out a half mile along the wall on either side and if that doesn't happen we'll …
Discussion:
Washington Times, The Week and Mashable
Jonah Goldberg / National Review:
Conservative Facts — The problem conservatism faces these days is that many of the loudest voices have decided to embrace the meanness while throwing away the facts. … D — ear Reader (including all you mole-rat monarchists), — One or two times a year I wake up in a Japanese family's living room …
New York Times:
Bill Barr Just Argued Himself Out of a Job — His recent memo to President Trump seriously damages his credibility and raises questions about his fitness for the Justice Department's top position. — Mr. Hemel and Mr. Posner are professors of law at the University of Chicago Law School.
Discussion:
Law & Crime and National Review
Dan Berman / CNN:
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg undergoes surgery — Washington (CNN)Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had two malignant nodules removed from her left lung Friday at a New York hospital, the Supreme Court announced. — There is no evidence of any remaining disease, says a court spokesperson …
Julia Ioffe / Washington Post:
Please don't wish me ‘Merry Christmas’ — It's impolite and alienating to assume I follow your religion. — 'Twas five nights before Christmas, and my Lyft driver was the umpteenth person to wish me a “Merry Christmas” that day. He probably just meant it the way most people do …
Discussion:
Hot Air and twitchy.com
Detroit Free Press:
GOP bill making it tougher to get proposals on ballot heads to Snyder — LANSING — Despite fierce opposition from Democrats and a wide variety of groups, Republicans in the Legislature gave final passage to a bill that will make it tougher to get enough signatures to get a proposal on the statewide ballot.
Discussion:
Detroit News and HuffPost
Neil MacFarquhar / New York Times:
Glee in Russia Over Trump's Foreign Policy Largess — MOSCOW — A note of glee crept into Russian commentary and news coverage on Friday about the current turmoil in Washington around national security, with President Vladimir V. Putin seemingly checking off one item after another that he might have written on his wish list for Santa.
Discussion:
Jihad Watch and The Daily Beast
Itai Vardi / HuffPost:
Exxon Attorney Drafted White House Comments Backing Top Trump Environmental Pick — Newly obtained emails involving the nomination of a climate change denier for the White House post show the fossil fuel industry's sway over Trump's administration. — An energy industry lawyer whose client …
Stacey Stowe / New York Times:
Life After Horrific Death for the Journalist James Foley — On a cool October evening, in a Brooklyn studio crowded with canvases, some still wet, Diane Foley stood before an oil painting of two solemn grade-school boys in the Libyan civil war. One of the boys held aloft a photo of a middle-aged man, a relative, who was missing.
Mike Pomranz / Food & Wine:
Why Are Hershey's Kisses Suddenly Missing Their Tips? — Bakers are perplexed as to why the iconic candy isn't up to snuff this holiday season. — Bad kisses sound like a problem you haven't dealt with since your teenage years, but they're a serious concern right now for bakers …
Discussion:
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