memeorandum: NORAD's Christmas Eve Santa Claus tracker needs to end (Hayes Brown/MSNBC)

10:45 AM ET, December 25, 2021

Top Items:

A Dangerous Ruling About The Times, Project Veritas and Press Freedom — The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. It is separate from the newsroom. — Half a century ago …

Discussion: The Hill, Insider and The Gateway Pundit

Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:

Judge Upholds His Block on New York Times Coverage of Project Veritas — The New York State judge also ordered The Times to turn over physical copies and destroy any electronic versions of documents a lawyer prepared for the conservative group. — A New York trial court judge has upheld …

Discussion: Reuters, RedState, Power Line, Bloomberg, Politico and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »

Hayes Brown / MSNBC:

NORAD's Christmas Eve Santa Claus tracker needs to end — This Christmas Eve, the United States military will be busy “tracking” Santa Claus' sleigh as it makes its reindeer-powered journey across American airspace. What's today known as the North American Aerospace Defense Command …

Discussion: HotAir, Deadline, Townhall, NBC News and Digby's Hullabaloo

Washington Examiner:

‘They are the blue Grinch that wants to steal Christmas’: Quotes of the week — Sen. Joe Manchin spoiled the Democrats' Christmas pudding when he said he would not vote to approve a social infrastructure bill championed by President Joe Biden, but that didn't stop Majority Leader Chuck Schumer …

Discussion: Politico

Steven Nelson / New York Post:

Biden says ‘I agree’ when dad drops 'Let's Go, Brandon' on NORAD Santa call — President Biden got a visit from a Christmas troll Friday when a father participating in the annual White House NORAD Santa-tracking call used the phrase “Let's Go Brandon,” the slangy stand-in for “F— Joe Biden.”

Discussion: Wide World of News, Power Line, Political Flare, Althouse, Joe.My.God., RedState and The Hill

Jenni Fink / Newsweek:

Jim Jordan ‘Very Scared’ as 1/6 Committee Seeks Info on Trump Calls, Fellow Lawmaker Says — The January 6 committee wants to speak with Representative Jim Jordan about his communication with former President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021, and a Democratic lawmaker urged him to offer up “everything” he knows.

Tyler Olson / Fox News:

Trump spokesman cooperating with Jan. 6 committee but fighting subpoena for financial records — Taylor Budowich's bank, JPMorgan, is represented by Obama AG Loretta Lynch — Fox News Flash top headlines for December 24 — FIRST ON FOX: Taylor Budowich, a spokesman for former President Donald Trump …

Discussion: Insider, Washington Examiner, New York Post and Raw Story

Daniel Chaitin / Washington Examiner:

Trump suspected of making ‘several’ tapes of Capitol riot response — The House committee investigating the Capitol riot suspects there are several versions of a video message recorded by former President Donald Trump in response to the violence on Jan. 6. — One line of inquiry of the panel …

Discussion: NPR, One America News Network, HillReporter.com, Washington Times, Politico and New York Post

Michael Z. Lin / Washington Post:

A new drug to treat covid could create a breeding ground for mutant viruses — Merck's molnupiravir is good at one thing — and that's what makes it scary — On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration made what may be the most momentous drug-approval decision in its history …

Discussion: Vaccination Nation

Kelly Weill / The Daily Beast:

Roger Stone Is Desperate for Cash and Still Selling Autographed Rocks — The GOP operator is hoping fans will want to pay $100 for his very own signature. — Last-minute holiday shoppers can breathe easy: Roger Stone's one-day auction of rocks, NFTs, and private phone calls with his friends has been extended indefinitely.

Discussion: Joe.My.God. and Raw Story

Michiko Kakutani / New York Times:

Didion's Prophetic Eye on America — Ms. Kakutani is a former chief book critic of The Times. She reviewed several works by Joan Didion over the decades and interviewed Ms. Didion. — Joan Didion was a writer uniquely attuned to the disorder and fragmentation of our times …

Leslie Josephs / CNBC:

Airlines cancel hundreds of Christmas Eve flights as Covid hits crews — More than 500 flights were cancelled in the U.S. on Christmas Eve. — United and Delta blamed some of the cancellations on rising numbers of Covid infections. — Airlines ramped up pressure on the CDC this week …

Discussion: HotAir, The Daily Beast, Fox Business, Denver Post, The BondBeat, The Daily Caller and NBC New York

Pete Muntean / CNN:
More than 2,000 flights canceled on Christmas Eve

Discussion: The Hill, abc7NY, ABC13, The National Interest, CBS New York, UPI, TheBlaze, KDFX-TV and SFist

Washington Post:

Biden is quietly erasing one of Trump's cruelest legacies — It has been overshadowed by months of Democratic infighting and the searing national debate over Jan. 6, but the Biden administration is quietly erasing one of the cruelest legacies of Donald Trump's presidency.

Discussion: Alternet.org, Common Dreams and New York Times

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:

The Third, and Last, Covid Winter Begins — We'll be living for a long time with the virus's ramifications for health, the economy and politics. — In New York we feel back where we started. It's like 2020, with everyone in a mask and canceling gatherings and scrambling to find a test.