Top Items:
Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
MAGA “populism” was always an inch deep — Trump's billionaire-palooza proves it — The entirety of Donald Trump's con artist schtick to bamboozle his followers was perfectly illustrated in one recent photograph. In it, the president-elect sits grinning maniacally next to fellow rich white guy James Quincey, CEO of Coca-Cola.
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New York Times:
Full Transcript of President Biden's Farewell Address — The president delivered the 17-minute speech from the Oval Office in the White House. … My fellow Americans, I'm speaking to you tonight from the Oval Office. Before I begin, let me speak to important news from earlier today.
Discussion:
HotAir, The White House, Mediaite, Heatmap News, New York Post, Power Line, Frontpage Mag, Roll Call, One America News Network, The Post Millennial and Townhall
Stephen Robinson / Public Notice:
Joe Biden's tragic presidency — On January 6 of this year, the Washington Post ran an op-ed from President Joe Biden, who wrote that “four years ago, our democracy was put to the test — and prevailed.” This feels like a declaration from another reality, one where Donald Trump was held accountable for his assault on democracy.
Discussion:
Good Politics/Bad Politics, The Hill, Fox News, Mediaite and Associated Press
Bloomberg:
Biden Cites Threat From ‘Extreme Wealth’ in Farewell Address
Biden Cites Threat From ‘Extreme Wealth’ in Farewell Address
Discussion:
Scripps News, New York Times, USA Today, DNyuz, Raw Story, American Prospect, New York Post, Florida Phoenix, The Guardian, UPI, Politico, RedState, The Sun, Mediaite, Plain Dealer, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Axios, Daily Mail, New York Daily News, CBS News and Twitchy
Jess Bidgood / New York Times:
How Biden Surprised Progressives
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
The Purge Has Begun — Your regular newsletter-er, Andrew Egger, is taking some much-deserved time off as he welcomes a new member of his family into the world. Congrats, Egger! But the news doesn't stop, even if Andrew has. And, so, neither shall we.
Discussion:
Associated Press
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New York Times:
Johnson Ousts Turner as Intelligence Chairman, Bowing to Trump — Representative Michael R. Turner, Republican of Ohio, had at times been critical of the president-elect. He told people that he was axed after an edict from Mar-a-Lago. — Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday removed …
Discussion:
Washington Post
Politico:
Johnson removes Mike Turner as House Intelligence chair
Johnson removes Mike Turner as House Intelligence chair
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Axios, Plain Dealer, DNyuz, Raw Story, The Guardian, New Republic, Associated Press, UPI, American Greatness, CBS News, Breitbart, ABC News, Wall Street Journal, Washington Times, Mediaite, Bloomberg, The Hill, NBC News, Fox News, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Examiner and Scripps News
Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
The Washington Post's New Mission: Reach ‘All of America’ — This week, The Post began trying out a new mission statement: “Riveting Storytelling for All of America.” — After Donald J. Trump entered the White House in 2017, The Washington Post adopted a slogan that underscored …
Discussion:
The Hill and CNN, more at Mediagazer »
New York Times:
TikTok C.E.O. Plans to Attend Trump Inauguration — Shou Chew will join tech moguls like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk at President-elect Donald J. Trump's inauguration as the fate of the app hangs in the balance. — The chief executive of TikTok plans to attend President-elect Donald J …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, USA Today, Scripps News, Axios, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, CBS News, New York Post, Mediaite, Twitchy, BGR and Business Insider, more at Techmeme »
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NBC News:
Biden administration looks for ways to keep TikTok available in the U.S. — Barring action by the Supreme Court, a ban in the U.S. on the popular app is set to begin on Sunday. — President Joe Biden's administration is considering ways to keep TikTok available in the U.S. if a ban that's scheduled …
Discussion:
IJR, Axios, Fortune, Music Ally, The Guardian, Raw Story, Bloomberg, The Information, USA Today, The Japan Times, One America News Network, FOX 7 Austin, Kevin Drum, The Daily Caller, New York Post, New York Times, Digital Trends, PinkNews, Consequence, Forbes, The Sun and The San Francisco Standard, more at Techmeme »
Washington Post:
Trump considers executive order hoping to ‘save TikTok’ from ban or sale in U.S. law
Trump considers executive order hoping to ‘save TikTok’ from ban or sale in U.S. law
Discussion:
Fox News, The Hill, Washington Examiner, IJR, Techdirt, Al Jazeera, City A.M., HuffPost, The Guardian, USA Today, Asia Times, Forbes, Raw Story, TheGrio, The Information, Mediaite and Press Herald, more at Techmeme »
New York Times:
A Euphoric Tech Industry Is Ready to Celebrate Trump and Itself — The elite of Silicon Valley are set to revel in their new clout during a long weekend of inaugural parties as President-elect Donald J. Trump is set to resume power. — A party at the Beaux-Arts mansion of the venture capitalist Peter Thiel.
Discussion:
The Hill
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Politico:
'Everyone's trying to kiss the ring': Trump's inauguration devours corporate cash, smashing records — Donations are flying in from some of the world's biggest companies — and though many have contributed before, the checks this year are bigger. — Donald Trump's first White House victory caught corporate America flat-footed.
