Top Items:
New York Times:
Trump Pardons Two Russia Inquiry Figures and Blackwater Guards — The pre-Christmas wave of 20 pardons and commutations are not likely to be the last before Mr. Trump leaves office on Jan. 20. — In an audacious pre-Christmas round of pardons, President Trump granted clemency on Tuesday …
Discussion:
NPR, The Sun, Alternet.org, POLITICUSUSA, Law & Crime, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit and New York Post
RELATED:
CNN:
Trump announces wave of pardons, including Papadopoulos and former lawmakers Hunter and Collins — (CNN)President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a wave of lame duck pardons, including two for men who pleaded guilty in Robert Mueller's investigation, as well as ones for Republican allies …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Townhall, The Intellectualist and Mock Paper Scissors
Washington Post:
Trump grants clemency to 20 people, including three GOP former members of Congress and two men convicted in the Russia probe — President Trump granted clemency on Tuesday to 20 people, including three former Republican members of Congress and two people who were convicted of crimes as part …
Discussion:
Fox News, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller and The Intellectualist
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:
Variety, Salon and Politico, more at Techmeme »
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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:
Crooks and Liars, Axios, Newsy, New York Times, Townhall, Mock Paper Scissors, Alternet.org, Conservative News Today, CBS News and Raw Story
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, NPR, RedState, USA Today, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, IJR, The Hill, The Daily Caller and New York Post
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, Conservative News Today, New York Post, Bloomberg and Washington Examiner
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, Bloomberg, Washington Post, Politico, The Daily Beast, Salon, Raw Story, Vanity Fair, POLITICUSUSA, Mediaite, Washington Monthly, The Daily Caller, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Mock Paper Scissors, Election Law Blog, Law & Crime, Digby's Hullabaloo, New York Magazine, The Nation, Business Insider, HotAir, Alternet.org, No More Mister Nice Blog, Media Matters for America, The Intellectualist, Talking Points Memo, Crooks and Liars, The Guardian, Reason, The Week, littlegreenfootballs.com, Associated Press, Hackwhackers, The Root, Washington Examiner, Washington Times and CNN
RELATED:
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:
Forbes, Al Jazeera, Florida Politics, NPR, Fox News, Outside the Beltway, 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:
Just Security, The Bulwark, 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
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 …
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David Edwards / Raw Story:
Karl Rove goes off on Sidney Powell: ‘Any idiot with access to Google’ can debunk her lawsuits
Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:
Karl Rove Tears Into Sidney Powell: Trump Is ‘So Ill-Served’ by Her ‘Antics’
Karl Rove Tears Into Sidney Powell: Trump Is ‘So Ill-Served’ by Her ‘Antics’
Discussion:
Mediaite
Washington Post:
Trump calls on Congress to approve $2,000 stimulus checks, hinting that he might not sign economic relief bill into law without changes — The president has still not signed the measure even though it passed Monday night. He called the measure “a disgrace.”
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Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Don't let Mitch McConnell get away with his vile rewriting of history
Don't let Mitch McConnell get away with his vile rewriting of history
Discussion:
New York Times, Politico, Slate, Jacobin, Raw Story, New Republic and Breitbart, more at Mediagazer »
Axios:
Trump asks Congress to increase stimulus payments
Trump asks Congress to increase stimulus payments
Discussion:
Business Insider, CNBC, Fox News, NPR, Townhall, Deadline, The Daily Caller and Lucianne
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Media resolutions: Do better in 2021
Media resolutions: Do better in 2021
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Raw Story, U.S. Congressman Brian Babin …, Washington Examiner and Alternet.org
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, California Governor, KUSI-TV, FiveThirtyEight, The Root, One America News Network, Twitchy, CNBC, UPI, Fox News and Reuters
RELATED:
Los Angeles Times:
Newsom names Assemblywoman Shirley Weber to succeed Padilla as California secretary of state — Gov. Gavin Newsom took 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:
Washington Examiner, Fox News, NBC News, KUSI-TV, Vox, Associated Press, CBS Sacramento, LGBTQ Nation, KNSD-TV, Patterico's Pontifications and NPR
Shawn Hubler / New York Times:
Alex Padilla Will Replace Kamala Harris in the Senate
Alex Padilla Will Replace Kamala Harris in the Senate
Discussion:
Politico, Los Angeles Times, Fortune, Deadline, Press Enterprise, HotAir, The 19th, Al Jazeera, Raw Story, The Federalist, NPR, Washington Examiner, ABC7 and New York Post
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 …
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:
Vanity Fair, 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
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
RELATED:
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, ABC13 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
Washington Post:
FBI links Iran to online hit list targeting top officials who've refuted Trump's election fraud claims — The FBI has concluded that Iran was behind online efforts earlier this month to incite violence against the bureau's director, a former top U.S. cyber expert and multiple state elections …
Discussion:
Political Wire
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
RELATED:
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
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 …
Discussion:
Raw Story
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 …
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, Fortune, Associated Press, Defense One and FOX 5 San Diego
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 »
Wall Street Journal:
Hunter Biden's Family Name Aided Deals with Foreign Tycoons — Business dealings of Joe Biden's son are at the center of a federal tax investigation and loom over the start of his presidency — Hunter Biden ramped up business activities with European and Chinese tycoons as his father exited the vice presidency four years ago.
New York Times:
How Cities Lost Control of Police Discipline — In the chaos of 1960s Detroit, a fledgling police union laid the groundwork for a system that, to this day, constrains discipline for officers accused of misconduct. — It took Portland, Ore., almost $1 million in legal fees …
Discussion:
City Journal
Chrissy Clark / Washington Free Beacon:
Future Biden Education Secretary Oversaw Creation of Critical Theory Class for High Schoolers — Joe Biden's likely pick for education secretary helped create a mandated, statewide minority-studies course that “analyze[s] how race, power, and privilege influence group access to citizenship, civil rights, and economic power.”
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 and Washington Post
Lauren Fruen / Daily Mail:
Feds 'want search warrant to obtain Giuliani's emails and electronic communication over his Ukraine dealings in move that may have already been granted by Bill Barr's DoJ' — An investigation into Donald Trump's personal attorney is said to be ‘very active’
Discussion:
The Hill, CNBC, Law & Crime and The Week