Top Items:
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, Task & Purpose, The Daily Caller, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, Daily Wire, Daily Kos, CNN, Joe.My.God., The Guardian, Althouse, Mother Jones, BuzzFeed News, AOL, Algemeiner.com and Townhall
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Susan E. Rice / New York Times:
The Threat in the White House — With the impetuous decisions that drove Jim Mattis into retirement, President Trump does more to undermine American national security than any foreign adversary. — Ms. Rice is a former national security adviser and a contributing opinion writer.
David Axe / The Daily Beast:
Trump's Incoming Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan Pushed Military to Buy Weapons It Didn't Want — Patrick Shanahan's corporate allies have thrived under Trump. Now he's going to be Secretary of Defense. — By DAVID AXE12.23.18 6:37 PM ET — By tapping former Boeing executive Patrick Shanahan …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, KTLA, NPR and Breitbart
Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
Trump forces Mattis out two months early, names Shanahan acting defense secretary — President Trump, who aides said has been frustrated by news coverage of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis's scathing resignation letter, abruptly announced Sunday that he was removing Mattis two months …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Task & Purpose, Outside the Beltway and Joe.My.God.
Lolita C. Baldor / Associated Press:
After criticism, Trump pushes out Mattis sooner than planned — WASHINGTON (AP) — Irritated with the criticism and fallout from Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' resignation, President Donald Trump on Sunday pushed the Pentagon chief out the door two months earlier than planned …
Discussion:
Splinter
David Brown / Politico:
Meet Trump's acting Pentagon chief — When Defense Secretary Jim Mattis wanted him to be his top deputy, Patrick Shanahan was instructed to focus “down and in,” as he describes the approach to managing the government's largest bureaucracy. — But the former Boeing executive who came to be known as …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast and Politico
David Cohen / Politico:
Senators begged Mattis to stay, Durbin says
Senators begged Mattis to stay, Durbin says
Discussion:
One America News Network
Nancy A. Youssef / Wall Street Journal:
Departing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to Leave Jan. 1
Departing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to Leave Jan. 1
Discussion:
Raw Story, Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg
Allan Smith / NBC News:
Mattis to leave two months early, as Trump announces Patrick Shanahan will replace him
Mattis to leave two months early, as Trump announces Patrick Shanahan will replace him
Discussion:
ABC News, USNI News and POLITICUSUSA
Washington Post:
Treasury secretary startles Wall Street with unusual pre-Christmas calls to top bank CEOs — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin startled financial analysts, bankers and economists on Sunday by issuing an unusual s declaring that the nation's six largest banks had ample credit to extend to American businesses and households.
Discussion:
Splinter, Political Wire, The Guardian and Reuters
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Donna Borak / CNN:
Mnuchin speaks with US bank executives to reassure investors after Wall Street whiplash — When stock market swings should raise alarms — Washington (CNN)Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spent Sunday speaking with chief executives of large US banks in a bid to reassure investors that it's business as usual on Monday.
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Axios, twitchy.com, AOL, One America News Network, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times and The Week
Kevin Bohn / CNN:
Chief Justice pauses contempt order for mystery company in Mueller investigation — (CNN)Chief Justice John Roberts on Sunday issued a temporary pause on an order holding an unnamed, foreign government-owned company in contempt over a mystery court case related to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.
Discussion:
Political Wire and Joe.My.God.
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Supreme Court of the United States:
Proceedings and Orders — Application (18A669) for a stay and application for leave to file the application under seal, submitted to The Chief Justice. — UPON CONSIDERATION of the application of counsel for the applicant, IT IS ORDERED that the order of the United States District Court …
Discussion:
BuzzFeed News, SCOTUSblog and Bloomberg
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:
The New Civil Rights Movement, POLITICUSUSA, The Daily Beast, Joe.My.God., Washington Times, Axios and CNN
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Jake Sherman / Politico:
The ‘all-I-want-for-Christmas-is-$5- billion-for-the-wall’ shutdown
The ‘all-I-want-for-Christmas-is-$5- billion-for-the-wall’ shutdown
Discussion:
The Hill
USA Today:
Government shutdown, day 2: White House makes ‘counter-offer,’ asks for less than $5B for border wall funding
Government shutdown, day 2: White House makes ‘counter-offer,’ asks for less than $5B for border wall funding
Discussion:
Fox News, Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast and The Root
Washington Post:
‘Very possible’ shutdown could last into new year, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney says
‘Very possible’ shutdown could last into new year, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney says
Discussion:
KTLA, CNN and Mother Jones
David Cohen / Politico:
Merkley: Border wall ‘a fourth-century strategy’
Merkley: Border wall ‘a fourth-century strategy’
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA and ABC News
Axios:
Trump says he had a “long” call with Turkish president Erdogan — Days after announcing the U.S. would exit Syria, President Trump tweeted: … Why it matters: Turkey is also the country that was most active in sharing information about the Saudi killing of Jamal Khashoggi.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, CNN and One America News Network
Farah Stockman / New York Times:
Women's March Roiled by Accusations of Anti-Semitism — Within days of Donald J. Trump's election, a diverse group of women united by their concern about the incoming administration gathered at a restaurant in New York to plan a protest march in Washington.
Discussion:
Front Page Magazine
NBC News:
Inside Bernie-world's war on Beto O'Rourke — As the Texas congressman's star rises, Sanders supporters turn up the heat: 'Reading Karl Marx is cool. Doing a livestream while you're doing your laundry is a gimmick.' — WASHINGTON — Forces loyal to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are waging …
Discussion:
twitchy.com and The Guardian
New York Times:
Far-Right Proud Boys Reeling After Arrests and Scrutiny — After his appearance in Manhattan led to a brawl, the founder of a far-right group, the Proud Boys, said it was little more than a “fun, silly, men's club” that had defended itself against an attack by leftist protesters.
Michael R. Bloomberg / Bloomberg:
Trump Rings in the New Year in the Worst Possible Way — One week sums up a failing presidency. — There are many reasons to be optimistic about 2019. The increasingly isolated man in the Oval Office is not one of them. — With the first two years of Donald Trump's presidency drawing to a close …
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Schiff: Democrats will subpoena Mueller report if Trump tries to hide it — Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the incoming chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, says Democrats will subpoena special counsel Robert Mueller's report if President Trump tries to invoke executive privilege to keep it secret.
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., Politico and Breitbart
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Eli Watkins / CNN:
Schiff: ‘Prepared’ to force Mueller report release if White House blocks
Schiff: ‘Prepared’ to force Mueller report release if White House blocks
Discussion:
The Guardian, POLITICUSUSA and Axios
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
What Trump's Syria decision means on the front lines of the fight against the Islamic State — The voice of Gen. Mazloum Abdi, the Kurdish commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces militia, is tight and controlled as he describes President's Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops …
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Sarah El Deeb / Associated Press:
Turkey masses troops near Kurdish-held Syrian town