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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 …
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Trump grants clemency to 20 people, including three former GOP 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 …
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Axios, National Review, NPR, Associated Press, Business Insider, Reuters, Talking Points Memo, Fox News, RedState and The Intellectualist


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 …
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The Dispatch, Breitbart, THE CITY, CNBC, HotAir, Townhall, The Intellectualist and Mock Paper Scissors

Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grants of Clemency
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Wall Street Journal, The Last Refuge, American Military News, Reason, The Guardian, TheBlaze, Greensburg Tribune-Review, NPR and UPI


Trump pardons Blackwater contractors convicted in deaths of 14 Iraqi civilians
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Informed Comment


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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Business Insider, National Review, New Republic, Talking Points Memo, Sara A. Carter, IJR, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Federalist, New York Times, Raw Story, Conservative News Today, CNBC, Fortune, USA Today, Crooks and Liars, The Hill, Louder With Crowder, Townhall, Reason, New York Magazine, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mediaite, The Week, Bangor Daily News, WISC-TV, Breitbart, The Daily Beast, Hackwhackers, Newsy and Bark Bark Woof Woof, more at Mediagazer »
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Trump Demands Changes to Coronavirus Relief Bill, Calling It a ‘Disgrace’
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The Hill, Bloomberg, Mediaite, HotAir, Crooks and Liars, RedState, CNBC, The Federalist, New York Post, ABC News, NECN and middleeastmonitor.com

Trump asks Congress to increase stimulus payments
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Fox News, Business Insider, CBS News, Al Jazeera, Washington Examiner, Townhall, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze and NPR

Trump rips coronavirus stimulus bill and demands bigger checks
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Reuters

Trump takes aim at Covid stimulus bill, raising specter of veto
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Newsweek, Washington Post, POLITICUSUSA, Fox News, Denver Post, Axios, Bloomberg and NECN

Trump slams relief bill, calls on Congress to increase stimulus money
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, CANNONFIRE and Deadline


Republicans plunge into open battle over attempts to overturn Trump's loss to Biden — The GOP is plunging into open warfare over President-elect Joe Biden's election victory — with President Trump taunting Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in a passive-aggressive email blast …
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Los Angeles Times, Raw Story, Business Insider, Mediaite, The Week, Forbes, Breitbart, Townhall and Washington Times
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It's time for Mike Pence to choose: Trump, or the truth
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What The Fuck …, Alternet.org and American Thinker


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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Trump orchestrates final loyalty test in dying bid to subvert election — President Donald Trump is plotting a final stand in Congress on Jan. 6, casting it as the ultimate loyalty test in his quest to remain in power and shutting out anyone who won't get in line.
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The Hill, Raw Story, Israpundit, Business Insider, Washington Times, The Week, OpenSecrets.org, KTVZ-TV, NBC News and Axios

Sources: Secret Service Has No Plan if Trump Refuses to Go
Discussion:
Raw Story and Alternet.org


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:
CyberScoop, Crooks and Liars and Political Wire
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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.
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The Hill, CNN, Variety, Politico, Vanity Fair and Salon, more at Techmeme »
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WH virus coordinator Deborah Birx says she will retire
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Talking Points Memo, abc7NY, New York Times, Newsy, NPR, The Daily Caller, Axios, New York Post, USA Today, RedState, Fox News, Alternet.org, Crooks and Liars, Mock Paper Scissors, The Hill, IJR, The Gateway Pundit, CBS News, Townhall and Raw Story


Pfizer Nears Deal With Trump Administration to Provide More Vaccine Doses — The company could provide at least tens of millions of additional doses of a coronavirus vaccine under an agreement that would give it better access to the supplies it needs to expand manufacturing.
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CBS News, Just The News and The Week
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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 …


Warnock's wife told officer that her husband is ‘a great actor’ after domestic dispute — Medical officials did not find visible signs of injury on his wife's foot and Warnock was never charged with a crime. — Ossoff, Warnock would embrace ‘far-left liberal policies’ in Senate: Alyssa Farah
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Washington Times, Washington Examiner, Business Insider, HotAir, Townhall, The Daily Caller, Instapundit and Georgia Memo
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Dominion worker sues Trump campaign and conservative media — NEW YORK — An election systems worker driven into hiding by death threats has filed a defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump's campaign, two of its lawyers and some conservative media figures and outlets.
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NPR, The Week, Summit News, CBS Denver and Axios
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Dominion Voting Systems Employee Sues Trump Campaign And Allies, Alleging Defamation
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Washington Examiner, Business Insider, IJR, Mediaite, UPI, The Colorado Sun and Colorado Public Radio, more at Mediagazer »


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 …
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Trump's private bankers resign from Deutsche Bank
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Alternet.org, The Week, The Hill, UPI and The Intellectualist


Karl Rove goes off on Sidney Powell: ‘Any idiot with access to Google’ can debunk her lawsuits — Fox News contributor Karl Rove on Tuesday lashed out at Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell over what he called “idiot” ideas about the 2020 election. — During an appearance on Fox News …
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U.S. reports more Covid deaths than ever before — The United States on Tuesday saw the highest number of Covid-19 deaths in a single day, according to a count of reports by NBC News. — The 3,350 reported deaths break a previous single-day high that was set just last week, on Dec. 16.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice and NPR


Despite Trump's intense hunt for voter fraud, officials in key states have so far identified just a small number of possible cases — In Pittsburgh, the local police department this year received 10 complaints of possible fraudulent voting in the November election.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Conservative News Today, The Bulwark and Raw Story


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 …


U.S. Jobless Claims Retreat From Three-Month High — Claims still hovering at highest levels since recent peaks in September — The number of workers seeking unemployment benefits fell last week, amid signs the economy is continuing to recover, but at a slowing pace.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller