memeorandum: Was the drone attack on Iranian general an assassination? (John Daniszewski/Associated Press)

7:15 AM ET, January 4, 2020

Top Items:

Trump Told Mar-a-Lago Pals to Expect ‘Big’ Iran Action ‘Soon’ — Attendees of a closed-door Senate briefing didn't get much more clarity than the club guests did. Instead, officials spun Soleimani's slaying as a way to “de-escalate” tensions. — In the five days prior to launching …

Discussion: Washington Post, Raw Story, The Week, The American Independent, Axios, Politico, Jacobin, The Miscellanies and The Hill, more at Mediagazer »

Washington Post:

How Trump decided to kill a top Iranian general — On Sunday, President Trump's most senior national security advisers joined him at his Mar-a- — Lago resort in Florida, where Trump was beginning the second week of his holiday vacation. The officials told reporters that U.S. F-15 Strike Eagles …

Discussion: Raw Story, New York Post, The Week and DNyuz

Nahal Toosi / Politico:

How Trump decided to kill Iran's Soleimani — Hours before the U.S. military sent a Reaper drone to kill one of the most wanted men on the planet, President Donald Trump was relaxing at his palatial Florida properties. In the morning, he played 18 holes at Trump International, his West Palm Beach golf club.

Discussion: Gizmodo, Politico, One America News Network, Breitbart, HuffPost, NBC News, The Hill, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, Bloomberg and Associated Press

David S. Cloud / Los Angeles Times:

How Trump made the decision to kill Suleimani — When President Trump's national security team came to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday, they weren't expecting him to approve an operation to kill Gen. Qassem Suleimani. — Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo …

JONATHAN TURLEY:

Trump Orders Defense Department To Publicly Confirm Assassination Of Iranian General — In a break from long-standing intelligence practices, President Donald Trump ordered the Defense Department to confirm that the United States was behind the missile strike that killed Qassem Soleimani …

Discussion: Fox News and New York Post

Mother Jones:

With a War Against Iran Brewing, Don't Listen to the Hawks Who Lied Us Into Iraq — Here we go again. — Shortly after the news broke that a US airstrike in Baghdad ordered by President Donald Trump had killed Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran's Quds Force …

Discussion: Common Dreams, Raw Story and The Daily Beast

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Trump Thinks Attacking Iran Will Get Him Reelected. He's Wrong. — Beginning in 2011, and continuing through the next year, Donald Trump began obsessively predicting that President Obama would start a war with Iran in order to be reelected. Trump stated it publicly, on at least a half-dozen occasions …

Discussion: The Cut, Redstate, Quartz, Talking Points Memo, Louder With Crowder, The Gateway Pundit, Reason, No More Mister Nice Blog, New York Times and CANNONFIRE

John Daniszewski / Associated Press:

Was the drone attack on Iranian general an assassination? — FILE- In this Sept. 18, 2016 photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, center, attends a meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Revolutionary Guard commanders in Tehran, Iran.

Curtis Houck / NB Blog:

Embarrassing: ‘NBC Nightly News’ Turns Itself into Infomercial for Iranian Regime — Listen to the Article! — Friday's NBC Nightly News capped an ugly 24 hours for the liberal media after U.S. airstrikes killed Iranian terrorist Qasem Soleimani by doubling down on its bias …

Discussion: TASS

Sarah Mervosh / New York Times:

Will There Be a Draft? Young People Worry After Military Strike — Interest in the draft and “World War III” surged online, stalling the government website where young men are required to register. Here's what you need to know. — For decades, American men over the age of 18 …

Discussion: CNN, Mashable, Michigan Advance and DNyuz

Greenwich Time:

With missile strike, Trump opts for escalation and a swing at a ‘hornets’ nest' — For a conflict known for extremes of rhetoric - the “Great Satan” and the “Axis of Evil” - the four-decade rivalry between the United States and Iran has been largely defined by calculation and restraint.

Washington Post:
Trump endorses tweet comparing top Senate Democrat to Iranians

Discussion: Raw Story, Breitbart, IJR and Balloon Juice

David E. Sanger / New York Times:
For Trump, a Risky Gamble to Deter Iran

Discussion: Reason, ABC News, Associated Press, Blue Delaware, Vanity Fair, Informed Comment, Townhall, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Quartz, Vox, Breitbart and Axios

Newsweek:
Iraqi militia leader may be among six killed in another U.S. drone strike in Baghdad

Discussion: DNyuz

Max Fisher / New York Times:
Is There a Risk of Wider War With Iran?

Discussion: Townhall, DNyuz and DCReport.org

Washington Post:
Yes, Soleimani was an enemy. That doesn't mean Trump made the right call.

