Top Items:
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
A GOP senator reveals just how deranged many in his party have become — Sen. Patrick J. Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania, has done something truly extraordinary. He has now stated in unequivocal terms that it's unacceptable for his fellow Republicans to try to subvert the will of American voters …
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Christian Vanderbrouk / The Bulwark:
Enemies of Democracy — Remember. Their. Names. — Three days before Christmas in 2001, Richard Reid took off from Paris on a flight to Miami. He did not intend on arriving. Instead, he attempted to ignite explosives packed into one of his shoes to destroy the plane, killing everyone aboard for the cause of violent jihad.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Washington Examiner and Progressive Eruptions
blog.youtube:
Supporting the 2020 U.S. election … Over the past weeks and months, we've seen people coming to YouTube to learn more about where and how to vote or learning more about a candidate or an issue. We've seen news organizations grow their audience. And we've seen people turn to YouTube …
Trip Gabriel / New York Times:
Even in Defeat, Trump Tightens Grip on State G.O.P. Lawmakers — In Pennsylvania, the president's false claims of a rigged vote may inflame the party base for years to come. One lawmaker said that refusing to back up his assertions would “get my house bombed.”
Wall Street Journal:
Trump's Challenges to Election Results Face End of the Legal Road — Courts across the U.S. have rejected the president and his supporters, citing lack of proof and other shortcomings — A sweeping multistate legal effort by President Trump and his supporters to override President-elect Joe Biden's victory …
Discussion:
Vox, Washington Post, Dallas Morning News, National Review, Democrats, The American Independent, Michigan Advance and CBS News
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CNBC:
17 states tell Supreme Court they support Texas attorney general's bid to reverse Biden win
17 states tell Supreme Court they support Texas attorney general's bid to reverse Biden win
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Fox News, The American Independent and CBS News
Ariane de Vogue / CNN:
Trump asks Supreme Court to invalidate millions of votes in battleground states
Trump asks Supreme Court to invalidate millions of votes in battleground states
Discussion:
NPR, The Texas Tribune and New York Post
Mark Joseph Stern / Slate:
Texas AG Ken Paxton, Under FBI Investigation, Asks SCOTUS to Overturn the Election
Texas AG Ken Paxton, Under FBI Investigation, Asks SCOTUS to Overturn the Election
Discussion:
Associated Press, CNBC, National Review and HotAir
New York Times:
Facebook Accused of Breaking Antitrust Laws — Regulators are accusing the company of buying up rising rivals to cement its dominance over social media. — WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission and 48 states accused Facebook on Wednesday of becoming a social media monopoly …
Discussion:
National Review, USA Today, CNN, Associated Press, The Week and Political Wire, more at Techmeme »
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NY State Attorney General:
Attorney General James Leads Multistate Lawsuit Seeking to End Facebook's Illegal Monopoly
Attorney General James Leads Multistate Lawsuit Seeking to End Facebook's Illegal Monopoly
Discussion:
NPR, Raw Story, The Lid, The Daily Caller, Morning Consult, Deadline, The Verge and Blue Virginia, more at Techmeme »
Leah Nylen / Politico:
States, feds file antitrust suits demanding breakup of Facebook
States, feds file antitrust suits demanding breakup of Facebook
Discussion:
NBC News, Politico, Bloomberg, Al Jazeera, Breitbart, MIT Technology Review, Sara A. Carter, CNBC, One America News Network and Law & Crime
Craig Mauger / Detroit News:
Michigan House Republicans take Democrat's committee posts after ‘warning’ to ‘Trumpers’ — Lansing —The Michigan House's Republican leaders have taken away the committee assignments of Democratic Rep. Cynthia Johnson after the Detroit lawmaker issued a “warning” to “you Trumpers” in a Tuesday night Facebook post.
Discussion:
The Hill and Lee Chatfield
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Henry Rodgers / The Daily Caller:
‘Make Them Pay’: Michigan Democratic State Rep. Cynthia Jones Threatens Trump Supporters — Michigan Democratic State Rep. Cynthia Johnson threatened President Donald Trump's supporters in a Facebook live video Tuesday, saying it is a warning message to those who support the president.
Nick Niedzwiadek / Politico:
Hunter Biden says U.S. attorney is investigating his tax affairs — Federal prosecutors are investigating Hunter Biden over his tax affairs, the president-elect's son said in a statement on Wednesday, marking another troubled chapter for the lawyer and investment adviser a little more than a month before his father is to take office.
