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12:30 AM ET, December 21, 2018

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 Top Items: 
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: Politico and Political Wire
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 …
The Daily Beast:
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' Resignation Message to Trump Is Basically ‘F*** This’  —  The Pentagon chief quit after Trump announced plans to withdraw troops from Syria and just before he ordered a drawdown in Afghanistan.  —  By SCOTT BIXBY12.20.18 5:27 PM ET  —  Jim Mattis had enough.
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.
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Is Considering Substantial Afghan Troop Drawdown  —  The administration is considering a substantial reduction of troops in Afghanistan and could begin a drawdown in several weeks, officials said.
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
The Year in Trump Freakouts  —  Jim Mattis is out, the President is leaving Syria without consulting anyone, and that's just this week in crises of the President's own making.  —  President Trump is ending the year as he began it: outraging Washington with a Twitter diktat, one that was cheered in Moscow and jeered on Capitol Hill.
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.
John Podhoretz / Commentary:
What the Mattis Resignation Means  —  Reading James Mattis's resignation letter, one gets the sense of our secretary of defense serving as a kind of Hans Brinker these past two years—holding his finger in the dike lest the floodwaters drown the town.  This week, with the abrupt revelation …
David Rothkopf / The Daily Beast:
Mattis' Message to the World: Trump Is Out of Control  —  That was more than a letter of resignation provided today by Defense Secretary James Mattis, it was a bright red line in American history.  —  On Thursday, President Trump suffered the most serious repudiation of his presidency to date …
Discussion: Politico
David Frum / The Atlantic:   No More Excuses  —  For almost two full years, James Mattis …
Ali Vitali / NBC News:
‘This is scary’: Mattis' resignation triggers bipartisan chorus of concern on Capitol Hill
Discussion: CNN, Townhall and AOL
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 and Axios
Washington Post:
‘A sad day for America’: Washington fears a Trump unchecked by Mattis
Discussion: Shareblue Media
Henry Olsen / Washington Post:   Trump is now forging foreign policy on his own. Where will he take us?
The Atlantic:
James Mattis's Letter of Resignation
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 …
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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 …
Discussion: Law & Crime and The Week
Laura Jarrett / CNN:
Exclusive: Whitaker told he does not need to recuse himself from overseeing Mueller investigation
Marty Lederman / Just Security:
A First Take on Bill Barr's Memo on Presidential Authority and the Mueller Investigation
Discussion: Lawfare and National Review
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 …
RELATED:
Washington Post:   Trump agitating for major military withdrawal from Afghanistan, advisers say
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 …
Nahal Toosi / Politico:
A ‘Never Trumper’ bets on Trump, and loses  —  James Jeffrey, President Donald Trump's special representative for Syria engagement, probably should have seen it coming.  —  In August 2016, the well-respected veteran diplomat signed an open letter denouncing then-presidential candidate Trump as a danger to America.
RELATED:
Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
Trump is leaving 50,000 Syrian civilians to die
Liz Sly / Washington Post:   This time, the United States is betraying more than just the Kurds, allies say
Victoria Nuland / Washington Post:
In a single tweet, Trump destroys U.S. policy in the Middle East
Paul Kane / Washington Post:
In budget brinkmanship, Republicans once again hold themselves hostage  —  House Republicans are ending their eight-year run in the majority exactly the way it began — grabbing a hostage and seeking ransom.  —  This week's standoff, like so many others this decade, pits an alienated House GOP caucus …
Discussion: Political Wire
RELATED:
Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Trump shutdown moves leave GOP senators in disbelief
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.
RELATED:
Alexander C. Kaufman / HuffPost:
Democrats Just Blocked Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Push For A Green New Deal Committee  —  Instead, Democrats are sticking to their original plan, and channeled Exxon Mobil in an announcement refusing to bar members who take fossil fuel money.  —  Democratic leaders on Thursday tapped Rep. Kathy Castor …
Discussion: ThinkProgress
RELATED:
E&E News:
Democratic leaders ask Kathy Castor to chair climate panel
Discussion: HuffPost
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 …
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
 
 
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 More Items: 
Edward-Isaac Dovere / The Atlantic:
Barack Obama Goes All In Politically To Fight Gerrymandering
David Brooks / New York Times:
A New Center Being Born  —  The market and the welfare state go together.
Discussion: Hit & Run
Washington Post:
As stocks drop, Trump fears he's losing his best argument for re-election
Washington Post:
Zinke was a rising star in Washington. Then he joined the Trump administration.
Discussion: Politico and The Guardian
Asma Khalid / NPR:
Democrats Can't Avoid Identity Politics In 2020
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
 Earlier Items: 
Ken Dilanian / NBC News:
Democrats want to use obscure law to grab Donald Trump's tax returns
Aram Roston / BuzzFeed News:
Jerry Falwell: I Lent $1.8 Million To A Venture Involving A Pool Attendant
Politico:
Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts to consider retirement over holidays
Chicago Tribune:
How bad does the ‘Illinois Exodus’ have to get?
Katherine Rosman / New York Times:
The Itsy-Bitsy, Teenie-Weenie, Very Litigious Bikini
Discussion: The Daily Caller
 

 
From Techmeme:

Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:
Sources: EU may accept Apple's proposal to open its NFC payments tech to rivals, and may close its antitrust probe in May, letting Apple avoid hefty fines

George Steer / Financial Times:
Nvidia closed down 10% on Friday, falling the most since March 2020 and losing more than $200B of its market value, as investors pull back from AI bets

Gaby Del Valle / The Verge:
The US Senate reauthorizes FISA's Section 702; some communication service providers had threatened to stop cooperating with the US government in case of a lapse
 
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