Top Items:
Astead W. Herndon / New York Times:
Black Voters, a Force in Democratic Politics, Are Ready to Make Themselves Heard — BALTIMORE — The first “Amen!” rang out after a couple of minutes, as Senator Elizabeth Warren, speaking to an almost all-black audience at Morgan State University's winter commencement, described how America has …
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Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: Shutdown standoff continues — DRIVING THE DAY — GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ... DAY 5. WE ANTICIPATE that talks to end the government shutdown will pick up a smidge. The White House may chat with the congressional leadership and some offers may be swapped beginning today.
Discussion:
Political Wire
Daniel Strauss / Politico:
Brown seeks Obama meeting as he considers presidential run — Sen. Sherrod Brown hasn't decided whether he's running for president — but he's checking off a lot of the boxes that come along the way. — The Ohio Democrat is reaching out to fellow senators and party officials in early primary and caucus states.
Nomaan Merchant / Associated Press:
CBP orders medical checks after second child's death — HOUSTON (AP) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection ordered medical checks on every child in its custody Tuesday after an 8-year-old boy from Guatemala died, marking the second death of an immigrant child in the agency's care this month.
Discussion:
The Week, KTLA, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Gateway Pundit, Law & Crime and Axios
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Eliott C. McLaughlin / CNN:
8-year-old Guatemalan boy dies in US custody on Christmas
8-year-old Guatemalan boy dies in US custody on Christmas
Discussion:
ImmigrationProf Blog
Steve Eder / New York Times:
Did a Queens Podiatrist Help Donald Trump Avoid Vietnam? — In the fall of 1968, Donald J. Trump received a timely diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels that led to his medical exemption from the military during Vietnam. — For 50 years, the details of how the exemption came about …
Charles Lane / Washington Post:
I thought fraud in reporting was done for. I was wrong. — Nearly 30 years ago, the Cold War's end opened Germany's border to the formerly Soviet-dominated east. Asylum seekers from poor and war-torn nations poured across it. A violent backlash from ultra-right-wing Germans ensued.
Hannah Alani / Post and Courier:
Do a ‘marginal’ number of 7-year-olds believe in Santa? That's what Trump told a SC girl. — Collman Lloyd, 7, talks to President Donald Trump on Christmas Eve inside her Lexington kitchen. Trump asked Lloyd if she still believed in Santa. “Yes, sir,” she replied. Erica Lloyd/Provided
Discussion:
Politico, BuzzFeed News, Associated Press, Balloon Juice, The Week, Raw Story, Washington Times, MyNorthwest.com, Mediaite and Bloomberg
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Elyse Perlmutter-Gumbiner / NBC News:
Trump becomes first president since 2002 not to visit troops at Christmastime — Though he called military personnel on Tuesday, Trump did not visit a hospital or a military base. — On Christmas Day, President Donald Trump took part in a long-running practice of presidents …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Political Wire
Mirror.co.uk:
Queen's speech in front of lavish gold piano blasted for being ‘out of touch’ — Queen Elizabeth referred to Brexit in her Christmas day message as she sat beside a golden piano — The Queen's Christmas Day speech has been slammed on social media for being “out of touch” and disrespectful to families “struggling to make ends meet”.
Rebecca Kheel / The Hill:
Mattis works from Pentagon on Christmas, tells troops: ‘You hold the line’ — Defense Secretary James Mattis wished U.S. troops a merry Christmas and worked Christmas Day after President Trump pushed the secretary out two months earlier than he planned to resign.
Discussion:
Breitbart, Joe.My.God., The Daily Caller, Mediaite, IJR and twitchy.com
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Ilya Arkhipov / Bloomberg:
Russia Considers Constitution Changes as Putin Faces Term Limits — Speaker of parliament suggests discussing amendments — Analysts see Kremlin effort to allow Putin to extend rule — The speaker of Russia's parliament raised the possibility of changing the constitution …
New York Times:
Arms Sales to Saudis Leave American Fingerprints on Yemen's Carnage — CAIRO — When a Saudi F-15 warplane takes off from King Khalid air base in southern Saudi Arabia for a bombing run over Yemen, it is not just the plane and the bombs that are American. — American mechanics service the jet and carry out repairs on the ground.
Discussion:
Jewish Policy Center
Newsweek:
Hezbollah leaders targeted, reportedly hit in Israeli airstrike, U.S. official says — Several leaders of Hezbollah have reportedly been hit by an Israeli airstrike on the Syrian capital of Damascus. — The information was given to Newsweek from a Department of Defense source with access …
Andrew E. Kramer / New York Times:
Selling Real Estate in Russia? Are You Crazy? — MOSCOW — Elena Y. Kotova's one-room apartment on the outskirts of Moscow had started to feel cramped. Her son was almost 4 years old. She and her husband had solid jobs, she as an economist and he as a manager of a construction company.