Top Items:
Stephanie Kirchgaessner / The Guardian:
Rudy Giuliani says Trump will stay loyal to him but jokes that he has ‘insurance’ — Exclusive: The president's personal lawyer has emerged as a key figure in the impeachment inquiry, with speculation that Republicans will seek to paint him as a rogue actor
Discussion:
HuffPost, Talking Points Memo, The Week, Hot Air, The Hill, Law & Crime, Hullabaloo, Mediaite, Raw Story and Political Wire
RELATED:
Associated Press:
AP source: 2nd US official heard Trump call with Sondland — WASHINGTON (AP) — A second U.S. Embassy staffer in Kyiv overheard a cellphone call between President Donald Trump and his ambassador to the European Union discussing a need for Ukrainian officials to pursue “investigations,” The Associated Press has learned.
Bloomberg:
Giuliani Faces U.S. Probe on Campaign Finance, Lobbying Breaches — Probe of lawyer presents a threat to Trump's presidency — Giuliani has become a central figure in impeachment inquiry — Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, is being investigated …
Discussion:
The Hill, Sara A. Carter, Raw Story and The Week
Lachlan Markay / The Daily Beast:
Five Cellphones, Trump Straws, a Lot of Cash—What This Giuliani Crony Was Carrying When the FBI Arrested Him — Lev Parnas also had the business card of a top Ukrainian anti-corruption prosecutor with whom Giuliani met this year. — BEAST INSIDE — When Rudy Giuliani crony Lev Parnas …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Erica Werner / Washington Post:
Career White House budget official expected to break ranks, testify in impeachment inquiry — Mark Sandy would be the first Office of Management and Budget official to appear after a series of political appointees defied congressional subpoenas — A longtime career employee at the White House Office …
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Besieged on all sides, Gordon Sondland clings to power — When confronted with the whiff of scandal, American diplomats are often advised to resign if they believe they can no longer be effective in the job. — But for Gordon Sondland, the embattled U.S. ambassador to the European Union, quitting is not in the cards.
RELATED:
CNN:
Russian spies likely intercepted ambassador's cell phone call with Trump — Washington (CNN)US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland's cell phone call to President Donald Trump from a restaurant in Ukraine this summer appears to be a shocking security breach that raises significant …
Discussion:
The Mahablog, The Guardian, Political Wire and Washington Post
Associated Press:
AP source: 2nd US embassy official overheard President Trump's call with Sondland about need for Ukraine investigations
Discussion:
Raw Story and Shareblue Media
Amber Phillips / Washington Post:
The 5 questions Gordon Sondland needs to answer
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, Associated Press, Slate, POLITICUSUSA and The Hill
Washington Post:
Trump asks Supreme Court to shield his tax returns from prosecutors, setting up historic separation-of-power showdown — President Trump asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to stop a prosecutor's investigation of his personal finances, a bold assertion of presidential power that seeks …
Discussion:
HuffPost, Common Dreams, Talking Points Memo, The Root, Daily Kos and Political Wire
RELATED:
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Trump Asks Supreme Court to Bar Release of His Tax Returns — A fight over a Manhattan grand jury subpoena could yield a major decision on presidential power. — WASHINGTON — President Trump asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to bar his accounting firm from turning over eight years of his tax returns to Manhattan prosecutors.
Discussion:
Common Dreams, Daily Kos and Lawyers, Guns & Money
David Greenberg / gen.medium.com:
Trump's Trying to Get Away With Something Even Nixon Couldn't
Discussion:
Raw Story
Mark Sherman / Associated Press:
Trump wants Supreme Court to block subpoena for his taxes
Discussion:
Politico, Axios, Law & Crime, The Hill and One America News Network
Gianluca Mezzofiore / CNN:
Italian council is flooded immediately after rejecting measures on climate change — (CNN)Veneto regional council, which is located on Venice's Grand Canal, was flooded for the first time in its history on Tuesday night — just after it rejected measures to combat climate change.
