Top Items:
Dan Diamond / Politico:
‘We want them infected’: Trump appointee demanded ‘herd immunity’ strategy, emails reveal — A top Trump appointee repeatedly urged top health officials to adopt a “herd immunity” approach to Covid-19 and allow millions of Americans to be infected by the virus, according to internal emails obtained …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, Business Insider, Axios, Forbes, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Intellectualist and Eschaton
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Noah Weiland / New York Times:
‘Like a Hand Grasping’: Trump Appointees Describe the Crushing of the C.D.C. — Kyle McGowan, a former chief of staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and his deputy, Amanda Campbell, go public on the Trump administration's manipulation of the agency.
Discussion:
COURIER, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, Mediaite, Raw Story and The Intellectualist
Keith Griffith / Associated Press:
MAGA turns on Mitch: Trump allies including Michael Flynn slam the GOP Senate majority leader for ‘caving to the mob and China’ for recognizing Biden as president-elect — Trump loyalists were furious after McConnell congratulated Biden on Tuesday — Top allies accused Senate majority leader of selling out the party's leader
Discussion:
Bloomberg, RedState, Reason, Mic, Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Talking Points Memo, Conservative News Today, Forbes, Politico, Geller Report News, Mediaite, IJR, Washington Times, Deadline and Axios
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Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Journalists, it's time for a cold-turkey breakup with Trump — Long before he glided down that golden escalator at Trump Tower in 2015 to announce his presidential candidacy, Donald Trump was an object of media fascination. He could never actually become president, of course …
Richard Fowler / Fox News:
Trump's defeat is now final, bringing a disastrous presidency to a welcome end — Biden's victory was not the result of fraud, as Trump falsely claims — Biden calls for unity, blasts Trump after Electoral College vote — The former reality TV performer who is now president …
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, Democrats and NBC News
John Bowden / The Hill:
Rand Paul claims election ‘in many ways was stolen’ during Krebs hearing — Days after electors voted to make it official that Joe Biden is president-elect, and one day after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) congratulated Biden on his victory, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Sara A. Carter, Conservative News Today and UPI
Emily Brooks / Washington Examiner:
Ron Johnson says he regrets ‘rancorous’ nature of committee investigations
Ron Johnson says he regrets ‘rancorous’ nature of committee investigations
Discussion:
The Hill, The Daily Beast, CNN, Townhall, New York Post, Crooks and Liars, Geller Report News, Sara A. Carter and UPI
Emily McCullar / Texas Monthly:
Texas Wedding Photographers Have Seen Some $#! + — They know what you did this summer. — NOTES — The wedding photographer had already spent an hour or two inside with the unmasked wedding party when one of the bridesmaids approached her. The woman thanked her for still showing up …
Discussion:
Patterico's Pontifications and Mediaite
CNN:
'It's turned crazy': Inside the scramble for Trump pardons — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump may not be willing to accept his term is ending, but as the clock ticks down on his time in office, hundreds of his allies — including some of his closest business associates …
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NBC News:
White House counsel's office warned Trump not to fire Chris Wray — WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has come so close to firing FBI Director Christopher Wray in recent months that the White House counsel's office has warned him not to do so because it could put him in potential legal jeopardy …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Politico, HotAir, The Intellectualist, GovExec.com, The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, The Week, MSNBC and emptywheel
Aída Chávez / The Intercept:
AOC: Nancy Pelosi Needs to Go, but There's Nobody to Replace Her Yet … Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez believes the Democratic Party needs new leadership, telling The Intercept in an interview that it's time for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to go.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, The Hill, National Review, Business Insider, WABC, Townhall, HotAir, The Sun, Mediaite, Fox News, TheBlaze, Washington Times, Power Line and Liberty Unyielding
