Top Items:
Josh Kovensky / Talking Points Memo:
Who Got Duped? MAGA Activists Worry That Nativism And Tech Oligarchy May Not Go Hand In Hand — This is your TPM evening briefing. — It's not always a great idea to cover political stories that exist entirely on social media. You can end up focused on narratives and disputes …
Discussion:
The Verge and Politico, more at Techmeme »
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Katherine Doyle / NBC News:
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy open rift with MAGA loyalists over skilled worker visas — The backlash escalated Thursday, when Vivek Ramaswamy, in a post on X, criticized an American culture that he said “venerated mediocrity over excellence.” — A multi-day firestorm has erupted over comments …
Justin Baragona / The Independent:
‘Should MAGA stay home in 2026?’ Laura Loomer wages ‘racist’ war against ‘tech bros’ over Indian migrants
‘Should MAGA stay home in 2026?’ Laura Loomer wages ‘racist’ war against ‘tech bros’ over Indian migrants
Discussion:
Salon and The Independent
Axios:
MAGA civil war breaks out over American “mediocrity” culture
MAGA civil war breaks out over American “mediocrity” culture
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Breitbart, The Post Millennial, Reason, New Republic, Shot in the Dark, The Independent, The Hill, RedState and Raw Story
Hafiz Rashid / New Republic:
MAGA in Total Mayhem as Laura Loomer Goes to War With Elon Musk
MAGA in Total Mayhem as Laura Loomer Goes to War With Elon Musk
Discussion:
Salon, Rolling Stone, Raw Story and Alternet.org
Jonathan Martin / Politico:
Brian Schatz to Democrats: Please, Stop With ‘Center’ and ‘Making Space’ — As the Hawaii senator charts his path up the Senate hierarchy, he reflects on his party's major challenges. — Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) can seem mellow. Having grown up in Hawaii, he exudes not only the Aloha spirit …
Discussion:
The Hill
Stephen Robinson / Public Notice:
The press is ignoring the real Liz Cheney scandal — 🎊☃️🎁🥂🎄 SUPPORT INDEPENDENT MEDIA THIS HOLIDAY SEASON 🎄🥂🎁☃️🎊 … 🎉🎉 Subscribe to Public Notice 🎉🎉
Discussion:
Washington Examiner
Charlie Nash / Mediaite:
Elon Musk's Critics Stripped of Verification Badge After Publicly Challenging Billionaire: ‘The Beginning Stages of Censorship’ — Several conservative critics of billionaire Trump surrogate Elon Musk were stripped of their verification badges on X after publicly challenging Musk's stance on immigration.
Discussion:
Axios, New Republic and Pharyngula
Jin Yu Young / New York Times:
South Korean Lawmakers Vote to Impeach Acting President as Crisis Deepens — The vote was the second major impeachment in two weeks after President Yoon's ill-fated martial law bid set off turmoil. The country's currency has plunged. — South Korea's leadership crisis deepened on Friday …
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Koh Ewe / BBC:
South Korea votes to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo
South Korea votes to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo
Discussion:
Associated Press, The i Paper, CNN, RTÉ, Bloomberg, Reuters, JURIST, Business Insider, Al Jazeera and Semafor
Fox News:
Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt engaged — Fox News Channel hosts Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt have officially taken their relationship to the next level. — Hannity proposed to Earhardt over Christmas at their home church, solidifying their long-term commitment to each other.
Discussion:
Wonkette, The Hill, Us Weekly, Daily Mail, Just Jared, People, Twitchy, The Independent, TVLine, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, IJR and The Gateway Pundit
Xavier Martinez / Wall Street Journal:
A Razor-Thin House Majority Creates Headaches for Republicans — Small margin threatens Mike Johnson's future as speaker and the House's ability to advance Trump's agenda — WASHINGTON—They won, but barely. — Republicans held on to control of the House of Representatives in November …
Discussion:
Election Law Blog
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Jordain Carney / Politico:
Freedom Caucus chair: House GOP needs to consider if ‘current leadership is what we need’
Freedom Caucus chair: House GOP needs to consider if ‘current leadership is what we need’
Discussion:
LGBTQ Nation, The Post Millennial, New Republic, Mediaite and Raw Story
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
Case of ‘missing’ congresswoman sparks uncomfortable conversation — Republican Rep. Kay Granger moved to an assisted-living facility months ago and stopped casting votes — a detail that wasn't disclosed to the public. — When it comes to understanding the final months …
James Angelos / Politico:
German president fires starting gun for Feb. 23 election — Dissolving of parliament sets the stage for what could be Germany's sharpest swerve to the right in decades. — German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier dissolved the lower house of parliament, or Bundestag …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Deutsche Welle, Reuters, Bloomberg and Al Jazeera
Wall Street Journal:
Trump's Border Czar Says Military Bases Could Aid Deportation Effort — Homan said he views the military as a ‘force multiplier’ to build infrastructure such as certain detention facilities — Donald Trump's team is looking at using military bases to detain migrants and military planes …
Discussion:
CBS News, Truthout, Kevin Drum, Washington Post, BizPac Review and Grabien
New York Times:
Canadian Ministers to Meet Trump Aides at Mar-a-Lago to Discuss Border, and Tariffs — President-elect Donald J. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian exports unless the country stops the flow of migrants and fentanyl to the U.S. — Two top Canadian ministers will meet …
Discussion:
Politico, Al Jazeera, Raw Story and Fox News
Politico:
Forget Beijing — The House China committee is up against Trump and Elon Musk — Dems warn that GOP control of the White House and Capitol Hill will test the committee's bipartisan harmony and risk descent into “messaging and rhetoric.” — The House committee charged with helping …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Catherine Rampell / Washington Post:
Oops! Consumers finally realize that Trump could worsen inflation. — Fearing high prices, some are stocking up for what could be an expensive four years. — A day late and a dollar short, Americans are realizing that President-elect Donald Trump plans to short them a few dollars.
Discussion:
Raw Story