Discussion:
Boing Boing, The Verge, WTKR-TV, NPR, CityLab, Common Dreams, Q13 FOX News and New York Times
Los Angeles Times:
Santa Clarita shooting: 2 teens killed; attack came on suspect's birthday, officials say — One person was killed and at least four others were injured in a shooting at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita early Thursday, authorities said. — Two students were killed …
Discussion:
NBC News, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Def-Con News, Fox News, KTLA, The Daily Beast, Talking Points Memo, New York Post, Slate and MSNBC
RELATED:
Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:
Senate Confirms Wildly Problematic Trump Court Pick Steven Menashi — He's never tried a case. He condemned women's rights and diversity. He refused to answer senators' questions. Republicans confirmed him anyway. — WASHINGTON ― The Senate voted Thursday to make Steven Menashi …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Common Dreams and CNN
RELATED:
Marianne LeVine / Politico:
Senate confirms controversial Trump judicial nominee
Discussion:
Axios, Associated Press, The Hill and Slate
Washington Post:
Justice Dept. watchdog won't let witnesses give written feedback on report about FBI's Russia probe, sparking fears of inaccuracy — The Justice Department Inspector General's office has told witnesses who are set to review draft sections of its long-awaited report on the FBI investigation …
Discussion:
The Last Refuge
Melissa Ratliff / WLEX:
Gov. Bevin concedes election following recanvass — FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — At a podium inside his office, Governor Matt Bevin conceded the election nine days after losing to Gov.-elect Andy Beshear. — The governor formally requested a recanvass following his loss to Attorney General Andy Beshear.
RELATED:
Morning Call:
Most Pennsylvania voters have dim view of Trump, new poll shows. His Democratic foes have work to do, too — One year before Pennsylvania voters will head to the polls in a critical swing state, a new Morning Call/Muhlenberg College poll shows nearly six in 10 don't believe President Donald Trump should be re-elected.
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA and Political Wire
RELATED:
Dana Blanton / Fox News:
Fox News Poll: Close races between Trump and Democrats in North Carolina
Discussion:
War Room
Haley Byrd / CNN:
Democratic leaders eye US-Mexico-Canada trade vote before the year ends — Trump trade adviser says Dow will break 30,000 if ... (CNN)House Democrats look increasingly likely to approve President Donald Trump's revised North American Free Trade Agreement before the end of the year …
RELATED:
Sabrina Rodriguez / Politico:
Pelosi: USMCA deal is ‘imminent’
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hill and Blue Virginia
Nicole Gaouette / CNN:
Trump hikes price tag for US forces in Korea almost 500% as Seoul questions alliance — Washington (CNN)Secretary of Defense Mark Esper landed in South Korea on Thursday to navigate renewed threats from an “enraged” North Korea and newly heightened strain in the alliance with Seoul that congressional aides …
NBC News:
Trump admin preparing to take over private land in Texas for border wall — The Trump administration is preparing court filings to begin taking over private land in Texas to build a border wall as early as this week, say officials. — The Trump administration is preparing court filings …
Discussion:
National Review
Laurel Wamsley / NPR:
3 Indiana Judges Suspended After White Castle Brawl That Left 2 Of Them Wounded — Back in May, three Indiana judges got into a fight. It was the crescendo of an incident brimming with colorful details: a gaggle of judges drinking the night before a judicial conference …
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Bloomberg's Team Calls His Crude Remarks on Women ‘Wrong’ — As Michael Bloomberg prepares a presidential run, his history of crude remarks is likely to draw scrutiny. His team said some were “disrespectful.” — It was a cheeky birthday gift for a hard-charging boss …
Discussion:
New York Post, HuffPost, Los Angeles Times, The Hill, IJR, National Review, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, The Week and Associated Press
David Brooks / New York Times:
In Praise of Washington Insiders — The people who are showing us what public service looks like. — Let me tell you a secret. The public buildings of Washington are filled with very good people working hard for low pay and the public good. There are thousands of them and they are …
Burgess Everett / Politico:
Rand Paul may force vote to bring Hunter Biden as witness in impeachment trial — Sen. Rand Paul could force a vote on the Senate floor that would bring Hunter Biden or other White House-favored impeachment witnesses to an impeachment trial. — Paul said on Thursday he's considering forcing votes …
Discussion:
Townhall, Breitbart and The Daily Caller
Dan Froomkin / Press Watch:
Reuters News Article That Called Impeachment Hearing ‘Dull’ Sparks a Social Media Revolt — A Reuter's news article pronouncing Wednesday's illuminating, alarming, and historic kickoff of the Trump impeachment hearings “dull” has sparked a small but passionate social media revolt …
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Scoop: Erdogan upends Oval meeting to play anti-Kurd film on iPad — An Oval Office meeting yesterday with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took a dark turn when Erdoğan pulled out his iPad and made the group watch a propaganda video that depicted Kurds as terrorists …
Discussion:
The Hill, Politico, Washington Post, ABC News, BBC, Bloomberg, New York Post, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Hullabaloo, Raw Story, VICE, Commentary, CNN, TheBlaze, National Review, Hot Air, Defense One, The Week, Daily Kos, Ted Cruz, Mediaite and Wall Street Journal
Charlie Nash / Mediaite:
Steve King Goes Full Steve King: Posts Photos of George Soros' Son Falsely Claiming He's Whistleblower (UPDATED) — Rep. Steve King (R-IA) posted photos of the son of left-wing billionaire George Soros on Thursday, absurdly accusing him of being the White House whistleblower.