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Washington Post:
Congressional leaders add stimulus checks to $900 billion relief package as they near deal
Congressional leaders add stimulus checks to $900 billion relief package as they near deal
Discussion:
IJR, Iowa Capital Dispatch, NBC Los Angeles, USA Today, New York Post, Business Insider, ABC13, HotAir, The Week, The Hill, Axios and TheGrio
Quint Forgey / Politico:
Ocasio-Cortez takes direct shot at Pelosi and Schumer
Ocasio-Cortez takes direct shot at Pelosi and Schumer
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, IJR, RedState, Conservative News Today and Axios
John Hudson / Washington Post:
Hundreds of invitees skip Mike Pompeo's indoor holiday party at State Department — Only a tiny fraction of the more than 900 guests invited to an indoor holiday party hosted by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife Susan showed up on Tuesday following an outcry from public health officials …
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Jennifer Hansler / CNN:
Pompeo quarantining after coronavirus exposure
Pompeo quarantining after coronavirus exposure
Discussion:
Associated Press, USA Today, The Daily Caller, National Review, Washington Examiner, Political Wire and Washington Times
John Hudson / Washington Post:
Pompeo cancels final holiday party after he comes into contact with coronavirus
Pompeo cancels final holiday party after he comes into contact with coronavirus
Nahal Toosi / Politico:
Pompeo in quarantine after coronavirus exposure
Pompeo in quarantine after coronavirus exposure
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Sun-Sentinel:
A mysterious gap in COVID-19 deaths appeared in Florida before the presidential election — An astonishing pattern has emerged in Florida's COVID death tally — one that suggests the state manipulated a backlog of unrecorded fatalities, presenting more favorable death counts in the days leading up to the 2020 presidential election.
Discussion:
The Hill, The Daily Beast, Washington Post, Raw Story and The Week
Ewan Palmer / Newsweek:
QAnon Supporters Vow to Leave GOP After Mitch McConnell Accepts Election Result — Supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory have unsurprisingly turned their backs on Mitch McConnell after he finally congratulated President-elect Joe Biden on his election victory.
Discussion:
New York Times and Crooks and Liars
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Eric Hananoki / Media Matters for America:
The Texas organization connected to an alleged assault over imaginary voter fraud posts violent and conspiratorial rhetoric — An ex-cop was arrested for assault while bogusly trying to prove voter fraud. The Liberty Center for God and Country bankrolled him and has a Facebook page full …
Discussion:
Mic
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Erin Douglas / The Texas Tribune:
Former Houston police captain accused of violent attempt to prove election conspiracy was hired by GOP activist's group
Former Houston police captain accused of violent attempt to prove election conspiracy was hired by GOP activist's group
Discussion:
USA Today, Houston Chronicle, The Hill, Daily Kos, The Week, The Intellectualist, WTOP, Boing Boing and New York Post
New York Times:
Transition Live Updates: Biden Introduces Buttigieg as Pick to Lead Transportation — If he is confirmed, Pete Buttigieg would be the first openly gay cabinet secretary. Some Democrats are pushing to hear more of President-elect Joe Biden's plans sooner than later. — Here's what you need to know:
Discussion:
LGBTQ Nation, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Vanity Fair, Roll Call, PinkNews, NBC 6 South Florida, The Carpentariat and The Federalist
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Alissa Walker / Curbed:
Pete Buttigieg Isn't a Transit Visionary. But Biden Might Not Need One.
Pete Buttigieg Isn't a Transit Visionary. But Biden Might Not Need One.
Discussion:
Politico, New York Times, Reuters and Althouse
The Daily Beast:
Value of Loeffler's Mansion Dropped $6M Overnight—and Nobody Can Explain Why — The estate went from a $10.5 million appraisal to $4.1 million, resulting in a much lower tax bill for the senator and her husband. — When Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher …
Discussion:
Business Insider, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, DSCC, Raw Story and Crooks and Liars
McKay Coppins / The Atlantic:
The Most American Religion — Image above: The Oquirrh Mountain Temple sits about 20 miles south of Temple Square in Salt Lake City, where the Church is based. — This article was published online on December 16, 2020. — To meet with the prophet during a plague, certain protocols must be followed.
