memeorandum: My Traumatizing Years With Bryan Singer (Blake Stuerman/Variety)

9:50 PM ET, December 20, 2021

Top Items:

Jonathan Lemire / Politico:

Biden and Manchin speak — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and President Joe Biden spoke Sunday night after a major blowup in negotiations around the president's domestic agenda, three people familiar with the call told POLITICO. — The conversation ended with a sense that negotiations would …

Discussion: ABC News, Insider, The Hill, The Independent, Progress Pond, Patterico's Pontifications, Forbes, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, POLITICUSUSA, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Examiner, Alternet.org, NBC News, Digby's Hullabaloo, National Review and Outside the Beltway

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Biden Should Take Manchin's Deal Right Now … Sunday morning, Joe Manchin threw a giant twist into the plot of the Biden presidency by announcing his opposition to the administration's signature domestic agenda. But the new plot had a gaping hole: Biden noted that, a few days before walking away …

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, Against the Grain, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal and The Daily Wire

Washington Post:

Manchin's private offer to Biden included pre-k, climate money, Obamacare — but excluded child benefit — The West Virginia Democrat tried to pare back a tax and spending package, stripping out pieces the White House wanted to keep. — Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) …

Steve Clemons / The Hill:

White House incivility is what ‘lost’ Joe Manchin — President Biden is, at most times, a brilliant negotiator. He seduces foreign leaders by working hard to know what they care about. He often brings along his grandchildren to remind them that decisions they make now will affect those kids and their futures.

Discussion: BuzzFeed News, Politico, HotAir, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, The Mahablog, The Intercept, CNBC, Digby's Hullabaloo, National Review, Breitbart, Mediaite, KLFY-TV, New York Magazine and Vox

Daniel Chaitin / Washington Examiner:

White House says Biden came in close contact with COVID-infected staffer — President Joe Biden came in close contact with a staff member who tested positive for COVID-19, the White House announced Monday. — White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the 79-year-old Biden …

Discussion: Bloomberg, USA Today, NBC News, CNBC, The Hill, Insider, Fox News, ABC News, New York Post, Townhall, The White House, The Daily Caller, NPR, Reuters and Washington Times

Sam Dorman / Fox News:
Congressman Andy Biggs says Biden admin seeks ‘control,’ to make unvaccinated into ‘an other’ in society

Discussion: Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit, Townhall, National Review, The Western Journal and Breitbart

Jacqueline Alemany / Washington Post:
House Jan. 6 committee seeks information from GOP Rep. Perry about communications with Trump White House officials

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner, NBC News, Roll Call, The Hill and Talking Points Memo

Steven Nelson / New York Post:
Manchin: WH staff ‘real reason’ for death of Biden's social spending bill

Discussion: The Western Journal, The Hill, RedState, Denver Post and Roll Call

Elana Schor / Politico:
Magical thinking vs. Manchin

Discussion: CNN

WV MetroNews:
About Talkline — Talkline is a two hour call-in portrait of West Virginia, conducted by the state's best known broadcaster.

Discussion: CBS News, HuffPost, Washington Examiner, Rolling Stone and Insider

Kate Bennett / CNN:
Bidens add to their family with new first puppy

Discussion: The Hill, Digby's Hullabaloo, UPI and The Daily Caller

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Democratic leaders fire a new shot at Manchin as his isolation deepens

Discussion: Reuters, Insider, Forbes and Mediaite

HuffPost:
Joe Manchin Privately Told Colleagues Parents Use Child Tax Credit Money On Drugs

Discussion: USA Today, New York Times, Washington Post, Axios, Talking Points Memo, The Nation, Insider, People's Policy Project, The Daily Signal, The Signorile Report, NBC News, Full Stack Economics, Bloomberg, RedState, Political Junkie, Zandar Versus The Stupid, The Intercept, Lawyers, Guns & Money, TheBlaze, Mediaite, CNN, The Daily Wire, New Republic, Conservative Partnership …, National Review, Truthout, The Daily Beast, HotAir, BizPac Review, Vanity Fair, KDFX-TV, emptywheel, The Western Journal, IJR, The National Interest, The Why Axis, The Monday Notice, Alternet.org, Daily Kos, The 19th, Breitbart, The Guardian, Tangle, Common Dreams, Washington Examiner, The ADK Homeroom, Politico, The Root, NBC News, Washington Free Beacon, Rolling Stone, The Morning Missive, Webb Chatham Report, Political Wire, The White House, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin …, Washington Post, CNN, Politico and Politico

