Top Items:
Washington Post:
McConnell blocks Democrats' attempt to quickly approve $2,000 stimulus checks amid pressure on GOP to act — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday blocked consideration of a House bill that would deliver $2,000 stimulus payments to most Americans — spurning a request …
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Oriana Gonzalez / Axios:
Trump slams McConnell for blocking vote on $2,000 stimulus checks — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday blocked Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) request to hold a vote on a House standalone measure that would boost the size of stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000 per person.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Raw Story, The Boston Globe, ABC News, HuffPost, Washington Post, Fortune, Florida Politics, The Hill, Forbes, Talking Points Memo, UPI, Washington Times, BGR, The Daily Caller, One America News Network, TheBlaze, New York Post, Real America's Voice and The Intellectualist
Axios:
Senate tide begins to shift toward $2,000 checks after Trump's push — A couple of days ago, it looked impossible that $2,000 COVID relief checks — up from the $600 checks for individuals in the package President Trump signed Sunday — could pass the Senate.
Discussion:
Fox News, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, The Western Journal, Townhall, Real Clear Politics, Mediaite, Raw Story, HotAir, Michigan Advance, KDFX-TV, Breitbart, IJR, The Week and Washington Examiner
Jacob Pramuk / CNBC:
McConnell blocks $2,000 stimulus checks, then ties them to unrelated Trump demands on tech and election
McConnell blocks $2,000 stimulus checks, then ties them to unrelated Trump demands on tech and election
Discussion:
NewsNation Now, NPR, Gizmodo, Iowa Capital Dispatch, Roll Call, The Right Scoop, Raw Story, The Intellectualist, Mock Paper Scissors, The Week and TalkLeft
Tyler Clifford / CNBC:
GOP pollster says Trump's demand for $2,000 stimulus checks is a nightmare for Republicans in Georgia
GOP pollster says Trump's demand for $2,000 stimulus checks is a nightmare for Republicans in Georgia
Discussion:
The Hill, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, CNN, Raw Story and The Intellectualist
Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:
$2,000 Stimulus Checks Are Poorly Targeted and That's Fine
$2,000 Stimulus Checks Are Poorly Targeted and That's Fine
Discussion:
Slow Boring, Washington Post and The Week
Burgess Everett / Politico:
Trump leans on McConnell for $2,000 checks amid GOP resistance
Trump leans on McConnell for $2,000 checks amid GOP resistance
Discussion:
Esquire, Business Insider, CNBC, Talking Points Memo, New York Post, The Verge, CBS Pittsburgh and Mediaite
Bloomberg:
McConnell Rebuffs Trump, Democrats by Blocking $2,000 Checks
McConnell Rebuffs Trump, Democrats by Blocking $2,000 Checks
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Associated Press, HotAir, Big League Politics, NBC10 Philadelphia, WITF, Mediaite and The Daily Poster
Oriana Gonzalez / Axios:
Georgia's GOP senators back $2,000 stimulus checks ahead of runoff
Georgia's GOP senators back $2,000 stimulus checks ahead of runoff
Discussion:
National Review, New York Magazine, Mother Jones, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Vox, Fox News, NBC News, ABC News, New York Post, HuffPost, Breitbart, Business Insider, IJR, The Hill, Jacobin, The Daily Poster, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, HotAir, The Week, The Intellectualist and Political Wire
Washington Post:
First case of highly infectious coronavirus variant detected in Colorado — The Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free. For more free coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter where all stories are free to read.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, New York Times, SFist, abc7NY, KRON4 and Deseret News
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Amanda Macias / CNBC:
U.S. confirms first case of the new Covid strain discovered in UK — Colorado health officials identified the first Covid-19 case caused by a contagious UK variant. — The new strain could be as much as 70% more transmissible. — The individual is a male in his 20s who is currently in isolation in Elbert County, Colorado.
