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11:05 AM ET, December 21, 2018

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 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 …
Discussion: Joe.My.God. and Political Wire
RELATED:
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.
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Discussion: Joe.My.God. and Taylor Marsh
Jamie Ross / The Daily Beast:
Trump Already Souring on Next Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney Over ‘Terrible Human Being’ Jibe, Says Report  —  Donald Trump is reportedly already turning on Mick Mulvaney—who hasn't even started his new job as acting White House chief of staff yet—due to a two-year-old video uncovered by The Daily Beast …
Discussion: The Resurgent and POLITICUSUSA
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.
Discussion: Jewish Insider
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
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.
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 …
CNN:
How the Trump-Mattis alliance crumbled  —  CNN reporter: Mattis is falling on his sword  —  Washington (CNN)It was about 7:30 Thursday morning when Defense Secretary Jim Mattis decided he needed to see his Commander in Chief.  —  He was “livid” at the notion that the US was betraying an ally, two defense officials said.
Discussion: Washington Free Beacon and WGNO
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 …
Discussion: The Week and Politico
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
The Year in Trump Freakouts
Discussion: The Atlantic
Colby Hall / Mediaite:
Maggie Haberman: ‘Disgusted’ Republicans Now Privately Admitting They Regret Supporting Trump
Discussion: The Week
Washington Post:   Turkish president announces delay of planned offensive in Syria, welcomes Trump decision to pull out troops
Joyce Karam / The National:   Trump decided to leave Syria after call with Erdogan, says US defence official
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Is Considering Substantial Afghan Troop Drawdown
Hugh Hewitt / Washington Post:   In withdrawing from Syria, Trump makes a major error
Ken Meyer / Mediaite:
Kilmeade Blasts Trump's Syria Withdrawal: We're Abandoning Kurds Who are ‘Three Weeks from Total Slaughter’
Discussion: Splinter
Washington Post:
Trump's decision to withdraw from Syria marks a win for Putin
Discussion: Hot Air
Fred Kaplan / Slate:
The Last Grown-Up Is Gone  —  James Mattis is not “retiring with distinction.”
Discussion: The Atlantic, NPR and The Guardian
Washington Post:
‘A morning of alarm’: Mattis departure sends shock waves abroad
Discussion: Sydney Morning Herald
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 …
Jeffrey Goldberg / The Atlantic:
Mattis Always Understood Trump's Severe Defects  —  In the spring of 2016, not long after The Atlantic published an article I had written about President Obama's foreign-policy record, I visited the Hoover Institution, a think tank on the campus of Stanford University, where James Mattis …
Discussion: The Week
RELATED:
David Frum / The Atlantic:
No More Excuses  —  For almost two full years, James Mattis …
Discussion: Vox, New York Times, CNN and The Root
James N. Mattis / Washington Post:
Read the Jim Mattis resignation letter
John Podhoretz / Commentary:   What the Mattis Resignation Means
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:
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 …
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
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:
Thomas Heath / Washington Post:   Dow's dive reaches nearly 500 points after White House ups the chance of government shutdown
Tyler Pager / New York Times:
After Big Losses, a N.Y. House Republican Clashes With Her Party  —  She arrived in Washington as a rising star, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, and she quickly won leadership positions and garnered effusive praise from her party leaders.  —  Now, not even four years later …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Robert Morrison / The Guardian:
The death of our Siemens factory is the result of another Trump lie
Discussion: Raw Story
David Roberts / Vox:
The Green New Deal, explained
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N.Y. Today: The Great Taxi Fee Battle of 2018 (and Beyond)
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Michael Gerson / Washington Post:
If Trump's actions aren't impeachable, then what is?
Discussion: RedState
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‘Hand yourself over to human justice’: Pope Francis tells priests guilty of abuse that the church won't shield them
 Earlier Items: 
Nouransalahiehktla / KTLA:
Signage Up for Section of 134 Highway Renamed After President Barack Obama
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
Jacqueline Thomsen / The Hill:
Trump faces new test with midterm election interference report
Discussion: Raw Story and POLITICUSUSA
Steven Shepard / Politico:
Gallup retreats from political polling again under new leadership
 

 
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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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