memeorandum: Trump's Presidency Is Over. His Judges Will Be Here For Decades. (Jennifer Bendery/HuffPost)

3:30 PM ET, December 26, 2020

Top Items:

Statement by President-elect Joe Biden on the Need to Sign the COVID-19 Economic Relief Bill — It is the day after Christmas, and millions of families don't know if they'll be able to make ends meet because of President Donald Trump's refusal to sign an economic relief bill approved by Congress …

Discussion: Politico, Business Insider and New York Post

Haley Victory Smith / Washington Examiner:

Millions lose jobless benefits after Trump refuses to sign stimulus package — Though Congress came to an agreement on a second coronavirus stimulus package, President Trump refused to sign it, leaving millions without jobless benefits. — With the bill still unsigned on Saturday …

Discussion: Business Insider, Reuters, Sara A. Carter, Forbes and New York Post

Kevin Liptak / CNN:

Trump's mind is elsewhere as unemployment benefits run out for millions of Americans — Washington (CNN)A day before unemployment benefits for millions of Americans were set to expire, President Donald Trump had a different insult in mind: his former-model wife has yet to appear on the cover of a fashion magazine as first lady.

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Daily Caller, The Root, ABC30 and Gothamist

Tal Axelrod / The Hill:
Biden pushes Trump to sign COVID-19 bill: ‘It needs to be signed into law now’

Discussion: CNN, Fox News, NBC News, Business Insider, Jezebel, Washington Times and The Week

Alan Rappeport / New York Times:
Unemployment Aid Set to Lapse Saturday as Trump's Plans for Relief Bill Remain Unclear

Discussion: BuzzFeed News, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Fortune, Blue Virginia, The Guardian, NBC10 Philadelphia, Mock Paper Scissors, The Week and Axios

Adam Edelman / NBC News:
Trump again calls for $2,000 checks as Covid aid bill remains in flux

Discussion: KUSI-TV, The Hill, Reuters, One America News Network, The Sun and New York Post

CBS News:
COVID relief bill flown to Florida, where Trump went golfing

Discussion: Al Jazeera, CBS Chicago and Wall Street Journal

Ashley Fetters / Politico:

Washington's Secret to the Perfect Zoom Bookshelf? Buy It Wholesale. — In a place like Washington—small, interconnected, erudite, gossipy—being well-read can create certain advantages. So, too, can seeming well-read. The “Washington bookshelf” is almost a phenomenon in itself …

Discussion: Althouse

Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:

Trump's Presidency Is Over. His Judges Will Be Here For Decades. — Thanks to Mitch McConnell, Trump has put more than 230 people into lifetime federal court seats. Most are white, male, right-wing ideologues. — Donald Trump's presidency is ending in a few weeks.

Discussion: Associated Press

Mike Brest / Washington Examiner:

Trump rebukes FBI, DOJ, Congress, and Supreme Court in morning Twitter tantrum — President Trump spent part of his Saturday morning rebuking federal officials who have not helped him win a second term since losing the election and Congress for stimulus negotiations.

Discussion: Washington Times, Conservative News Today, The Hill, Bangor Daily News and Florida Politics

Evan Semones / Politico:

Trump rails at Justice Dept., Supreme Court as stimulus bill deadline nears — The president took aim at the FBI and DOJ for not pursuing baseless claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election. — President Donald Trump. On the day millions of Americans left unemployed by the coronavirus pandemic prepare …

Discussion: Alternet.org, Business Insider and POLITICUSUSA

Laurence Tribe / Financial Times:

Donald Trump's pardons must not obstruct justice — Abuses of constitutional clemency power should be investigated and prosecuted — The writer is a Harvard professor of constitutional law — If, as Alexander Pope reflected in 1711, “to err is human, to forgive, divine,” …

Discussion: Raw Story

Zachary Petrizzo / Mediaite:
Roger Stone Says He's Going To Sue Bill Barr and Justice Department For $25M After Trump Pardon

Discussion: Conservative News Today and Towleroad Gay News

Ed Pilkington / The Guardian:
How real is the threat of prosecution for Donald Trump post-presidency?

Discussion: Alternet.org

CBS News:

Person of interest identified in connection to Nashville bombing — A law enforcement source told CBS News a person of interest has been identified in connection to the Christmas morning explosion in Nashville. The person is connected to the RV that exploded.

Discussion: The Hill, The Daily Beast, USA Today, Daily Mail, RedState, ABC News, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian, WHNT-TV, OutKick and The Election Wizard

Associated Press:
AP sources: Human remains found near Nashville explosion

Discussion: Washington Post, The Tennessean, Breitbart, New York Times, BBC, WTVF-TV, CNN, Task & Purpose, WITF, CBS News, The Week, The Root, The Federalist, WGN-TV, TheBlaze, Outside the Beltway, COURIER, Fox News, Boston Herald, WKRN-TV, FOX 5 San Diego, ABC13, The Daily Caller, KTVZ-TV, abc7NY, CNBC, Townhall, RedState, The Hill and Raw Story

Associated Press:
Downtown Nashville explosion knocks communications offline

Discussion: The Hill, CNN, NPR, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Newsy, CBS News, The Other McCain, American Military News, Tennessee Star, TASS, RedState and Alternet.org

Philip Pullella / Reuters:

Archaeologists uncover ancient street food shop in Pompeii — ROME (Reuters) - Archaeologists in Pompeii, the city buried in a volcanic eruption in 79 AD, have made the extraordinary find of a frescoed hot food and drinks shop that served up the ancient equivalent of street food to Roman passersby.

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:

A Stinging Setback in California Is a Warning for Democrats in 2022 — Democrats lost four swing House districts in the state, suggesting that their hold on a number of formerly Republican seats is tenuous at best. — LOS ANGELES — Two years ago, Democrats celebrated a sweep …

Discussion: HotAir

Patricia Cohen / New York Times:

A ‘Great Cultural Depression’ Looms for Legions of Unemployed Performers — With theaters and concert halls shuttered, unemployment in the arts has cut deeper than in restaurants and other hard-hit industries. — In the top echelons of classical music, the violinist Jennifer Koh is by any measure a star.

Chris Megerian / Los Angeles Times:

Families are turning obituaries into final pleas to avoid COVID-19 — When Pamela Caddell died of COVID-19 last month, there was no funeral — her family knew that, as a former nurse, she wouldn't want anyone else to be exposed to the disease. — But there was still something her husband …

Associated Press:

Despite smooth election, GOP leaders seek vote restrictions — ATLANTA (AP) — Changes to the way millions of Americans voted this year contributed to record turnout, but that's no guarantee the measures making it easier to cast ballots will stick around for future elections.

Discussion: New York Times and Axios