Top Items:
Lisa Needham / Public Notice:
Trump moves to burn down the rule of law — His cabinet nominations are obscene and augur dark days to come. … 🌎 — When the sordid history of the second Trump administration is written, should we all survive that long, it will be difficult to sort out which of his early cabinet picks were the most atrocious.
Discussion:
The Intercept, New York Times, Mediaite, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, The Sun, The Guardian and National Review
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Chris Geidner / Law Dork:
Trump wants his criminal lawyers at DOJ, RFK Jr. at HHS, and no one holding him back — Republican senators are going to have to think hard about their role. — It is becoming increasingly clear that, to the extent Donald Trump ever took the presidency seriously, he is not doing so this time around …
Filip Timotija / The Hill:
Jordan: Gaetz ethics report 'shouldn't go public' — House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said Thursday that the former Rep. Matt Gaetz's (R-Fla.) House Ethics Commitee report “shouldn't go public,” amid pressure to release it after he was tapped for a potential Trump administration role.
Discussion:
New Republic, IJR and Trending Politics …
Washington Post:
Trump is already testing Republicans, and some seem unwilling to defy him — “It's a given Trump's going to beat us into submission,” said one House Republican. — On the eve of their return to Congress this week, a group of House Republicans sat down with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) …
Discussion:
Raw Story, MinnPost, The Hill, Washington Examiner and NBC News
Marc A. Caputo / The Bulwark:
Gaetz Begins Lobbying Lawmakers, Hoping He Hasn't Burned All the Bridges
Gaetz Begins Lobbying Lawmakers, Hoping He Hasn't Burned All the Bridges
Colby Itkowitz / Washington Post:
Trump looks to bypass Senate for polarizing Cabinet picks
Trump looks to bypass Senate for polarizing Cabinet picks
Discussion:
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Rolling Stone:
Trump's Extreme Hires Are About Showing Republicans Who's Boss
Trump's Extreme Hires Are About Showing Republicans Who's Boss
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Transom, Raw Story, Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, The Hill and The Atlantic
Will Steakin / ABC News:
Woman testified to House Ethics Committee that Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17: Sources
Woman testified to House Ethics Committee that Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17: Sources
Discussion:
Drop Site News, Salon, Vanity Fair, The Dispatch, FOX 35 Orlando, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Times, Lawyers, Guns & Money, New York Times, The Independent, Talking Points Memo, NOTUS, Sun-Sentinel, Roll Call, Filosofa's Word, The Daily Beast, Law & Crime, Rolling Stone, USA Today, New York Post, Esquire, Forbes, Fox News, Florida Politics, Hollywood Life, New Republic, NBC News, CBS News and Axios
NBC News:
Senators want details of Matt Gaetz ethics probe before his confirmation vote for attorney general
Senators want details of Matt Gaetz ethics probe before his confirmation vote for attorney general
Discussion:
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Keren Landman / Vox:
What RFK Jr. can — and can't — actually do as Trump's health secretary — Donald Trump announced Thursday that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would be his nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, setting the stage for a potentially radical remaking of the nation's health care.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Axios, Reuters and Bloomberg
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New York Post:
Putting RFK Jr. in charge of health breaks the first rule of medicine
Putting RFK Jr. in charge of health breaks the first rule of medicine
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Post, New Jersey Online and Mediaite
Politico:
Playbook: Trump floods the zone with new appointees
Playbook: Trump floods the zone with new appointees
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Examiner, Political Wire and Fox News
Maya Yang / The Guardian:
RFK Jr condemned as ‘clear and present danger’ after Trump nomination
RFK Jr condemned as ‘clear and present danger’ after Trump nomination
Discussion:
The Hill, USA Today, Bloomberg, New Republic, Axios, New York Post, Senator Patty Murray, NBC News, LGBTQ Nation, Forbes, Newsbusters, Daily Mail, Reuters, IJR, Variety, CBS News, The Intercept, Wired, Associated Press, Politico, Daily Montanan, The Times of Israel, ABC News, New York Daily News, Vanity Fair, CNN, Trending Politics … and New York Times
Denver Post:
Gov. Jared Polis cheers RFK Jr.'s nomination for health post despite anti-vaccine statements
Gov. Jared Polis cheers RFK Jr.'s nomination for health post despite anti-vaccine statements
Discussion:
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Benjamin Mazer / The Atlantic:
The Sanewashing of RFK Jr.
The Sanewashing of RFK Jr.
