Top Items:
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Scoop: Trump lawyers to avoid Michigan lawmaker meeting after COVID exposure — Rudy Giuliani and other key members of President Trump's outside legal team won't be attending today's meeting with two Michigan lawmakers because they've been exposed to the coronavirus, two sources familiar with the internal discussions tell Axios.
Discussion:
Detroit Free Press, The Hill, Raw Story, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, The Week, Balloon Juice and Daily Kos
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Bloomberg:
Donald Trump Jr. Infected by Covid and in Isolation — Giuliani's son, Pence aide also recently tested positive — Infections add to dozens of cases associated with president — President Donald Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., tested positive for coronavirus earlier this week …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, POLITICUSUSA, Gothamist and Mother Jones
Veronica Stracqualursi / CNN:
Ben Carson says he was ‘desperately ill’ from Covid but is now ‘out of the woods’ — (CNN)Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said Friday he became “desperately ill” from Covid-19, but now believes he is “out of the woods” after receiving an antibody treatment.
CNN:
Donald Trump Jr. tests positive for coronavirus — (CNN)Donald Trump Jr., President Donald Trump's eldest son, has tested positive for the coronavirus, a personal spokesman told CNN on Friday. — “Don tested positive at the start of the week and has been quarantining out at his cabin since the result,” the spokesman said.
Discussion:
New York Times and The Wrap
Quint Forgey / Politico:
Rudy Giuliani's son tests positive for coronavirus
Rudy Giuliani's son tests positive for coronavirus
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, CBS News, Associated Press, New York Times, USA Today, Twitchy, The Hill, Raw Story, The Root, Mediaite, CNBC and The Daily Caller
Nancy Scola / Politico:
Twitter will hand @POTUS to Biden on Inauguration Day, even if Trump doesn't concede
Twitter will hand @POTUS to Biden on Inauguration Day, even if Trump doesn't concede
Discussion:
National Archives
Jim Geraghty / National Review:
Americans Deserve the Truth, Even If It's Unpleasant — On the menu today: a blunt message about who is conning whom in the aftermath of the 2020 elections. — You Are Being Conned — Rudy Giuliani, yesterday: … Sidney Powell, yesterday, in the same press conference:
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Jonah Goldberg / The Dispatch:
This Was Always the Plan — President Trump telegraphed that he would try to steal the election if he didn't win. — Dear Reader (including those of you who are starting to layer up like Steve Bannon to deal with the cold), — I rather enjoy not writing about Donald Trump.
National Review:
Trump's Disgraceful Gambit — Americans Deserve the Truth, Even If It's Unpleasant — Trump's Election Disinformation: Three 'Don't's — Georgia Recount Confirms Biden Win in State — Memo to Raphael Warnock: Hundreds of U.S. Chaplains Have Been Killed in the Line of Duty
Discussion:
Breitbart, The National Interest and HotAir
Mark Leibovich / New York Times:
‘The Ballots Might Have Been From Mickey Mouse,’ the President's Lawyer Said. Likewise, His Legal Strategy. — President Trump and his lawyers are engaged in a spectacle that would be funny if it weren't so dangerous, and if the stakes weren't so high. — WASHINGTON — President Trump …
Discussion:
USA Today, National Review, Alternet.org and Snopes.com
Axios:
Trump is on an island — Most of President Trump's closest advisers have completely distanced themselves …
Trump is on an island — Most of President Trump's closest advisers have completely distanced themselves …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Mercury News, Vanity Fair, Defense One, HotAir, Business Insider, The Week, CNN, The Hill and Washington Post
Michael Brendan Dougherty / National Review:
The Insanity Oath — Conservatives sense that social progressives have achieved a critical level …
The Insanity Oath — Conservatives sense that social progressives have achieved a critical level …
Discussion:
The Stream, HotAir and Raw Story
Tucker Carlson / Fox News:
Time for Sidney Powell to show us her evidence
Time for Sidney Powell to show us her evidence
Discussion:
Forbes, New York Times, Spectator USA, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Washington Post, Power Line, National Review, Daily Kos, No More Mister Nice Blog, Conservative News Today, alicublog, CBS News, The Root, Mediaite, LaCorte News, Townhall, Business Insider, Breitbart, TheBlaze, The Wrap, Digby's Hullabaloo and Alternet.org
New York Times:
Transition Live Updates: After Trump Meeting, Michigan Lawmakers Maintain They Will Follow the Law — The president invited a delegation of Michigan Republicans to the White House on Friday. In Georgia, the state certified President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the state hours …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Bloomberg, Raw Story, CNN, Alternet.org, Associated Press, GovExec.com, NPR, The Mahablog, HotAir and The Intercept
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Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:
Republican leaders swore an oath to defend the Constitution. That means telling Trump it's over.
Republican leaders swore an oath to defend the Constitution. That means telling Trump it's over.
Discussion:
Reuters, Detroit News, Sara A. Carter, New York Post and Florida Politics
Washington Post:
After White House meeting with Trump, Michigan lawmakers say they are not aware of information that would change election results
After White House meeting with Trump, Michigan lawmakers say they are not aware of information that would change election results
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Politico, Michigan Advance, Los Angeles Times, Alternet.org, IJR, Political Wire, Snopes.com, Twin Cities, CNBC and Bloomberg
Jan Wolfe / Reuters:
Detroit asks judge to sanction Trump campaign for spreading ‘disinformation’
Detroit asks judge to sanction Trump campaign for spreading ‘disinformation’
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Raw Story and Politico
Katherine Doyle / Washington Examiner:
Kayleigh McEnany: Michigan GOP visit to White House not a campaign meeting
Kayleigh McEnany: Michigan GOP visit to White House not a campaign meeting
Discussion:
Mediaite, CBS News, Al Jazeera, The Hill, The American Independent, Washington Times, Reuters and The Root
Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:
More GOP Senators Have COVID Than Have Acknowledged That Joe Biden Won
More GOP Senators Have COVID Than Have Acknowledged That Joe Biden Won
Discussion:
Fox News, NBC News and The Intercept
The New York Times Company:
Ezra Klein Joins Times Opinion as Columnist and Podcast Host — Ezra, in his columns and on his podcast, will be able to help our readers and listeners navigate the political future as Washington moves into a new era. Read more in this note from Kathleen Kingsbury and Paula Szuchman.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, The Hill and The Wrap, more at Mediagazer »
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Sara Fischer / Axios:
Ezra Klein and Lauren Williams are leaving Vox — Ezra Klein, co-founder and editor-at-large of Vox.com, the political news website owned by Vox Media, and Lauren Williams, editor-in-chief and senior vice president of Vox.com, are leaving the company, executives tell Axios.
Discussion:
New York Post, Washington Examiner, New York Times, Washington Post, Variety and Washingtonian, more at Mediagazer »
Washington Examiner:
It's time for Trump to concede and move on — When President Trump refused to concede the election to Joe Biden in the immediate aftermath of Nov. 3, we argued that he had the right to mount legal challenges if he believed there had been irregularities, mistakes, fraud, or all three.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Reuters, Washington Post, Raw Story, The Right Scoop, CBS Atlanta, Florida Politics, C-SPAN.org and Bloomberg
Reuters:
Why Republican voters say there's ‘no way in hell’ Trump lost — SUNDOWN, Texas (Reuters) - Brett Fryar is like many mainstream Republicans. A 50-year-old chiropractor in this west Texas town, he owns a small business. He has two undergraduate degrees and a master's degree, in organic chemistry.
