Top Items:
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
Trump Has Reached the Mountaintop — Big day for Mike Johnson, whose job and reputation are on the line, to say nothing of his role as dedicated MAGA selfie background guy. The speaker told reporters this morning he feels confident he can retain his gavel, and do so on the first ballot.
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Maya C. Miller / New York Times:
Will Matt Gaetz Try to Participate in the House Speaker Vote? — The Florida Republican, who resigned his House seat during his short-lived bid for attorney general, has publicly flirted with the idea of showing up in Congress on Friday. — As Speaker Mike Johnson labors to lock …
Andrew Solender / Axios:
House GOP tensions erupt ahead of speaker vote … - Johnson is struggling to secure the support he needs to retain his gavel, with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) digging in in opposition and claiming to reporters several of his colleagues will join him in voting no.
Discussion:
CNBC, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Cincinnati.com, USA Today, New York Post, The Independent, UPI, Blaze Media, The Gateway Pundit, Scripps News, Breitbart, Grabien, Raw Story, RedState and Florida Politics
Punchbowl News:
1/3/25 ☀️ AM: … If you're new to Capitol Hill or Washington, subscribe to Punchbowl News. — Legislative business starts today at 11 a.m. with the closing of the 118th Congress. The new Congress begins at noon with the quorum call and the vote to elect a speaker.
Discussion:
The Hill, No More Mister Nice Blog, Politico and ABC News
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
John Thune Takes Charge in the Senate, Ushering in a New Leadership Era
John Thune Takes Charge in the Senate, Ushering in a New Leadership Era
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill, New York Post and The Gateway Pundit
Eugene Daniels / Politico:
Playbook: Trump prepared to push Johnson over the line
Playbook: Trump prepared to push Johnson over the line
Discussion:
CBS News, Fox News, The Hill and USA Today, more at Techmeme »
Washington Post:
The House is voting for a speaker. Here's what you need to know.
The House is voting for a speaker. Here's what you need to know.
Discussion:
CBS News, The Hill and Balloon Juice
Filip Timotija / The Hill:
Massie says he won't vote for Johnson: ‘You can pull all my fingernails out’
Massie says he won't vote for Johnson: ‘You can pull all my fingernails out’
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Deseret News, RedState, Mediaite, Daily Kos, Raw Story, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Gateway Pundit, IJR, Talking Points Memo and Vanity Fair
Washington Post:
House to vote on speaker as Mike Johnson hopes to keep gavel
House to vote on speaker as Mike Johnson hopes to keep gavel
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill, Politico, Associated Press, The Independent, The Daily Signal, ABC News, Must Read Alaska, Grabien and NBC News
Catie Edmondson / New York Times:
Johnson Grasps for Support to Remain as Speaker Ahead of House Vote
Johnson Grasps for Support to Remain as Speaker Ahead of House Vote
Discussion:
CBS News, Raw Story, Fox Business, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Mediaite, Blaze Media and Townhall
Catie Edmondson / New York Times:
Trump Transition Live Updates: Speaker Johnson Faces Crucial Vote
Trump Transition Live Updates: Speaker Johnson Faces Crucial Vote
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, CBS News, Axios, Raw Story, New York Post, Grabien and The Hill
Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:
House Speaker Vote: Read Live Updates On Mike Johnson's Fate As Trump's Inauguration Nears
House Speaker Vote: Read Live Updates On Mike Johnson's Fate As Trump's Inauguration Nears
Discussion:
NBC News, Mediaite, The Hill, Politico, The Guardian, Washington Times, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Status Kuo, WAGA-TV, New York Post, Semafor, Washington Examiner and ABC News
United States Steel Corporation:
Nippon Steel Corporation and U. S. Steel Condemn U.S. Government's Unlawful Decision to Block Proposed Acquisition of U. S. Steel — Companies will take all appropriate action to protect their legal rights — Nippon Steel Corporation ("Nippon Steel") (TSE: 5401) and United States Steel Corporation …
Discussion:
Axios and Business Insider
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The White House:
Statement from President Joe Biden — As I have said many times, steel production—and the steel workers who produce it—are the backbone of our nation. A strong domestically owned and operated steel industry represents an essential national security priority and is critical for resilient supply chains.
Discussion:
freebeacon.com, One America News Network, CNBC, CBS News, UPI, The American Conservative and Forbes
The White House:
Order Regarding the Proposed Acquisition of United States Steel Corporation by Nippon Steel Corporation — By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 721 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Daily Caller News Foundation and Rhode Island Current
Washington Post:
Biden decides to block U.S. Steel sale to Japanese buyer
Biden decides to block U.S. Steel sale to Japanese buyer
Discussion:
CBS News, Al Jazeera, Politico, Bloomberg, New York Times, Reuters, Semafor, Washington Examiner, The Independent, Axios, Washington Monthly and UPI
Leo Lewis / Financial Times:
Why it's hard to be a friend of America
Michael Kunzelman / Associated Press:
FBI releases new video of a suspect planting a pipe bomb near DNC offices on eve of the Capitol riot — A harrowing chapter in American history remains shrouded in mystery: Who planted pipe bombs outside offices of the Democratic and Republican national committees in Washington on the eve of the attack on the Capitol?
