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9:40 AM ET, December 21, 2018

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 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 …
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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 …
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.
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 …
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 …
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: ThinkProgress and Politico
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 …
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 …
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.
David Frum / The Atlantic:
No More Excuses  —  For almost two full years, James Mattis …
Discussion: New York Times, CNN, The Week and The Root
Jamie Ross / The Daily Beast:   Trump Already Souring on Next Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney Over ‘Terrible Human Being’ Jibe, Says Report
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Is Considering Substantial Afghan Troop Drawdown
James N. Mattis / Washington Post:
Read the Jim Mattis resignation letter
Washington Post:
‘A morning of alarm’: Mattis departure sends shock waves abroad
Discussion: Sydney Morning Herald
John Podhoretz / Commentary:   What the Mattis Resignation Means
Washington Post:
Mattis resigns after clash with Trump over troop withdrawal from Syria and Afghanistan
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
Fred Kaplan / Slate:
The Last Grown-Up Is Gone  —  James Mattis is not “retiring with distinction.”
Discussion: CNN, The Atlantic and NPR
Nick Wadhams / Bloomberg:   Mattis's Exit Takes Leash Off Trump's ‘America First’ Doctrine
Washington Post:   ‘A sad day for America’: Washington fears a Trump unchecked by Mattis
Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Trump shutdown moves leave GOP senators in disbelief
Erin Dunne / Washington Examiner:
In leaving Syria, the US sells out its Kurdish allies to bloodthirsty Turkey  —  In the fight against the Islamic State, the Kurds have been our best and most reliable ally.  In Syria, in partnership with U.S. Special Operations, the Kurdish-led militia, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces …
Discussion: The Hill, The Resurgent and NPR
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Washington Post:
Turkish president announces delay of planned offensive in Syria, welcomes Trump decision to pull out troops  —  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkish forces are still planning to invade northeast Syria in the coming months and “cleanse” the region of both Kurdish militias and Islamic State forces.
Joyce Karam / The National:   Trump decided to leave Syria after call with Erdogan, says US defence official
Hugh Hewitt / Washington Post:   In withdrawing from Syria, Trump makes a major error
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:
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
Discussion: Law & Crime and The Week
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 …
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 …
RELATED:
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.
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 …
Julie Zauzmer / Washington Post:
‘Hand yourself over to human justice’: Pope Francis tells priests guilty of abuse that the church won't shield them  —  Pope Francis used one of his major annual Christmas speeches to offer some of his strongest words yet on the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic church …
Jacqueline Thomsen / The Hill:
Trump faces new test with midterm election interference report  —  President Trump is about to be told whether the U.S. intelligence community believes foreign interference took place during last month's midterm elections.  —  Under an executive order signed by Trump earlier this year …
Discussion: POLITICUSUSA and Raw Story
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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 More Items: 
Nouransalahiehktla / KTLA:
Signage Up for Section of 134 Highway Renamed After President Barack Obama
Valerie Insinna / Defense News:
Trump's new Space Force to reside under Department of the Air Force
Tyler Pager / New York Times:
After Big Losses, a N.Y. House Republican Clashes With Her Party
Eli Lake / Bloomberg:
Nikki Haley Isn't So Sure About the UN
Associated Press:
After Year of the Woman, 2020 buzz so far focuses on the men
Caitlin Flanagan / The Atlantic:
Kirsten Gillibrand's Invocation of ‘Intersectionality’ Backfires
Sarah D / Los Angeles Times:
He lost his reelection bid in California.  Now, Jeff Denham could be joining the Trump administration
Steven Shepard / Politico:
Gallup retreats from political polling again under new leadership
 Earlier Items: 
Washington Post:
President Trump has made 7,546 false or misleading claims over 700 days
Alex Thompson / Politico:
Perez nixes ‘undercard’ debates for 2020 primary
Zoya Sheftalovich / Politico:
Gatwick reopens after airport implements anti-drone measures
Aram Roston / BuzzFeed News:
Jerry Falwell: I Lent $1.8 Million To A Venture Involving A Pool Attendant
New York Times:
Planned Parenthood Is Accused of Mistreating Pregnant Employees
 

 
From Techmeme:

Lee-Anne Mulholland / The Keyword:
Google files its proposed remedies in the DOJ's search antitrust lawsuit, including letting browser companies have multiple default agreements across platforms

Reuters:
Albania bans TikTok for a year from January 2025, part of a broader plan to make schools safer following the killing of a 14-year-old near a school in November

Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge:
The US NHTSA suggests easing rules allowing for fully driverless cars and urges companies operating driverless cars to share more data for greater transparency
 
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