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9:15 PM ET, December 20, 2018

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Washington Post:
Ethics officials said Whitaker should recuse from the Mueller probe, but his advisers told him not to, officials say  —  A senior Justice Department ethics official concluded acting attorney general Matthew G. Whitaker should recuse from overseeing special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's probe …
RELATED:
NBC News:
Mueller may submit report to attorney general as soon as mid-February, say sources  —  “They clearly are tying up loose ends,” said a lawyer who has been in contact with the Mueller team.  —  WASHINGTON — Special counsel Robert Mueller is nearing the end of his historic investigation …
Wall Street Journal:
Schumer Says Mueller Memo Disqualifies Barr From Attorney General Job  —  Graham, the incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, says written opinion shouldn't affect Barr's confirmation  —  WASHINGTON—A newly disclosed memo by William Barr criticizing special counsel Robert …
Laura Jarrett / CNN:
Exclusive: Whitaker told he does not need to recuse himself from overseeing Mueller investigation  —  (CNN)Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker has consulted with ethics officials at the Justice Department and they have advised him he does not need to recuse himself from overseeing special …
Marty Lederman / Just Security:
A First Take on Bill Barr's Memo on Presidential Authority and the Mueller Investigation
Discussion: Lawfare and National Review
Devlin Barrett / Washington Post:
Attorney general nominee wrote memo criticizing Mueller obstruction probe
Discussion: Townhall and Raw Story
Helene Cooper / New York Times:
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis Resigns, Rebuking Trump's Worldview  —  WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, whose experience and stability were widely seen as a balance to an unpredictable president, resigned on Thursday in protest of President Trump's decision to withdraw 2,000 American troops from Syria.
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Thomas Gibbons-Neff / New York Times:
U.S. to Withdraw About 7,000 Troops From Afghanistan, Officials Say  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is withdrawing roughly 7,000 troops from Afghanistan in the coming months, two defense officials said Thursday, around half of what the American military has there now.
Discussion: Political Wire
James N. Mattis / Washington Post:
Read the Jim Mattis resignation letter  —  Dear Mr. President:  —  I have been privileged to serve as our country's 26th Secretary of Defense which has allowed me to serve alongside our men and women of the Department in defense of our citizens and our ideals.
Discussion: The Moderate Voice
RELATED:
Scott Bixby / The Daily Beast:
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis Announces Resignation in Brutal Letter to Trump  —  “The most decorated Marine & thought leader on the military basically said just said, ‘f*ck this,’” a source close to Mattis said.  —  Scott Bixby  —  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis announced his resignation …
David French / National Review:
Will the Nation Heed the Warning Jim Mattis Delivered Today?  —  Defenders of Trump have long argued that his worst impulses can and will be tempered by the good men and women in his administration.  And when they listed the good men and women, the first name on that list was always James Mattis.
Discussion: Middle East Eye, Vox, HuffPost and Raw Story
Washington Post:
‘A tailspin’: Under siege, Trump propels the government and markets into crisis  —  President Trump began Thursday under siege, listening to howls of indignation from conservatives over his border wall and thrusting the government toward a shutdown.  He ended it by announcing the exit …
Ali Vitali / NBC News:
‘This is scary’: Mattis' resignation triggers bipartisan chorus of concern on Capitol Hill
Discussion: CNN, Townhall and Politico
Associated Press:   Mattis resigning as Pentagon chief after clashes with Trump
Washington Post:
Mattis resigns after clash with Trump over troop withdrawal from Syria
Paul Szoldra / Task & Purpose:
In 2014, Mattis Said What Would Make Him Resign In Protest. In 2018, He Actually Did It
Discussion: New York Times
The Atlantic:
James Mattis's Letter of Resignation
Stephanie Ebbs / ABC News:
Trump announces Secretary of Defense James Mattis will retire at the end of February
Discussion: The Hill, RedState, CNBC and New Republic
Emily Cochrane / New York Times:
Conservative Revolt Endangers Deal to Avoid a Shutdown  —  WASHINGTON — A deal to avert a Christmastime government shutdown teetered on Thursday amid growing anger from President Trump and a conservative revolt in the House that could block a bill to keep funds flowing past midnight Friday.
RELATED:
Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Trump shutdown moves leave GOP senators in disbelief
Washington Post:
Trump ‘at this moment’ opposes deal to avert shutdown, wants more border funding
John Bresnahan / Politico:
House and Senate on collision course as shutdown nears
Politico:   Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts to consider retirement over holidays
BuzzFeed News:
Mattis Isn't The Only One Worried About Allies And Rivals In Syria  —  The US is set to shut a special forces base in Syria that has been the subject of repeated Russian complaints — and that some US officials have cast as a key part of US efforts not just to defeat ISIS but to counter Iranian influence in the country.
