Top Items:
New York Times:
Trump Gives Clemency to More Allies, Including Manafort, Stone and Charles Kushner — It was the second wave of pardons and commutations by the president in two days, showing his willingness to use his power aggressively on behalf of loyalists. — President Trump doled out clemency …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Breitbart, Forbes, The Sun, TalkLeft, Fortune, Alternet.org, Mock Paper Scissors, Associated Press, Vox, IJR, Outside the Beltway and The White House
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CNN:
Trump issues 26 new pardons, including ones for Stone, Manafort and Charles Kushner — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening announced 26 new pardons, including ones for longtime ally Roger Stone, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner's father, Charles.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg, Raw Story, Washington Times, RedState, KTVZ-TV, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Deadline and POLITICUSUSA
The White House:
Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grants of Clemency — Today, President Donald J. Trump granted Full Pardons to 26 individuals and commuted part or all of the sentences of an additional 3 individuals. — James Kassouf — President Trump granted a full pardon to James Kassouf.
Discussion:
Business Insider, The Daily Beast, Reason, The Texas Tribune, FOX 5 San Diego, Raw Story, WTOP and Associated Press
The Daily Beast:
‘This Is Just What Jared Does’: Kushner Bails on Trump's Mission to Destroy the 2020 Election — The president's son-in-law has developed a reputation in Trumpland for being conspicuously absent when things turn rocky. — As President Donald Trump tries to nullify the 2020 election …
Discussion:
Election Law Blog
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 …
Zachary Basu / Axios:
Trump pardons Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and Charles Kushner — President Trump granted full pardons to 26 more people on Wednesday night, including his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, longtime associate Roger Stone and Charles Kushner, the father of Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, The Bulwark, Fox News, LifeZette, The Guardian and Townhall
CNBC:
Trump issues 26 more pardons, including Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and Charles Kushner
Trump issues 26 more pardons, including Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and Charles Kushner
Discussion:
NPR, CBS News, Washington Post, USA Today, The Daily Caller, UPI, One America News Network, Power Line and New York Post
Politico:
Trump White House staffers receive conflicting messages about their departure
Trump White House staffers receive conflicting messages about their departure
Discussion:
Raw Story, Crooks and Liars, HotAir, Forbes, POLITICUSUSA, The Week and Talking Points Memo
Michael Kranish / Washington Post:
Trump vowed to drain the swamp. Then he granted clemency to three former congressmen convicted of federal crimes.
Trump vowed to drain the swamp. Then he granted clemency to three former congressmen convicted of federal crimes.
Emma Austin / Courier-Journal:
President Trump grants pardon for Louisville activist Christopher 2X
President Trump grants pardon for Louisville activist Christopher 2X
Discussion:
Reason
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 …
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Veronica Stracqualursi / CNN:
Voting machine company executive sues Trump allies for defamation — Dominion CEO debunks ‘bizarre allegations’ pushed by Trump team — Washington (CNN)An executive for a voting machine company that has been the target of conspiracy theories in the aftermath of Donald Trump's 2020 election loss …
Discussion:
Law & Crime, Forbes, Washington Examiner, the way of improvement …, Summit News and NPR
Politico:
‘Complete clusterf—’: Trump leaves Washington in limbo — President Donald Trump has once again thrown Washington into chaos, making uneven demands that have left lawmakers baffled and Americans coping with a global pandemic uncertain when they'll be getting long-promised financial help.
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Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Republicans just voted to defund the police — President Trump and Republicans campaigned in 2020 by scaring Americans into thinking Democrats would “defund the police” and unleash a crime spree. — This helped Republicans keep control of the Senate (for now) and grow their numbers in the House.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal and KTVZ-TV
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 and Raw Story
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Aidan McLaughlin / Mediaite:
Maria Bartiromo Duped Into On-Air Interview With Animal Rights Activist Posing as CEO of Pork Giant — Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo interviewed an animal rights activist posing as the CEO of food processing company Smithfield for an entire segment on Wednesday morning.
Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:
Trump is trashing the government on his way out. Biden is confident he can fix it. — President Trump, growing more unhinged by the hour, appears to be doing his best to trash the federal government on his way out — a matter of no small concern to the successor who, starting at noon on Jan. 20 …
Discussion:
USA Today, Forbes, The Moderate Voice, HotAir, Mediaite, Breitbart, LifeZette and Center for Public Integrity
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John Nichols / The Nation:
Ebenezer McConnell — On the chance that the heartless majority leader is not confronted …
Ebenezer McConnell — On the chance that the heartless majority leader is not confronted …
Discussion:
Raw Story, RedState, Business Insider, Forbes, The Hill, NPR, Fox News, Common Dreams and NBC New York
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:
ABC News, Politico, Fox News, BuzzFeed News and Forbes
Isaac Arnsdorf / ProPublica:
Inside Trump and Barr's Last-Minute Killing Spree — Private executioners paid in cash. Middle-of-the-night killings. False or incomplete justifications. ProPublica obtained court records showing how the outgoing administration is using its final days to execute the most federal prisoners since World War II.
Discussion:
The Hill and American Prospect
Business Insider:
EXCLUSIVE: A deputy to Eric Trump helped build a campaign shell company to protect the president from grift. But the secretive operation morphed into a mystery — even for top Trump campaign staffers. … - One of Eric Trump's top deputies played an important role overseeing …
Politico:
POLITICO Playbook PM: No one knows how this ends — SO HOW DOES THIS END? That's a damn good question. — NO ONE KNOWS. Some say President DONALD TRUMP is in burn-it-down mode and is more than willing to veto the Covid relief/funding package, ending his presidency in a lengthy shutdown, with bluster and crisis.
