Top Items:
Will Steakin / ABC News:
Exclusive: Woman told House Ethics panel she witnessed Gaetz having sex with minor, lawyer says — Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress Wednesday after Trump picked him for AG. — Representative from Florida Matt Gaetz speaks during the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention …
Discussion:
Rolling Stone, CBS News, Raw Story, Roll Call, CNBC, ABC7, Florida Politics and The Daily Beast
RELATED:
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 Mahablog, The Intercept, The Independent, New York Times, Mediaite, Washington Post, Daily Caller News Foundation and The Sun
The Hill:
Speaker Johnson urges Ethics panel not to release Gaetz report
Speaker Johnson urges Ethics panel not to release Gaetz report
Discussion:
Axios, New York Times, Al Jazeera, The Atlantic, Washington Examiner, Daily Caller News Foundation, Raw Story, Scripps News, WSVN-TV, IJR, CBS News, Washington Post and Politico
Politico:
Johnson: Ethics shouldn't release Gaetz report
Johnson: Ethics shouldn't release Gaetz report
Discussion:
New York Post, USA Today, Vanity Fair, WHEC.com, Florida Politics, The Dispatch, UPI, Washington Examiner, Washington Times, Daily Kos, The Independent, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Forbes, Axios, ABC News, The Guardian, NBC News, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, New Republic, CBS News and E&E News
Olivia Beavers / Politico:
House Ethics chair says meeting on Gaetz report has been postponed, not canceled
House Ethics chair says meeting on Gaetz report has been postponed, not canceled
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Hill, The Independent, Mock Paper Scissors, Mediaite, Townhall and New York Times
Chris Geidner / Law Dork:
Trump wants his criminal lawyers at DOJ, RFK Jr. at HHS, and no one holding him back
Trump wants his criminal lawyers at DOJ, RFK Jr. at HHS, and no one holding him back
Discussion:
Politico, Daily Caller News Foundation, Vox, Talking Points Memo, The Independent, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Post, STAT, New York Times, The Daily Caller, The Bulwark, Rolling Stone, CNN, Daily Kos, WVEC, Roll Call, emptywheel, TPR, Associated Press, Deadline, Forbes, Fox News, Hollywood Life, USA Today and The Guardian
ABC News:
Mike Johnson says he doesn't think House Ethics Committee should release Gaetz report
Mike Johnson says he doesn't think House Ethics Committee should release Gaetz report
Discussion:
Diane Ravitch's blog, Axios, NOTUS, The Japan Times, Raw Story and New York Daily News
CNN:
Speaker Johnson says he's going to request Ethics Committee not release Gaetz report
Speaker Johnson says he's going to request Ethics Committee not release Gaetz report
Discussion:
Raw Story, Fox News, HuffPost, Politico, CBS News, So What, Associated Press, NOTUS, Washington Times, New York Magazine, Townhall, Forbes, Semafor, Washington Post, The Independent, Bloomberg, Mediaite, The Guardian, New York Daily News, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Reuters, Daily Mail, The Hill and NBC News
Associated Press:
Trump Pentagon pick had been flagged by fellow service member as possible ‘Insider Threat’ — Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was flagged as a possible “Insider Threat” by a fellow service member due …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, CBS News, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, The Independent and USA Today, more at Mediagazer »
Andrea Shalal / Reuters:
Muslims who voted for Trump upset by his pro-Israel cabinet picks — U.S. Muslim leaders who supported Republican Donald Trump to protest against the Biden administration's support for Israel's war on Gaza and attacks on Lebanon have been deeply disappointed by his Cabinet picks, they tell Reuters.
Discussion:
RNS
Hans Nichols / Axios:
Scoop: House Dems sick of Pelosi … - “She needs to take a seat,” said one senior Democratic lawmaker. — “Making scattershot comments is not just unhelpful, it's damaging,” said the lawmaker. … - Both lawmakers insisted on anonymity. — Pelosi still instills fear in the members she led for two decades.
