Top Items:
Kris Schneider / ABC News:
Mick Mulvaney says DHS can't ‘spend money from Mexico’ for wall: ‘We have to get it from the treasury’ — The president's incoming chief of staff said Sunday that any money for the border wall would have to come from the Treasury Department, saying “the Department of Homeland Security can't actually spend money from Mexico.”
Discussion:
USA Today, Axios, The Daily Beast, Washington Times, Joe.My.God., Political Wire, Talking Points Memo and CNN
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David Cohen / Politico:
Merkley: Border wall ‘a 4th century strategy’ — In explaining Democratic opposition to border wall funding, Sen. Jeff Merkley on Sunday dubbed the wall “a 4th century strategy” that his party would not support. — “Thirty-foot concrete wall, 30-foot steel spikes, that's not the smart way …
Quinn Scanlan / ABC News:
President Trump not going to change his mind on Syria, even after resignations: Mick Mulvaney — Incoming acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said Sunday that President Trump is not going to change his mind about withdrawing troops from Syria, even after both his secretary of defense …
Eli Watkins / CNN:
Mulvaney: ‘Very possible’ shutdown goes into 2019
Mulvaney: ‘Very possible’ shutdown goes into 2019
Discussion:
Axios, Political Wire and Washington Times
Helene Cooper / New York Times:
Trump, Angry Over Mattis's Rebuke, Considers Removing Him 2 Months Early — WASHINGTON — President Trump, angry over days of news coverage characterizing the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis as a rebuke of the president, has told administration officials that he is considering removing …
Discussion:
Washington Post, AOL, Wall Street Journal and Task & Purpose
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Washington Post:
Trump can launch nuclear weapons whenever he wants, with or without Mattis — No defense secretary can stop an impulsive president. — The abrupt and pointed resignation of Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis on Thursday alarmed official Washington. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) called him an …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA
Salena Zito / Washington Examiner:
Trump forgets his base is populists and conservatives — When candidate Donald J. Trump steamrolled American politics in 2016, he seemed to understand the coalition available to him was an eclectic bunch that felt its issues had been ignored. — They were both populists and conservatives, and they placed him in office.
Discussion:
Booman Tribune
Stanley Widianto / Washington Post:
Indonesia tsunami kills at least 222 after striking without warning — JAKARTA — At least 222 deaths have been reported in Indonesia on Sunday after a tsunami struck the Sunda Strait without warning, the latest disaster to befall a Pacific nation repeatedly stricken this year.
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Niniek Karmini / Associated Press:
Tsunami set off by volcanic eruption kills 222 in Indonesia
Tsunami set off by volcanic eruption kills 222 in Indonesia
Discussion:
NPR and Daily Wire
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:
Joe.My.God.
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Greg Stohr / Bloomberg:
Mystery Filing Appears to Ask High Court to Act in Mueller Probe
Mystery Filing Appears to Ask High Court to Act in Mueller Probe
Discussion:
Raw Story
Deepa Seetharaman / Wall Street Journal:
Facebook's Lonely Conservative Takes on a Power Position — Joel Kaplan has emerged as the social-media site's protector against allegations of political bias — After more than a year of research and discussion, Facebook Inc. FB -6.33% late this summer shelved a project called “Common Ground” …
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.
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New York Times:
Government Shutdown to Continue for Days as Senate Adjourns Until Thursday
Government Shutdown to Continue for Days as Senate Adjourns Until Thursday
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Politico, Mother Jones and Outside the Beltway
Nancy Cook / Politico:
‘Bushies’ creep into Trump's administration — President Donald Trump uses the term “Bushie” as shorthand for anyone he considers too establishment, thinks too conventionally, or is just, in the president's mind, a pain. — But a strange thing has been happening within his administration lately.
Discussion:
Raw Story
Paul Sperry / RealClearInvestigations:
John Huber, Justice Dept. Sheriff Who Never Quite Rode Into Town — John Huber has developed almost mythical status among pro-Trump tweeters since former Attorney General Jeff Sessions directed him to investigate why the FBI spied on Trump's aides and whether they protected Hillary Clinton and her foundation over alleged misdeeds.
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Josh Campbell / CNN:
Trump's relationship with Whitaker imperils the rule of law
Trump's relationship with Whitaker imperils the rule of law
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, Mother Jones and Hullabaloo
Ben Kesling / Wall Street Journal:
Marines Deployed Abroad Seek Answers Amid Washington's Turmoil — Commandant faces questions on the troop drawdowns. His answer: ‘I have no idea.’ — Bost Air Field, Afghanistan—On a holiday visit to American troops overseas, Gen. Robert Neller, the Marine Corps commandant …
Discussion:
CNN and Washington Post
Kelly Weill / The Daily Beast:
Christmas Is the Loneliest Time for Qanon Fans — The Daily Beast spoke to four Q believers who claim to have been isolated from loved ones, as well as a former Q believer who thinks the isolation helps reinforce QAnon support. — Kimberly's boyfriend was tired of hearing the QAnon videos she watched around their small apartment.
Discussion:
Raw Story
Billie Winner-Davis / The Intercept:
My Daughter Reality Winner Faced Severe Punishment, but Key Figures in the Trump-Russia Scandal Are Getting Off Easy — Photo: Michael Holahan/The Augusta Chronicle/AP — Let me introduce myself. I am the mother of Reality Leigh Winner, a 27-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran who is in prison …
Discussion:
Boing Boing
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 …
Cleve R. Wootson Jr / Washington Post:
Laura Ingraham taunted David Hogg over college rejections. He just said he got into Harvard. — In mid-December, Harvard's early-entry candidates began logging on to the application status portal to learn whether they'd been accepted to one of the world's most prestigious universities.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Daily Caller, New York Post and Associated Press
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 …
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