Top Items:
Business Insider:
EXCLUSIVE: Jared Kushner helped create a Trump campaign shell company that secretly paid the president's family members and spent $617 million in reelection cash, a source tells Insider … - Jared Kushner approved the creation of a shell company that spent almost half of the Trump campaign's $1.26B war chest …
Discussion:
The Sun, The Mahablog, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Raw Story, The Intellectualist and Lawyers, Guns & Money
RELATED:
New York Times:
Trump's Future: Tons of Cash and Plenty of Options for Spending It — When President Trump departs the White House, he will have a huge pile of cash to fuel his future ambitions. He can hold rallies, hire staff and even lay groundwork for a potential 2024 run.
Discussion:
Alternet.org and Commentary Magazine
Rachel Olding / The Daily Beast:
Kushner OK'd Trump Campaign Shell Company That Secretly Paid Inner Circle: Report — ENDLESS GRIFT — Jared Kushner approved the creation of a shell company that operated like a “campaign within a campaign” and secretly funneled millions of dollars in campaign cash to Trump family members, Business Insider reports.
Axios:
Scoop: Pentagon halts Biden transition briefings — Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller ordered a Pentagon-wide halt to cooperation with the transition of President-elect Biden, shocking officials across the Defense Department, senior administration officials tell Axios.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Politico, The Dispatch, Talking Points Memo, Bloomberg, Forbes, Mediaite, The Sun, GovExec.com, Vanity Fair, Mic, New York Post, Defense One, POLITICUSUSA, Alternet.org, Daily Kos, American Military News, NOQ Report, The Daily Caller, Sara A. Carter, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, The Week, The Guardian, The Intellectualist and The Root
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David Folkenflik / NPR:
‘New York Times’ Retracts Core Of Hit Podcast Series ‘Caliphate’ On ISIS — Toggle more options — The New York Times has retracted the core of its hit 2018 podcast series Caliphate after an internal review found the paper failed to heed red flags indicating that the man it relied upon …
Discussion:
New York Times, TheBlaze, Washington Post, Forbes, The Hill, Twitchy, The Daily Caller, Althouse, Reason, HotAir and Eschaton, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
New York Times:
A Riveting ISIS Story, Told in a Times Podcast, Falls Apart — A Canadian's gruesome account as an Islamic State executioner in Syria, which was the subject of the “Caliphate” podcast by The New York Times, was fabricated, officials say. A Times review found no corroboration of his claim to have committed atrocities.
Discussion:
Conservative News Today, KIFI-TV and The Wrap
New York Times:
New York Times Says ‘Caliphate’ Podcast Fell Short of Standards
New York Times Says ‘Caliphate’ Podcast Fell Short of Standards
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Washington Post, HotAir, Mediaite, Washington Examiner and New York Post, more at Mediagazer »
Rukmini Callimachi / New York Times:
ISIS Leader Paid Rival for Protection but Was Betrayed by His Own
Los Angeles Times:
The wealthy scramble for COVID-19 vaccines: ‘If I donate $25,000 ... would that help me?’ — They're offering tens of thousands of dollars in cash, making their personal assistants pester doctors every day, and asking whether a five-figure donation to a hospital would help them jump the line.