Discussion:
HuffPost, Scripps News, Associated Press, HotAir and PolitiFact
Olivia Beavers / Politico:
House Ethics chair says meeting on Gaetz report has been postponed, not canceled — Chair of the House Ethics Committee Michael Guest said Friday morning the group has only postponed, not canceled, a meeting to discuss the panel's report about Matt Gaetz. Guest (R-Miss.) declined to say whether …
Discussion:
Axios, Florida Politics, Mock Paper Scissors, The Independent, The Hill, Mediaite, Townhall and Washington Post
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Politico:
House ethics panel cancels meeting amid pressure to release Gaetz report — The House Ethics Committee won't be meeting after all on Friday as pressure builds to release the findings of its report on Rep. Matt Gaetz. Anticipation was high for the closed-door meeting after Donald Trump announced …
Discussion:
The Hill, CBS News, Washington Examiner and CNN
CNN:
Trump's team skips FBI background checks for some Cabinet picks — President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is bypassing traditional FBI background checks for at least some of his Cabinet picks while using private companies to conduct vetting of potential candidates for administration jobs …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Raw Story, The Independent, New Republic, Crooks and Liars and Axios
Gabriel Sherman / Vanity Fair:
Trump's Defense Secretary Pick Pete Hegseth Said to Face Previous Sexual Misconduct Allegation — Sources say Donald Trump's transition team leadership met with the former Fox News host, who is a left-field pick to head the Department of Defense, about the claims on Thursday.
Washington Post:
Inside the Republican false-flag effort to turn off Kamala Harris voters — A multipronged dark money effort by advisers to Elon Musk targeted liberals, Jews, Muslims and Black voters with ads that were not quite what they seemed. — Muslims in Michigan began seeing pro-Israel ads …
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Stephen Neukam / Axios:
Scoop: Senate Democrats caught flat-footed by GOP anti-trans attacks
Scoop: Senate Democrats caught flat-footed by GOP anti-trans attacks
Discussion:
freebeacon.com
M. Gessen / New York Times:
This Is the Dark, Unspoken Promise of Trump's Return — For those bewildered by why so many Americans apparently voted against the values of liberal democracy, Balint Magyar has a useful formulation. “Liberal democracy,” he says, “offers moral constraints without problem-solving” …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Eric Schmeltzer / New Republic:
The Democrats' Refusal to Break With a Broken System Cost Them Dearly — It's become something of a glum tradition in the Democratic Party. After an electoral beating, opinion makers and political elites—along with everyone with a social media account—offer their takes as to why Democrats blew it.
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Beware the Trifecta: History Shows Full Control of Government Is Fleeting — The last five presidents have all had periods where both the House and the Senate were in friendly hands — but most lasted just two years before the backlash set in. — After Republicans did better than expected …
Discussion:
Al Jazeera and Nevada Current
Michael Schaffer / Politico:
The Resistance Is Not Coming to Save You. It's Tuning Out. — The first Trump administration sparked waves of public activism and aggressive media coverage. This time, not so much. — In the weeks before the 2024 election, no media platform had more catnip for Donald Trump's detractors than the Drudge Report.
Timothy Snyder / Thinking about:
Decapitation Strike — Preserving America from Trump's Appointments — Each of Trump's proposed appointments is a surprise. It is comforting to think that he is simply a vengeful old man, lashing out this way and that. This is unlikely. He and Musk and Putin have been talking for years.
Maya Yang / The Guardian:
Musk asks ‘high-IQ revolutionaries’ to work for no pay on new Trump project — World's richest man solicits applications for ‘tedious work’ in newly formed Department of Government Efficiency — Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are asking Americans who are “high-IQ small-government revolutionaries” …
Discussion:
USA Today, NBC News, Politico, TMZ.com, Breitbart, The Independent, The Hill, New Republic, Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit and Not the Bee
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Trump's New Oligarchy Is About to Unleash Unimaginable Corruption — Last spring, Donald Trump presided over a meeting with the country's top oil executives at his Mar-a-Lago resort. According to The Washington Post, Trump promised to fulfill a wish list of policies sought by their industry …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Off Message
Washington Post:
Mar-a-Lago intrigue rises as Trump eyes treasury secretary pick — Hedge fund executive Scott Bessent is expected to meet with the president-elect on Friday. Transition co-chair Howard Lutnick is also seeking the post. — When Scott Bessent left President-elect Donald Trump's Mar …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Washington Examiner and Fox News
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Paul Steinhauser / Fox News:
Mike Rogers in consideration for FBI chief after meeting in Mar-a-Lago with Trump transition team, sources say — Mike Rogers served as an FBI Special Agent before winning election to Congress and steering the House Intelligence Committee — FIRST ON FOX - Will the second time be the charm …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
Barak Ravid / Axios:
Scoop: Israel destroyed active nuclear weapons research facility in Iran, officials say … - One former Israeli official briefed on the strike said it destroyed sophisticated equipment used to design the plastic explosives that surround uranium in a nuclear device and are needed to detonate it.
Anna Betts / The Guardian:
Judge orders hearing to review Onion's purchase of Alex Jones's InfoWars — Judge to audit if conspiracy theorist's bankruptcy auction was fair, which could delay buying process for satire site — A judge has intervened and ordered a hearing to review the purchase of the conspiracy theorist …
Discussion:
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Jing Li / Bloomberg:
Xi Warns Against ‘Going Back in History’ as Trump Tariffs Loom — World entering ‘new period of turbulence and change’: Xi — Xi set to champion globalization at APEC, G-20 summits — Biden to Meet Xi as Focus Turns to Trump — Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against any efforts …
Discussion:
Reuters, CBS News, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Daily Mail, The Hill, Kyodo News+ and New York Times