Discussion:
Detroit News, New York Times, Conservative News Today, Fortune, The Hill, COURIER, Washington Examiner and HotAir
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Kadia Goba / Axios:
Scoop: Pistol-packing freshmen prompt Congress gun review
Scoop: Pistol-packing freshmen prompt Congress gun review
Discussion:
Digby's Hullabaloo, The Daily Caller, Bulwark+ and Mock Paper Scissors
NBC New York:
Andrew Yang Files Paperwork to Run for New York City Mayor — Businessman and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang has filed paperwork to run for mayor of New York City, the city's Campaign Finance Board confirmed on Wednesday. — Yang's filing has the potential to immediately upend …
Discussion:
City & State NY, Fox News, Breitbart, Politico, The Hill, The Verge and The Daily Caller
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Nolan Hicks / New York Post:
Andrew Yang files paperwork to run for NYC mayor
Andrew Yang files paperwork to run for NYC mayor
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Townhall, Forbes, The Daily Caller and Democrats for Education Reform
Paul Campos / New York Magazine:
Pence Should Remove Trump From Office on Sunday — In what are supposed to be the final days of his presidency, Donald Trump has been discussing invoking martial law to overturn the results of the 2020 election and seizing supposedly fraudulent voting machines that — according …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money
CNN:
Tensions intensify between Biden and Pentagon over stalled transition briefings — (CNN)President-elect Joe Biden's transition team on Wednesday disputed suggestions from Pentagon officials who questioned the accuracy of Biden's assertion a day earlier that the Department of Defense has refused …
Discussion:
Raw Story
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Reese Oxner / NPR:
Twitter Will Reset @POTUS Account To 0 Followers After Biden Transition
Twitter Will Reset @POTUS Account To 0 Followers After Biden Transition
Discussion:
Al Jazeera, CBS San Francisco, Newsbusters, Deadline, UPI, New York Post and littlegreenfootballs.com, more at Techmeme »
Karoun Demirjian / Washington Post:
Trump vetoes defense bill, teeing up holiday override votes in Congress — President Trump made good Wednesday on his repeated threats to veto a $741 billion defense spending bill, setting up what is expected to be the first successful veto override of his presidency during his last weeks in office.
Discussion:
Politico, CNBC, New York Times, NPR, Fox News, HotAir, Axios, USA Today, Al Jazeera, Mercury News, CBS News, The American Independent, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, The Sun, The Hill, The Week and TheBlaze
Yascha Mounk / Persuasion:
Why I'm Losing Trust in the Institutions — The CDC came scarily close to adopting a plan that would, according to its own models, have killed thousands of Americans. — 1 hr ago — Who should be first in line to get the vaccine against Covid-19? — These kinds of decisions are never easy …
David Tarrant / Dallas Morning News:
Fort Worth pastor who urged ‘faith over fear’ in the pandemic mourns parents who died of COVID complications — The pastor of 2nd Mile Church in north Fort Worth, where his parents were members, said he was surprised by the sudden surge in COVID cases in recent weeks in Tarrant County.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars and WEB OF EVIL
Politico:
New cracks emerge among Democrats over Biden's Pentagon pick — President-elect Joe Biden's historic choice for secretary of defense is running into hurdles on Capitol Hill, as key Democrats express concerns publicly and privately about whether installing a retired four-star general at the helm …
David Sirota Andrew Perez / Jacobin:
Where in the World Is Kamala Harris? — Vice president-elect Kamala Harris made headlines earlier this year pushing $2,000 checks for all American. But suddenly, despite being desperately needed right now, she's nowhere to be found on the issue. — Our new issue, “Failure Is an Option,” is out now.
Discussion:
Fox News, CBS Boston, Reason and Alternet.org
Washington Post:
In Iraq, Trump's Blackwater pardons meet with cynicism, fatigue — BAGHDAD — The 2007 unprovoked killing of Iraqi civilians by Blackwater security contractors is remembered here as one of the most emblematic chapters of America's ruinous invasion. — Yet the news Wednesday that President Trump …
Discussion:
CNN, New York Times, NPR, Business Insider and Roll Call
Ariel Edwards-Levy / HuffPost:
GOP Voters Say They'd Back Trump Over Congressional Republicans — Republican Trump voters are more likely to identify with the president than their political party, a new survey finds. — GOP voters remain far likelier to align themselves with President Donald Trump than they are to side …
Discussion:
Raw Story, KTVZ-TV, Bloomberg and Digby's Hullabaloo
David Corn / Mother Jones:
Trump's Very Swampy Pardon of a Ben Carson Crony — Let our journalists help you make sense of the noise: Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter and get a recap of news that matters. — President Donald Trump's recent spate of pardons has justifiably provoked outrage.
Discussion:
WPXI-TV
John Eligon / New York Times:
Black Doctor Dies of Covid-19 After Complaining of Racist Treatment — “He made me feel like a drug addict,” Dr. Susan Moore said, accusing a white doctor of downplaying her complaints of pain and suggesting she should be discharged. — Lying in a hospital bed with an oxygen tube hugging her nostrils …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Berkeley Lovelace Jr / CNBC:
The U.S. has vaccinated just 1 million people out of a goal of 20 million for December — The CDC said just 1,008,025 shots had been administered as of Wednesday at 9 a.m. ET. — That's roughly 19 million doses shy of earlier projections for December.
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, KTVZ-TV and IJR