Top Items:
New York Times:
The Indispensable Man: How Giuliani Led Trump to the Brink of Impeachment — Not so long ago, it seemed to Rudolph W. Giuliani that he would be presiding over a hefty part of the world. — Holding court a few nights after the 2016 election in a private cigar bar on Fifth Avenue …
RELATED:
Paul LeBlanc / CNN:
Washington Post: Barr told Trump he was not being well served by Giuliani — Washington (CNN)Attorney General William Barr counseled President Donald Trump that his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani has become a liability for his administration, The Washington Post reported Sunday, citing people familiar with the conversations.
Franklin Foer / The Atlantic:
Rudy Giuliani Knows What He's Doing — It can sometimes seem as if Donald Trump has outsourced the defense of his presidency to an erratic buffoon. Rudy Giuliani is the self-styled security expert who can't stop butt-dialing. He is the trusted attorney whom journalists routinely bait into damning admissions.
Craig Whitlock / Washington Post:
AT WAR WITH THE TRUTH … A confidential trove of government documents obtained by The Washington Post reveals that senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable.
Discussion:
Raw Story and Instapundit
New York Times:
With White House Absent, Impeachment Devolves Into Partisan Brawl — President Trump is refusing to engage and Democrats have concluded they will press ahead anyway, rendering a historic undertaking little more than a foregone conclusion. — WASHINGTON — Almost from the moment …
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review, No More Mister Nice Blog, POLITICUSUSA, Daily Kos, Associated Press and Raw Story
RELATED:
John Wagner / Washington Post:
Impeachment hearings live updates: Judiciary Committee to hear cases for and against Trump's removal
Impeachment hearings live updates: Judiciary Committee to hear cases for and against Trump's removal
Discussion:
CNN
David Leonhardt / New York Times:
The Eight Counts of Impeachment That Trump Deserves
Alayna Treene / Axios:
What to expect this week as Democrats begin drafting articles of impeachment
What to expect this week as Democrats begin drafting articles of impeachment
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Associated Press, Reuters, Raw Story, One America News Network and NBC News
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs / New York Times:
Pensacola Attack Probed for Terrorism Link. Saudi Suspect Clashed With Instructor. — The F.B.I. said it was conducting a terrorism investigation into the shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola, as new information emerged about the gunman's training at the facility.
Discussion:
New York Post, The Dispatch, Florida Politics and Associated Press
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Shooting at Navy Base in Florida Is Probed as Terrorism
Shooting at Navy Base in Florida Is Probed as Terrorism
Discussion:
Fox News and New York Post
Washington Post:
Trump's defense of Saudis grows more isolated after deadly shooting on military base
Trump's defense of Saudis grows more isolated after deadly shooting on military base
Discussion:
Tampa Bay Times and The White House
Patricia Mazzei / New York Times:
Pensacola Victims: Three Hopeful Men at the Dawn of Naval Careers
Katie Benner / New York Times:
Barr Allows for Release of Additional Details About Ex-Spy Behind Steele Dossier — The British former spy was told on the eve of its release that a highly anticipated inspector general's report would contain further information about him than he had expected.
Discussion:
Redstate, Talking Points Memo and Fox News
RELATED:
Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:
How Giuliani and Barr set out to defend Trump — Amid President Donald Trump's years-long quest to undermine the Russia investigation and claim “total exoneration,” a tale of two lawyers has emerged. — The first — a former New York City mayor-turned fixer for various foreign potentates and …
Discussion:
ABC News, The Daily Beast and NBC News
Susan Simpson / Just Security:
Seven Outright Falsehoods in GOP Staff Report on Impeachment — On December 2, 2019, Republican staff of the three committees overseeing the impeachment inquiry published a report prepared for the GOP Chairs: Representatives Devin Nunes, Jim Jordan, and Michael McCaul.
Discussion:
emptywheel
Margaret Talev / Axios:
Biden promises restrictions on Hunter, family if elected — Former Vice President Joe Biden, in an interview with “Axios on HBO,” promised to prohibit his son Hunter, and other family members, from cashing in on his name and position overseas if he wins the presidency.
Discussion:
National Review, Politico, Political Wire, HuffPost, Breitbart, New York Post and Mediaite
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Meg Kinnard / Associated Press:
AP Interview: Warren says voters are ready for female ticket — 1 of 4 — CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Elizabeth Warren said Sunday she believes Americans are ready for a presidential ticket with two women at the top, rejecting concerns from some Democrats that a woman can't beat President Donald Trump.
Discussion:
The Hill, Axios, The Guardian and Breitbart
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Erin Nyren / Variety:
René Auberjonois, ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Boston Legal’ Actor, Dies at 79 — René Auberjonois, best known for his roles in “Boston Legal” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” died at his home in Los Angeles due to metastatic lung cancer. He was 79. — His son Rèmy-Luc confirmed the news to the Associated Press.
Discussion:
Deadline, UPI, NBC News and Boing Boing
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Mariel Padilla / New York Times:
NATO Conference Is Canceled After U.S. Ambassador Barred a Trump Critic — An expert was scheduled to speak at the Copenhagen event but was told the ambassador, Carla Sands, had vetoed his participation. — The United States ambassador to Denmark barred an American NATO expert critical …
Discussion:
Stan Sloan, Talking Points Memo, Hullabaloo, Balloon Juice, BuzzFeed News and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Lauren Fruen / Daily Mail:
Fox and Friends host Pete Hegseth is ‘BANNED from Twitter’ after sharing anti-American ‘manifesto’ of Pensacola shooter Mohammed Alshamrani — Alshamrani's social media, which was taken down after the attack, appeared to show a variety of anti-Israel postings and a quote from Osama bin Laden
Discussion:
VodkaPundit
Washington Post:
Warren earned nearly $2 million working as a consultant for corporations and financial firms, records show — Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) earned the income while she was a law professor at Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and other schools, according to records her campaign released Sunday evening.
New York Times:
Sanna Marin of Finland to Become World's Youngest Prime Minister — At 34, Ms. Marin will head a coalition made up of five parties, in a government led by women. — HELSINKI, Finland — Sanna Marin, 34, is set to become the world's youngest sitting prime minister when she is sworn in this week in Finland …
RELATED:
The Texas Tribune:
Pierce Bush to file for suburban Houston congressional seat — The grandson of the late President George H.W. Bush will enter an already crowded GOP primary for Texas' 22nd District. — The grandson of the late President George H.W. Bush, nonprofit executive Pierce Bush …
Meridith McGraw / Politico:
Possible pardons loom for former Trump aides — Roger Stone's supporters are making a pardon pitch everywhere President Donald Trump looks: Fox News, InfoWars, Twitter, even the White House driveway. — Michael Flynn abruptly hired a bombastic lawyer who spouts Trump-friendly theories …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Sesame Workshop:
Remembering Legendary Puppeteer Caroll Spinney — Caroll Spinney, the legendary puppeteer behind beloved Sesame Street characters Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, died today, December 8th 2019, at age 85 at his home in Connecticut, after living with Dystonia for some time.
Discussion:
New York Times, Associated Press, Rolling Stone, Outside the Beltway, Slate, WQAD-TV, UPI, Fox News, Mashable, NPR, Boing Boing and Vanity Fair
The Intercept:
At Glitzy GOP Fundraiser, Devin Nunes Dodges Questions About Contact With Lev Parnas — The Lotte New York Palace Hotel swelled this weekend with tourists taking selfies in the courtyard next to its 35-foot Christmas tree. In the lobby, parents scrambled to make space for Instagram moments of their children sitting on Santa's lap.
Discussion:
Common Dreams, HuffPost, Raw Story and Mediaite