Discussion:
Denver Post, CBS News and Associated Press
Kate Bennett / CNN:
Trump angered by Mar-a-Lago renovations, sources say — (CNN)His mood darkened as soon as he walked into his members-only club Mar-a-Lago, three days before Christmas, according to multiple sources. The changes to his private quarters, many of which were overseen by his wife …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, The Sun, Raw Story and Page Six
Yahoo News:
L.A. County hospitals turn away ambulances, put patients in gift shop: 'I've never seen anything like this' — At Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, the breaking point came Sunday night. — There was not one available bed for at least 30 patients who needed intensive or intermediate levels of care …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Los Angeles Times, Daily News, Breitbart, The Stranger and The Guardian
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Washington Post:
N.Y. prosecutor hires forensic accounting experts as Trump criminal probe escalates — NEW YORK — The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has retained forensic accounting specialists to aid its criminal investigation of President Trump and his business operations, as prosecutors ramp …
Discussion:
The Intellectualist
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Nikki Haley's mind-numbing inanity — Republicans have made clear for years that they lack constructive ideas to respond to Americans' real-world concerns. In lieu of rational responses to rising health-care costs or falling K-12 test scores or income inequality, they rant about Confederate flags …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Crooks and Liars, Townhall, Stand For America and Fox News
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Zack Stanton / Politico:
The Worst Predictions of 2020 — On the last day of 2019, President Donald Trump joined in on New Year's Eve celebrations at Mar-a-Lago, ringing in 2020 with what was, in retrospect, a terrible prediction about the year ahead. — “We're going to have a great year, I predict,” the president told assembled guests.
Discussion:
USA Today, VICE, National Review and TheBlaze
Matt Naham / Law & Crime:
Federal Judge Calls Trump a ‘Criminal’ During a Phone Call with the Associated Press — A senior U.S. District judge called Donald Trump a “criminal” during a phone call with the Associated Press as he discussed the 45th president's recent pardons of political allies who were convicted …
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Ryan J. Foley / Associated Press:
Federal judge in Iowa ridicules Trump's pardons — IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge in Iowa who has warned against political corruption is ridiculing President Trump's pardons, including those issued to convicted Republican campaign operatives and former members of Congress.
Discussion:
The Hill
McKay Coppins / The Atlantic:
The Resistance's Breakup With the Media Is at Hand — The day after the 2016 election, I got a phone call from an old friend. Neither of us had slept much, and we spent most of the conversation exchanging shell-shocked comments of the Can you believe this? variety. Before we hung up, his voice took on a trace of irony.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, HuffPost, Raw Story and Townhall, more at Mediagazer »
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Shelby Talcott / The Daily Caller:
CNN's Jim Acosta: 'I Don't Think The Press Should Be Trying To Whip Up The Biden Presidency'
CNN's Jim Acosta: 'I Don't Think The Press Should Be Trying To Whip Up The Biden Presidency'
Discussion:
HotAir, Twitchy and The Intellectualist
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Donald Trump, Michelle Obama Most Admired in 2020 — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans are most likely to name President Donald Trump and Michelle Obama as most admired man and woman in 2020. Trump tied former President Barack Obama for the honor last year but edged out his predecessor this year.
Discussion:
Business Insider, The Gateway Pundit, The Hill, RedState, NPR, New York Post, Snopes.com, Washington Examiner, TheGrio, Power Line, HotAir, UPI, WHNT-TV, Breitbart, One America News Network, Washington Times, The Sun, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze, Big League Politics, CNN, IJR, Liberty Unyielding, Towleroad Gay News, Mediaite, Conservative News Today, Townhall and Washington Post
W. James Antle III / Washington Examiner:
‘Things will get worse before they get better’: Biden's grim COVID-19 speech offers contrast with Trump — President-elect Joe Biden painted a grim picture of the coronavirus pandemic, saying the worst was yet to come. — Biden also chided his predecessor for the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations …
Discussion:
The Hill, Reuters, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and Washington Post
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U.S. Department of Justice:
Justice Department Announces Closing of Investigation into 2014 Officer Involved Shooting in Cleveland, Ohio — The Justice Department announced today that the career prosecutors reviewing the independent federal investigation into the fatal shooting of Tamir Rice on Nov. 22, 2014, in Cleveland …
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Andrea Salcedo / Washington Post:
Massachusetts GOP leader says he likely got covid-19 at a White House Hanukkah party: 'I'm paying the price' — Earlier this month, Tom Mountain, a Massachusetts Republican Party leader, posed for a maskless photo in front of a silver menorah as dozens of other guests without face coverings mingled nearby …
Discussion:
Business Insider, WJAR-TV, The Hill, Slate and Mediaite
David Corn / Mother Jones:
Kelly Loeffler's Conflict of Interest Is Even Worse Than Reported — 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. — As she campaigns for reelection in the January 5 run-off, Kelly Loeffler …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Politico:
Judge blocks voter purge in 2 Georgia counties — A federal judge in Georgia on Monday ordered two counties to reverse a decision removing more than 4,000 voters from the rolls ahead of the Jan. 5 runoff elections that will decide control of the U.S. Senate.