Discussion:
Breitbart, freebeacon.com, Raw Story, Daily Mail, Townhall, Frontpage Mag, RedState, Mediaite and Washington Examiner
Elena Moore / NPR:
Trump picks Karoline Leavitt to be youngest White House press secretary in history — President-elect Donald Trump has selected longtime aide and media personality Karoline Leavitt to be his White House press secretary and carry the message of his administration publicly as he returns to the Oval Office.
Discussion:
New York Post, Politico, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, USA Today, Fox News, Bloomberg, Axios, The Hill, Breitbart, Scripps News, Raw Story, Forbes, Metro.co.uk, One America News Network, The Guardian, Newsbusters, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Mediaite, Townhall, RedState, Boston Herald, Daily Mail, Twitchy, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Post, Deadline and Press Herald
RELATED:
Michael Gold / New York Times:
Trump Names Karoline Leavitt as His White House Press Secretary — Ms. Leavitt, 27, who served as his campaign's press secretary and worked in the White House during his first administration, will be the youngest person ever to assume the role. — President-elect Donald J. Trump announced …
Discussion:
Daily Caller News Foundation, Metro.co.uk, Twitchy and The Hill, more at Mediagazer »
Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
Trump trolls GOP with Cabinet picks: The point is to bring Republicans to heel — but it may backfire — Trump believes in rule by fear, but that stokes resentment and possibly even resistance — In these dark times, it's more important than ever to nurse tendrils of joy.
Discussion:
Raw Story, New Republic, Fox News and The Hill
RELATED:
Alex Roarty / NOTUS:
Republicans Are Starting to Ask a New Question: Do They Need to Be More Like Trump to Win?
Republicans Are Starting to Ask a New Question: Do They Need to Be More Like Trump to Win?
Discussion:
Plain Dealer, Washington Examiner, ABC News, Raw Story and CBS News
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Trump's New Oligarchy Is About to Unleash Unimaginable Corruption
Trump's New Oligarchy Is About to Unleash Unimaginable Corruption
Discussion:
Raw Story, Doomsday Scenario, Digby's Hullabaloo and Off Message
The Guardian:
The boys in our liberal school are different now that Trump has won — Anonymous — Subtle high-fives were exchanged and remarks about the impending success of the next four years were whispered around — When we walked into school on the morning of 6 November, we exchanged quick glances …
Daniel Payne / Politico:
Washington's lobbyists are stunned Trump chose RFK Jr. — They're holding their fire and hoping Senate allies will block his confirmation as HHS secretary. — Lobbyists expecting a more conventional pick to lead the government's $3 trillion health agency than Robert F. Kennedy Jr. …
Discussion:
Twitchy
RELATED:
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:
Washington Post, CNBC, The Hill, New Jersey Online, Mediaite, Politico and New York Times
Keren Landman / Vox:
What RFK Jr. can — and can't — actually do as Trump's health secretary
What RFK Jr. can — and can't — actually do as Trump's health secretary
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Politico, Washington Post, The Guardian, Axios, Law & Crime, Al Jazeera, New York Times, NPR, Scripps News, Reuters, The Atlantic, Associated Press, Daily Montanan, Semafor, New York Daily News, USA Today and Bloomberg
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Considers Fox Business Host Larry Kudlow for Top Economic Jobs — Former National Economic Council director had met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago this week — Donald Trump appeared to be nearing a decision on his nominee to lead the Treasury Department, as he was meeting Friday …
Discussion:
Fox News, Washington Examiner, Mediaite, Forbes, New York Post, Daily Mail, Bloomberg, Washington Post, Semafor and The Gateway Pundit
Juliegrace Brufke / Axios:
Scoop: McCaul's exit from Foreign Affairs leadership sets up succession race … - “Out of respect for [conference] rules and a desire to see future leaders rise from our conference, I have decided not to pursue another term as chairman,” McCaul told Axios in a statement.