Washington Post:
DeSantis picks Florida attorney general to replace Marco Rubio in Senate — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday said he would appoint Ashley Moody, his state's attorney general, to replace Marco Rubio in the Senate. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday said he would appoint Ashley Moody …
Discussion:
Tallahassee Democrat, RedState, Florida Politics and Althouse
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Matt Dixon / NBC News:
Ron DeSantis picks Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to fill Marco Rubio's Senate seat
Ron DeSantis picks Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to fill Marco Rubio's Senate seat
Discussion:
New York Times, The Hill, Axios, USA Today, Politico, NOTUS, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Scripps News, Fox News, ABC News, Washington Examiner, CBS News, HuffPost, Breitbart, Roll Call, Townhall, Daily Mail, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, The Floridian, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Mediaite, Florida Politics, The Daily Beast, Orlando Sentinel, The Daily Caller, LifeNews.com and The American Conservative
Zoë Richards / NBC News:
House Democrats press Merrick Garland to consider an unusual step to release the rest of Jack Smith's report — The attorney general has said he won't make public the part about the classified documents case while the prosecution of Trump's co-defendants continues.
Discussion:
Axios, The Guardian, PoliticusUSA and HuffPost
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Hailey Fuchs / Politico:
'Everything's on the table': Jordan mulls calling Jack Smith to Judiciary
'Everything's on the table': Jordan mulls calling Jack Smith to Judiciary
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill, Truthout, Raw Story and Law & Crime
Marita Vlachou / HuffPost:
Democrats Call On Merrick Garland To Preserve Records On Trump Prosecutions
Democrats Call On Merrick Garland To Preserve Records On Trump Prosecutions
Discussion:
Civil Discourse …, Washington Times, Breitbart, New York Times, Townhall, Twin Cities, Reuters, NBC News, Politico and New Republic
Callum Borchers / Wall Street Journal:
You Blamed DEI for Hurting Your Career. Now What? — For people who pin their failures on diversity, corporate America's DEI retreat removes a barrier—or maybe an excuse — I hear from them all the time. — “Add one more to your list of aggrieved white males,” a reader wrote to me recently.
Washington Post:
Biden warns of the rise of a new American ‘oligarchy’ — From the White House he will soon cede to Trump, Biden likens the current crop of tech moguls to the ‘robber barons’ of the 19th century.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Twitchy, Election Law Blog, PJ Media, Boston Herald, Breitbart, Raw Story, IJR, Political Wire, CBS News, New York Times, MPR News, Instapundit, RADAR, USA Today, Press Herald and PBS NewsHour
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Brian Stelter / CNN:
Outgoing FCC chair rejects high-profile TV petitions as attempt to ‘weaponize’ government — New York CNN — The outgoing Democratic chair of the Federal Communications Commission is taking bold action on the way out the door, rejecting what she described as four efforts to weaponize …
Discussion:
Deadline, more at Mediagazer »
Kate Santaliz / NBC News:
Treasury pick Scott Bessent and Trump transition team deny allegations that he avoided taxes — In a new memo obtained by NBC News, Senate Finance Democratic tax staff found that Scott Bessent avoided over $950,000 of self-employment taxes. — In a review of the Treasury Secretary nominee's tax returns …
Discussion:
The Hill, New York Times, New York Post, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, RedState, Associated Press, Washington Post, UPI, Bloomberg and Fox Business
New York Times:
Sudan's Military Has Used Chemical Weapons Twice, U.S. Officials Say — The determination comes as the United States prepares to announce sanctions against the Sudanese military chief, saying there is strong evidence of atrocities in the country. — Sudan's military has used chemical weapons …
Discussion:
Reuters and Just Security
David Brooks / New York Times:
We Deserve Pete Hegseth — First let me hit you with some realities: — The Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, has said that the West is not prepared for the challenges that will come over the next five years and that it's time to “shift to a wartime mind-set.”
Discussion:
Althouse, Raw Story, Frontpage Mag, NBC News and The Bulwark
SPACE.com:
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launches massive New Glenn rocket into orbit on 1st flight (video) — New Glenn just earned its wings. — COCOA BEACH, Florida — Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket just earned its wings. — New Glenn launched for the first time ever this morning …
Megan Brenan / Gallup:
U.S. Political Parties Historically Polarized Ideologically — In 2024, conservatives and moderates continued to outpace liberals — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans' ideological identification was steady in 2024, with an average of 37% describing their political views as “very conservative” …
Reuters:
Live Updates: Disputes Hold Up Israeli Cabinet Vote on Cease-Fire Deal — The agreement, which would include the release of hostages, was met with cautious optimism. But Israel's cabinet needs to ratify the deal, and the prime minister's office said Hamas was reneging on parts of it, an accusation that the group rejected.
Mike Gonzalez / Washington Examiner:
End the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — With conservatives back in power, public media is getting back to what it really excels at. No, not objective, impartial reporting. If NPR and PBS focused on that, they wouldn't need to be so good at their side hustle: desperately lobbying Congress not to defund them.
Discussion:
NPR
Paul Kiernan / Wall Street Journal:
Time Is Running Out to Recover Up to $135 Billion in Pilfered Jobless Benefits — Statute of limitations looms for what some lawmakers say might be ‘greatest heist’ of taxpayer dollars ever — In 2024, federal prosecutors filed charges in an alleged transnational scheme to launder tens …
Lylla Younes / Grist:
Who does the EPA protect? — The Biden administration promised change for overpolluted communities in the South. Four years later, they're still waiting. — When President Joe Biden announced his Justice40 Initiative, a week after he took office in January 2021, it had been almost 30 years since …
Associated Press:
Many Americans doubt Trump will be able to lower prices in his first year, an AP-NORC poll shows — Worries about everyday expenses helped return President-elect Donald Trump to the White House. But with his second term quickly approaching, many U.S. adults are skeptical about his ability to bring down costs.
Discussion:
The Hill and Associated Press
Judd Legum / Popular Information:
These lawmakers made a fortune in the stock market last year — Federal government employees who own stock in a company are prohibited by law from being involved in any matter that may impact the financial interests of the company — whether or not the matter can plausibly impact the stock price.