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Dani Alexis Ryskamp / The Atlantic:
The Life in The Simpsons Is No Longer Attainable — The most famous dysfunctional family of 1990s television enjoyed, by today's standards, an almost dreamily secure existence that now seems out of reach for all too many Americans. I refer, of course, to the Simpsons.
Ed Yong / The Atlantic:
Where Year Two of the Pandemic Will Take Us — Editor's Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here. — The influenza pandemic that began in 1918 killed as many as 100 million people over two years.
Discussion:
The Week
Haley Britzky / Task & Purpose:
The Army is planning a major overhaul of its hair and grooming regulations … Senior Army leaders are discussing making long-awaited changes to hair and grooming regulations and they plan to announce the finalized changes in January 2021, Task & Purpose has learned.
Peter Grant / Wall Street Journal:
Kushner Cos. Plans to Raise $100 Million by Selling Bonds in Israel — Company plan is likely to rekindle criticism of potential conflicts of interest between Jared Kushner's role in White House and his family's business — Kushner Cos., the family business of White House senior aide Jared Kushner …
Chris Cioffi / Roll Call:
The Inaugural Luncheon is the latest pandemic casualty — The century-old tradition of the post-inauguration lunch is the latest pandemic casualty as COVID-19 continues to upend the ceremonies around the Jan. 20 swearing-in of President-elect Joe Biden. — The Inaugural Luncheon tradition …
Joseph Krauss / Associated Press:
Record shows US sold ambassador's home in Israel for $67M — An official record shows that the United States sold the ambassador's residence in Israel for more than $67 million in July — Catch up on the developing stories making headlines. — JERUSALEM — The United States sold …
Discussion:
The Hill and Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Philip Ewing / NPR:
Biden's Incoming National Security Adviser Faults Pentagon's ‘Obstruction’ — The outgoing Trump administration still isn't providing information in the way President-elect Joe Biden's lieutenants feel is appropriate for a team poised to take the reins of power, incoming national security adviser Jake Sullivan told NPR Tuesday.
Discussion:
Politico, Vanity Fair, Real America's Voice and HuffPost
Will Sommer / The Daily Beast:
Michael Flynn Is Now Selling QAnon Merch — Trump's former national security adviser is going all in on QAnon, selling QAnon T-shirts and launching a QAnon news site — Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn is going all in on the QAnon conspiracy theory …
Reed Albergotti / Washington Post:
Apple's longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China — New documents show Lens Technology, which makes iPhone glass and is owned by China's richest woman, received Uighur Muslim laborers transferred from Xinjiang. — One of the oldest and most well-known iPhone suppliers …
Discussion:
Gizmodo, The Western Journal, The Verge, National Review, The Daily Caller, Engadget, Business Insider and BuzzFeed News, more at Techmeme »
William J. Kole / Associated Press:
Statue of slave kneeling before Lincoln is removed in Boston — A statue of Abraham Lincoln with a freed slave appearing to kneel at his feet — optics that drew objections amid a national reckoning with racial injustice — has been removed from its perch in downtown Boston.
Discussion:
The Hill and The Daily Caller