memeorandum: Challenge coin for Louisville officers, meant to depict protests, shows city on fire (Tessa Duvall/Courier-Journal)

3:50 PM ET, December 23, 2020

Top Items:

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: CNBC, Bloomberg, Talking Points Memo, Forbes, Raw Story, The Week and Political Wire

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 …

Discussion: The Week, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Daily Caller, Reuters, Raw Story, Business Insider, The Guardian, Washington Monthly, TheBlaze and Washington Post

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, Forbes, POLITICUSUSA, HotAir, Raw Story, The Week and Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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, NPR, Forbes and Summit News, more at Mediagazer »

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 and Political Wire

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 »

Aidan McLaughlin / Mediaite:
Maria Bartiromo Duped Into On-Air Interview With Animal Rights Activist Posing as CEO of Pork Giant

Discussion: The Week and The Wrap

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
Fox News management failures invited legal threat from Smartmatic

Discussion: Media Matters for America

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Trump detonates a truth bomb in the Georgia Senate races — President Trump might not realize it, but he just handed Democrats a big weapon to wield against the two Republican senators running in the Georgia runoffs. — By abruptly calling for $2,000 stimulus checks on Tuesday night …

Discussion: Vox, Fox News, American Prospect, Roll Call, The Intellectualist, POLITICUSUSA, Forbes, New Yorker, The Root and Raw Story

Washington Post:
Trump's last-minute tantrum throws pandemic relief effort into chaos

Discussion: Business Insider, The Hill, Associated Press, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, NPR, The American Independent, Raw Story and Alternet.org

Axios:
Trump unleashes signature chaos with stimulus threat and wave of controversial pardons

Discussion: Washington Post, Gothamist, Associated Press, Raw Story, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Week, New York Magazine, First Draft, New York Times, Fox News and The American Independent

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

Susan Ferrechio / Washington Examiner:
Democrats dare GOP to block $2,000 stimulus checks in Christmas Eve vote

Discussion: Politico and BuzzFeed News

ABC News:
Trump threatens to block COVID-19 relief bill after months of talks

Discussion: RedState, Newsbusters and Colorado Pols

Roman Chiarello / Fox News:
Rep. Jody Hice slams ‘inexcusable’ coronavirus relief bill, calls for reopening of economy

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Axios

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
Live updates: Biden introduces education secretary nominee; Trump threatens not to sign stimulus bill

Discussion: New York Times, Forbes, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, CANNONFIRE, HotAir, Associated Press, Talking Points Memo, WPHM and Business Insider

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: The Hill, New York Times, Detroit News, Washington Examiner, Conservative News Today, Business Insider, HotAir, COURIER, Roll Call and The Signorile Report

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: The Daily Caller and Mock Paper Scissors

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 …

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.

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 …

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, Fox News, Associated Press, Bloomberg, CBS News, The Hill, Axios, Roll Call, The Sun, The American Independent 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: Roll Call

New York Times:
Trump Pardons Two Russia Inquiry Figures and Blackwater Guards

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.

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, Vanity Fair, Alternet.org, Raw Story, Hackwhackers and Business Insider

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 …

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission:

Public Statement — Statement of SEC Chairman Jay Clayton — I recently submitted a letter to President Donald J. Trump informing him that today, December 23, 2020, will be my last day as Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The text of the letter is included below.

Discussion: Bloomberg

Tessa Duvall / Courier-Journal:

Challenge coin for Louisville officers, meant to depict protests, shows city on fire — LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Pictures of a controversial new ‘challenge coin’ for Louisville police officers surfaced on social media Wednesday morning, immediately sparking backlash over its depiction …

Josh Barro / Business Insider:

Stop lying about the relief bill … - There is a lot of nonsense being spouted about the latest COVID relief package. — People are trying to argue that the only thing average Americans get is the $600 check, but that is not true. The package includes an array of programs that will help people most in need.

Discussion: TIME

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 …

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 …

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 …

Barak Ravid / Axios:

Scoop: Israel tries to use Milley as conduit to Biden on Iran — Israel used the recent visit by Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to pass on several messages to the incoming Biden administration regarding Iran and other regional developments, senior Israeli officials tell me.

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.