Discussion:
Fox News, Washington Examiner, Washington Times, Raw Story, Law & Crime, National Review, UPI and The American Independent
RELATED:
CNN:
Federal criminal investigation into Hunter Biden focuses on his business dealings in China — (CNN)After pausing in the months before the election, federal authorities are now actively investigating the business dealings of Hunter Biden, a person with knowledge of the probe said.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Business Insider, The Hill, Fox News, Axios, HotAir, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mediaite and The Week
Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill:
Romney: ‘Madness’ for Republicans to challenge Electoral College vote
Romney: ‘Madness’ for Republicans to challenge Electoral College vote
Discussion:
JSOnline, USA Today, IJR, National Review and Crooks and Liars
Mark Vandevelde / Financial Times:
Democrats probe Kushners' billion-dollar rescue deal for family-owned skyscraper — Investigation examines presidential son-in-law's role in influencing US policy on Qatar — Democrats in the US Congress have launched an investigation into whether Jared Kushner's desire to secure …
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Kate Bennett / CNN:
Melania Trump ‘just wants to go home’ — (CNN)In mid-November, as President Donald Trump railed against the election results, his wife, first lady Melania Trump publicly agreed with his sentiments. But privately, a handful of days after the final state tally, the first lady tasked an emissary …
Discussion:
Yahoo News, Vanity Fair, Mercury News, Business Insider, The US Sun, Raw Story and Political Wire
Mona Charen / The Bulwark:
Trumpism Triumphant — Even in defeat, the GOP surrenders to the nutcases. — Off and on, for 25 years, I participated in National Review cruises as a speaker. I met lots of wonderful people who were intelligent, curious, and great company—but there were always cranks and conspiracy theorists too.
Discussion:
New York Times, Common Dreams, The Hill and Daily Kos
Annie Gowen / Washington Post:
‘God be with us’ — Covid-19 becomes personal in a South Dakota town as neighbors die and the town debates a mask mandate — MITCHELL, S.D. — A cold wind whipped through the prairie as they laid Buck Timmins to rest. — Timmins, a longtime coach and referee, was not the first person in Mitchell …
Katie Shepherd / Washington Post:
An Idaho official left a meeting in tears as anti-maskers swarmed her home — Minutes into a public health district's virtual meeting to vote on a local mask mandate in Idaho on Tuesday evening, Ada County Commissioner Diana Lachiondo tearfully excused herself after getting a phone call …
Discussion:
CNN, USA Today, Fox News, KIVI, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, RedState, Washington Examiner, The Hill and Boing Boing
Lucas Kunce / American Prospect:
The China Hack and How to Reverse It — What will it require to take China seriously as an economic challenge? — In the 1990s, satellite communications were taking off. Demand for space launches was high, but supply of vehicles was low. The U.S. satellite industry was on the prowl for cheap rocket rides into space.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal and Townhall
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
The marketplace for fantasy is reshaping conservative media, just like it reshaped conservative politics — With the clarity of retrospect, one can see how Fox News got into its current predicament. For the duration of President Trump's time in office — and, of course, well before that …
Discussion:
Media Matters for America, Mediaite, New York Magazine, The Hill, RedState and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »
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David Bauder / Hosted:
Competitive CNN Shows Post-Election Surge In Viewership
Competitive CNN Shows Post-Election Surge In Viewership
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, Axios, Breitbart, HotAir and Forbes, more at Mediagazer »
Jonathan V. Last / The Triad:
Trump Is Winning — Just not the fight you're watching. — 1 hr ago — Before we start, two quick notes: the un-official Discord and subreddit are both kind of blowing up. It's awesome. You should go stop by. — The Discord is here. — The subreddit—r/thebulwark— is here.
Discussion:
Politico, NPR and Washington Post
Hans Nichols / Axios:
Biden eyeing Buttigieg for China ambassador — Letting him deepen his foreign policy chops could boost Buttigieg's future.