Discussion: New York Times, New York Post, The Atlantic, Mother Jones, Reuters, Althouse and Raw Story

Sebastian Smith / Agence France-Presse: Trump's no ‘stupid’ wars doctrine faces biggest test

Wesley Clark / Washington Post:
Killing a top Iranian military leader was a whack-for-tat move

Discussion: Quartz, New York Times, Washington Free Beacon and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »

Jason Rezaian / Washington Post:
All Iranians can agree on one thing: No one wants a war

Discussion: The Times of Israel, MarketWatch and Common Dreams

Noga Tarnopolsky / Los Angeles Times:
Israel had advance notice of U.S. plan to kill Iranian general Suleimani, report says

Discussion: Raw Story

Avi Selk / Washington Post:
Soleimani posted memes antagonizing Trump on social media

Discussion: DNyuz, The Federalist, Daily Sounder, Mediaite and Daily Kos

Bloomberg:
How Trump Planned the Drone Strike With a Tight Circle of Aides

Discussion: Washington Post, BuzzFeed News, New York Times, Vanity Fair and BBC

Brent Scher / Washington Free Beacon:
In 1996 Interview, Biden Called Iranian Bombing ‘Act of War,’ Called for Tough Response

Discussion: Townhall, WND and Vox

Shibley Telhami / Foreign Policy: The U.S. Public Still Doesn't Want War With Iran

NBC News:
Planned attacks against U.S. targets in Syria, Lebanon were reason for Soleimani strike, say officials

Discussion: Associated Press, Letters from an American, The Economic Collapse and Common Dreams

CBS News:
“There will be dead Americans” as a result of Iran general being killed, ex-CIA deputy director says

Discussion: Washington Post, CBS Boston, Gizmodo, BizPac Review and Breitbart

Barbara Slavin / New York Times:
Qassim Suleimani's Killing Will Unleash Chaos

Discussion: Big League Politics, Washington Post, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Vox, Talking Points Memo, Gizmodo and The Intercept

New York Times:

White House Withholds 20 Emails Between Two Trump Aides on Ukraine Aid — It contends the release of the documents sought by The Times, would “inhibit the frank and candid exchange of views” in government decision-making. — WASHINGTON — The Trump administration disclosed on Friday …

Discussion: Raw Story, CNN, The Hill, Alternet.org and Common Dreams

Susan Smith Richardson / Center for Public Integrity:
Time for the Trump administration to release blacked-out Ukraine emails

Discussion: Raw Story

Tess Bonn / The Hill:

Bloomberg rises to third place alongside Warren in national poll — Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg saw a 6-point bump in the latest Hill.TV survey of the Democratic presidential primary. — The nationwide poll, which was released Friday, shows Bloomberg up from 5 percent …

Discussion: Politico, Althouse and Breitbart

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
When will Bernie Sanders get the scrutiny that top-tier candidates deserve?

Discussion: Washington Times and IJR

Reid J. Epstein / New York Times:
D.N.C. Tells Pollsters to Do More Polls

Discussion: Washington Post

Brent Kendall / Wall Street Journal:

Trump Administration Subpoena Case Gets Mixed Reaction from Court Panel — Judges question White House immunity claims but hint at reluctance to resolve dispute — WASHINGTON—A federal appeals court panel voiced mixed feelings Friday about a case examining whether the Trump administration …

Todd Ruger / Roll Call: House counsel warns of ‘gun battle’ in fight for Trump info

Alexander Nazaryan / Yahoo News: Democrats battle White House over executive power and congressional oversight

New York Daily News:

McConnell and Pelosi dig in their heels on standoff over Trump impeachment trial — The standoff over President Trump's expected impeachment trial showed no signs of letting up Friday, as Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi accused each other of playing political football with the somber process.

Washington Post: Escalating U.S.-Iran tensions scramble the politics of Trump's impeachment

Lisa Friedman / New York Times:

Trump Rule Would Exclude Climate Change in Infrastructure Planning — WASHINGTON — Federal agencies would no longer have to take climate change into account when they assess the environmental impacts of highways, pipelines and other major infrastructure projects, according to a Trump administration plan …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Gizmodo and Axios

Nick Wadhams / Bloomberg:

U.S. Official Central to Hawkish Iran Policies Departs NSC — Richard Goldberg pushed for tougher U.S. stance on Iran — John Bolton brought Goldberg to the National Security Council — Richard Goldberg, the U.S. National Security Council official who clashed with other members …

Tina Nguyen / Politico:

The Hill's owner seeks potential buyers, investors — Jimmy Finkelstein, owner of The Hill, is shopping his publication, whose op-eds alleging various conspiracy theories about Ukraine have been at the center of Donald Trump's impeachment scandal, to various media owners …

more at Mediagazer »

Agence France-Presse:

Trump tells evangelical voters they have God on their side — Jim Watson with Jerome Cartillier in Washington — US President Donald Trump tells evangelical voters that God is ‘on our side’ — Miami (AFP) - US President Donald Trump wooed crucial evangelical voters Friday with a speech …

Will Steakin / ABC News:
Trump to campaign for evangelical support amid escalating Iran conflict

Discussion: The Hill

United States Department of State:

Senior State Department Officials On the Situation in Iraq — WASHINGTON, D.C. — MODERATOR: So I'm going to have [Senior State Department Official One] start out and just give a very - a very - we actually mostly want to make this Q&A, so [Senior State Department Official One] is just going to have a few remarks here.