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
Discussion:
Salon and The Independent
Axios:
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
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
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’
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
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