Discussion:
HotAir, The Week, New York Post and The Daily Caller
Politico:
Disarray consumes Capitol ahead of critical deadline — Congress is going right up to the midnight shutdown deadline as leaders desperately try to clinch a $900 billion coronavirus aid package and keep the government open during a debilitating pandemic. — After meeting with Senate Majority …
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Oriana Gonzalez / Axios:
Pelosi and McConnell receive first doses of COVID-19 vaccine
Pelosi and McConnell receive first doses of COVID-19 vaccine
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Examiner, IJR, ABC13, SFist and Washington Post
Alice Miranda Ollstein / Politico:
Biden to receive coronavirus vaccine in public on Monday
Biden to receive coronavirus vaccine in public on Monday
Discussion:
Fox News, Axios, Washington Examiner and Politico
Sahil Kapur / NBC News:
Congress hits a new snag on Covid relief bill as shutdown deadline looms
Congress hits a new snag on Covid relief bill as shutdown deadline looms
Discussion:
CNBC, ABC30, The Guardian and NBC Boston
Maeve Reston / CNN:
Trump fights for a job that he's not doing as coronavirus rages
Trump fights for a job that he's not doing as coronavirus rages
Discussion:
New York Times, KIFI-TV, USA Today, Real Clear Politics, Politico, Daily Kos and Los Angeles Times
Washington Post:
Interior shuts Washington Monument after interior secretary tests positive for the coronavirus — Park Service staff say they may have been exposed when David Bernhardt led a private, after-hours tour — Officials have taken the extraordinary step of closing the Washington Monument starting Friday …
Discussion:
Associated Press, USA Today, NPS.gov, Daily Kos, Raw Story and NBC4 Washington
John Kruzel / The Hill:
Supreme Court tosses challenge to Trump's immigrant census plan — The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Friday to dismiss a challenge to the Trump administration's exclusion of undocumented immigrants from the U.S. census, the once-per-decade population count used to allocate House seats among the states.
Discussion:
NPR, Election Law Blog, SCOTUSblog, Los Angeles Times, Roll Call, Forbes, Washington Times, USA Today, Common Dreams and Daily Kos
RELATED:
Stef W. Kight / Axios:
SCOTUS punts on challenge to Trump bid to block undocumented immigrants from apportionment
SCOTUS punts on challenge to Trump bid to block undocumented immigrants from apportionment
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, The Last Refuge, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Mother Jones, Politico, The Week, Law & Crime and ABC News
Lawrence Hurley / Reuters:
U.S. Supreme Court throws out challenge to Trump census immigrant plan
U.S. Supreme Court throws out challenge to Trump census immigrant plan
Discussion:
New York Times, NPR, Conservative News Today, BuzzFeed News, Boundless, New York Post, Slate, Talking Points Memo and The Daily Caller
Tina Nguyen / Politico:
MAGA leaders call for the troops to keep Trump in office — An 1807 law invoked only in the most violent circumstances is now a rallying cry for the MAGA-ites most committed to the fantasy that Donald Trump will never leave office. — The law, the Insurrection Act, allows the president …
Discussion:
Byline Times, The Root, Raw Story and The Intellectualist
The Daily Beast:
Inside the Ivanka-Melania War — Melania Trump's one-time confidant takes us deep into one of the White House's nastiest battles. — They're the two most important women in Donald Trump's life. And they absolutely loathe one another. — Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, the former Melania Trump confidant …
Discussion:
Raw Story
RELATED:
Politico:
Democrats in Georgia: ‘Trump is helping our case.’ — President Donald Trump has been waging war on Georgia Republicans the past month, spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories about the Senate runoffs — and Democrats are praying he keeps on talking.
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Peter Nicholas / The Atlantic:
Was It Worth It? — People who work for President Donald Trump typically meet one of two fates. They fail to show the unthinking loyalty he demands and get fired. Or, maybe worse, they don't get fired—they endure the tantrums and turmoil and survive another day, binding themselves …
Discussion:
Mediaite
Axios:
Trump expected to issue wave of pre-Christmas pardons today — President Trump plans to issue a wave of pardons today, moving to expedite acts of clemency before Christmas, according to a source with direct knowledge and advocates who have been briefed on the plans.
