Top Items:
The Christian Post:
Christianity Today and the problem with ‘Christian Elitism’ — Christianity Today editor Mark Galli's “lofty” op-ed last week calling for President Trump's removal from office touched off a firestorm of criticism and dissent from scores of evangelical leaders, and the backlash and debate have reached …
Discussion:
Providence, Washington Times, IJR, Washington Post, Alternet.org, Joe.My.God., The Hill and Washington Monthly
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Sarah Pulliam Bailey / Washington Post:
The cost of criticizing Trump: Journalist leaves Christian Post amid its plans to attack Christianity Today — The decision by Christianity Today to publish an editorial describing President Trump as “immoral” and calling for his removal drew immediate rebuke from the president himself, who called the outlet “a far left magazine.”
Discussion:
Axios, VICE, The Independent, Daily Kos, Alternet.org, Mediaite, Townhall, The Week, IJR, the way of improvement …, Raw Story and Talking Points Memo, more at Mediagazer »
Tom Sykes / The Daily Beast:
Editor Quits Amid Evangelical Newspaper Civil War Over Trump — SPLITTERS — An editor at The Christian Post has abruptly quit the publication after it aligned itself with Donald Trump as part of a spiraling evangelical Christian civil war. Another evangelical newspaper, Christianity Today …
Morgan Chalfant / The Hill:
Trump says U.S. will ‘deal with’ North Korea Christmas gift — President Trump on Tuesday said that the United States would “deal with” whatever North Korea has planned, quipping that Kim Jong Un may send him a “nice present” and not actually be planning a missile test.
Discussion:
Associated Press and NBC News
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Joby Warrick / Washington Post:
North Korea never halted efforts to build powerful new weapons, experts say — Just before North Korea launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile in 2017, scientists strapped their newest rocket engine to a test stand to see how it would perform.
Discussion:
The Week
Courier-Journal:
The FBI is asking questions about former Gov. Matt Bevin's pardons — The FBI is asking questions about the pardons Matt Bevin issued during his last weeks as Kentucky governor, The Courier Journal has learned. — State Rep. Chris Harris, D-Forest Hills, told reporters …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Joe.My.God., Law & Crime, Daily Kos and HuffPost
Chauncey DeVega / Salon:
How to understand Trump now: Wounded child, drug addict or delusional gaslighter? — Psychiatrist Justin Frank says Trump is terrified, angry and extremely dangerous — “conflict ... gives him life” — Donald Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives last week.
Discussion:
Daily Kos
New York Post:
Hunter Biden allegedly linked to multiple criminal probes — Hunter Biden is the subject of multiple criminal investigations related to “fraud, money laundering and a counterfeiting scheme,” it's claimed in court documents filed Monday in his Arkansas paternity case.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Twitchy and PJ Media Home
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Mike Baker / New York Times:
G.O.P. Lawmaker Had Visions of a Christian Alternative Government — A Washington State legislator was accused of participating in the occupation of a federal wildlife refuge. Behind the scenes, he and right-wing activists were preparing for civil strife.
Vicky Ward / CNN:
The invisible man: Text messages reveal former golfer's role in Ukraine scandal — New York (CNN)When Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman traveled to Ukraine last winter to help Rudy Giuliani dig up dirt on President Donald Trump's political opponents, they were accompanied by a 44 year-old American named David Correia.
Discussion:
Politico, The Hill and New York Magazine
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Marianne LeVine / Politico:
Mike Lee is the quiet force to get Trump acquitted — Lindsey Graham is fighting President Donald Trump's impeachment case on Twitter and every media outlet that will have him. Mitch McConnell is swatting down Democratic demands and pledging to acquit the president.
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hill and Raw Story
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Washington Post:
Impasse over Senate impeachment trial likely to last weeks as both sides dig in
Impasse over Senate impeachment trial likely to last weeks as both sides dig in
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Raw Story, CNN, Sara A. Carter, The Week, POLITICUSUSA and Redstate
John Sexton / HotAir:
House Dems: We May Go Back For Seconds On Impeachment
House Dems: We May Go Back For Seconds On Impeachment
Discussion:
WTOP, Instapundit and Politico
John Washington / The Intercept:
Mike Bloomberg Exploited Prison Labor to Make 2020 Presidential Campaign Phone Calls — Former New York City mayor and multibillionaire Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg used prison labor to make campaign calls. Through a third-party vendor, the Mike Bloomberg 2020 campaign contracted …
Discussion:
Gizmodo, more at Techmeme »
Darlene Superville / Associated Press:
Melania Trump silently forges path through impeachment — WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Clinton spent the morning of her husband's impeachment visiting Capitol Hill to rally Democrats to his side. Pat Nixon kept assuring reporters her husband wouldn't quit — right up until he did.
Discussion:
Joe.My.God.
David Siders / Politico:
‘The surge is real’: Klobuchar makes late push in Iowa — SHELDON, Iowa — Amy Klobuchar keeps telling Iowans about the text she got from a friend cheering her “insurgency” after last week's debate. The friend meant to say “surge,” but Klobuchar found the auto-correct error funny …
Adam Edelman / NBC News:
Trump says Pelosi ‘desperate’ and ‘hates all of the people that voted for me’ — The president spoke to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in southern Florida where he's spending the holidays. — President Donald Trump on Tuesday railed against the impeachment case against him, complaining that he'd been treated “very unfairly.”
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Susan Ferrechio / Washington Examiner:
Can House Democrats move past impeachment?
Thomas Burr / Salt Lake Tribune:
Feds say they're ‘working around the clock’ ahead of Santa's Christmas Eve flight — • As Santa Claus departs the North Pole on Christmas Eve, U.S. federal agencies are working to ensure a smooth trek to deliver gifts to kids of all ages. — The only red tape the jolly old elf …
Discussion:
The Sun, Associated Press and CBS Philly
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Tali Farhadian Weinstein / New York Times:
An Immigrant's Christmas Eve
Eric Felten / RealClearInvestigations:
Comey or ‘Corney’? Stalking a Half-Popped Kernel of a Deep-State Kerning Conspiracy — We know a few things for sure, beginning with the fact that quiet changes have been made in the blockbuster report on FBI spying abuse released two weeks ago by the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General.
Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:
Former Hawaii governor calls on Tulsi Gabbard to resign — Running for president she is “not able to do the job for the 2nd District,” says Neil Abercrombie. — Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard said she will not resign. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Discussion:
Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Outside the Beltway, The Hill, HuffPost, Axios and Honolulu Civil Beat
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
We still don't have answers on Khashoggi's murder — Soon after the Saudi public prosecutor announced his verdict in the Jamal Khashoggi murder case on Monday, the top trending hashtag on Saudi Twitter was the name of Saud al-Qahtani. — And why? Because the court exonerated Qahtani …
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, VICE, The Week and Slate, more at Mediagazer »
New York Times:
Pentagon Eyes Africa Drawdown as First Step in Global Troop Shift — The deliberations stem from a push to reduce missions battling distant terrorist groups, and to instead refocus on confronting so-called Great Powers like Russia and China. — WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper …
Discussion:
The Week
Washington Post:
Warren embraced the high-dollar fundraiser circuit for years — until just before her presidential campaign — Chase Williams grinned broadly as he stood for a photo next to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, chatting briefly with the senator from Massachusetts before moving on so someone else could have their turn.