Top Items:
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Trump turns on Pence, McConnell and White House counsel Cipollone in desperate final days — President Trump, in his final days, is turning bitterly on virtually every person around him, griping about anyone who refuses to indulge conspiracy theories or hopeless bids to overturn the election, several top officials tell Axios.
Discussion:
What The Fuck …, Fox News, Politico, Washington Post, BloombergQuint, Washington Monthly, Raw Story, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Daily Beast, Salon, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, Election Law Blog, The Daily Caller, POLITICUSUSA, Mediaite, Law & Crime, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Nation, Business Insider, HotAir, Alternet.org, Mock Paper Scissors, No More Mister Nice Blog, Media Matters for America, Crooks and Liars, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian, The Intellectualist, Reason, The Week, Associated Press, Hackwhackers, littlegreenfootballs.com, The Root, Washington Examiner and Washington Times
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Stephen Collinson / CNN:
Trump threatens 30-day reign of destruction on the way out of office
Trump threatens 30-day reign of destruction on the way out of office
Discussion:
Fox News, Forbes, NPR, Outside the Beltway, Al Jazeera, Florida Politics, Vanity Fair, Breitbart, Bloomberg, Raw Story and Lucianne
Barbara Starr / CNN:
Pentagon anxiety rises as officers wait for Trump's next unpredictable move
Pentagon anxiety rises as officers wait for Trump's next unpredictable move
Discussion:
The Bulwark, Just Security, Alternet.org and Raw Story
Ben Collins / NBC News:
As Trump meets with QAnon influencers, the conspiracy theory's adherents beg for dictatorship — On Friday, President Donald Trump met with current and former advisers in the Oval Office, including retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, and one person familiar with the meeting said Flynn advocated …
Discussion:
ABC News and Great American Politics
Associated Press:
WH virus coordinator Deborah Birx says she will retire — WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, said Tuesday she plans to retire, but is willing to first help President-elect Joe Biden's team with its coronavirus response as needed.
Discussion:
Axios, Crooks and Liars, Newsy, Mock Paper Scissors, New York Times, Townhall, Conservative News Today, Alternet.org and Raw Story
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Robin Bravender / Business Insider:
Bidenworld is worried Trump will trash tradition and force the president-elect to fire thousands of GOP holdovers on his first day in the White House … - President Donald Trump could complicate President-elect Joe Biden's job by leaving thousands of political holdovers in office when Inauguration Day comes.
Discussion:
Politico, CNBC, Variety and Salon, more at Techmeme »
Zoë Richards / Talking Points Memo:
‘I Will Retire’: Dr. Birx Will Not Seek Role In Biden Administration — Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said on Tuesday that she will not seek a role in President-elect Joe Biden's administration. — She cited concerns about the treatment of her family …
Discussion:
National Review, USA Today, RedState, Washington Examiner, The Hill, CBS News, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, IJR, The Daily Caller, New York Post and Political Wire
Mike Brest / Washington Examiner:
Deborah Birx announces intent to retire citing treatment of family over Thanksgiving trip
Deborah Birx announces intent to retire citing treatment of family over Thanksgiving trip
Hans Nichols / Axios:
Joe Biden finally announces White House spot for longtime aide Bruce Reed
Joe Biden finally announces White House spot for longtime aide Bruce Reed
Discussion:
Politico, Fox News, Washington Post, Conservative News Today, Washington Examiner, New York Post and Bloomberg
Shawn Hubler / New York Times:
Alex Padilla Will Replace Kamala Harris in the Senate — Gov. Gavin Newsom of California selected Mr. Padilla to serve the final two years of Ms. Harris's term. Mr. Padilla will be the first Latino senator to represent the state. — SACRAMENTO — Alex Padilla, California's secretary of state …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Al Jazeera, HotAir, Deadline, Press Enterprise, The 19th, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, The Federalist, ABC7 and New York Post
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Los Angeles Times:
