Top Items:
New York Times:
A President Unhappy, Unleashed and Unpredictable — President Trump remains the most powerful man in the world, but powerless to achieve what he most wants: to avoid leaving office as a loser. — With four weeks left in President Trump's term, he is at perhaps his most unleashed — and …
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Kaitlan Collins / CNN:
Giuliani told to preserve all records as lawyers for Dominion warn legal action is ‘imminent’ — (CNN)A defamation law firm representing Dominion Voting Systems has sent letters to White House counsel Pat Cipollone and President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani instructing …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Forbes, Political Wire and Colorado Public Radio
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:
Vox, The Guardian, The Nation, Vanity Fair, Defense One, Mediaite, Washington Post, The Week, Outside the Beltway, IJR, Florida Politics, Mother Jones, POLITICUSUSA, The American Independent, Business Insider, USA Today, The Gateway Pundit, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Daily Caller and Law & Crime
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Axios:
Trump unleashes signature chaos with stimulus threat and wave of controversial pardons — Advisers to President Trump tell Axios three forces drove last night's twin bombshells — a slew of pardons for his allies, and a last-hour attack on the $900 billion stimulus bill as a “disgrace.”
Washington Post:
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 …
Discussion:
ABC News, Raw Story, The Week, Los Angeles Times, Election Law Blog, Business Insider, POLITICUSUSA, Denver Post, HotAir, Mediaite, Breitbart, Bloomberg, Washington Times, Washington Examiner, Forbes, Townhall and NBC News
Stephen Battaglio / Los Angeles Times:
What happened to Maria Bartiromo? The Trump election fraud story has the TV news biz asking — When a public company makes news, a chief executive can expect a text or call from Maria Bartiromo. — The veteran business journalist, now an anchor at Fox News, made her bones by getting sit-downs …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Washington Post and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »
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Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
Fox News management failures invited legal threat from Smartmatic — Leadership at Fox News Media knows that Lou Dobbs has a thing for conspiracy theories. During his time at CNN, for instance, the well-known cable-news host fanned the racist smear that Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States.
Discussion:
Media Matters for America and Crooks and Liars
Politico:
Trump White House staffers receive conflicting messages about their departure — Conflicting internal memos created confusion inside the White House on Wednesday about when staffers in the Executive Office of the President should begin preparing to leave work ahead of the transition next month.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Talking Points Memo, HotAir, Forbes, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, The Week, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Associated Press
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.”
Discussion:
Vox, Washington Examiner, Fox News, National Review, Wall Street Journal, CBS News, Mediaite, No More Mister Nice Blog, Slate, Forbes, littlegreenfootballs.com, The Wrap, Rev, Breitbart, The Root, The Week, Gothamist, CBS Baltimore, Newsweek, The Gateway Pundit, New York Times, Reason, American Military News, Crooks and Liars, Talking Points Memo, OutKick, Bloomberg, Townhall, Sara A. Carter, Conservative News Today, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Federalist, Raw Story, USA Today, Bangor Daily News, WISC-TV, Deadline, Newsy, Bark Bark Woof Woof, The Daily Beast, Hackwhackers and Business Insider
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Susan Ferrechio / Washington Examiner:
Democrats dare GOP to block $2,000 stimulus checks in Christmas Eve vote
Democrats dare GOP to block $2,000 stimulus checks in Christmas Eve vote
Discussion:
Politico and BuzzFeed News
Tom Knowles / The Times:
Octopuses are ocean thugs that punch fish — Despite its extraordinary intelligence, the life of an octopus is a solitary one. So perhaps it is no wonder that the mighty brained cephalopod engages in a little thuggery to relieve the boredom. — Scientists have discovered that, on occasions …
Kadia Goba / Axios:
Scoop: Pistol-packing freshmen prompt Congress gun review — Several incoming House freshmen have inquired about carrying guns into the Capitol, leading a board overseeing congressional security to rethink a regulation banning members from packing heat under the dome, a House aide with direct knowledge of the board review told Axios.
Discussion:
Politico
Business Insider:
Democratic lawmaker says Trump campaign shell company was a campaign committee, likely broke law by not reporting or filing with the FEC … - Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan is asking the Justice Department and Federal Election Commission to investigate the Trump campaign's shell company.
Marc Ambinder / The Daily Beast:
Sources: Secret Service Has No Plan if Trump Refuses to Go — But they do have procedures for handling trespassers. — If there are any checklists or plans, procedures or guidelines for the Secret Service to follow in the event of an autogolpe—a Latin American-style crisis …
Discussion:
National Review, Alternet.org, Raw Story and Hackwhackers
Zach Abolverdi / USA Today:
Florida's Keyontae Johnson diagnosed with heart inflammation that has been associated with COVID-19 — GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida forward Keyontae Johnson, who collapsed on the court during a game Dec. 12 at Florida State, has been diagnosed with a heart inflammation that may be related to an earlier infection for COVID-19.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Patrick Lohmann / Syracuse Post-Standard:
Brindisi-Tenney race narrows even more: 3 to 5 votes separate candidates — OSWEGO, N.Y. — The incredibly close race for the 22nd Congressional District got even closer Tuesday, as about 90 new votes from a bundle of about 2,500 affidavit ballots from Oneida County were counted.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, HotAir and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Anand Giridharadas / The.Ink:
$600 checks are a “crime,” says the pope's favorite economist — A conversation with economist Mariana Mazzucato on the case against Scroogenomics … I watched “The Muppet Christmas Carol” with my family last night, and whenever Michael Caine's Ebenezer Scrooge character came onscreen …
The Daily Beast:
White Supremacists Discussed Shooting Up Power Grids, Forming ‘Fascist Society’: FBI — Federal agents were tracking a group earlier this year that discussed a violent mission to “wreak havoc” if Trump lost the election, according to mistakenly unsealed court docs.
