Top Items:
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
The World's Richest Man Wants to Burn It All Down — Per NBC News, the Republicans who welcomed Elon Musk into their tent as a key decision-maker and thought leader are having an excellent time: … Happy Thursday. — The Kent Brockman Republicans — by William Kristol
Discussion:
NBC News, Washington Post, RedState and Futurism
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Paul Krugman / Krugman wonks out:
The Chaos Monkeys Have Already Taken Over the Zoo — The peddlers of misinformation are high on their own supply — Well, I was going to post about proposals for bank deregulation, but I think that can wait for a bit. The news of the moment is the looming prospect that the federal government will shut down over the weekend.
Discussion:
Scripps News, Twitchy, Digby's Hullabaloo and Raw Story
Garrett Haake / NBC News:
Trump calls for abolishing the debt ceiling — In a phone interview with NBC News, Trump said getting rid of the debt ceiling entirely would be the “smartest thing [Congress] could do. I would support that entirely.” — President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday that Congress should get rid …
Axios:
Behind the Curtain: Musk's America … - A Trump source told us this is the new playbook: Republican lawmakers got “instant and overwhelming feedback. … You should never bet against Trump or Elon.” — Now, the two are a combined force blanketing culture, media and governance.
Discussion:
Boston Herald, New York Times, The Federalist, The Guardian and HuffPost, more at Techmeme »
Brooke Singman / Fox News:
Trump says Mike Johnson will ‘easily remain speaker’ if he acts ‘decisively and tough’ on spending bill — Trump told Fox News Digital anyone who supports a bill that doesn't take care of debt ceiling should be ‘primaried and disposed of’ — EXCLUSIVE: President-elect Donald Trump told Fox News Digital …
David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
Republicans Turn Eating Their Own Into A Spectator Sport — INSIDE: Elon Musk ... Mike Johnson ... Matt Gaetz … Welcome To Trump II — MAGA Republicans led by Elon Musk and under pressure from Donald Trump are now poised to ruin Christmas with a government shutdown and New Year's …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hill, USA Today and Fox News
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Spending Deal Debacle Threatens Johnson's Tenuous Hold on His Job — A Republican backlash to the speaker's plan to temporarily fund the government has sparked new talk of ousting him, and highlighted the challenges he will face if he manages to keep his job.
Discussion:
Raw Story, Associated Press, Axios, Politico, Townhall, The Hill, New York Daily News and Bloomberg
Meg Kinnard / Associated Press:
Closures, Social Security checks, furloughs: What a government shutdown might mean — Congress has until midnight Friday to come up with a way to fund the government or federal agencies will shut down, meaning hundreds of thousands of federal employees could be sent home — or stay on the job without pay — just ahead of the holidays.
Discussion:
USA Today, Bloomberg, NBC News, Axios, Wall Street Journal, PolitiFact, WNEP-TV, Fox Business, Fox News, Business Insider, The 19th, ABC News, Politico, Raw Story, Liberal Democracy, CBS News, HuffPost and The Daily Caller
Politico:
Shutdown threatens ‘chaos’ for Trump's transition and inauguration — Transition “landing teams” were already delayed and may now lose access to the staffers briefing them. — The collapse of Congress' spending negotiations is throwing the presidential transition and preparations …
Discussion:
USA Today
Politico:
Jeffries shuts down raising the debt ceiling
Jeffries shuts down raising the debt ceiling
Discussion:
The Hill, CBS News, Axios, Al Jazeera, The Texas Tribune, The Dispatch, Associated Press and Fox News
NBC News:
Trump's demands leave Republicans flailing with no plan on eve of shutdown
Trump's demands leave Republicans flailing with no plan on eve of shutdown
Discussion:
The Hill
Rolling Stone:
Dems Troll Trump by Calling Elon the Real President
Dems Troll Trump by Calling Elon the Real President
Discussion:
Axios, New Republic, Twitchy, The Hill, RedState, El País, The Atlantic and Raw Story
Stef W. Kight / Axios:
Rand Paul floats Elon Musk for House Speaker
Rand Paul floats Elon Musk for House Speaker
Discussion:
BizPac Review, Raw Story, WNEP-TV, Fox News, Joe.My.God., Twitchy, Washington Examiner, Mock Paper Scissors, Mediaite and The Hill
Arthur Delaney / HuffPost:
Republicans Come Up With New Spending Deal After Musk, Trump Torched Original Plan
Republicans Come Up With New Spending Deal After Musk, Trump Torched Original Plan
Discussion:
Rolling Stone, Bloomberg, CNN, ABC News, Daily Mail, The Guardian, The Hill, Alternet.org, Politico and CNBC
Tommy Christopher / Mediaite:
‘President Elon Musk!’ MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell And Dem Dan Goldman Taunt Trump Over Musk Taking Lead
‘President Elon Musk!’ MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell And Dem Dan Goldman Taunt Trump Over Musk Taking Lead
Discussion:
Raw Story
Miranda Nazzaro / The Hill:
Trump team affirms he's leader of GOP amid ‘President Musk’ barbs
Alan Rappeport / New York Times:
Trump Tossed a Debt Limit Grenade Into Spending Talks. Here's Why.
Trump Tossed a Debt Limit Grenade Into Spending Talks. Here's Why.
