memeorandum: Don Imus, Radio Host Who Pushed Boundaries, Dies at 79 (Robert D. McFadden/New York Times)

7:20 PM ET, December 27, 2019

Top Items:

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 Wrap, Fox News, The Daily Caller, New York Daily News and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

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 …

Discussion: Raw Story, The Wrap and Althouse

Associated Press:
DJ Don Imus dead at 79

Discussion: The Hill

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, Axios, ABC News, The Mahablog, New York Post, Vanity Fair, Raw Story, HuffPost, The Guardian, Balloon Juice, Hullabaloo, The American Independent, CNN, The Hill, Mediaite, Alternet.org, TheBlaze and Grabien News

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 …

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: The Hill, Fox News, 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

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

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: Fox News, Vanity Fair, Breitbart, 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

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 and The Daily Caller

Byron York / Washington Examiner: No, the Senate is not a jury, and other misconceptions about impeachment

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

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, Associated Press, NPR and TheBlaze

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

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

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, The Daily Caller, VICE, ABC News, National Review and Breitbart

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

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

NBC News:

Mile high ugh: What you should know before you eat airplane food — Airline food caterers face limited oversight with infrequent inspections, numerous violations and few consequences. — Jason Alderman was hungry. It was the beginning of his regular Sunday night commute from San Francisco to Boston …

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: TMZ.com, Fox News and The Daily Caller

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

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, Slate, The Hill, americamagazine.org and TheBlaze

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.

Adam Shaw / Fox News:

Families of Americans killed in Afghanistan sue contractors over alleged Taliban payments — Families of more than 140 U.S. service members and contractors killed or wounded in Afghanistan are suing U.S. and international contractors, alleging that those companies paid the Taliban for security services …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Associated Press and National Review

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.

Igor Derysh / Salon:

Pelosi “has the right” to submit Trump to an “involuntary evaluation”: Yale psychiatrist Bandy Lee — “I am beginning to believe that a mental health hold . . . will become inevitable,” Lee tells Salon in an interview — A Yale psychiatrist who has repeatedly sounded the alarm …

Discussion: Breitbart, WND and IJR