Discussion:
CNN, Al Jazeera, USA Today, Washington Monthly, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, ABC News, Blue Virginia, Breitbart, Raw Story and The Week
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
The Trump campaign's much-hyped affidavit features a big, glaring error — In its wild news conference Thursday, President Trump's legal team promoted a very simple-sounding theory that seems likely to be central to its voter fraud allegations: that many precincts in the key states had more votes …
Discussion:
justoneminute.typepad.com
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Paul Egan / Detroit Free Press:
GOP Senate candidate John James asks Board of State Canvassers to delay certification — LANSING — John James, the Republican candidate for a U.S. Senate in the Nov. 3 election, asked the Board of State Canvassers Friday to delay its certification of Michigan's statewide election results.
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Carrie Johnson / NPR:
Merrick Garland Among Biden Candidates For Attorney General, Sources Say — Federal appeals court Judge Merrick Garland is under consideration to serve as attorney general in the administration of President-elect Joe Biden, NPR has learned from two people closely following the process.
Discussion:
The Hill, Reason, Wall Street Journal, National Review, HotAir, The Week, Talking Points Memo, Washington Times and CBS News
Washington Post:
As Democrats fume, the Trump appointee who can start the Biden transition is in no hurry — Heads of state are congratulating Joe Biden. President Trump's national security adviser has promised the Democrat a “very professional transition.” The Georgia recount has kept the state in Biden's column …
Discussion:
VICE, NPR, HotAir, Los Angeles Times, Vox, Snopes.com, IJR and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Jack Nicas / New York Times:
No, Trump's sister did not publicly back him. He was duped by a fake account. — On Friday morning, President Trump shared a seemingly innocuous article on Twitter. The piece said that his sister, Elizabeth Trump Grau, had publicly voiced her support for her brother amid his baseless claims that he won the 2020 election.
Discussion:
The Daily Dot, The Guardian and Raw Story
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
There Was a Second Pro-Trump Conspiracy Hearing Thursday We Didn't Even Notice — Yesterday, a prominent Republican who has squandered his reputation for sobriety plunged headlong into nuttery by promoting a series of wild conspiracies promoted by Donald Trump. — Wait. Actually this happened twice yesterday.
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Post and Digby's Hullabaloo
Jackson Danbeck / TMJ4:
Kyle Rittenhouse released from custody on $2 million cash bond — KENOSHA — Kyle Rittenhouse, accused of shooting and killing two people during protests in Kenosha, has been released from jail on bond Friday. — A spokesperson with the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department announced …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, The Root, The Week and New York Post
U.S. Department of Justice:
Executions Scheduled for Inmates Convicted of Brutal Murders Many Years Ago — Attorney General William P. Barr today directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to schedule the executions of three federal-death row inmates sentenced to death for staggeringly brutal murders, including the murder of a child and …
Sarah Owermohle / Politico:
Trump unveils plan linking drug payments to cheaper overseas prices — President Donald Trump on Friday unveiled a plan to link government payments for medicines to lower prices paid abroad and another to eliminate rebates, in a last-ditch effort to deliver on a 2016 campaign promise to slash drug prices.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, USA Today, Washington Examiner, Washington Times and Reuters
RELATED:
Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar / Associated Press:
Trump makes late-term bid to lower prescription drug costs
Trump makes late-term bid to lower prescription drug costs
Discussion:
Axios, The Hill, Breitbart and Florida Politics
Victoria Guida / Politico:
Powell agrees to return unused relief money to Treasury at year end — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday agreed to return unused coronavirus relief funds to the Treasury Department when its emergency lending programs shut down at the end of the year, as requested by Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Axios and Vanity Fair
Jennifer Shutt / Roll Call:
Hoyer: Earmarks are likely coming back next year — House Democratic leaders are proceeding with plans to bring back earmarks for the 117th Congress, according to Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer. — Hoyer, D-Md., said in an interview Friday that sometime after the Appropriations Committee's …
Andrew J. Tobias / Plain Dealer:
Trump tweet further complicates Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's path to re-election in 2022 — COLUMBUS, Ohio - In a single tweet, President Donald Trump put a jolt into Ohio Republican circles recently when he said the state's upcoming governor's race will be “hotly contested.”