Top Items:
Alison Dirr / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Milwaukee County presidential recount wraps up with Biden adding to his margin over Trump — Milwaukee County's recount of the presidential election vote tally came to an end Friday, with Democratic President-elect Joe Biden adding 132 votes to his margin of victory over President Donald Trump in Milwaukee County.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Hill, Reuters, Twin Cities, Associated Press, CNN, POLITICUSUSA, Outside the Beltway, New York Post, Washington Post and Political Wire
Julian Borger / The Guardian:
Iran scientist's assassination appears intended to undermine nuclear deal — Analysis: shooting of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh will do more harm to diplomacy than it does to Iran's nuclear programme — The assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh may not much have impact on the Iranian nuclear programme …
Discussion:
The Economist, New York Times, Washington Examiner and Common Dreams
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Parisa Hafezi / Reuters:
Killing of suspected Iranian nuclear mastermind risks confrontation as Trump exits
Killing of suspected Iranian nuclear mastermind risks confrontation as Trump exits
Discussion:
SpyTalk, Al Jazeera, Iran, Responsible Statecraft, Business Insider and New York Post
Washington Post:
In nine states, at least 1 in 1,000 people have died of coronavirus-linked causes — As daily covid-19 deaths climb to levels not seen since early in the pandemic, nine states have hit one more grim marker: more than 1 in every 1,000 people dead of coronavirus-related causes.
Discussion:
USA Today, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Mediaite, Alternet.org and New York Post
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Christina Maxouris / CNN:
US is ‘rounding the corner into a calamity,’ expert says, with Covid-19 deaths projected to double soon
US is ‘rounding the corner into a calamity,’ expert says, with Covid-19 deaths projected to double soon
Discussion:
NMDOH, Forbes and CBS Baltimore
New York Times:
McKinsey Proposed Paying Pharmacy Companies Rebates for OxyContin Overdoses — Court filings reveal consultants' talk of a records purge during the opioid crisis, and shed new light on sales advice given to the billionaire Sackler family and their drug company, Purdue Pharma.
Discussion:
Raw Story
Asawin Suebsaeng / The Daily Beast:
Trump's Already Gaming Out a 2024 Run—Including an Event During Biden's Inauguration — He's not yet conceded 2020 but is already looking at keeping Republicans in line and making Biden's life miserable. — In the twilight of his presidency, Donald Trump is discussing different ways …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Salon, Tennessee Star, (We) Are The News, The Guardian, NBC News and The Daily Beast
Lisa Rein / Washington Post:
Trump moves to strip job protections from White House budget analysts as he races to transform civil service — The outgoing Trump administration is racing to enact the biggest change to the federal civil service in generations, reclassifying career employees at key agencies to strip …
Trip Gabriel / New York Times:
How Democrats Suffered Crushing Down-Ballot Losses Across America — In statehouse races, suburban voters' disgust with President Trump failed to translate into a rebuke of other Republicans, ensuring the party's grip on partisan mapmaking. — WEXFORD, Pa. — Just a few seats shy of a majority …
Discussion:
Politico, Boston Herald, CNN and Alternet.org
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Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Why did Democrats bleed House seats? A top analyst offers surprising answers.
Why did Democrats bleed House seats? A top analyst offers surprising answers.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, USAPP and Forbes
Reed Abelson / New York Times:
Covid Overload: U.S. Hospitals Are Running Out of Beds for Patients — As the coronavirus pandemic surges across the country, hospitals are facing a crisis-level shortage of beds and staff to provide adequate care for patients. — In excruciating pain with lesions on her face and scalp …
CBS Pittsburgh:
Pennsylvania Republican Lawmakers Introduce Resolution Disputing 2020 Election Results — HARRISBURG (KDKA) — Pennsylvania Republican lawmakers have introduced a resolution intending to dispute the 2020 election results on Friday. — The resolution intends to declare the 2020 election results as being …
Discussion:
Israpundit and Washington Examiner
Toluse Olorunnipa / Washington Post:
Republicans lob accusations of elitism at ‘Middle Class Joe’ — a sign of the upended politics of populism — President-elect Joe Biden, a state-college graduate who was once the poorest man in the U.S. Senate, is facing accusations of elitism from Republicans after defeating a billionaire incumbent …
Discussion:
Fox News, WITF, Bloomberg, National Review and Breitbart
Jon Swaine / Washington Post:
Federal appeals court panel rejects Trump request to block certification of Pennsylvania's election results — A federal appeals court panel on Friday rejected President Trump's request for an emergency injunction to overturn the certification of Pennsylvania's election results.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Bloomberg, NBC News, Just The News, TheBlaze, Axios, UPI, CNN, CNBC, Cyprus Mail, Washington Examiner, RedState, Wall Street Journal, The Intellectualist and Balloon Juice
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Democracy Docket:
🚨ALERT: NEW LAWSUIT IN GEORGIA — Latest Republican lawsuit challenging the 2020 election results has been filed in Georgia.
Discussion:
Law & Crime and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Lisa Friedman / New York Times:
E.P.A.'s Final Deregulatory Rush Runs Into Open Staff Resistance — WASHINGTON — President Trump's Environmental Protection Agency was rushing to complete one of its last regulatory priorities, aiming to obstruct the creation of air- and water-pollution controls far into the future, when a senior career scientist moved to hobble it.
Nahal Toosi / Politico:
Are you on the list? Biden's democracy summit spurs anxieties — and skepticism — President-elect Joe Biden has promised to host a gathering of the world's democracies next year, hoping to show that a post-Donald Trump America will be committed to democracy abroad and at home.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, National Review, (We) Are The News and Lucianne RSS Syndicate
Emily Atkin / MSNBC:
What we should know about Biden's appointment of Kerry as climate czar — Of all the messes President-elect Joe Biden is tasked with cleaning up, the climate crisis is the most high stakes. If aggressive decarbonization doesn't begin soon, climate scientists see little chance of preventing permanent ecological catastrophe.
Megan Henney / Fox Business:
Mnuchin plans to move $455B in coronavirus relief out of Biden's reach — Moving the money into the General Fund would make it harder for Biden administration to access it — Pelosi, Mnuchin ‘getting closer’ on stimulus deal: Tyler Goodspeed — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is expected …
Discussion:
IJR
Wall Street Journal:
Secret Meeting in Desert Between Israeli, Saudi Leaders Failed to Reach Normalization Agreement — Saudi crown prince backed away from U.S.-brokered deal to solidify bulwark against Iran — RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew into Saudi Arabia …
Discussion:
The Intellectualist and Political Wire
Axios:
Scoop: Biden weighs retired General Lloyd Austin for Pentagon chief — Joe Biden is considering retired four-star General Lloyd Austin as his nominee for defense secretary, adding him to a shortlist that includes Jeh Johnson, Tammy Duckworth and Michele Flournoy, two sources with direct knowledge of the decision-making tell Axios.
Discussion:
Business Insider
Mary Chastain / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:
NY22: Democratic Incumbent Brindisi Reportedly Leads Challenger Tenney by Only 13 Votes — “[State Supreme Court] Judge [Scott] DelConte has already verbally ruled that ballots invalid that are in [Brindisi's] count.” — Incumbent Democrat Anthony Brindisi for New York's 22nd Congressional District leads …
Jerry Dunleavy / Washington Examiner:
Carter Page sues James Comey, Andrew McCabe, the FBI, and others for $75M — Carter Page sued fired FBI Director James Comey, fired FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, the FBI, and others involved in the improper Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act snooping on the former Trump campaign associate …
Discussion:
Conservative News Today, The Federalist, RedState, New York Post and TheBlaze