Top Items:
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 …
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The Daily Beast, New York Times, Washington Post, emptywheel, Politico, Wall Street Journal, Hot Air, Raw Story, The Mahablog, Daily Kos, New Republic, The Defense Post, Booman Tribune, Washington Monthly, IJR, Hullabaloo, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Joe.My.God., The Week, CNN, Mother Jones, Patterico's Pontifications, Washington Examiner and Al-Monitor
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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, Raw Story and Politico
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
Bret Stephens / New York Times:
Dear Anonymous Inside the Trump Administration — The problem with the president isn't that he's an empty vessel. It's that he's a malignant one. — Dear Anonymous, — It's time we revisit that famous op-ed of yours. — In September, you acknowledged that you were a member of the …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Washington Post, Vox and Raw Story
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Trump Is Building a Team of Lackeys to Go to War With Mueller
Discussion:
Vox, New York Times and Politico
Joby Warrick / Washington Post:
Retreating ISIS army smuggled a fortune in cash and gold out of Iraq and Syria
Discussion:
Just Security
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, Political Wire, Raw Story and Mediaite
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 …
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Washington Post
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New York Times:
Trump Policy Gyrations Threaten Fragile Republican Coalition — WASHINGTON — President Trump's near-simultaneous decisions this week to force a government shutdown over his demand to fund a border wall and withdraw American troops from Syria and Afghanistan have imperiled the fragile Republican coalition …
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, Mediaite, Joe.My.God., Hullabaloo, Sydney Morning Herald, Breitbart and Washington Monthly
Neil MacFarquhar / New York Times:
Glee in Russia Over Trump's Foreign Policy Largess
Discussion:
Politico and Jihad Watch
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:
Axios, New York Times, Political Wire, Joe.My.God., Raw Story, Hullabaloo, Washington Post, HuffPost, Talking Points Memo and Mediaite
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:
Daily Wire, Hit & Run, Chicks On The Right, The Last Refuge, Raw Story, Axios, Daily Kos and The New Civil Rights Movement
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Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Supreme Court Won't Revive Trump Policy Limiting Asylum — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday refused to revive a Trump administration initiative barring migrants who enter the country illegally from seeking asylum. — The court was closely divided, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. joining …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Joe.My.God., Mother Jones, Townhall, The Week and twitchy.com
Associated Press:
The Latest: White House tells agencies to plan for shutdown — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on efforts to avoid a government shutdown (all times local): — White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney is instructing agencies “to execute plans for an orderly shutdown” when government funding lapses at midnight.
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NBC News:
Trump warns shutdown could last ‘very long time,’ urges McConnell to go ‘nuclear’ and end filibuster
David Nakamura / Washington Post:
'He takes no ownership — that's just Trump': President eschews responsibility for a shutdown he once craved
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, Hill Reporter, Conservative News Today and Raw Story
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.
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 …
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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
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
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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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 …
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 …
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 — $4,100 of $200.0M goal Raised by 223 people in 1 day — 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
Rick Wilson / The Daily Beast:
Jim Mattis Was the Only Thing Keeping Trump's Insane Clown Posse in Check — Steady, thoughtful, and respected, Mattis was America's insurance policy against Trump's idiocy. If you're not nervous, you're not paying attention. — By RICK WILSON12.21.18 9:17 AM ET
Discussion:
New York Times, Breitbart, New Republic and CNN
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Jonathan Andrews / ODNI Newsroom:
DNI Coats Statement on the Resignation of Secretary Mattis
Discussion:
Politico
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
Daniel Horowitz / Conservative Review:
Trump doesn't need 60 Senate votes to fix the border and short-circuit a shutdown — Last night, Chuck Schumer said at a press conference, “The Trump temper tantrum will shut down the government, but it will not get him his wall.” The truth is that if McConnell would actually lead and enforce …
Discussion:
WORLD, Talking Points Memo, Breitbart, United States Senator … and The DC Chronicle
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
Colby Hall / Mediaite:
Maggie Haberman: ‘Disgusted’ Republicans Now Privately Admitting They Regret Supporting Trump — New York Times reporter and CNN contributor Maggie Haberman appeared on New Day Friday morning and revealed insight into the current turmoil in Washington D.C. — In light of the many issues challenging …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Shakesville, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Week
Avi Steinberg / New York Times:
After More Than Two Decades of Work, a New Hebrew Bible to Rival the King James — The pre-eminent scholar Robert Alter has finally finished his own translation. — One morning this fall, at his home high in the Berkeley hills, the literary critic and translator Robert Alter chatted …
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 …
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