memeorandum: The lies and distortions by the hatchet men at Fusion GPS (Jason Foster/Washington Examiner)

6:10 PM ET, December 27, 2019

Top Items:

Dave Philipps / New York Times:

Anguish and Anger From the Navy SEALs Who Turned In Edward Gallagher — Video interviews and group texts obtained by The Times show men describing their platoon leader in grim terms. — [Watch a special Times documentary featuring combat video and confidential interviews with the Navy SEALs …

Discussion: Associated Press, AOL.com, Slate, ABC News, The Mahablog, Axios, New York Post, Vanity Fair, Raw Story, HuffPost, CNN, The Guardian, Balloon Juice, Hullabaloo, Alternet.org, The Hill, The American Independent, Mediaite and TheBlaze

New York Times:

Confidential Videos Show Why Navy SEALs Reported Edward Gallagher — “This chair good?” “Yeah.” “Which team are you assigned to right now?” “Team 7.” “You're SEAL Team 7.” “I'm at SEAL Team 7—” The Navy SEALs are probably the most elite commandos in the military.

Discussion: Little Green Footballs and Raw Story

Emily Crane / Daily Mail: ‘The guy is freaking evil’: Eddie Gallagher's fellow Navy SEALS describe him as 'toxic …

Melissa Lemieux / Newsweek:

Ex-WH Ethics Lawyer Slams McConnell, Says Senator Thinks He's ‘A Judge Impaneling An All-White Jury for a Klansman Trial’ — During a panel discussion on CNN, Richard Painter, the former chief White House ethics lawyer who worked under George W. Bush, got into a bit of a verbal dust …

Lauren Vella / The Hill:
Blumenthal: Five to 10 Republicans have ‘severe misgivings’ about McConnell strategy

Discussion: Alternet.org, Raw Story and Daily Kos

Issues & Insights:
Stopping Lisa Murkowski From Playing Lady Macbeth

Discussion: Washington Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Daily Caller

Dareh Gregorian / NBC News:
Pelosi invites Trump to deliver the State of the Union two days after impeaching him

Discussion: Associated Press, Alternet.org, Raw Story, ABC News and Breitbart

Margaret Carlson / The Daily Beast:
Mitch McConnell's Big Mistake Defending Donald Trump? Listening to Him.

Discussion: Associated Press, Raw Story and Breitbart

Ian Schwartz / RealClearPolitics:

Michael Moore Predicts 2020 Trump Victory: Trump's Level Of Support “Has Not Gone Down One Inch” — In an interview with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!, Michael Moore said if the election were held today that President Trump would win a second term. However, Moore predicted the Democratic candidate …

Discussion: WND

Sam Dorman / Fox News:
Michael Moore says Trump could win in 2020, Midwest support hasn't dropped ‘one inch’

Discussion: Democracy Now and Breitbart

Holly Otterbein / Politico:
AOC for president? The buzz has begun

Discussion: Fox News, The Hill, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, The Nation, Alternet.org, Axios, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Gateway Pundit

Daniel Marans / HuffPost:
Zephyr Teachout, Anti-Corruption Crusader, Endorses Bernie Sanders

Discussion: The Hill

Robert D. McFadden / New York Times:

Don Imus, Radio Host Who Pushed Boundaries, Dies at 79 — On the air, he was an irascible, confrontational growler who led pranks and parodies that could be tasteless, obscene and sometimes racist, sexist or homophobic. — Don Imus, who tested the limits of shock radio with his irreverent attacks …

Hollywood Reporter:

Don Imus, Legendary ‘Imus in the Morning’ Host, Dies at 79 — The controversial radio personality passed away on Friday morning at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in College Station, Texas. — Radio personality Don Imus, whose insult humor and savage comedy catapulted him to a long-lasting …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, New York Daily News, The Wrap, KTLA and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

CNBC:

Elizabeth Warren's campaign sounds the alarm as fundraising pace slows about 30% in fourth quarter — Sen. Elizabeth Warren's campaign told supporters in an email on Friday that, so far, it has raised just over $17 million in the fourth quarter, a significant drop from her fundraising haul during the third quarter.

Discussion: Breitbart, Vanity Fair, TheBlaze and Axios

Bloomberg:

Bizarre Fortunes Flourish as World's Richest Gain $1.2 Trillion — The wealth of the 500 richest people surged 25% in 2019 — Wrecked cars, catchy tunes are among the sources of new riches — The leveraging of a giant social-media presence, a catchy tune about a family of sharks …

Discussion: Alternet.org

Wall Street Journal:

Rank-and-File Workers Get Bigger Raises — Short supply of labor, minimum-wage rises and increased poaching have helped lift wages for lower-income workers — Rank-and-file workers are getting bigger raises this year—at least in percentage terms—than bosses.

