Top Items:
Jeff Stein / Washington Post:
White House secures ‘three martini lunch’ tax deduction in draft of coronavirus relief package — President Trump has long seized on the tax break as a way to revive the restaurant industry. But economists have panned it as ineffective and largely benefitting the wealthy.
Discussion:
Political Wire and Mother Jones
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Washington Post:
Here's what's in the new $900 billion stimulus package — Jobless benefits, aid to small businesses, stimulus checks and money for vaccine distribution are in. New aid for local governments and corporate liability shields are out. — Congressional leaders brokered a deal …
Discussion:
BuzzFeed News, The Hill and Business Insider
Washington Post:
Details emerge on $600 stimulus checks, jobless benefits as Congress rushes to finalize deal
Details emerge on $600 stimulus checks, jobless benefits as Congress rushes to finalize deal
Discussion:
NBC News, The Hill, Vox, The Daily Poster, New York Times, USA Today, CNBC, Forbes, Cafe Hayek, New York Post, WISC-TV, Business Insider, The Guardian and Los Angeles Times
Emily Cochrane / New York Times:
Congress Strikes Long-Sought Stimulus Deal to Provide $900 Billion in Aid
Congress Strikes Long-Sought Stimulus Deal to Provide $900 Billion in Aid
NBC News:
Congress inches closer to deal on Covid relief package after clearing major hurdle
Congress inches closer to deal on Covid relief package after clearing major hurdle
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Examiner, NPR, Jezebel, Alternet.org and Townhall
Evie Fordham / Fox News:
McConnell expects coronavirus relief package to be finalized ‘in a matter of hours’
McConnell expects coronavirus relief package to be finalized ‘in a matter of hours’
Discussion:
Washington Examiner
Stephanie Clifford / Elle:
The Journalist and the Pharma Bro — Why did Christie Smythe upend her life and stability for Martin Shkreli, one of the least-liked men in the world? — Almost every weekday for six years, Christie Smythe took the F train from Park Slope downtown to her desk at Brooklyn's federal court …
Discussion:
Law & Crime, more at Mediagazer »
Ben Smith / New York Times:
The ‘Red Slime’ Lawsuit That Could Sink Right-Wing Media — Voting machine companies threaten “highly dangerous” cases against Fox, Newsmax and OAN, says Floyd Abrams. — Antonio Mugica was in Boca Raton when an American presidential election really melted down in 2000 …
Discussion:
Mediaite and Crooks and Liars, more at Mediagazer »
Peter Wehner / The Atlantic:
Trump Is Losing His Mind — Donald Trump's descent into madness continues. — The latest manifestation of this is a report in The New York Times that the president is weighing appointing the conspiracy theorist Sidney Powell, who for a time worked on his legal team, to be special counsel …
Discussion:
The Mahablog, Business Insider, Strangely Blogged, emptywheel, The Daily Caller, New York Post, Media Matters for America and CNN
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Harry Enten / CNN:
How voters rank Trump a historically bad president — (CNN)Poll of the week: A new Fox News poll finds that 42% of voters say history will remember President Donald Trump as one of the worst presidents ever. — An additional 8% say he will be remembered as below average …
Discussion:
Digby's Hullabaloo
Max Boot / Washington Post:
Trump saved the worst for last — Presidents usually experience a poll bump after they leave office. George W. Bush, for example, nearly doubled his popularity rating between 2009 and 2018. If there is any justice in the world (admittedly a big if), that won't happen with Donald Trump.
Discussion:
The Indian Express, Digby's Hullabaloo and IJR
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Top Trump aides pushed back on Sidney Powell during a chaotic West Wing meeting
Top Trump aides pushed back on Sidney Powell during a chaotic West Wing meeting
Discussion:
Vox, Washington Examiner, NBC News, Washington Monthly and Patterico's Pontifications
Donald J. Trump for President:
Trump Campaign taking Constitutional fight to Supreme Court — President Trump's campaign today issued the following statement: — “Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., President Trump's campaign committee, today filed a petition for writ of certiorari to the US.
Discussion:
RedState, UPI, Just The News and The Gateway Pundit
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Mica Soellner / Washington Examiner:
Trump campaign independently filing with Supreme Court over election results — The Trump campaign issued its first independent filing with the Supreme Court on Sunday, in hopes of reversing actions taken by Pennsylvania's high court. — The campaign aims to reverse three Pennsylvania Supreme Court cases …
Discussion:
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Townhall, Associated Press, Business Insider, Reuters, Washington Times, Forbes, Bloomberg, Law & Crime and New York Post
Patrick Marley / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Shirley Abrahamson, longest-serving member of Wisconsin Supreme Court, dies at 87 — MADISON - Shirley Abrahamson crashed through barriers for women, but her son was only dimly aware of it as he was growing up. — Daniel Abrahamson was about 12 when his mother became the first woman to serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1976.