Discussion:
ABC News, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, New York Magazine, The Mahablog, New Jersey Online, The Guardian and USA Today
Punchbowl News:
12/19/24 ☀️ AM: … At first, the House Republican Conference was aghast …
12/19/24 ☀️ AM: … At first, the House Republican Conference was aghast …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Politico, WNEP-TV, Semafor, Blaze Media, The Daily Caller, New York Times, BizPac Review and The Hill, more at Techmeme »
S.V. Date / HuffPost:
John Bolton Warns Republicans To Take Trump's New Threat Against Cheney Seriously
Stephen Collinson / CNN:
Trump and Musk unleash a new kind of chaos on Washington
Trump and Musk unleash a new kind of chaos on Washington
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Moderate Voice, New Jersey Online, Politico, Raw Story and Daily Kos
Dan Mangan / CNBC:
GA appeals court disqualifies DA Fani Willis from Trump election case, lets indictment stand … A Georgia appeals court on Thursday disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from overseeing the criminal election interference prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump and other defendants.
Discussion:
Axios, The Guardian, Daily Mail, New York Post, The Daily Caller, OPB, Fox News, New Republic, The Hill, RedState, Al Jazeera, The Gateway Pundit, Bloomberg, IJR, Daily Caller News Foundation, Reuters, The Federalist, Forbes, JONATHAN TURLEY, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, NBC News, Mother Jones, Megyn Kelly, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., Washington Times, Law & Crime, Townhall, USA Today, Washington Examiner, UPI, Rolling Stone, Blaze Media, American Greatness and The Post Millennial
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CNN:
Georgia appeals court disqualifies Fulton County DA Fani Willis from prosecuting Trump
Georgia appeals court disqualifies Fulton County DA Fani Willis from prosecuting Trump
Discussion:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, New York Times, CBS News, Fox News, Raw Story, New York Daily News, The Root, The Daily Signal, Townhall, Mediaite, New Republic and Power Line
Kate Brumback / Associated Press:
Prosecutor Fani Willis is removed from the Georgia election case against Trump and others
Prosecutor Fani Willis is removed from the Georgia election case against Trump and others
Discussion:
WAGA-TV, CNN, Breitbart, HotAir, Forbes, RedState, Twin Cities, The Independent, Hollywood Life, Florida Phoenix, The Hill, Alternet.org, BizPac Review and Fox News
Wall Street Journal:
How the White House Functioned With a Diminished Biden in Charge — Aides kept meetings short and controlled access, top advisers acted as go-betweens and public interactions became more scripted. The administration denied Biden has declined. — During the 2020 presidential primary …
Discussion:
New York Post, Washington Examiner, New Republic, The Federalist, The Independent, Breitbart, IJR, Megyn Kelly, Daily Caller News Foundation, American Thinker, Townhall, The Daily Sceptic, The Gateway Pundit, The Post Millennial, Reason, Mediaite, HotAir, Commentary Magazine, BizPac Review, Instapundit, Power Line and Daily Mail
Washington Post:
Jeff Bezos and Donald Trump met for dinner at Mar-a-Lago, joined by Elon Musk — After feuds during Trump's first term, Trump and Bezos have both noted their recent evolving relationship. — President-elect Donald Trump had dinner Wednesday with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos …
Discussion:
New Republic, TMZ.com, New York Times, Business Insider, Futurism, The Information, New York Magazine, Joe.My.God., The Independent and Page Six
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Jonathan Chait / The Atlantic:
How Liberal America Came to Its Senses … A decade ago, cultural norms in elite American institutions took a sharply illiberal turn. Professors would get disciplined, journalists fired, ordinary people harassed by social-media mobs, over some decontextualized phrase or weaponized misunderstanding.
Noam Scheiber / New York Times:
Amazon Delivery Drivers at Seven Hubs Walk Out — The retail giant said it expected its operations to be largely unaffected by the strike of some drivers at contracting firms Amazon uses to deliver packages. — Workers who deliver packages from seven Amazon facilities across the country went …
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Daniel Moskowitz / International Brotherhood …:
Teamsters Launch Largest Strike Against Amazon in American History
Teamsters Launch Largest Strike Against Amazon in American History
Discussion:
Ars Technica, Fox Business, Marketplace, The City, Balloon Juice, ABC News, The Hill, Blaze Media, Wired, NewsNation, The Information, Axios and Washington Examiner
Politico:
GOP strikes a new spending deal — Republicans have struck a deal on a short-term government spending patch and potential debt limit increase, according to two GOP lawmakers meeting in Speaker Mike Johnson's office Thursday afternoon. “There is an agreement,” said Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.).
Discussion:
Townhall, New York Post, RedState, Raw Story, Joe.My.God. and CBS News
Olivia Beavers / Politico:
GOP lawmakers prepare to carry out Gaetz's revenge, expose harassment settlements — Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, the focus of a House Ethics Committee report that may soon become public, is planning to inflict fresh pain on some of his old colleagues. A number of Republican lawmakers are preparing to help.
Discussion:
Blaze Media
Politico:
Top aide to Eric Adams indicted on bribery and conspiracy charges — The aide's son and two developers were also charged. — NEW YORK — Prosecutors charged New York City Mayor Eric Adams' closest confidant in a conspiracy, bribery and money laundering case Thursday.
Discussion:
Associated Press, freebeacon.com, The Hill, New York Post, The Guardian, Manhattan District …, UPI, The City, New York Times, Gothamist and The Gateway Pundit
Brett Samuels / The Hill:
Trump threatens primary against Texas conservative Chip Roy — President-elect Trump on Thursday encouraged Republicans in Texas to consider a primary challenge to Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) after he blamed the congressman for “getting in the way” of a push to raise the debt ceiling as part of government funding talks.
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Examiner, New Republic, The Daily Signal, Townhall, Alternet.org, Mediaite, Raw Story and Joe.My.God.