Top Items:
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, New York Times, Associated Press, Althouse, Political Wire, Mediaite, The Week, The Guardian, Politico and Task & Purpose
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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 …
Discussion:
Politico, Joe.My.God., One America News Network, POLITICUSUSA and Raw Story
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:
ThinkProgress, Task & Purpose, Politico, Talking Points Memo, PRI, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, The Nation, Defense News, The Times of Israel, Front Page Magazine, middleeastmonitor.com, The Daily Beast, Axios, WORLD, Investor's Business Daily, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, The Week, Mediaite, JustOneMinute, NPR, CNN, USA Today, The Guardian, NY State of Politics, The Defense Post, LewRockwell, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, AOL, FiveThirtyEight, Chicks On The Right, Raw Story, RedState, HuffPost, Daily Wire, Defense One, The Last Refuge, twitchy.com, Mother Jones, Townhall, The American Conservative, Contemptor, Wonkette, Home Page Rotator, Outside the Beltway and Althouse
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 …
Discussion:
Politico, National Review, Hit & Run, CNBC, The Gateway Pundit, Axios, The New Civil Rights Movement, Bloomberg, The American Spectator, KXLF-TV, NPR, CNN, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, The American Conservative, Townhall, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, The Daily Beast and The Hill
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
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:
No More Mister Nice Blog, Politico, Wonkette and Axios
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 …
Colby Hall / Mediaite:
Maggie Haberman: ‘Disgusted’ Republicans Now Privately Admitting They Regret Supporting Trump
Discussion:
The Week
Timothy L. O'Brien / Bloomberg:
Jim Mattis Leaves the Kids in Charge at Trump's White House
Discussion:
NBC News, EURACTIV.com and New York Times
The Daily Beast:
Fear Mounts as Mattis Quits Pentagon
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Guardian, CNN and RedState
The Daily Beast:
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' Resignation Message to Trump Is Basically ‘F*** This’
Discussion:
New York Times, ABC News, Washington Post, Washington Free Beacon, Politico, Just Security, One America News Network and Breitbart
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
With Mattis out, we're in uncharted territory
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, twitchy.com, Washington Free Beacon and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Ken Meyer / Mediaite:
Kilmeade Blasts Trump's Syria Withdrawal: We're Abandoning Kurds Who are ‘Three Weeks from Total Slaughter’
Discussion:
Splinter
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Is Considering Substantial Afghan Troop Drawdown
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Politico, KXLF-TV, HuffPost, Defense One, The Guardian, CNN, The Daily Caller, Hullabaloo, Reuters, The New Civil Rights Movement, The Defense Post, Raw Story, KTLA, Breitbart, POLITICUSUSA, Splinter, USNI News, Task & Purpose, Hit & Run, AOL, Mediaite, BuzzFeed News and Daily Wire
Rachael Bade / Politico:
'I'm OK with a shutdown': Inside the chaos of the House GOP's last days
Discussion:
New Republic, Outside the Beltway, Shareblue Media and CNN
Fred Kaplan / Slate:
The Last Grown-Up Is Gone — James Mattis is not “retiring with distinction.”
Discussion:
New York Times, The Atlantic and NPR
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:
The Defense Post, Joe.My.God., Political Wire and NPR
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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:
twitchy.com, The Hill and The Resurgent
Dan Crenshaw / Washington Post:
Why guys like me go to places like Syria
Discussion:
Townhall, Washington Times and Politico
Joyce Karam / The National:
Trump decided to leave Syria after call with Erdogan, says US defence official
Discussion:
BuzzFeed News
Nahal Toosi / Politico:
A ‘Never Trumper’ bets on Trump, and loses
Discussion:
Defense One, One America News Network, Raw Story, CNN, Washington Post and Al Jazeera
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:
twitchy.com
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
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:
USA Today, Shareblue Media, HuffPost, AOL, 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 …
Jonathan Andrews / ODNI Newsroom:
DNI Coats Statement on the Resignation of Secretary Mattis — I was deeply saddened to learn the news that General Mattis will resign from his post as Secretary of Defense at the end of February. — DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE — WASHINGTON, DC 20511 — December 21, 2018
Discussion:
Politico
RELATED:
David Rothkopf / The Daily Beast:
Mattis' Message to the World: Trump Is Out of Control
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Free Beacon and Patterico's Pontifications
James N. Mattis / Washington Post:
Read the Jim Mattis resignation letter
Discussion:
The Daily Signal and The Moderate Voice
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:
Wall Street Journal, Washington Press, Bloomberg, Raw Story, Hot Air, emptywheel, Reuters, RedState, Hullabaloo, Lawfare, Townhall and National Review
RELATED:
NBC News:
Mueller may submit report to attorney general as soon as mid-February, say sources
Discussion:
Law & Crime and The Week
Natasha Bertrand / The Atlantic:
The Special Counsel Is Bearing Down on Roger Stone
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Washington Post and Washington Press
Michael Gerson / Washington Post:
If Trump's actions aren't impeachable, then what is? — As Mueller time approaches, it is likely that President Trump's defense will consist of two phrases: “But that is not illegal” and “But that is not impeachable.” — It is a strategy that prevails by the lowering of standards.
Discussion:
RedState
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 …
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 …
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