Discussion:
Progress Pond and Washington Examiner
CNN:
Trump allies lobby him to fire FBI director early and install loyalist Kash Patel — Donald Trump is weighing a push from right-wing allies to nominate Kash Patel to lead the FBI, one of the clearest indications the president-elect plans to stick by his vow to fire Director Christopher Wray …
Discussion:
New Republic, Raw Story, Default, Digby's Hullabaloo, Breitbart and Mediaite
RELATED:
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 in consideration for FBI chief after meeting in Mar-a-Lago with Trump transition team, sources say
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
Federal Bureau of Investigation:
FBI Statement Regarding Offensive Text Messages — The FBI is aware of the offensive and racist text messages sent to African American and Black communities around the country and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities on the matter.
Freedom of the Press Foundation:
Announcing social.freedom.press: Our new home on the fediverse — Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) has launched its own dedicated Mastodon server, social.freedom.press. This move consolidates our presence across the fediverse, uniting various existing FPF accounts under one umbrella.
Timothy Snyder / Thinking about:
Decapitation Strike — 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. And the whole idea of his campaign was that this time he had a plan.
Discussion:
Mock Paper Scissors
Molly White / Citation Needed:
Issue 70 - The Cryptocurrency States of America — Crypto's efforts to buy the 2024 elections paid off, and we're in for a bumpy ride. — 1× — As you might have already heard, Donald Trump was recently elected to be the next president of the United States.
Discussion:
The Atlantic
Clara Hendrickson / Detroit Free Press:
Right-wing provocateur uses racist language testifying against gun legislation — A right-wing provocateur testifying against legislation expanding a firearms ban to lawmakers' offices used a racial slur during a Senate committee hearing Thursday as he falsely accused lawmakers of attacking …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Erica Orden / Politico:
Rudy Giuliani makes a down payment on $148M judgment — He turns over his car but wants to keep DiMaggio jersey. — NEW YORK — Rudy Giuliani surrendered a Mercedes-Benz, watches and a ring on Friday to two Georgia election workers who successfully sued him for defamation …
Discussion:
New York Times, ABC News, Associated Press and New York Post
Wall Street Journal:
T-Mobile Hacked in Massive Chinese Breach of Telecom Networks — Carrier joins growing list of known victims, including AT&T and Verizon, of the major Chinese spying operation — T-Mobile's network was among the systems hacked in a damaging Chinese cyber-espionage operation …
Discussion:
Reuters and Techdirt, more at Techmeme »
Liam Archacki / The Daily Beast:
Dem Rep. Says Tulsi Gabbard Is ‘Likely a Russian Asset’ — DOUBLE AGENT? — The Florida Democrat slammed Trump's pick for director of national intelligence, whose comments about Russia have raised concerns. — Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said that Tulsi Gabbard …
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Post, Robert Reich, Diane Ravitch's blog, Fox News and The Bulwark
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:
Raw Story, The Independent, The Guardian, New Republic, Washington Examiner and Crooks and Liars
Allan Smith / NBC News:
John Fetterman says Democrats need to stop ‘freaking out’ over everything Trump does — The Pennsylvania senator spoke to NBC News about what went wrong for his party in 2024 and how it should approach the future Trump administration. — In the closing weeks of the presidential campaign …
Discussion:
The Hill and New York Post
Noah Hurowitz / The Intercept:
House GOP Moves to Ram Through Bill That Gives Trump Unilateral Power to Kill Nonprofits — A controversial “nonprofit killer” bill is back on track after it was blocked earlier this week. — A majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives rejected the bill on Tuesday out of fear …
Discussion:
Ways and Means, New Republic, The Daily Caller, Mother Jones, CAIR and Nevada Current
Brad Dress / The Hill:
Pentagon fails 7th audit in a row but says progress made — The Pentagon on Friday failed its seventh audit in a row, with the nation's largest government agency still unable to fully account for its more than $824 billion budget, though officials stress they are making good progress toward a clean audit in 2028.
Discussion:
Bloomberg and Breaking Defense