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Helene Cooper / New York Times:
Jim Mattis, Defense Secretary, Resigns in Rebuke of Trump's Worldview — WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, whose experience and stability were widely seen as a balance to an unpredictable president, resigned Thursday in protest of President Trump's decision to withdraw American forces …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, PRI, Axios, Washington Post, Front Page Magazine, BuzzFeed News, Wall Street Journal, WORLD, NBC News, The Week, The Defense Post, CNBC, JustOneMinute, NPR, The Guardian, CNN, LewRockwell, NY State of Politics, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, AOL, Media Matters for America, FiveThirtyEight, ThinkProgress, Chicks On The Right, Raw Story, RedState, HuffPost, Daily Wire, The Last Refuge, The American Conservative, twitchy.com, Task & Purpose, Breitbart, Contemptor, Townhall, Joe.My.God., Politico, ABC News, The Daily Caller, Home Page Rotator, TheStreet, Outside the Beltway, Talking Points Memo and Althouse
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Axios:
What should worry Trump most: Republican allies are turning on him — Another reason this is a historic week — and what President Trump should really worry about — is that lots of different Republicans have been turning on him over different topics. — Why it matters: A former Trump aide …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Joe.My.God., Politico, One America News Network, POLITICUSUSA and Raw Story
Axios:
Pre-Christmas Trump: Rebuked, rampaging — The last member of an informal alliance of top Trump officials with enough swat or stature to stand up to President Trump — the Committee to Save America, as Jim VandeHei and I called these officials 16 months ago — resigned in epic fashion.
Discussion:
Reuters, Associated Press, Political Wire, The Week, Mediaite and The Guardian
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 …
John Wagner / Washington Post:
Trump threatens government shutdown ‘will last for a very long time’ if Democrats oppose House bill that includes border wall money — President Trump on Friday threatened that a partial government shutdown would last “for a very long time” if Congress does not meet his demand Friday …
Discussion:
Townhall, Axios, Political Wire, Washington Free Beacon, Washington Times and RAPPLER
Eli Lake / Bloomberg:
Mattis Puts Trump's Presidency in Peril — This resignation stings because it's not about policy, it's about values. — Donald Trump may not know it yet, but his presidency is collapsing. — His tweets Thursday announcing the resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis by the end of February were polite and respectful.
New York Times:
U.S. to Withdraw About 7,000 Troops From Afghanistan, Officials Say — President Trump made the decision at the same time he decided he was pulling American forces out of Syria, one official said. — Turmoil in Congress, National Security and Markets: The State of Play — A lot has happened in the last couple days.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and Politico
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.
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 …
Associated Press:
Analysis: As advisers leave, Trump's guardrails come off — WASHINGTON (AP) — Last year, during one particularly frenetic stretch in Donald Trump's presidency, a top Republican senator said there were three men guarding the country from chaos: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis …
Jamie Ross / The Daily Beast:
Trump Already Souring on Next Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney Over ‘Terrible Human Being’ Jibe, Says Report — Donald Trump is reportedly already turning on Mick Mulvaney—who hasn't even started his new job as acting White House chief of staff yet—due to a two-year-old video uncovered by The Daily Beast …
David Frum / The Atlantic:
No More Excuses — For almost two full years, James Mattis …
Discussion:
New York Times, CNN and The Root
The Daily Beast:
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' Resignation Message to Trump Is Basically ‘F*** This’
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Post, Just Security, Politico, ABC News, Task & Purpose, Breitbart, Axios and The Week
Washington Post:
Mattis resigns after clash with Trump over troop withdrawal from Syria and Afghanistan
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Is Considering Substantial Afghan Troop Drawdown
Discussion:
Mediaite, Politico, CNN, The Guardian, HuffPost, Hullabaloo, The New Civil Rights Movement, Reuters, Breitbart, The Defense Post, Raw Story, KTLA, POLITICUSUSA, Splinter, AOL, Defense One, USNI News, Hit & Run, BuzzFeed News, Task & Purpose and Daily Wire
James N. Mattis / Washington Post:
Read the Jim Mattis resignation letter
Discussion:
The Daily Signal and The Moderate Voice
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
With Mattis out, we're in uncharted territory
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story and twitchy.com
David Rothkopf / The Daily Beast:
Mattis' Message to the World: Trump Is Out of Control
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Free Beacon and Patterico's Pontifications
Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: Hurtling toward a shutdown
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Post and Politico
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
David French / National Review:
Will the Nation Heed the Warning Jim Mattis Delivered Today?
Discussion:
Vox, KXLF-TV, Middle East Eye, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, KTLA, Mother Jones and Law & Crime
Fred Kaplan / Slate:
The Last Grown-Up Is Gone — James Mattis is not “retiring with distinction.”
Discussion:
CNN, The Atlantic and NPR
Washington Post:
‘A morning of alarm’: Mattis departure sends shock waves abroad
Discussion:
Sydney Morning Herald
Jeffrey Goldberg / The Atlantic:
Mattis Always Understood Trump's Severe Defects
Discussion:
The Week
Erin Dunne / Washington Examiner:
In leaving Syria, the US sells out its Kurdish allies to bloodthirsty Turkey — In the fight against the Islamic State, the Kurds have been our best and most reliable ally. In Syria, in partnership with U.S. Special Operations, the Kurdish-led militia, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces …
Discussion:
The Hill, The Resurgent and NPR
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Washington Post:
Turkish president announces delay of planned offensive in Syria, welcomes Trump decision to pull out troops — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkish forces are still planning to invade northeast Syria in the coming months and “cleanse” the region of both Kurdish militias and Islamic State forces.
Joyce Karam / The National:
Trump decided to leave Syria after call with Erdogan, says US defence official
Nahal Toosi / Politico:
A ‘Never Trumper’ bets on Trump, and loses
Discussion:
One America News Network, Raw Story, Defense One, CNN and Washington Post
Julia Ioffe / Washington Post:
Please don't wish me ‘Merry Christmas’ — It's impolite and alienating to assume I follow your religion. — 'Twas five nights before Christmas, and my Lyft driver was the umpteenth person to wish me a “Merry Christmas” that day. He probably just meant it the way most people do …
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 …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Washington Press, Raw Story, Hot Air, emptywheel, Reuters, RedState, Hullabaloo, Lawfare, Townhall, Daily Kos, National Review, CNN and Vox
RELATED:
NBC News:
Mueller may submit report to attorney general as soon as mid-February, say sources
Discussion:
Law & Crime and The Week
Natasha Bertrand / The Atlantic:
The Special Counsel Is Bearing Down on Roger Stone
Discussion:
Washington Post, Daily Kos and Washington Press
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 …
Discussion:
USA Today, HuffPost, Media Matters for America and Snopes.com
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 …
Ken Meyer / Mediaite:
Brian Kilmeade Goes Off on Sarah Sanders Over Syria: Trump Just ‘Refounded ISIS’ By Leaving — Brian Kilmeade grilled Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Friday by saying President Trump essentially “refounded ISIS” if he pulls the U.S. military out of Syria. — The White House press secretary gave …
Julie Zauzmer / Washington Post:
‘Hand yourself over to human justice’: Pope Francis tells priests guilty of abuse that the church won't shield them — Pope Francis used one of his major annual Christmas speeches to offer some of his strongest words yet on the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic church …
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 …
Caitlin Flanagan / The Atlantic:
Kirsten Gillibrand's Invocation of ‘Intersectionality’ Backfires — On December 4, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand tweeted something that was consistent with her established mode of communication: it was self-serving; it helped to distance herself from her former identity as a lawyer for big tobacco …
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