Top Items:
Newsweek:
Iranian missile system shot down Ukraine flight, probably by mistake, sources say — The Ukrainian flight that crashed just outside the Iranian capital of Tehran was struck by an anti-aircraft missile system, a Pentagon official, a senior U.S. intelligence official and an Iraqi intelligence official told Newsweek.
RELATED:
Alexander Nazaryan / Yahoo News:
Explanations for jet crash in Iran remain elusive, but Ukrainians will look at missile theory — WASHINGTON — When a Ukrainian passenger jet crashed outside Tehran, Iran, shortly after taking off on Wednesday morning, speculation immediately turned to the conflict between Iran and the United States.
Discussion:
New York Times, New York Magazine and The Gateway Pundit
Wall Street Journal:
Boeing Jet Was on Fire Before Crash, Iran Says; Investigators Consider Hostile Act — Ukrainian officials arrive in Tehran to help determine the cause of the crash that killed 176 people — The Ukraine International Airlines flight that crashed after takeoff from Tehran was on fire …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Dan Mangan / CNBC:
Iran missiles appear to have shot down Ukraine-bound Boeing airliner, US sources tell NBC News — Spy satellite imagery suggests that a Ukraine-bound Boeing airliner that crashed shortly after takeoff in Iran was shot down by Iranian missiles, NBC News reported Thursday.
Monmouth University Polling Institute:
Four-Way Fight in Dem Primary — Granite State voters divided on whether all Dems have equal voice in nomination — West Long Branch, NJ - Support for former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has grown while backing for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren …
Discussion:
Politico, Political Wire and Washington Times
RELATED:
Detroit News:
Poll: Biden, Bloomberg hold largest leads against Trump in Michigan — Former Vice President Joe Biden and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg hold the best chances among the leading Democratic presidential hopefuls of defeating President Donald Trump in Michigan, according to a new statewide poll.
Discussion:
Tangle, Washington Times, The Hill, New York Times and Public Policy Polling
Des Moines Register:
New Iowa Poll to be released Friday, could help determine which Democratic candidates get on the January debate stage — Results of a new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll on Democratic presidential candidates will be released online at 5 p.m. CST Friday.
Discussion:
CNN
Natasha Korecki / Politico:
Bernie emerges as growing threat to Biden — CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — When Bernie Sanders attacked Joe Biden recently, the former vice president dismissed his former Senate colleague with a contemptuous brush-off. — “You guys expect me to take Bernie's comments seriously?
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hill and Blue Delaware
Susan Page / USA Today:
Exclusive: Americans say Soleimani's killing made US less safe, Trump ‘reckless’ on Iran — Americans by more than 2-1 say the killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani has made the United States less safe, a nationwide USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll finds, amid broad concerns about the potential consequences ahead.
Discussion:
Ipsos, CNN, Raw Story, The Hill, Washington Post, The Week and Common Dreams
RELATED:
Allan Smith / NBC News:
Pence says sharing intel with Congress could ‘compromise’ sources
Pence says sharing intel with Congress could ‘compromise’ sources
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Associated Press, KTLA, Twitchy, Raw Story and New York Post
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
The Trump team's increasingly jumbled case for striking Qasem Soleimani
The Trump team's increasingly jumbled case for striking Qasem Soleimani
Discussion:
Mother Jones and The American Independent
Shay Khatiri / The Bulwark:
Trump's Treatment of U.S. Allies Comes Home to Roost
Trump's Treatment of U.S. Allies Comes Home to Roost
Discussion:
Raw Story
Molly Ball / TIME:
'We've Upped the Ante.' Why Nancy Pelosi Is Going All in Against Trump — Nancy Pelosi isn't wild about the question. The impeachment of President Donald Trump is under way, and I've asked the Speaker of the House if she thinks it's the most important thing she'll ever do.
Discussion:
Townhall, National Review, The Daily Caller, Washington Free Beacon, Breitbart, Mediaite, New York Times and Politico
Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
Rep. Stefanik tweets altered photo of Pelosi in GOP fundraising appeal — Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) tweeted a petition and fundraising appeal that included what appeared to be an altered photo of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, drawing a retweet Thursday morning from President Trump.