New York Times:

Jan. 6 Committee Weighs Possibility of Criminal Referrals — The House panel is examining whether there is enough evidence to recommend that the Justice Department pursue cases against Donald J. Trump and others. — When the House formed a special committee this summer to investigate …

Discussion: Raw Story, Slate and Just Security

CNN:
January 6 committee sends letter to GOP Rep. Scott Perry, asking to interview him

Discussion: Bloomberg, New York Times, Insider, USA Today, ABC News, NPR, Associated Press, Washington Times, New York Post and Raw Story

CNN:

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan tests positive for Covid-19 — (CNN)Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan tested positive for Covid-19, he tweeted Monday. — “I am feeling fine at the moment,” said Hogan, who is vaccinated and has received a booster shot. The test was part of his regular testing routine, said Hogan, a Republican.

Discussion: Bloomberg, New York Times, East Bay Times, The Daily Caller, New York Post and Twitchy

Dan Merica / CNN:
Trump met with boos after revealing he received Covid-19 booster

Discussion: The Hill, Axios, Insider, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Washington Times and IJR

Khaleda Rahman / Newsweek:
Donald Trump Reveals He Got Vaccine Booster Shot, Gets Booed by Tour Crowd

Discussion: The Duckpin, The Daily Beast, Patterico's Pontifications, Insider, The Daily Wire, CBS Chicago, NewsNation Now and Florida Politics

New York Times:

Trump Sues New York A.G. in Attempt to Stop Inquiry Into His Business — The attorney general, Letitia James, is seeking to question the former president under oath next month as part of a long-running investigation. — Donald J. Trump filed a lawsuit on Monday against the New York State attorney general …

Mike Stobbe / Associated Press:

Omicron sweeps across nation, now 73% of US COVID-19 cases — NEW YORK (AP) — Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S., accounting for 73% of new infections last week, federal health officials said Monday.

Discussion: Denver Post, ABC7, The Daily Caller, NBC Chicago and The Guardian

Peter Sullivan / The Hill:
CDC: Omicron now a majority of US COVID-19 cases — 73 percent

Discussion: Washington Post and Los Angeles Times

Blake Stuerman / Variety:

My Traumatizing Years With Bryan Singer … I turned 18 in March of 2009. Just days after my birthday, my life would change forever. — I was working in New York as an assistant scenic designer when I was introduced to Bryan Singer. Bryan had heard about me through Gary Goddard …

Discussion: Rolling Stone and HotAir

Miami Herald:

Logs show Trump flew more often on Epstein jets than was known — Donald Trump appears to have flown on Jeffrey Epstein's private jets six more times than was previously known, according to flight logs released as evidence in Ghislaine Maxwell's trial. — Previous disclosures of portions …

Discussion: Political Wire

BBC:
Ghislaine Maxwell trial jurors begin deliberations

Discussion: New York Post, The Daily Beast, Washington Post, National Review, Rolling Stone, Associated Press, Vanity Fair, Al Jazeera, The Daily Wire, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, The Western Journal and New York Times

Robert T. Garrett / Dallas Morning News:

Journalist, Dallas Morning News politics reporter, author Wayne Slater killed in car crash — Slater, who chronicled two Texas governors' rise to national prominence and co-wrote two books about George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove, was 74. — AUSTIN — Retired Dallas Morning News Austin bureau chief …

Matthew A. Winkler / Bloomberg:

Biden's Economic Performance Has Proved Unbeatable — No first-year president going back to Carter comes close to matching the current White House occupant's No. 1 or No. 2 ranking in each of 10 key measures. — U.S. financial markets are outperforming the world by the biggest margin in the 21st century …

Discussion: Raw Story and Political Wire

Jim Swift / The Bulwark:

J.D. Vance Is Now Pushing False Conspiracy Theories About “Quarantine Camps” — Seems a little crazy! — It should be generally assumed when somebody starts talking about concentration or internment camps, outside of the historical context (Nazis, Japanese internment) …

Discussion: New York Times, WEB OF EVIL and Overtime

Peter Hermann / Washington Post:

Fanone resigns from D.C. police force 11 months after battling insurrectionist mob at Capitol — Michael Fanone, the D.C. police officer who was dragged into a mob and beaten during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and later publicly excoriated lawmakers and others who downplayed the attack …

Discussion: Forbes, Mediaite and Twitchy

Valerie Volcovici / Reuters:

U.S. coal miners' union asks Manchin to ‘revisit’ opposition to spending bill — The main union representing U.S. coal miners urged West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin to reconsider his opposition to the Biden administration's $1.75 trillion climate and social spending bill to preserve measures that would have benefited its members.

Discussion: Politico

Sarah Ferris / Politico:

Murphy, a leader of House Dem centrists, won't seek reelection — Rep. Stephanie Murphy, a leading voice of House Democrats' moderate wing, announced Monday she won't seek reelection next fall in another stinging loss for her party. — The Florida Democrat — who flipped a GOP-held battleground seat …

Discussion: Ballotpedia, Washington Post, The Hill, Breitbart, OpenSecrets.org, Fox News, The Daily Caller, CNN, Roll Call, Talking Points Memo, The Gateway Pundit and BizPac Review

The Hill:
Powerful House Democratic appropriator not seeking reelection

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Travis Gettys / Raw Story:

QAnon cultists are now drinking bleach compound from communal bowl: ‘Immediately evokes images of Jonestown’ — QAnon cultists gathered in Dallas have started drinking an industrial disinfectant mixed into a chemical cocktail. — Family members of a Delaware woman who left her husband …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Dallas Observer and Virginian-Pilot

Techno Fog / The Reactionary:

It's official: Durham is investigating the Clinton Campaign. — Enter the Clinton Campaign Lawyers — The latest filings by Special Counsel John Durham reveal that lawyers for the Hillary Clinton Campaign now represent Christopher Steele primary subsource Igor Danchenko.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, RedState, Washington Times, The Gateway Pundit and Ace of Spades HQ

David H. Freedman / Newsweek:

Millions of Angry, Armed Americans Stand Ready to Seize Power If Trump Loses in 2024 — Mike “Wompus” Nieznany is a 73-year-old Vietnam veteran who walks with a cane from the combat wounds he received during his service. That disability doesn't keep Nieznany from making …

Discussion: Raw Story and Twitchy

Brandon Brown / Newsweek:

My Name Is Brandon — My name is Brandon. Brandon Brown, to be specific. Yes, that Brandon. — I am Brandon, the NASCAR driver and unlikely meme. A 28-year-old who now finds himself in the middle of the American political conversation. As a pro driver, I never expected to be in the passenger seat of my own viral moment.

Discussion: CBS News, Daily Kos, Washington Times, BizPac Review, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze, The Daily Wire, Washington Examiner and New York Times

Amy Agbayani / The White House:

President Biden Announces Intent to Appoint Commissioners to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders — WASHINGTON - Today, President Biden announced his intent to appoint the following leaders as commissioners to the President's Advisory Commission …

The Guardian:

Revealed: the Florida power company pushing legislation to slow rooftop solar — Florida Power & Light delivered bill text to a state lawmaker. Its parent company sent $10,000 to her campaign coffers — Mary Ellen Klas for the Miami Herald and Mario Alejandro Ariza for Floodlight

Human Rights Watch:

Saudi Arabia: Yemeni Man Sentenced for Apostasy — 15 Year Sentence; Case on Appeal — (Beirut) - A Saudi court sentenced a Yemeni man to 15 years in prison for apostasy on October 21, 2021, based on comments made via two anonymous Twitter accounts, Human Rights Watch said today.

The Texas Tribune:

The push to ban books in Texas schools spreads to public libraries — Some Texas residents are asking for greater say in what titles appear on public library shelves. — Copy link — When the Llano County Library shuts down for three days this week, starting Tuesday, it won't be for the holidays.