Discussion:
Lawfare, CREW, CNN, The Sun, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, The Federalist, Political Wire and Fox News
Alexander Sammon / American Prospect:
The Establishment Strikes Back — Henry Cuellar and centrist Democrats mutiny against progressives in a key committee fight. — AOC in August during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing — Committee assignments are one of the least eye-catching parts of politics …
RELATED:
Jordain Carney / The Hill:
GOP senator blocks bill to provide $1,200 stimulus checks — GOP Sen. Ron Johnson (Wis.) on Friday blocked an effort to pass a second round of stimulus checks, arguing coronavirus relief needs to be targeted and raising concerns about the country's debt. — Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) …
Discussion:
Axios, The Daily Caller, The Intellectualist and Balloon Juice
Marcia Kramer / CBS New York:
NYPD Excessive Force Heightened Tensions During Protests Over George Floyd's Death, DOI Report Finds — NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - There's demand for wholesale change the NYPD after a damming report by the Department of Investigation finds the NYPD was unprepared to deal with protests …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill, Associated Press, KIFI-TV, The Daily Caller, NBC New York and The Daily Beast
RELATED:
Kimberley A. Strassel / Wall Street Journal:
William Barr: ‘One Standard of Justice’ — The departing attorney general talks about John Durham, Robert Mueller, Hunter Biden, Mike Flynn and the flak he's taken from both parties. — The U.S. attorney general is meditating on one of his frustrations with the modern Justice Department …
Federal Register:
AGENCY: — Food and Drug Administration, HHS. — ACTION: — Proposed rule. — SUMMARY: — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) proposes to revoke the standard of identity and the standard of quality for frozen cherry pie. This action, in part, responds to a citizen petition submitted …
Discussion:
Reason, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Mediaite
The American Mind:
“Anti-Racist” Education Is Neither — Well-meaning Americans are being suckered into an illiberal political cabal. — Days before the Fourth of July, the famed KIPP charter schools announced they'd be abandoning their longtime slogan: “Work Hard, Be Nice.”
Amanda Carpenter / The Bulwark:
The Top 10 Worst Trump-Enabling Takes of 2020 — As we bid a not-so-fond farewell to 2020, here's a look back at some of the political lowlights. — As we close out the year, it's tempting but futile to compile a list of President Trump's worst lies. But reprinting all of his tweets …
Discussion:
Alternet.org and Raw Story
Eliza Goren / Washington Post:
The Washington Post asked readers to describe 2020 in one word or phrase. Here's what they said. — See their responses — Shefali S. Kulkarni and By Shefali S. Kulkarni — Operations editor for the financial and tech section — Community editor, with a focus on comments, live chats and reader submissions.
Rosie Gray / BuzzFeed News:
The Next Tea Party Is Lurking Inside Trump's Election Results Denial — People actually believe Trump when he says he won the election. What happens next isn't clear — but the president's increasingly radicalized supporters are already shaping the future of Republican politics. — Reporting From
Discussion:
Chicago Tribune, Right Wing Watch, Bloomberg and Slate
Archie Bland / The Guardian:
Rupert Murdoch receives dose of Covid vaccine in UK — Exclusive: 89-year-old News Corp boss gives thanks to key workers, NHS staff and scientists — Rupert Murdoch has become the latest public figure to have the coronavirus vaccine, visiting his local GP's surgery late on Wednesday to receive his first dose.
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Examiner, Mediaite, CNN and TVNewser
Axios:
Scoop: Democrats try to tuck Pentagon waiver into spending bill — Democrats are trying to tuck a waiver allowing retired Gen. Lloyd Austin to serve as President-elect Joe Biden's defense secretary into a year-end government funding bill that must pass by tonight to avoid a shutdown, three sources familiar with the push tell Axios.
Julian E. Barnes / New York Times:
Bill That Trump Is Vowing to Veto Strengthens Hacking Defenses, Lawmakers Say — Additional powers to actively hunt down hackers across federal agencies could have given the government more of a chance to detect the recent Russia hack more quickly, they said.
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Hill, Axios, Reuters, NBC New York and Political Wire, more at Techmeme »
Joe Walsh / Forbes:
White House Advisor Peter Navarro Releases Dubious Voter Fraud Report — White House trade advisor Peter Navarro is the latest Trump administration staffer to publicly back up the president's baseless voter fraud claims, publishing a report Thursday that claims widespread irregularities …
Discussion:
Reuters, The Week and The American Spectator