Discussion:
Townhall, Alternet.org and IJR
RELATED:
Allan Smith / NBC News:
Top House Democrat: ‘Time to send’ articles of impeachment to Senate
Top House Democrat: ‘Time to send’ articles of impeachment to Senate
Discussion:
Townhall, Wall Street Journal, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Hill and HuffPost
Paul Rosenzweig / The Atlantic:
Trials Are for Evidence — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell …
Trials Are for Evidence — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Associated Press:
McConnell, Pelosi stand firm as impeachment remains frozen
McConnell, Pelosi stand firm as impeachment remains frozen
Discussion:
National Review, Redstate, Politico, Fox News, New York Post and The Hill
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
GOP senator who erupted over Iran briefing shares awful new details — If President Trump made the decision to assassinate the supreme leader of Iran, would he need to come to Congress to get authorization for it? — The Trump administration won't say. — That remarkable claim …
Discussion:
The Hill, Vanity Fair, Law & Crime, Lawfare, New York Times, NPR and Mediaite
RELATED:
ABC News:
Defense Secretary Esper privately warned lawmakers against debating war powers — The suggestion enraged GOP Sen. Mike Lee who called it “insane.” — On the eve of a House vote Thursday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper urged Congress not to debate limits to President Donald Trump's power …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Maybe Nominating Bloomberg for President Isn't a Crazy Idea — Not long ago, my teenaged kids and one of their friends asked me what I thought about Michael Bloomberg's presidential campaign. The question momentarily took me aback, since even though I spend hours a day following campaign coverage …
Discussion:
Scripting News
RELATED:
Matt Flegenheimer / New York Times:
Around the Country in 17 Hours With Michael Bloomberg
Around the Country in 17 Hours With Michael Bloomberg
Discussion:
Axios
Rebecca English / Daily Mail:
Harry and Meghan to step back as senior royals — Harry and Meghan quit as senior Royals, announcing they will split their time between the UK and North America, and are understood to have done so without discussing the matter with other Royals.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Vanity Fair, Reuters, The Week, London Evening Standard, The Sun US, Breitbart, Telegraph, The Daily Beast and New York Times
RELATED:
Jill Lawless / Associated Press:
Royal reset: Harry, Meghan aim to control their media image
Royal reset: Harry, Meghan aim to control their media image
Discussion:
The Wrap, The Federalist and Mediaite
Sherman Smith / Topeka Capital-Journal:
Gov. Laura Kelly, Sen. Jim Denning announce Medicaid expansion deal — Sherman Smith sherman_newsTim Carpenter TimVCarpenter — Gov. Laura Kelly and Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning outlined Thursday a bipartisan compromise for Medicaid expansion that was the product of 60 days of behind …
Discussion:
Balloon Juice
RELATED:
Jonathan Capehart / Washington Post:
Trump loves to blame the black guy — Anyone else tired of perpetually petulant President Trump blaming former president Barack Obama for, well, everything? — Boo-hoo, the air conditioning makes the White House too cold. Waaa, it's unlawful for Turkey to buy U.S. fighter jets because it purchased missiles from Russia.
RELATED:
Brian Slodysko / Associated Press:
Democrats' contempt for Trump fuels an online cash surge
Democrats' contempt for Trump fuels an online cash surge
Discussion:
Washington Post and Axios
Sheila Bair / Washington Post:
I am a Republican, and I hope the Democrats pick a candidate I can vote for
I am a Republican, and I hope the Democrats pick a candidate I can vote for
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Hill
Mike Isaac / New York Times:
Facebook Says It Won't Back Down From Allowing Lies in Political Ads — The company was under intense pressure to adjust its policies. But in this presidential election year, no big changes are planned. — SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook said on Thursday that it would not make any major changes …
Discussion:
National Review, Axios and The Week, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Variety:
Harvey Weinstein Strikes Out in Attempt to Get New Judge in Rape Trial — Harvey Weinstein struck out in his attempt on Thursday to get a new judge assigned to his rape trial in New York. — Attorneys for the movie mogul accused Justice James Burke of being prejudicial …
RELATED:
Dominic Patten / Deadline:
Harvey Weinstein Rape Trial Judge Rejects Efforts To Toss Him Off Case, Jury Selection Continues
Harvey Weinstein Rape Trial Judge Rejects Efforts To Toss Him Off Case, Jury Selection Continues
Discussion:
The Week
Molly Jong-Fast / The Daily Beast:
Was This Ex-Fox News Anchor Benched for Accusing Trump? — Courtney Friel appeared in none of her regularly scheduled KTLA anchoring slots the weekend after publicly accusing the president of making a pass at her. — Last Friday, KTLA weekend anchor Courtney Friel gave a revealing interview with the New York Daily News.
Ellen Knickmeyer / Associated Press:
Environmental rollback expected to speed pipeline approval — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is proposing to speed up approval for pipelines and other major oil and gas projects as part of a sweeping change in enforcement of one of the country's landmark environmental laws.
RELATED:
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Who Will Win The 2020 Democratic Nomination? — Our latest forecast for how many pledged delegates each candidate will win after all states have voted — FiveThirtyEight's model simulates the primary season thousands of times to find the most likely outcome for each candidate.
Discussion:
ABC News
Greg Farrell / Bloomberg:
NYC Bar Association Asks Congress to Investigate AG Barr for Bias — A rare rebuke of a U.S. attorney general by a bar association — Group says Barr has ‘disregarded’ his duty to be impartial — The New York City Bar Association has asked Congress to investigate U.S. Attorney …
Discussion:
The Hill, Axios, Alternet.org and Raw Story
Mike Allen / Axios:
Watch: Anti-Trump Lincoln Project targets evangelical voters with new video — “MAGA Church,” the first digital video from the Lincoln Project, a group of anti-Trump Republicans, takes aim at President Trump's standing with evangelical voters —interspersing clips of him talking about faith with videos of him speaking crudely.
John F. Harris / Politico:
‘He Is Our O.J.’ — Explain yourself, I asked readers who are indignant about President Donald Trump's impeachment shortly before the holiday break. I wasn't asking merely for a defense of Trump, but for an honest illumination of what defenders would think if the essential facts …
Discussion:
Raw Story
ABC News:
Bloomberg won't release women who sued him from secrecy agreements — Bloomberg was sued several times over the years. The cases were resolved. — Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg told ABC News this week he will not take any steps to release women who have signed …