RELATED:
Chris Johnson / Washington Blade:
Frustration builds as Biden's Cabinet includes no LGBTQ picks
Frustration builds as Biden's Cabinet includes no LGBTQ picks
Discussion:
The Week
Tatiana Siegel / Hollywood Reporter:
“He's Radioactive”: Inside Johnny Depp's Self-Made Implosion — It wasn't just erratic and violent behavior that wrecked one of the world's most bankable stars. It was his unquenchable thirst for revenge. — In the face of mounting bad publicity, Johnny Depp could still count …
Discussion:
Vanity Fair
George Packer / The Atlantic:
A Political Obituary for Donald Trump — To assess the legacy of Donald Trump's presidency, start by quantifying it. Since last February, more than a quarter of a million Americans have died from COVID-19—a fifth of the world's deaths from the disease, the highest number of any country.
Joseph Wulfsohn / Fox News:
Eric Swalwell's reported entanglement with Chinese spy ignored by CNN, broadcast networks — After years of promoting the Russia probe, the media largely ignored unflattering headlines about the Dem lawmaker — Tucker: How Chinese spies gained access to Washington elites
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Federalist, RedState, New York Post, The Daily Caller, Daily Mail, Newsbusters, Washington Times, Instapundit, Breitbart, Twitchy, Townhall and The Lid
RELATED:
Matthias Gafni / San Francisco Chronicle:
Report: Suspected Chinese spy targeted Bay Area politicians, then disappeared
Report: Suspected Chinese spy targeted Bay Area politicians, then disappeared
Discussion:
Fox News, The Federalist, Axios, Foreign Policy, RealClearPolitics and Washington Examiner
Politico:
Biden to name Hill staffer Katherine Tai for top trade job — President-elect Joe Biden will nominate House Ways and Means Committee trade lawyer Katherine Tai as U.S. trade representative, according to two people familiar with the decision. — Biden's pick will be responsible …
National Review:
No to Becerra — ow that the campaign is over, what is the people's will? What is our mandate? “ Joe Biden asked in his November 7 victory speech. ” Americans have called on us to marshal the forces of decency and the forces of fairness. To marshal the forces of science and the forces of hope in the great battles of our time.
Discussion:
Washington Post and New York Times
Associated Press:
AP-NORC poll: Only half in US want shots as vaccine nears — WASHINGTON (AP) — As states frantically prepare to begin months of vaccinations that could end the pandemic, a new poll finds only about half of Americans are ready to roll up their sleeves when their turn comes.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, Hamodia and Political Wire
Julia Marcus / The Atlantic:
The Danger of Assuming That Family Time Is Dispensable — Pandemic shaming, a national pastime since the spring, intensified in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. Thousands waited in line, some for many hours, for a preholiday coronavirus test, only to be rebuked as careless, selfish violators of public-health rules.
Discussion:
The Nation and New York Times
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
In Conversation With Barack Obama The former president on his advice for Biden, his critics on the left, and what he learned about the GOP. — A Promised Land, the first volume of President Obama's presidential memoirs, takes the reader through his political rise and the first two and a half years of his administration.
Discussion:
The Hill
Alex Nester / Washington Free Beacon:
Biden Accused of Sexism Over Defense Pick — President-elect Joe Biden is facing criticism after he picked Lloyd Austin to serve as defense secretary, with some arguing that a woman with the same baggage as the retired general would not have been qualified for the role.
Discussion:
Politico, ABC News, Military.com, The Dispatch and Common Defense
Politico:
Republicans plot their first and last Trump rebellion — Sen. Jim Inhofe is among Donald Trump's most loyal supporters. But with Inhofe and legions of other Republicans preparing to defy the president on a major defense bill, Trump decided to make one last push.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Defense News, Daily Kos, HotAir, Business Insider, Axios, Associated Press, The American Independent, Raw Story and The Texas Tribune
Dana Hedgpeth / Washington Post:
Street closures planned Saturday in downtown Washington for pro-Trump rallies — D.C. police announced this week they will close streets in parts of downtown Washington on Saturday amid planned demonstrations in support of President Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the election.
Discussion:
The Hill
Caitlin Emma / Politico:
House passes 1-week stopgap spending bill — Lawmakers have funded the government by a continuing resolution since September. — Congressional leaders and appropriators are in the middle of negotiating a $1.4 trillion, 12-bill spending package that will increase agency budgets for the rest of the fiscal year.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner
Mary Ellen Klas / Tampa Bay Times:
GOP lawyer resigns over treatment of Florida data analyst — Ron Filipkowski, a lifelong Republican who was appointed to the 12th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission by DeSantis, resigned Tuesday morning after reviewing the search warrant affidavit the state used to seize computers and phones from Rebekah Jones.
Discussion:
The Capitolist, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, Washington Post and Florida Politics