memeorandum: The Compromising Background of Jamal Khashoggi's Work (Jim Geraghty/National Review)

4:00 PM ET, December 27, 2018

Top Items:

Cell signal puts Cohen outside Prague around time of purported Russian meeting — A mobile phone traced to President Donald Trump's former lawyer and “fixer” Michael Cohen briefly sent signals ricocheting off cell towers in the Prague area in late summer 2016, at the height of the presidential campaign …

Philip Issa / Associated Press:

Iraqi lawmakers demand US withdrawal after Trump visit — Iraqi lawmakers Thursday demanded U.S. forces leave the country in the wake of a surprise visit by President Donald Trump that politicians denounced as arrogant and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. — Politicians from both blocs …

Discussion: CNN, ThinkProgress, New York Magazine, Newsweek, Joe.My.God., Raw Story, Reuters and NBC News

Wall Street Journal:

The Constant Spin Zone — How one publication reported Trump's trip to see troops in Iraq. — By The Editorial Board — President Trump and his wife Melania made a surprise visit to American soldiers in Iraq on Wednesday, and you would think that would be a straightforward event to write up.

Discussion: RedState, Splinter, Washington Post and Althouse

Eli Watkins / CNN:

Troops bringing Trump hats to sign may violate military rule … (CNN)President Donald Trump made his first visit to a war zone on Wednesday, receiving an enthusiastic reception from many US troops there — some of whom may have run afoul of military rules. — Video footage and the written report …

Tara Golshan / Vox:

Trump's approval rating drops to Charlottesville levels during shutdown — Trump's fight for the border wall is tanking his approval rating. — President Donald Trump is getting blamed for the government shutdown, a new poll shows. — The president's popularity has dropped below 40 percent amid …

Discussion: Roll Call, Raw Story and POLITICUSUSA

Washington Post:
Shutdown set to extend into new year after Congress punts on budget, border talks

Discussion: Politico

Ariel Edwards-Levy / HuffPost:
Here's What Americans Make Of The Partial Government Shutdown

Discussion: Vox

Eliana Johnson / Politico:
Congress returns to session — but shutdown drags on

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Eli Okun / Politico:
Trump tries to steer shutdown focus to financial impact for Democrats

Discussion: Vox, Washington Post and Associated Press

John Solomon / The Hill:

Giuliani calls for Mueller to be investigated for destruction of FBI evidence — Rudy Giuliani has an unmistakable New Year's message for special counsel Robert Mueller: It is time for the chief investigator in the Russia case to be investigated in 2019. — In wide-ranging interviews …

Discussion: Conservative News Today, Mediaite, Washington Times, The Gateway Pundit, Joe.My.God. and Splinter

The Daily Beast:
Rudy Giuliani: Negotiations for a Mueller-Trump Interview Are ‘Still Open’

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Tess Bonn / The Hill:
Giuliani backtracks: Trump will not give Mueller any more written answers

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Tess Bonn / The Hill: Giuliani says he would ‘love’ to see Trump declassify Russia docs

Patrick Radden Keefe / New Yorker:

How Mark Burnett Resurrected Donald Trump as an Icon of American Success — With “The Apprentice,” the TV producer mythologized Trump—then a floundering D-lister—as the ultimate titan, paving his way to the Presidency. — “Expedition: Robinson,” a Swedish reality-television program …

Discussion: AOL, The Daily Beast and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Michelle Obama Ends Hillary Clinton's Run as Most Admired — WASHINGTON, D.C. — For the first time in 17 years, a woman other than Hillary Clinton has been named by Americans as the woman they admire most. Former first lady Michelle Obama, who finished second to Clinton three times …

Discussion: New York Post, Breitbart, ABC News, AOL, CBS Chicago, CNN, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Bloomberg, The Week, IJR, Talking Points Memo, Hill Reporter, WREG-TV, FOX31 Denver, twitchy.com, Mediaite and CBS Baltimore

Stef W. Kight / Axios:
Gallup: The Obamas are America's most admired man and woman

Discussion: Joe.My.God.

C.J. Ciaramella / Hit & Run:

EXCLUSIVE: Read Desperate Emails From People Scammed by A.G. Matt Whitaker's Business Associates — When current acting U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker joined the advisory board of a Florida patent firm in 2014, he was quoted in a company press release saying he “would only align myself with a first class organization.”