Derek Thompson / The Atlantic:
We're Never Going Back to the 1950s — Twenty years ago, the sociologist Robert Putnam in Bowling Alone used the decline of bowling leagues since the middle of the 20th century to symbolize America's declining social engagement. This year, he published a sequel of sorts, The Upswing …
Tyler Cowen / Marginal REVOLUTION:
John O. Brennan on UFOs — I thought I would give this segment its own post, again here is the audio, video, and transcript of my Conversation with John O. Brennan, head of the CIA for four years under President Obama: — BRENNAN: I've seen some of those videos from Navy pilots …
Katie Shepherd / Washington Post:
North Carolina GOP lawmaker urges Trump to suspend civil liberties to keep power: ‘Invoke the Insurrection Act’ — On Facebook, North Carolina state Sen. Bob Steinburg (R) paraphrased a conservative commentator to make a radical suggestion: President Trump should declare a national emergency …
Discussion:
The American Independent, The Hill, Just Security, Progressive Eruptions, Raw Story, The Sun, Florida Politics, CANNONFIRE and abc7NY
Suzanne Venker / Washington Examiner:
Traditional marriage roles make for much better sex — In 2014, author and psychologist Lori Gottlieb wrote an article for the New York Times about a study that found egalitarian, or “50-50,” marriages (in which both parents work full time outside the home and split household and childcare right …
Craig Stirling / Bloomberg:
Fifty Years of Tax Cuts for Rich Didn't Trickle Down, Study Says — Paper looks at fiscal policies in 18 countries over 50 years — Governments shouldn't worry about taxes on rich, author says — Tax cuts for rich people breed inequality without providing much of a boon to anyone else …
Discussion:
New York Post, Business Insider, Raw Story and The Intellectualist
Ben Lindbergh / The Ringer:
MLB Is Finally Recognizing the Negro Leagues as the Major Leagues They Always Were — Negro League statistics from 1920 to 1948 will now be officially classified as “major league,” marking a long-overdue acknowledgment of the accomplishments of players who didn't have the opportunity to play in the American or National Leagues
Discussion:
MLB.com, New York Times, The Root, NPR, The Week, Outside the Beltway and Washington Post
Christian Middleton / Mississippi Free Press:
UM Fires History Professor Who Criticizes ‘Powerful, Racist Donors’ and ‘Carceral State’ — During a period of what University of Mississippi faculty are calling a time of increasing paranoia, the university is set to terminate a celebrated professor of history.
Jonathan Martin / New York Times:
Senator Jon Tester on Democrats and Rural Voters: ‘Our Message Is Really, Really Flawed’ — Mr. Tester, a Montana farmer, said in an interview that Democrats had failed to connect with much of the country: “You cannot have Chuck Schumer talking rural issues to rural people.”
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Caller and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Zack Budryk / The Hill:
Sen. Angus King proposes Netflix, Disney, HBOMax stream free over holidays to stop COVID-19 spread — Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) called on video streaming platforms to make their content available for free during the holiday season to encourage people to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic.
Discussion:
king.senate.gov, The National Interest and The Root
Tatiana Siegel / Hollywood Reporter:
Bob Iger, Jeffrey Katzenberg In the Mix for Biden Ambassadorship Roles — The Disney executive chairman is at the top of the president-elect's wish list for a diplomatic assignment with the DreamWorks and Quibi mogul also in the mix. — It appears that Bob Iger might have a future in public service after all.
Discussion:
The Hill and The Week, more at Mediagazer »
Associated Press:
‘I do not feel safe’: Kansas GOP mayor resigns after threats over backing mask mandate — A Republican mayor in western Kansas announced in a letter to city officials and on social media Tuesday that she is resigning, effective immediately, because of threats she has received after she publicly supported a mask mandate.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, Dodge City Daily Globe, Raw Story and Forbes
Heather Long / Washington Post:
Nearly 8 million Americans have fallen into poverty since the summer — Nation's poverty rate has risen at the fastest pace ever this year after aid for the unemployed declined. — The U.S. poverty rate has surged over the past five months, with 7.8 million Americans falling into poverty …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Forbes, The Week and Political Wire
New York Times:
People Thought Covid-19 Was Relatively Harmless for Younger Adults. They Were Wrong. — New research shows that July may have been the deadliest month for young adults in modern American history. — Dr. Faust is a doctor at Brigham and Women's Hospital Department of Emergency Medicine.