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:
NBC News, The Hill, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, The Week, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice and Outside the Beltway
RELATED:
Bloomberg:
Donald Trump Jr. Infected by Coronavirus 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 …
Discussion:
The Hill, NBC New York, Talking Points Memo, POLITICUSUSA 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.
Discussion:
Twitchy
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:
The Daily Beast, Washington Examiner, CBS News, Associated Press, news.avclub.com, New York Times, Townhall, USA Today, Raw Story, The Root, The Daily Caller and Mediaite
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
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:
New York Times, Forbes, Spectator USA, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Power Line, Washington Post, National Review, Daily Kos, No More Mister Nice Blog, Conservative News Today, CBS News, The Root, Mediaite, LaCorte News, Townhall, Breitbart, Business Insider, TheBlaze, The Wrap, Digby's Hullabaloo and Alternet.org
Nancy Scola / Politico:
Twitter will hand @POTUS to Biden on Inauguration Day, even if Trump doesn't concede — The presidential @POTUS Twitter handle will automatically transfer to President-elect Joe Biden the moment he's sworn in at noon on Inauguration Day — whether or not President Donald Trump has conceded, the company confirmed to POLITICO on Friday.
Discussion:
National Archives, more at Techmeme »
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Washington Post:
Trump suffers twin defeats in his effort to overturn Biden's victory in key states
Trump suffers twin defeats in his effort to overturn Biden's victory in key states
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, New York Times, Michigan Advance, HotAir, Alternet.org, Reuters and Twin Cities
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 Times and Florida Politics
Politico:
After Trump meeting, Michigan GOP leaders say Biden's win still stands
After Trump meeting, Michigan GOP leaders say Biden's win still stands
Discussion:
VICE, BuzzFeed News, Bloomberg, NPR, USA Today, WWLP-TV, CBS News, IJR, CBS Pittsburgh, Mock Paper Scissors, The Guardian, CNBC, Alternet.org, Reuters and Political Wire
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, Al Jazeera, The Hill, The American Independent, Washington Times, CBS News, Reuters and The Root
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, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Mother Jones, The Hill, Newsbusters, Lawyers, Guns & Money, abc7NY, TheBlaze, CNN, GovExec.com, Bangor Daily News, NPR, The Mahablog, The Intercept and HotAir
RELATED:
Zach Montellaro / Politico:
Georgia certifies Biden's win
Georgia certifies Biden's win
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, ABC News, Election Law Blog, Washington Times, abc7NY, The Western Journal, Florida Politics, The Gateway Pundit, ABC13, Business Insider, Bloomberg, IJR, Axios, RedState and Reuters
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 and Raw Story
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 »
RELATED:
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Ezra Klein and Lauren Williams are leaving Vox
Ezra Klein and Lauren Williams are leaving Vox
Discussion:
New York Post, Washington Post, New York Times, Variety, Washingtonian and Washington Examiner, more at Mediagazer »
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:
NPR, HotAir, Los Angeles Times, Vox, Snopes.com, IJR, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Gothamist
RELATED:
Laura Wagner / VICE:
GSA Administrator Emily Murphy Alive, Mad We Emailed Her
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, ABC News, Reuters, Washington Post, The Right Scoop, CBS Atlanta, Raw Story, Florida Politics and Bloomberg
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.
Discussion:
The Intercept
RELATED:
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, Washington Monthly, USA Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, ABC News, Breitbart, Blue Virginia, Raw Story and The Week
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, Wall Street Journal, Reason, Vanity Fair, National Review, The Week, HotAir, Talking Points Memo, Washington Times and CBS News
New York Times:
In All 50 States, Deaths Are Now Higher Than Normal — Brazil Canada France Germany India Italy Mexico Spain U.K. — Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland …
Hans Nichols / Axios:
Biden aims to deflect fights over first Cabinet picks — President-elect Joe Biden has made his choice for secretary of state, three people familiar with the matter tell Axios, moving quickly to assemble a Senate-confirmable Cabinet even as President Trump refuses to concede the election.
Discussion:
CBS News, Fox News, The Hill, Associated Press, Politico and Political Wire
RELATED:
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 Root, The Week, The Daily Caller and New York Post
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:
Washington Post and Digby's Hullabaloo
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 …
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.”
Jay Caspian Kang / New York Times:
‘People of Color’ Do Not Belong to the Democratic Party — It's past time to start seeing voters the way they see themselves. — Mr. Kang is a writer at large for The New York Times Magazine. — Every immigrant arrives in this country with an implied debt.
Discussion:
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Wall Street Journal:
Airbnb Executive Resigned Last Year Over Chinese Request for More Data Sharing — Company says it declined to disclose more details with China and is transparent with users; former FBI official was told by co-founder, 'We're not here to promote American values'
Discussion:
The Verge, more at Techmeme »
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 …
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
Reuters:
Exclusive: Mexico agreed with U.S. Attorney General Barr to arrest drug capo in deal for general - source — MEXICO CITY/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mexico has committed to the arrest of a high-level cartel leader under a deal with U.S. Attorney General William Barr to drop U.S. drug trafficking charges …
Discussion:
Washington Post