Discussion: Law & Crime and Raw Story

Allan Smith / NBC News:

Probe of Trump's charity could crash ‘like a Mack Truck’ into his real estate empire — “There seems to be entanglements in terms of people and probably in terms of money,” said Mimi Rocah, a former federal prosecutor and NBC News/MSNBC legal analyst. — The Trump Foundation …

Discussion: Law & Crime, Raw Story and POLITICUSUSA

Patrick McGreevy / Los Angeles Times:

One year of legal pot sales and California doesn't have the bustling industry it expected. Here's why … When Californians voted in 2016 to allow the sale of recreational marijuana, advocates of the move envisioned thousands of pot shops and cannabis farms obtaining state licenses …

Discussion: Hit & Run and Instapundit

New York Times:

For Bernie Sanders, Holding Onto Support May Be Hard in a 2020 Bid — WASHINGTON — Some of his top congressional supporters won't commit to backing him if he runs for president again — and two may join the 2020 race themselves. A handful of former aides might work for other candidates.

Discussion: The Week

Jim Geraghty / National Review:

The Compromising Background of Jamal Khashoggi's Work — Making the click-through worthwhile: how customs and border-patrol agents can make the argument for a security fence, three easily overlooked comments from President Trump's visit in Iraq, and some surprising revelations about Jamal Khashoggi …

Discussion: Washington Examiner

Jim Hanson / The Federalist:
Bombshell: New Info Says Khashoggi Was A Foreign Influence Agent

Discussion: Spectator USA, Daily Wire, Conservative Review and Power Line

Dan Zak / Washington Post:

What is Ginni Thomas saying now? The evolution of an unusually outspoken Supreme Court spouse — What is going on with Ginni Thomas? — She still looks and sounds like the Washington wife of yore, with the pearl earrings, the Reagan-red cocktail attire, the sunglasses tiara'd atop her blond bob.

Paul Sonne / Washington Post:

A Russian bank gave Marine Le Pen's party a loan. Then weird things began happening. — PARIS — When French politician Marine Le Pen needed cash for her far-right party, an obscure Russian bank agreed to help. — Four years later, the bank has gone bust. The owner is facing a warrant for his arrest.

Brian Schwartz / CNBC:

Mike Bloomberg prepared to spend at least $100 million on a 2020 campaign for president if he decides to run — Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is preparing to spend over his $100 million mayoral campaign budget if he chooses to run for president in 2020.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Front Page Magazine

Washington Post:

Disinformation campaign targeting Roy Moore's Senate bid may have violated law, Alabama attorney general says — Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said Thursday that his office is exploring whether disinformation tactics deployed against Republican Roy Moore during …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Breitbart, The Week, Mashable, New York Times, The Daily Caller and Axios, more at Techmeme »

Noah Gray / CNN:

How Trump's secret trip to Iraq became not-so-secret — (CNN)It was a crisp winter morning in Sheffield, England, when amateur photographer and plane enthusiast Alan Meloy looked out his kitchen window and noticed a large trail in the sky. He didn't know he was about to accidentally help uncover …

Discussion: Vox, Talking Points Memo, Hill Reporter and Breitbart

Kate Irby / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

California Republicans fear even bigger trouble ahead for their wounded party — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., leaves the chamber after the Republican-led House approved funding for President Donald Trump's border wall in legislation that pushes the government closer …

Justin Rohrlich / GovExec.com:

The Government May Be Shut Down, But Taxpayers Are Footing The Bill For Mar-a-Lago Party Tents — At loggerheads with Congress over funding his signature border wall, president Donald Trump shut down large swaths of the federal government at midnight on Friday.

Discussion: Joe.My.God., Law & Crime, IJR, TheStreet and Mediaite

The Daily Beast:

$800 Million in Taxpayer Money Went to Private Prisons Where Migrants Work for Pennies — Detention for migrants is big business—and a Daily Beast investigation reveals new details about just how lucrative it's become. — For $3 a day, Yesica works the graveyard shift in the kitchens …

Discussion: Splinter

Hannah Dreier / New York Times:

How a Crackdown on MS-13 Caught Up Innocent High School Students — The Trump administration went after gang members — and instead destroyed the American dreams of immigrant teenagers around the country. — When Alex walked into school on June 14, 2017, it felt as if summer had already started.

Nicholas Riccardi / Associated Press:

Defying pundits, GOP share of Latino vote steady under Trump — LITTLETON, Colo. (AP) — Pedro Gonzalez has faith in Donald Trump and his party. — The 55-year-old Colombian immigrant is a pastor at an evangelical church in suburban Denver. Initially repelled by Trump in 2016 …

Bloomberg:

Robert Mercer Cuts Political Spending After Unwelcome Turn in Spotlight — Donations fell by more than two-thirds since last midterms — Hedge fund manager became target for liberal activists — Robert Mercer, the publicity-shy hedge fund tycoon whose backing of Donald Trump earned …

Discussion: Raw Story