Alex Padilla becomes California's first Latino U.S. senator, replacing Kamala Harris — Alex Padilla, a Los Angeles Democrat who once developed software for satellites but later rose through local and state political office to become California secretary of state, was chosen Tuesday …
Discussion:
Washington Post, FiveThirtyEight, The Root, One America News Network, Twitchy and Reuters
Los Angeles Times:
Newsom to name Assemblywoman Shirley Weber to succeed Padilla as California secretary of state — Gov. Gavin Newsom will take swift action Tuesday to fill the newly vacant post of California secretary of state by selecting Democratic Assemblywoman Shirley Weber to serve as the state's chief elections officer …
Discussion:
NPR, FOX 5 San Diego and KNSD-TV
David Enrich / New York Times:
Trump's Longtime Banker at Deutsche Bank Resigns — Rosemary Vrablic, who oversaw hundreds of millions of dollars in loans to President Trump's company, will leave the bank next week. — President Trump's longtime banker at Deutsche Bank, who arranged for the German lender to make hundreds …
The Daily Beast:
Trump Tells Sidney Powell He Won't Name Her ‘Special Counsel’ — The president has met with the conspiracy theorist lawyer recently. But he is not yet buckling to one of her wishes. … Donald Trump informed the conspiracy-theory-driven MAGA attorney Sidney Powell on Monday that he does …
Benjamin Wermund / Houston Chronicle:
Texas AG Ken Paxton urged White House to revoke Harris County COVID relief — FILE- In this Sept. 10, 2020, file photo, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the Austin Police Association in Austin, Texas. Paxton on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, announced a multi-state lawsuit against Google …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
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CREW:
Ken Paxton urged Mnuchin to revoke CARES Act aid given to Texas, new records show
Ken Paxton urged Mnuchin to revoke CARES Act aid given to Texas, new records show
Discussion:
The Texas Tribune, MyNorthwest.com and Raw Story
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
The dishonest heart of the challenge to the 2020 election results
The dishonest heart of the challenge to the 2020 election results
Discussion:
Detroit News and Raw Story
Nick Niedzwiadek / Politico:
Trump nominates Hope Hicks, Ric Grenell to government posts — President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced plans to appoint another slate of top allies to various government boards, yet another sign that his time in office is winding to a close. — The president named Hope Hicks to be a member …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Political Wire
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Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Senior Trump advisers prepare to launch policy group
Senior Trump advisers prepare to launch policy group
Discussion:
The Hill and Political Wire
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Don't let Mitch McConnell get away with his vile rewriting of history — As Congress passed a new $900 billion economic rescue package on Monday night, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) offered a choice bit of spin on how we got to this moment: … Getting the story right here is highly consequential.
Discussion:
New York Times, Slate, Jacobin, Raw Story, New Republic and Breitbart, more at Mediagazer »
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Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Media resolutions: Do better in 2021
Media resolutions: Do better in 2021
Discussion:
NBC News, New York Times, Washington Examiner, Washington Times, Raw Story, Alternet.org and U.S. Congressman Brian Babin …
Becket Adams / Washington Examiner:
AOC is right — When Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is right, she's right. — She's also an embarrassing hypocrite, but that doesn't mean she's wrong. — The New York representative went on a righteous tear Monday after it became clear that Congress was going to pass a massive …
Discussion:
The Pipeline, HotAir and Roll Call
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Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:
The Left's Most Naïve Cynics Have Turned on AOC
The Left's Most Naïve Cynics Have Turned on AOC
Discussion:
HotAir and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Mike Stobbe / Associated Press:
US deaths in 2020 top 3 million, by far most ever counted — NEW YORK (AP) — This is the deadliest year in U.S. history, with deaths expected to top 3 million for the first time — due mainly to the coronavirus pandemic. — Final mortality data for this year will not be available for months.