Discussion:
The Sun, Associated Press and New York Post
US Census / The United States Census Bureau:
July 1, 2020 Estimates of Population and Housing Units — DEC. 22, 2020 — The U.S. Census Bureau today released July 1, 2020 estimates of the total population and voting-age population for the nation and states. Additional estimates for metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Sara A. Carter, Fox News and New York Post
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William H. Frey / Brookings:
The 2010s saw the lowest population growth in U.S. history, new census estimates show
The 2010s saw the lowest population growth in U.S. history, new census estimates show
Discussion:
USA Today, UPI, The Daily Caller, The Hill, Business Insider, Roll Call and Empire Center …
Josh Kraushaar / National Journal:
The case for a Chris Christie comeback — The former New Jersey governor has the perfect political résumé to bridge the party's divides in a post-Trump world. — Talk to enough mainstream Republican operatives , who are already brainstorming for the type of presidential nominee …
Washington Post:
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:
The Bulwark, RedState, Conservative News Today, Raw Story and Election Law Blog
Will Sommer / The Daily Beast:
A Massive Purge Is Underway at Alex Jones' Infowars — Layoffs! Dissent! A Michael Flynn snub! Things are not well in the house that brain pills built. — At a pro-Trump rally in Washington D.C. earlier this month, conspiracy theory magnate Alex Jones came face-to-face with a star …
Taylor Lorenz / New York Times:
Clubhouse Makes Way for Influencers — Tech investors have warmed to the idea that being a content creator is a legitimate form of business. — Nearly every social media platform has turned its top users into stars: YouTubers, Viners, Dubsmashers, TikTokers, even LinkedIn influencers.
The Guardian:
Trump pardons Blackwater contractors jailed for massacre of Iraq civilians — Four guards fired on unarmed crowd in Baghdad in 2007, killing 14 and sparking outrage over use of private security in war zones — President Donald Trump has pardoned four Blackwater security guards …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, WKRN-TV, middleeastmonitor.com, Associated Press and Raw Story
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Karen DeYoung / Washington Post:
Trump pardons Blackwater contractors convicted in deaths of 14 Iraqi civilians
Trump pardons Blackwater contractors convicted in deaths of 14 Iraqi civilians
Discussion:
Informed Comment, The Guardian, Politico and The Week
Roman Chiarello / Fox News:
Rep. Jody Hice slams ‘inexcusable’ coronavirus relief bill, calls for reopening of economy — Hice says $2,000 checks are not a replacement for a stable income — Rep. Jody Hice accuses Alex Padilla of ‘probably illegal’ activity as secretary of state — Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga. …
Discussion:
ABC News, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Axios
Danielle E. Gaines / Maryland Matters:
Miller, President Emeritus, Resigns After 45 Years in Md. Senate — State Sen. Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert), the longest-serving Senate president in Maryland history — believed to hold the record for service of any state Senate president in U.S. history — resigned from the seat he's held for 45 years on Wednesday morning.
Discussion:
The Hill and Baltimore Sun
Cornel West / Jewish Currents:
The Radical Heschel — ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL, who died on this day 48 years ago, was the greatest exemplar of the prophetic legacy of Jerusalem in the most anti-Jewish century of recorded time. He drew inspiration from the biblical prophets, whom he wrote about in great depth …
Maura Forrest / Politico:
How 2020 changed Justin Trudeau, and didn't — PROGRAMMING NOTE: Corridors will not publish from Thursday, Dec. 24 to Friday, Jan. 1. We'll be back on our normal schedule on Wednesday, Jan. 6. — At the very beginning of this interminable year, Justin Trudeau grew a beard.
Gustavo Arellano / Los Angeles Times:
Column: The bittersweet victory of Alex Padilla, California's first Latino U.S. senator — Well, Gavin Newsom took two-thirds of my advice. — In November, I wrote that he should pick a Latino from the San Fernando Valley to replace Kamala Harris as a California U.S. senator.
Discussion:
The Americano, CalMatters, CBS Los Angeles, Conservative News Today, The Daily Beast, Jewish Insider, PinkNews, NPR, Vox, Business Insider and CBS San Francisco
Eddie Scarry / Washington Examiner:
Biden's coronavirus health adviser is a prop — If President-elect Joe Biden is paying his coronavirus adviser anything, he should try getting a refund. Michael Osterholm doesn't seem to know much more about the pandemic than the average cable news anchor, and that kind of knowledge is basically free of charge.
CBS News:
Officer in Columbus, Ohio fatally shoots Black man and only then turns on body camera, officials say — Columbus, Ohio — A police officer who shot and killed a Black man holding a cellphone in Ohio's capital city early Tuesday did not activate his body camera beforehand …
Discussion:
Digby's Hullabaloo, The Root, Forbes and CBS Pittsburgh
Borzou Daragahi / The Independent:
Iran's Rouhani says ‘madman’ Trump will suffer similar grim fate as hanged Saddam Hussein — ‘One imposed a military war on us, while the other imposed an economic war’ — Iran's president on Wednesday described Donald Trump as a “madman”, likened him to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller