Top Items:
Helene Cooper / New York Times:
Jim Mattis, Defense Secretary, Resigns in Rebuke of Trump's Worldview — WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, whose experience and stability were widely seen as a balance to an unpredictable president, resigned Thursday in protest of President Trump's decision to withdraw American forces …
Discussion:
PRI, Axios, Washington Post, BuzzFeed News, Wall Street Journal, The Week, The Defense Post, CNBC, The Guardian, CNN, LewRockwell, NY State of Politics, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, AOL, FiveThirtyEight, ThinkProgress, Chicks On The Right, Contemptor, The American Conservative, Raw Story, RedState, HuffPost, Daily Wire, Breitbart, The Last Refuge, twitchy.com, Task & Purpose, Townhall, Joe.My.God., Politico, Home Page Rotator, ABC News, The Daily Caller, TheStreet, Outside the Beltway, Talking Points Memo and Althouse
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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 …
Axios:
Pre-Christmas Trump: Rebuked, rampaging — The last member of an informal alliance of top Trump officials with enough swat or stature to stand up to President Trump — the Committee to Save America, as Jim VandeHei and I called these officials 16 months ago — resigned in epic fashion.
Discussion:
Reuters, Associated Press, NPR, The Week, Mediaite and The Guardian
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 — A lot has happened in the last couple days.
Discussion:
Politico
Axios:
What should worry Trump most: Republican allies are turning on him — Another reason this is a historic week — and what President Trump should really worry about — is that lots of different Republicans have been turning on him over different topics. — Why it matters: A former Trump aide …
Associated Press:
Analysis: As advisers leave, Trump's guardrails come off — WASHINGTON (AP) — Last year, during one particularly frenetic stretch in Donald Trump's presidency, a top Republican senator said there were three men guarding the country from chaos: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis …
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 …
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:
Washington Post, New York Times, Politico, ABC News, Task & Purpose, Axios, Breitbart and The Week
Eli Lake / Bloomberg:
Mattis Puts Trump's Presidency in Peril — This resignation stings because it's not about policy, it's about values. — Donald Trump may not know it yet, but his presidency is collapsing. — His tweets Thursday announcing the resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis by the end of February were polite and respectful.
David Frum / The Atlantic:
No More Excuses — For almost two full years, James Mattis has provided the nation with a collective security blanket—and national-security-minded Republicans with a credible excuse. Whatever outrageous or weird or even suspicious things President Donald Trump might do …
David Rothkopf / The Daily Beast:
Mattis' Message to the World: Trump Is Out of Control — “Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects,” Mattis continued, “I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.”
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Free Beacon and Patterico's Pontifications
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 …
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.
James N. Mattis / Washington Post:
Read the Jim Mattis resignation letter
Discussion:
The Daily Signal and The Moderate Voice
Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: Hurtling toward a shutdown
Discussion:
Washington Post, Politico and The Daily Beast
NBC News:
Mueller may submit report to attorney general as soon as mid-February, say sources
Discussion:
Law & Crime and The Week
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Is Considering Substantial Afghan Troop Drawdown
Discussion:
Mediaite, Politico, CNN, The Guardian, HuffPost, Breitbart, The Defense Post, Raw Story, POLITICUSUSA, KTLA, Splinter, AOL, Defense One, USNI News, Hit & Run, BuzzFeed News, Task & Purpose and Daily Wire
David French / National Review:
Will the Nation Heed the Warning Jim Mattis Delivered Today?
Discussion:
Vox, KXLF-TV, Middle East Eye, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, KTLA, Mother Jones and Law & Crime
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 morning of alarm’: Mattis departure sends shock waves abroad
Discussion:
Sydney Morning Herald
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
With Mattis out, we're in uncharted territory
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit and twitchy.com
Fred Kaplan / Slate:
The Last Grown-Up Is Gone — James Mattis is not “retiring with distinction.”
Discussion:
CNN, The Guardian and The Atlantic
Washington Post:
Mattis resigns after clash with Trump over troop withdrawal from Syria and Afghanistan
Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Trump shutdown moves leave GOP senators in disbelief
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress and Booman Tribune
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
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 …
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:
The Hill, The Times of Israel, New York Times, Sulome Anderson, Washington Press and Test Feed Using Fields
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Nahal Toosi / Politico:
A ‘Never Trumper’ bets on Trump, and loses
Discussion:
Raw Story, Defense One, CNN and Washington Post
Liz Sly / Washington Post:
This time, the United States is betraying more than just the Kurds, allies say
Discussion:
AOL
Doug Bandow / Test Feed Using Fields:
Why Trump Is Right to Withdraw Troops
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Brookings and New York Times
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, Washington Press, Raw Story, Hot Air, emptywheel, Reuters, RedState, Hullabaloo, Lawfare, Townhall, Daily Kos, Vox, National Review and CNN
RELATED:
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, Daily Kos, Law & Crime, Shakesville, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo and Wonkette
John Wagner / Washington Post:
Trump threatens government shutdown ‘will last for a very long time’ if Democrats oppose House bill that includes border wall money — President Trump on Friday threatened that a partial government shutdown would last “for a very long time” if Congress does not meet his demand Friday …
Discussion:
Axios, Political Wire, Washington Times and RAPPLER
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 …
Washington Post:
President Trump has made 7,546 false or misleading claims over 700 days — The numbers are astonishing. — In the first eight months of his presidency, President Trump made 1,137 false or misleading claims, an average of five a day. In October, as he barnstormed the country holding rallies …
Ken Meyer / Mediaite:
Brian Kilmeade Goes Off on Sarah Sanders Over Syria: Trump Just ‘Refounded ISIS’ By Leaving — Brian Kilmeade grilled Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Friday by saying President Trump essentially “refounded ISIS” if he pulls the U.S. military out of Syria. — The White House press secretary gave …
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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