Discussion:
New York Times, The Post Millennial, Fox News, WAGA-TV, New York Post, Election Law Blog, Reuters, ABC News, RedState, The Gateway Pundit and Althouse
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Filip Timotija / The Hill:
FBI seeking new leads on Jan. 6 pipe bomb suspect
FBI seeking new leads on Jan. 6 pipe bomb suspect
Discussion:
Must Read Alaska, WUSA, CBS News, Wall Street Journal, IJR, Washington Examiner and Raw Story
Ed Morrissey / HotAir:
You're In Woke Hands With Allstate — Remember when insurance companies tried very, very hard to be boring? Recall the days when all we wanted to hear from insurers was, “Your claim will be paid right now?” — Instead, these days insurance companies act more like comedy clubs than financial underwriters.
Discussion:
Blaze Media, Fox News, RedState, The Post Millennial, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Grabien, Power Line and Breitbart
Stefanos Chen / New York Times:
Rudy Giuliani, Slow to Transfer Assets to Election Workers, Could Be Held in Contempt — The former mayor of New York City could be held in contempt of court after failing to fully comply with orders to surrender millions of dollars in assets to election workers he defamed.
Discussion:
New York Daily News, NBC News and Law & Crime
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Oh Seok-min / Yonhap News Agency:
Yoon's team claims immunity from insurrection charges, citing Trump ruling — The legal team of suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol claimed Friday that Yoon's impeachment trial does not warrant a ruling as he should have immunity from prosecution, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on Donald Trump.
Discussion:
Reuters
Wall Street Journal:
South Korea's Impeached President Fends Off Arrest Attempt Over Martial-Law Decree — Special investigators, warrant in hand, were blocked from detaining Yoon Suk Yeol during a six-hour standoff with Secret Service personnel — SEOUL—South Korean investigators failed to arrest …
Discussion:
CBS News, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Semafor, Fortune, Kyodo News+, Agence France-Presse, Washington Examiner, Al Jazeera and Raw Story
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Lara Nicholson / NOLA.com:
Alabama mom hit by truck, then shot in Bourbon Street attack: 'It's just so disturbing' — A night of revelry was coming to a close for Alexis Scott-Windham and her friends in the early hours of New Year's Eve after they came from Mobile, Alabama to ring in the new year on Bourbon Street.
Morgan Trau / News 5 Cleveland WEWS:
Near midnight, Ohio Gov. DeWine signs bill into law to charge public for police video — COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a controversial bill into law that could charge the public hundreds of dollars for footage from law enforcement agencies, including body cameras.
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Columbus Dispatch and Plain Dealer
Zoë Richards / NBC News:
Judicial body won't refer Clarence Thomas to Justice Department over ethics lapses — The head of the Judicial Conference said there is legal uncertainty over whether it has the authority to refer complaints about Supreme Court justices. — A judicial organization that sets national policy …
Discussion:
The Hill, Associated Press, SCOTUSblog, Blaze Media, Raw Story, The Guardian and The Gateway Pundit
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Nate Raymond / Reuters:
US Supreme Court's Thomas will not be referred to Justice Department
US Supreme Court's Thomas will not be referred to Justice Department
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and Reason
The White House:
President Biden to Award Medal of Honor — On January 3, 2025, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will award the Medal of Honor to seven U.S. Army Soldiers: Private Bruno R. Orig (posthumous), Private First Class Wataru Nakamura (posthumous), Corporal Fred B. McGee (posthumous) …
Discussion:
Scripps News, Associated Press and Washington Examiner
Agence France-Presse:
Net neutrality rules about corporate control over internet speeds blocked by federal appeals court — A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled that US regulators overstepped their authority by reinstating “net neutrality” rules governing internet service providers, dealing a blow to the Biden administration.
Discussion:
Reuters, The Verge, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Ars Technica, Rolling Stone, Washington Post, RedState, The Register, 9to5Mac, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Los Angeles Times, Roll Call, Axios, The Hill, The Gateway Pundit, Blaze Media, One America News Network, New York Times, Deadline, Reason and Washington Examiner, more at Mediagazer »
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Chris Hayes / New York Times:
I Want Your Attention. I Need Your Attention. Here Is How I Mastered My Own. — I try to hold people's attention for a living. For more than 13 years, I've been hosting a cable news show, and when I'm not doing that, I spend a lot of time alternating between reading the internet …
Roni Caryn Rabin / New York Times:
Surgeon General Calls for Cancer Warnings on Alcohol — Dr. Vivek Murthy's report cites studies linking alcoholic beverages to at least seven malignancies, including breast cancer. But to add warning labels, Congress would have to act. — Alcohol is a leading preventable cause of cancer …
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Examiner, CNN, USA Today, Rolling Stone, Fortune, Associated Press, Raw Story, UPI, FOX 13 Tampa Bay, CBS News, Fox News, Metro.co.uk, STAT, Reuters, WBAL Baltimore News and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Larry Neumeister / Associated Press:
Menendez's lawyers seek lenient sentence, saying conviction made him a ‘national punchline’ — Lawyers for former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez are urging a judge to be lenient at his sentencing later this month for his conviction on bribery charges, saying the ordeal has made him a …
Discussion:
Politico