Top Items:
CNN:
Trump fires Secretary of Defense Mark Esper — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Monday that he has fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, and that Christopher Miller, who serves as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, will become acting secretary “effective immediately.”
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Meghann Myers / Military Times:
Exclusive: Esper, on his way out, says he was no yes man — As had long been expected, President Donald Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday, cutting short what would have otherwise been his final months at the Pentagon, in anticipation of President-elect Joe Biden's transition in January.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Business Insider, Fox News, The Hill, New York Times, Defense News, Balloon Juice, HotAir, GovExec.com, The Guardian, Axios, Los Angeles Times, KTLA, The Daily Caller, Task & Purpose, Hackwhackers and UPI
Tom Vanden Brook / USA Today:
President Trump fires Defense Secretary Mark Esper
President Trump fires Defense Secretary Mark Esper
Discussion:
Associated Press, CNN, Politico, Reuters, Washington Times and National Review
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Scoop: Trump privately discussing 2024 run — President Trump has already told advisers he's thinking about running for president again in 2024, two sources familiar with the conversations tell Axios. — Why it matters: This is the clearest indication yet that Trump understands he has lost …
Discussion:
The Hill, New Republic, Just The News, National Review, Washington Post, Forbes, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Florida Politics, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, IJR, Reuters, Townhall, The Week and Political Wire
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Quint Forgey / Politico:
Trump campaign adviser: Conceding ‘is not even in our vocabulary right now’
Trump campaign adviser: Conceding ‘is not even in our vocabulary right now’
Discussion:
CBS News, Brookings, The Hill, IJR and No More Mister Nice Blog
New York Times:
Pfizer's Early Data Shows Vaccine Is More Than 90% Effective — Pfizer announced positive early results from its coronavirus vaccine trial, cementing the lead in a frenzied global race that has unfolded at record-breaking speed. — The drug maker Pfizer announced on Monday that an early analysis …
Discussion:
The Federalist, Pfizer, HotAir, Alternet.org, Bloomberg, CNN, Washington Post, Financial Times, IJR, The Guardian, Slate, Vanity Fair, Forbes, Townhall, Breitbart, Crooks and Liars, Business Insider, Calculated Risk, COURIER, The American Independent, Spectator USA, Common Dreams, The Daily Caller, POLITICUSUSA, CBS Philly, Times of India, The Week and Twitchy, more at Techmeme »
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Pfizer:
Pfizer and BioNTech Announce Vaccine Candidate Against COVID-19 Achieved Success in First Interim Analysis from Phase 3 Study
Pfizer and BioNTech Announce Vaccine Candidate Against COVID-19 Achieved Success in First Interim Analysis from Phase 3 Study
Matthew Herper / STAT:
Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech is strongly effective, early data from large trial indicate
Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech is strongly effective, early data from large trial indicate
Discussion:
Associated Press, Fortune, Japan Times, KTLA, CNBC, The Gateway Pundit, Balloon Juice, Twitchy, Mediaite, Hackwhackers and Marginal REVOLUTION
Carolyn Y. Johnson / Washington Post:
Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is more than 90 percent effective in first analysis, company reports
Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is more than 90 percent effective in first analysis, company reports
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, NBC News, Newsweek, Bloomberg, Associated Press, The Daily Caller, Twitchy, The Week, The Daily Signal, CBS Boston, Fortune, Raw Story, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Politico and Fox News
Axios:
McConnell defends Trump's refusal to concede to Biden — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) celebrated Republicans' congressional victories and defended President Trump's refusal to concede to Joe Biden, saying on the Senate floor Monday that Trump has “every right to look into allegations and request recounts.”
Discussion:
The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Newsbusters, Associated Press, Raw Story, New York Post and Althouse
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Mike Allen / Axios:
Scoop: Trump allies brace for 30-day legal war — GOP leaders and confidants of President Trump tell Axios his legal fight to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's victory — which they admit is likely doomed — could last a month or more, possibly pushing the 2020 political wars toward Christmastime.
Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Graham: Trump should consider running again in 2024 if he loses
Graham: Trump should consider running again in 2024 if he loses
Discussion:
New Republic, Fox News and Townhall
Politico:
GOP-led states back Trump's legal drive to challenge election — Republican-controlled state governments on Monday began throwing their weight behind President Donald Trump's legal drive to challenge the results of last week's presidential election. — A coalition of Republican attorneys general filed …
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Maryclaire Dale / Associated Press:
Trump faces long odds in challenging state vote counts — Republican surrogates for President Donald Trump resumed their legal fight Monday to try to stop the vote count in key battleground states, including Pennsylvania and Michigan, but faced long odds given the Electoral College tally …
Discussion:
USA Today
Susannah Luthi / Politico:
Obamacare faces Supreme Court remade by Trump
Obamacare faces Supreme Court remade by Trump
Discussion:
Associated Press, Fox News, Mercury News, CNBC, Talking Points Memo, CNN and Axios
Matt Friedman / Politico:
Man featured at Giuliani press conference is a convicted sex offender — The first person Rudy Giuliani, the attorney for President Donald Trump, called up as a witness to baseless allegations of vote counting shenanigans in Philadelphia during a press conference last week is a sex offender …
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Richard Hall / The Independent:
I saw Donald Trump's presidency come crashing down at Four Seasons Total Landscaping
I saw Donald Trump's presidency come crashing down at Four Seasons Total Landscaping
Discussion:
New York Times
Jennifer Jacobs / Bloomberg:
Trump Adviser Leading Post-Election Legal Fight Has Coronavirus — Aide David Bossie was diagnosed Sunday in White House test — Bossie helping with strategy after Meadows tested positive — David Bossie, an outside adviser to Donald Trump who is leading his post-election fight over vote counts …
Discussion:
Axios and Lawyers, Guns & Money
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Washington Post:
HUD Secretary Ben Carson tests positive for the coronavirus
HUD Secretary Ben Carson tests positive for the coronavirus
Discussion:
Reuters, ABC News, Washingtonian, The Daily Caller, CNN, Politico, The Root and Washington Times
Brett Samuels / The Hill:
Ben Carson tests positive for coronavirus
Ben Carson tests positive for coronavirus
Discussion:
Business Insider, The Daily Beast, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Bloomberg, Business Insider and CNBC
Associated Press:
The Latest: Ousted vaccine expert on Biden virus task force — President-elect Joe Biden has announced the members of his coronavirus task force, which will put together a blueprint for fighting the pandemic. — The co-chairs are former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Axios, Washington Examiner, NBC News, ABC News and CBS News
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Washington Post:
A little-known Trump appointee is in charge of handing transition resources to Biden — and she isn't budging
A little-known Trump appointee is in charge of handing transition resources to Biden — and she isn't budging
Discussion:
Axios, USA Today, CNBC, Vox, Reuters, Rolling Stone, Erick Erickson's Confessions …, The Guardian, NBC News, Common Dreams, Associated Press, GovExec.com, Politico, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Patterico's Pontifications, Alternet.org, Progress Pond, Reason, Law & Crime, The Hill, Outside the Beltway, The American Independent, myfox8.com, The Bulwark, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Talking Points Memo, The Week, The Left Coaster, UPI, Mother Jones, The Root, Raw Story, Washington Examiner and Center for Presidential …
Betsy Klein / CNN:
Government agency tasked with transition process has yet to recognize Biden's victory
Government agency tasked with transition process has yet to recognize Biden's victory
Discussion:
Politico
Andrea Salcedo / Washington Post:
Utah governor declares emergency, issues mask mandate: ‘We cannot afford to debate this issue’ — For months, even as coronavirus cases have dramatically risen in his state, Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert (R) has refused to order residents to wear a mask. But on Sunday, after the state's worst week yet …
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Norma Gonzalez / Salt Lake Tribune:
Utah governor orders statewide mask mandate, new coronavirus restrictions
Utah governor orders statewide mask mandate, new coronavirus restrictions
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Fox News, The Daily Caller and New York Post
Theodore Schleifer / Vox:
The former CEO of Google has applied to become a citizen of Cyprus — Eric Schmidt is effectively buying a passport that he can use to enter the European Union. — SHARE All sharing options — The former CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, is finalizing a plan to become a citizen of the island of Cyprus …
Discussion:
The National Interest and New York Post
Jennifer Medina / New York Times:
How Democrats Missed Trump's Appeal to Latino Voters — The election was a referendum on Trump's America, but plenty of Latino voters liked it just fine. — PHOENIX — Democrats thought it would be enough. — After four years of draconian Trump immigration policies and divisive messaging …
Discussion:
Washington Post, ImmigrationProf Blog, CNN and Scripting News
Michael Barone / Washington Examiner:
We're still living in a 49% nation — In early 2001, in the wake of the closely contested 2000 presidential election, I wrote an Introduction to The Almanac of American Politics called “The 49 percent nation.” Not only was the popular vote for president 49% to 49%, but in each …
Issues & Insights:
Of Course The Party Of Moral Authoritarianism Would Cheat On Elections — We and many others were warning months ago that the Democrats were going to try to steal the 2020 election. When the counting, recounting, and lawsuits are done, they might well have succeeded.
Politico:
Cheri Bustos won't run for DCCC chief after House Dem losses — House Democratic campaign chief Cheri Bustos announced Monday that she would not seek reelection, days after an unexpected string of losses that could end up costing the caucus nearly a dozen seats.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Associated Press and Axios