Discussion:
The Hill, Associated Press, Defense One and FOX 5 San Diego
Andrew Blankstein / NBC News:
Former Rep. Katie Hill sues ex-husband, Daily Mail, Redstate.com over ‘nonconsensual porn’ — LOS ANGELES — Former congresswoman Katie Hill filed suit in Los Angeles Tuesday against her ex-husband and the owners of Redstate.com and the Daily Mail, saying they had distributed what amounted to …
Discussion:
Axios, The Daily Caller and The Wrap
Washington Post:
Washington Football Team settled sexual misconduct claim against Daniel Snyder for $1.6 million — The Washington Football Team paid a female former employee $1.6 million as part of a confidential settlement in 2009, according to a copy of the agreement reviewed by The Washington Post.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Sports Illustrated, Washingtonian, The Week, New York Post and Forbes
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Andrew Beaton / Wall Street Journal:
Former AG Loretta Lynch Joins NFL Probe of Escalating Fight Among Washington Football Team Owners
Former AG Loretta Lynch Joins NFL Probe of Escalating Fight Among Washington Football Team Owners
Discussion:
The Hill
Adam Klasfeld / Law & Crime:
Judge Says Lin Wood's Post-Election Lawsuits May Have Violated Several Professional Rules, Orders Him to Respond — Attorney Lin Wood's lawsuits aimed to topple the 2020 election may have violated Delaware's rules of professional conduct, preventing him from representing President Donald …
Mark Niesse / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Top Trump aide Mark Meadows visits Georgia ballot signature audit — White House chief of staff Mark Meadows made a surprise visit Tuesday to observe Georgia's audit of absentee ballot envelope signatures and ask questions about the process. — Meadows, accompanied by Secret Service agents …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Forbes, Reuters and One America News Network
Substack Blog:
Substack's view of content moderation — Building a system that puts readers and writers in charge — As Substack grows, there is increasing interest in the stance we take on content moderation. It's a complicated issue, so we wanted to take a moment to lay out our position clearly and explain how we got there.
Discussion:
The Verge and TechCrunch, more at Mediagazer »
Molly Fischer / The Cut:
Who Did J.K. Rowling Become? Deciphering the most beloved, most reviled children's-book author in history. — Edinburgh Castle, many centuries old, has been called the most besieged place in Britain. In 2005, on the night Melissa Anelli arrived, it was besieged primarily by children.
U.S. Department of Justice:
Department of Justice Files Nationwide Lawsuit Against Walmart Inc. for Controlled Substances Act Violations — Complaint Alleges Company Unlawfully Dispensed and Distributed Prescription Opioids — In a civil complaint filed today, the Department of Justice has alleged …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, KTVZ-TV, Gizmodo, Associated Press, Law & Crime, UPI, KUSI-TV, Denver Post, The Daily Caller, The Week, NPR and Townhall
The Cook Political Report:
36 Facts About the 2020 Elections — In keeping with our end-of-cycle tradition, we found 36 interesting things to tide you over during the holidays as we take a break. — PRESIDENTIAL: — 1. A president's job approval rating is one of the most consistent (and accurate) predictors of electoral performance.
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Post and Raw Story
John Cole / PoliticsPA:
NRCC Blasts Lamb For Proxy Vote Shortly After Baby Announcement — It's the holiday season, but the National Republican Congressional Committee isn't exactly in a charitable mood. — The NRCC sent out an email Monday morning criticizing Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Allegheny) for voting by proxy on Sunday.
Discussion:
CBS Pittsburgh
Steve Hendrix / Washington Post:
Israeli government collapses, sending country back to elections for fourth time in two years — JERUSALEM — Israel's fractious coalition government collapsed Tuesday night, forcing the country into its fourth round of national elections in less than two years.
Nick Miroff / Washington Post:
Several Trump immigration restrictions will remain in place, Biden advisers say, urging patience — Top advisers to president-elect Joe Biden said Monday they will not immediately roll back asylum restrictions at the Mexico border and other restrictive Trump administration policies …
Seanna Adcox / Post and Courier:
SC Gov. Henry McMaster tests positive for COVID-19, will undergo antibody treatment — COLUMBIA — Gov. Henry McMaster tested positive for COVID-19 and will undergo an antibody treatment, his office announced Tuesday. — The 73-year-old Republican governor is experiencing mild symptoms, including coughing and fatigue.
Discussion:
governor.sc.gov, The Hill, The Daily Caller, KTVZ-TV and The Week