Erica Newland / New York Times:
'I'm Haunted by What I Did' as a Lawyer in the Trump Justice Department — No matter our intentions, lawyers like me were complicit. We owe the country our honesty about what we saw — and should do in the future. — Ms. Newland worked in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department from 2016-18.
Associated Press:
Birx travels, family visits highlight pandemic safety perils — WASHINGTON (AP) — As COVID-19 cases skyrocketed before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, warned Americans to “be vigilant” and limit celebrations to “your immediate household.”
Discussion:
RedState, New York Post, Forbes, TheBlaze, Slate, Business Insider, The Hill, Twitchy, Townhall and Eschaton
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The Citizen Lab:
Journalists Hacked with Suspected NSO Group iMessage ‘Zero-Click’ Exploit — Summary & Key Findings — In July and August 2020, government operatives used NSO Group's Pegasus spyware to hack 36 personal phones belonging to journalists, producers, anchors, and executives at Al Jazeera.
Discussion:
TechCrunch and AppleInsider, more at Techmeme »
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Apoorva Mandavilli / New York Times:
The Coronavirus Is Mutating. What Does That Mean for Us? — Officials in Britain and South Africa claim new variants are more easily transmitted. There's a lot more to the story, scientists say. — Just as vaccines begin to offer hope for a path out of the pandemic …
Washington Post:
Ex-cop hits truck thinking it held 750,000 fraudulent ballots, police say. It held air conditioning parts. — David Lopez-Zuniga, an air-conditioner installer, had just left his mobile home for his typical predawn commute when he noticed an SUV's headlights closely trailing his small cargo truck.
Discussion:
Buttermilk Sky
Reuters:
Canada halts passenger flights from UK for 72 hours due to new virus strain — TORONTO (Reuters) -Canada is halting passenger flights from the United Kingdom for 72 hours, the health ministry said on Sunday, joining a growing list of countries barring British travelers to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus strain from the country.
New York Times:
Frontline Workers and People Over 74 Should Get Shots Next, C.D.C. Panel Says — The recommendation was a compromise aimed at getting the coronavirus vaccine to the most vulnerable of two high-risk groups. — Striking a compromise between two high-risk population groups …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, CBS News, Associated Press, Townhall, The Verge and The Sun
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Betsy McKay / Wall Street Journal:
CDC Panel Recommends People Aged 75 and Over, Essential Workers Be Next for Covid-19 Vaccines
CDC Panel Recommends People Aged 75 and Over, Essential Workers Be Next for Covid-19 Vaccines
Discussion:
Washington Post, Reuters, Mother Jones, Bloomberg and STAT
Washington Post:
A frustrated Trump redoubles efforts to challenge election result — President Trump has intensified efforts to overturn the election, raising a series of radical measures in recent days, including military intervention, seizing voting machines and a 13th-hour appeal to the Supreme Court.
Denver Post:
What happened to the Colorado Republican Party? — Out of power in a changing state, the GOP is in soul-searching mode — The Jefferson County GOP began its annual assemblies in the 1990s by asking all elected Republicans in attendance to say a few words.
Juleanna Glover / USA Today:
Don't cut in line for the COVID vaccine. Elites who do will be named and shamed. — The optics of the privileged jumping the COVID vaccine line ahead of essential workers will be terrible and should be damaging. — Concierge medical practices are fielding inquiries from their wealthy patients wondering …
Discussion:
HotAir
Amy Gardner / Washington Post:
How Trump drove the lie that the election was stolen, undermining voter trust in the outcome — Elena Parent, a Democratic state lawmaker from the Atlanta area, listened incredulously in a small hearing room in early December as a stream of witnesses spun fantastical tales of alleged election fraud …
Discussion:
American Greatness, Digby's Hullabaloo, Associated Press and Washington Examiner
New York Times:
A President Who Can't Put Aside Grudges, Even for Good News — The past week served as a preview of Mr. Trump's post-presidency: no leadership on debates within his party, but keen attention to waging personal vendettas and cultivating his supporters. — It was among the most consequential weeks …
Discussion:
CNN, Digby's Hullabaloo and CBS News
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