Discussion:
Mother Jones, New York Times, The Daily Beast, Iowa Starting Line, Occupy Democrats and @politifact
ProPublica:
A Trump Tax Break To Help The Poor Went To a Rich GOP Donor's Superyacht Marina — Wealthy donors Wayne Huizenga Jr. and Jeff Vinik lobbied then-Gov. Rick Scott for the lucrative tax break — and won it. Poorer communities lost out. … The Rybovich superyacht marina lies on the West Palm Beach …
Discussion:
Orlando Sentinel, Boing Boing and Florida Politics
Greg Farrell / Bloomberg:
Trump Lawyer Kasowitz Takes On Ukrainian Billionaire as Client — President Donald Trump's longtime lawyer has a new client, a Ukrainian billionaire who launched the career of the country's recently elected president, Vlodymyr Zelinskiy. — Marc Kasowitz, a New York lawyer who has frequently worked …
New York Times:
We Proved Russian Pilots Bombed a Hospital. Then They Did It Again. — Four weeks ago, The Times provided visual evidence showing that the Russian Air Force bombed a Syrian hospital. Last Wednesday, Russia did it again. — PLAYLISTUp Next in VISUAL INVESTIGATIONS
Gregg Re / Fox News:
Ethics Committee extends review of Talib, probes Hastings for alleged relationship with staffer — The House Ethics Committee on Thursday announced it is extending its review of a campaign finance matter related to Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, while acknowledging for the first time a probe …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Politico, Associated Press and The Hill
Bill Oakley / Washington Post:
One of the defenses of Trump is — literally — a TV-cartoon joke — A former ‘Simpsons’ writer on the ‘Sideshow Bob defense.’ … — Sideshow Bob, “The Simpsons,” Season Six, Episode Five, 1994 — This rhetorical absurdity, originally intended as joke on a TV cartoon, is now being trotted out in all seriousness by the GOP.
Washington Post:
RNC to hold winter meetings at Trump resort that was considered for G-7 summit — The Republican National Committee will hold its winter meetings at President Trump's Doral golf course in Florida next year — awarding another of the party's most lucrative events to the president's private business, a party spokesman said Thursday.
Discussion:
The Hill, Axios, POLITICUSUSA and CNN
WKRC:
Ohio House passes bill allowing student answers to be scientifically wrong due to religion — COLUMBUS, Ohio (WKRC) - Ohio lawmakers are weighing in on how public schools can teach things like evolution. The Ohio House on Wednesday passed the “Student Religious Liberties Act. ”
Discussion:
Raw Story
Commissioning Editor - Practical Law — 
Energy Markets Reporter, London — 
Asia Credit Reporter, Seoul — 
Senior Social Media Specialist, NC — 
Associate Editor - Aviation, TN — 
Newsperson - State Govt. & Politics, CA — 
Business Reporter, SC — 
Climate Crisis Columnist — 
Multimedia Journalist, CA — 
Community Engagement Mgr., DC — 
Editor, MA — 
Team Editor - Breaking News, ON — 
Senior Reporter & Event Host, NY/CA — 
Climate & Weather Reporter, MN — 
Managing Ed. - Berks County, PA — 
Senior Tech Editor, Remote US — 
News Reporter, MA — 
Multimedia Journalist, PA — 
Managing Editor, WA — 
Private Credit Reporter, NY — 
Service Journalism Editor, CA — 
Reporter, PA — 
Los Angeles Issues Reporter, CA — 
Reporter - Middle East — 
Executive Editor, OR — 
California Playbook Writer, CA — 
Senior Media Editor — 
National Investigative Reporter, NY — 
Coastal Climate Reporter, SC — 
Environment & Energy Reporter, CT — 
Coordinating Editor, OR — 
General Assignment Reporter, FL — 
Staff Reporter, CA — 
Data Editor, NY — 