RELATED:
Andrew E. Kramer / New York Times:
Vladimir Putin Welcomes U.S. Withdrawal From Syria
Victoria Nuland / Washington Post:
In a single tweet, Trump destroys U.S. policy in the Middle East
Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
Trump is leaving 50,000 Syrian civilians to die
BuzzFeed News:
Russian Agents Sought Secret US Treasury Records On Clinton Backers During 2016 Campaign  —  US Treasury Department officials used a Gmail back channel with the Russian government as the Kremlin sought sensitive financial information on its enemies in America and across the globe, according to documents reviewed by BuzzFeed News.
NBC News:
Founder of viral fundraiser for Trump's border wall has questionable news past  —  Brian Kolfage told NBC News he didn't want to mention his previous projects because he “didn't want it to be a distraction.”  —  An internet fundraiser for Donald Trump's border wall took in more than $7 million …
New York Times:
A Top Aide's Exit Plan Raises Eyebrows in the White House  —  WASHINGTON — After weeks of discussions about his future, Zachary D. Fuentes, the 36-year-old deputy White House chief of staff, had a plan.  —  Mr. Fuentes told colleagues that after his mentor, John F. Kelly …
New York Times:
Planned Parenthood Is Accused of Mistreating Pregnant Employees  —  Employers that champion women face accusations of discriminating against their pregnant workers, showing how widespread the problem is in American workplaces.  —  As a medical assistant at Planned Parenthood …
Washington Post:
As stocks drop, Trump fears he's losing his best argument for re-election  —  President Trump has kept an almost obsessive watch on the stock market as it has lurched lower in recent weeks.  —  He has complained to aides how unfair it is that he is blamed for the market's slide …
RELATED:
Josh Boak / Associated Press:   Stock market woes raise a nagging fear: Is a recession near?
Associated Press:
Democrats to Start Presidential Primary Debates in June 2019  —  (AP) — Democrats will hold at least a dozen presidential primary debates starting in June 2019 and running through April 2020, with party Chairman Tom Perez promising rules that will give everyone in a potentially large field a fair shot at voters' attention.
Discussion: Joe.My.God. and twitchy.com
RELATED:
Ruby Cramer / BuzzFeed News:   This Is The Democrats' Plan For Their 2020 Presidential Primary Debates
Ben Schreckinger / Politico:
‘Oh, no’: The day Trump learned to tweet  —  The content of the tweet @RealDonaldTrump posted on the night of Feb. 5, 2013, was bland: a simple thank you to the actress Sherri Shepherd for flattering comments she'd made about Trump on television.  —  But its implications were historic.
RELATED:
Katherine Rosman / New York Times:
The Itsy-Bitsy, Teenie-Weenie, Very Litigious Bikini  —  On a sunny summer day in Montauk, Ipek Irgit was in the familiar situation of not knowing what she was doing with her life.  It was 2012, and she was 34 years old.  Earlier in the year, after having her heart broken …
Discussion: The Daily Caller
Ken Dilanian / NBC News:
Democrats want to use obscure law to grab Donald Trump's tax returns  —  A 1924 law says the Treasury secretary “shall furnish” tax returns of any person for private review by the chairs of the House and Senate tax committees.  —  WASHINGTON — Soon after the Democrats take control of the House next year …
 
 
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 More Items: 
David Brooks / New York Times:
A New Center Being Born  —  The market and the welfare state go together.
Discussion: Hit & Run
Asma Khalid / NPR:
Democrats Can't Avoid Identity Politics In 2020
The Marshall Project:
The Great California Prison Experiment
Discussion: New York Times
Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Stay issued in lawsuit over Trump hotel
Nicholas Bagley / The Atlantic:
To Save Obamacare, Repeal the Mandate
Discussion: National Review and Balkinization
Joe Jervis / Joe.My.God.:
Former Rep. Aaron Schock Posts Heart Emoji Comment On Instagram Page Of Gay Party Promoter Eliad Cohen
 Earlier Items: 
Aram Roston / BuzzFeed News:
Jerry Falwell: I Lent $1.8 Million To A Venture Involving A Pool Attendant
Joshua Sharpe / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Former Ga. candidate for governor indicted
Discussion: Joe.My.God.
Charles J. Sykes / Washington Post:
Remember when Paul Ryan was the future of the Republican Party?
Chicago Tribune:
How bad does the ‘Illinois Exodus’ have to get?