Discussion: Axios and The Daily Caller

Vladimir Isachenkov / Associated Press:

Russia commissions intercontinental hypersonic weapon — MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's defense minister reported to President Vladimir Putin that a new hypersonic weapon of intercontinental range became operational Friday following years of tests. — Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed Putin …

Discussion: The National Interest, National Review, The Post Millennial and Politico

CNN:

Schumer said in 1999 Senate wasn't like a jury box and was ‘susceptible to the whims of politics’ — (CNN)Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has blasted his Republican counterpart Mitch McConnell in recent days after he described himself as “not an impartial juror” ahead …

Discussion: Townhall, Washington Examiner and The Daily Caller

Derick Waller / abc7NY:

Women attacked, man threatens shooting in rash of anti-Semitic incidents in NYC — GRAVESEND, Brooklyn (WABC) — There have been a rash of anti-Semitic incidents in New York City this week, most in parts of Brooklyn. — A man wearing a hoodie apparently walked into Lubavitch World Headquarters …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, NPR, Associated Press and TheBlaze

Derick Waller / abc7NY: Mother walking with child beaten in 5th anti-Semitic attack in NYC

Mark Hosenball / Reuters:

Exclusive: FBI investigates Briton, others for Epstein links - sources — (Reuters) - The FBI is investigating British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and several other people linked to U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Forbes, WND, ABC News, The Daily Caller, VICE, National Review and Breitbart

Yascha Mounk / The Atlantic:

Why Trump's Second Term Will Be Worse — When I spent a month on a research trip to India in December 2014, half a year after Narendra Modi swept to power, the writers, academics, and intellectuals I met were engrossed in a debate that may now feel oddly familiar to Americans.

Discussion: Raw Story

Globe and Mail:

Activist who raised awareness about transphobia murdered in Toronto — When Julie Berman came up to the open mic at the trans day of remembrance event on Nov. 20, 2017, she delivered a speech about transphobia in Toronto. She talked about a trans friend of hers that was murdered.

Discussion: The Hill and The Post Millennial

Margot Sanger-Katz / New York Times:

In the U.S., an Angioplasty Costs $32,000. Elsewhere? Maybe $6,400. — A study of international prices finds American patients pay much more across a wide array of common services. — Why does health care cost so much more in the United States than in other countries?

Discussion: Mother Jones

Associated Press:

Disney characters say tourists inappropriately touched them — ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Walt Disney World employees who portray Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck each filed police reports this month claiming they were inappropriately touched by tourists.

Discussion: Fox News, TMZ.com and The Daily Caller

Washington Post:

Ousted cardinal McCarrick gave more than $600,000 to fellow clerics, including two popes, records show — Former cardinal Theodore McCarrick gave hundreds of thousands of dollars in church money to powerful Catholic clerics over nearly two decades, according to financial records obtained …

Discussion: New York Post, americamagazine.org, Slate, The Hill and TheBlaze

Kristy Eldredge / New York Times:

Men Are Dismissing ‘Little Women.’ What a Surprise. — The rejection of the latest screen adaptation of the beloved novel echoes a long-held sentiment toward women-centered narratives. — Ms. Eldredge is a writer. — “'Little Women' Has a Little Man Problem.”

Discussion: Washington Post, Althouse and The Daily Beast

Travis Fain / WRAL-TV:

Federal court to block NC's voter ID requirement before 2020 elections — A federal court said late Thursday that it will, at least temporarily, block North Carolina from requiring photo ID at the polls next year. — An order explaining the decision and its full breadth will come next week …

Discussion: Breitbart

Jason Foster / Washington Examiner:

The lies and distortions by the hatchet men at Fusion GPS — Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch tried to keep the American people in the dark as long as possible. For most of 2017, the founders of Fusion GPS hid the truth about the origins of their now-infamous dossier on President Trump.

Michael E. Miller / Washington Post:

Hunting black men to start a ‘race war’ … The man stumbled into the police precinct in Hell's Kitchen late one night, staggering toward a tall reception desk painted black and blue. Before the desk officer could ask the man his business, he collapsed on a bench, dripping blood.

Ashley Zavala / KRON4:

California public schools can't suspend students for disobeying teachers, new law says — SACRAMENTO (KRON) — New laws taking effect in 2020 will impact schools across California. — Starting next school year, it will be illegal for public schools in the state to suspend students …

Asawin Suebsaeng / The Daily Beast:

Trump's New Legal Adviser Is an Anti-LGBT, Fox News-Ready Bomb Thrower — She's quickly earned accolades from Trump's core group of political advocates, despite her past jeremiads against ‘the homosexual lifestyle’ and the ‘LGBT agenda.’ — If you don't know who Jenna Ellis is, you are hardly alone.

Eva Bartlett / RT:

Guardian, Atlantic contributor acts as a Syrian terrorist mouthpiece on Twitter, and if you don't like it you're a Russian stooge … FILE PHOTO: Al-Nusra fighter in Syria © AFP/ Rami Al-Sayed — Giving a sympathetic platform to a terrorist is reprehensible at best, downright criminal at worst …