Top Items:
New York Times:
For Trump, ‘a War Every Day,’ Waged Increasingly Alone — At the midpoint of his term, the president has grown more sure of his own judgment and more isolated from anyone else's than at any point since he took office. — WASHINGTON — When President Trump grows frustrated with advisers during meetings …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Axios, Raw Story and Mother Jones
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Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
‘A rogue presidency’: The era of containing Trump is over — For two years, they tried to tutor and confine him. They taught him history, explained nuances and gamed out reverberations. They urged careful deliberation, counseled restraint and prepared talking points to try …
Discussion:
The Atlantic
Margaret Brennan / CBS News:
Brett McGurk, top U.S. envoy in ISIS fight, resigns — Brett McGurk, special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, had been planning to exit his post in February 2019. But sources tell CBS News that he informed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that he will accelerate …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, The Guardian, The Last Refuge, Daily Wire, The Gateway Pundit, Joe.My.God., POLITICUSUSA, FOX31 Denver, Mother Jones, Axios, Politico, KXLF-TV and Mediaite
The Times of Israel:
Departing Mattis said to cancel Israel trip, as Israel feels ‘betrayed’ on Syria — TV report says US defense secretary was set to hold talks with in Israel next week on Iran and Syria; senior Israeli officials said to harshly criticize Syria pullout decision
Discussion:
New York Times
Matthew Lee / Associated Press:
US envoy to anti-IS coalition quits over Trump's Syria move — WASHINGTON (AP) — Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy to the global coalition fighting the Islamic State group, has resigned in protest to President Donald Trump's abrupt decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria …
Discussion:
Chicks On The Right, ThinkProgress, Washington Post and Splinter
Josh Lederman / NBC News:
White House says Erdogan promised Trump he'd finish off ISIS in Syria — What took place during Trump's phone call with the Turkish leader has been a central question in the debate over Trump's decision to pull all U.S. troops out of Syria. — In his phone call with President Donald Trump …
BBC:
US envoy Brett McGurk quits over Trump Syria pullout — A top US official in the fight against the Islamic State group has quit over President Trump's decision to pull troops from Syria, reports say. — Brett McGurk, the US special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat IS, brought his departure forward from February.
Discussion:
Breitbart, Hill Reporter, One America News Network, Bloomberg and The Week
New York Times:
Government Shutdown to Continue for Days as Senate Adjourns Until Thursday — WASHINGTON — The partial government shutdown that began early Saturday will continue for the next several days, as Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, adjourned the Senate until Thursday and the White House indicated …
Discussion:
Politico, The DC Chronicle, Mother Jones and Outside the Beltway
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The Hill:
GOP discord on wall prolongs shutdown fight — The government shutdown fight is increasingly shaping up as a battle among Republicans for the president's ear. — President Trump summoned a group of Republicans to lunch at the White House Saturday afternoon as negotiators struggled to reach an agreement to reopen the government.
Washington Post:
Shutdown to stretch on until at least Thursday as Senate adjourns with no deal over budget, Trump's border wall — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced Saturday afternoon that the Senate would shutter for legislative business until Thursday, leaving many federal agencies closed until later next week at the earliest.
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Splinter and Outside the Beltway
The Daily Beast:
Trump Plan to Win the Shutdown: A Noun, a Verb, and ‘Caravan’
Trump Plan to Win the Shutdown: A Noun, a Verb, and ‘Caravan’
Discussion:
Breitbart
Greg Stohr / Bloomberg:
Mystery Filing Appears to Ask High Court to Act in Mueller Probe — Grand jury dispute has been long been shrouded in mystery — Special counsel is investigating Russian election meddling — A new legal filing appears to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene …
Discussion:
Raw Story
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Katelyn Polantz / CNN:
Mystery company involved in Mueller investigation appeals to Supreme Court — Washington (CNN)An unnamed, foreign government-owned company in a mystery court case is asking the Supreme Court to pause a grand jury subpoena it received related to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.
Discussion:
Political Wire
The Times of Israel:
Simcha Rotem, last surviving fighter in Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, dies at 94 — Rotem fought Nazis in city streets, later helped rebels flee through sewers; Netanyahu says, ‘His story will forever be with our people’ — Simcha Rotem, last surviving fighter in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943 …
Beto O'Rourke / Beto O'Rourke:
Closed until further notice — The government of the greatest country the world has ever known, the wealthiest, most powerful nation on the planet: closed until further notice. — This shutdown - hundreds of thousands of our fellow Americans working without pay during the holidays …
Josh Campbell / CNN:
Trump's relationship with Whitaker imperils the rule of law — Josh Campbell is a CNN analyst covering national security issues. He previously served as a supervisory special agent with the FBI, special assistant to the bureau's director, and is currently writing a book on recent attempts …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Hot Air and Hullabaloo
Robert Windrem / NBC News:
Russians launched pro-Jill Stein social media blitz to help Trump win election, reports say — Building support for Stein was one of a “roster of themes” the Moscow-sanctioned internet trolls “turned to repeatedly,” report says. — Two days before the 2016 presidential election …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, ThinkProgress, Raw Story, Contemptor and Hill Reporter
BuzzFeed News:
Cory Booker Is Building A 2020 Campaign That's Just Like Him: Vegan, Hyperactive, And Unapologetically Unconventional — French fries with Iowans in Newark. Eager big donors. A clearly defined message of “radical love.” Cory Booker has spent a year laying the groundwork for an ambitious possible presidential bid.
Discussion:
twitchy.com
Mike Allen / Axios:
Slat man: Trump's Christmas shutdown spooks GOP — President Trump's self-inflicted shutdown before Christmas has left Republicans with a debacle as their last act in control of the House. And now the party is even more worried about the outlook beginning Jan. 3, when Democrats take over.
Discussion:
Washington Post