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12:55 PM ET, December 21, 2018

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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.
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 …
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 …
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 …
Discussion: Taylor Marsh and Joe.My.God.
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:
Fear Mounts as Mattis Quits Pentagon  —  Mattis bent the knee to Trump on the border stunt, Yemen war, and transgender troop ban.  National security professionals worry that his Pentagon replacement will be far worse.  —  Sometime during the “fire and fury” summer of 2017 …
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 …
Discussion: The Resurgent and POLITICUSUSA
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.
Discussion: Jewish Insider
Associated Press:
Analysis: As advisers leave, Trump's guardrails come off
Discussion: The Week and Politico
Dan Crenshaw / Washington Post:
Why guys like me go to places like Syria
Discussion: Townhall, Washington Times and Politico
Timothy L. O'Brien / Bloomberg:
Jim Mattis Leaves the Kids in Charge at Trump's White House
Discussion: The Atlantic, NPR and New York Times
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:   The Year in Trump Freakouts
Erin Dunne / Washington Examiner:
In leaving Syria, the US sells out its Kurdish allies to bloodthirsty Turkey
Ken Meyer / Mediaite:
Kilmeade Blasts Trump's Syria Withdrawal: We're Abandoning Kurds Who are ‘Three Weeks from Total Slaughter’
Discussion: Splinter
Joyce Karam / The National:
Trump decided to leave Syria after call with Erdogan, says US defence official
Discussion: emptywheel
Hugh Hewitt / Washington Post:   In withdrawing from Syria, Trump makes a major error
Washington Post:
‘A morning of alarm’: Mattis departure sends shock waves abroad
Washington Post:   Turkish president announces delay of planned offensive in Syria, welcomes Trump decision to pull out troops
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 …
Discussion: twitchy.com
Adam Cancryn / Politico:
Justice Ginsburg had surgery to remove cancerous nodules  —  Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had surgery to remove two malignant nodules in her left lung, the Supreme Court announced on Friday, adding that there was no evidence of any remaining disease and that no further treatment is planned.
Discussion: Washington Post and Axios
RELATED:
Dan Berman / CNN:
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg undergoes surgery  —  Washington (CNN)Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had two malignant nodules removed from her left lung Friday at a New York hospital, the Supreme Court announced.  —  There is no evidence of any remaining disease, says a court spokesperson …
Jeffrey Goldberg / The Atlantic:
Mattis Always Understood Trump's Severe Defects  —  In the spring of 2016, not long after The Atlantic published an article I had written about President Barack Obama's foreign-policy record, I visited the Hoover Institution, a think tank on the campus of Stanford University …
Discussion: The Week and The Daily Signal
RELATED:
Colby Hall / Mediaite:
Maggie Haberman: ‘Disgusted’ Republicans Now Privately Admitting They Regret Supporting Trump  —  New York Times reporter and CNN contributor Maggie Haberman appeared on New Day Friday morning and revealed insight into the current turmoil in Washington D.C.  —  In light of the many issues challenging …
Discussion: The Week
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 …
Jonathan Andrews / ODNI Newsroom:
DNI Coats Statement on the Resignation of Secretary Mattis  —  I was deeply saddened to learn the news that General Mattis will resign from his post as Secretary of Defense at the end of February.  —  DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE  —  WASHINGTON, DC 20511  —  December 21, 2018
Discussion: Politico
Matt Lewis / The Daily Beast:
What Does Trump Really Care About?  What Ann Coulter Thinks  —  A president who cares only about his base will respond mainly to its voices.  —  Matt Lewis  —  BEAST INSIDE  —  What we've found out in the past 24 hours is that Ann Coulter matters more to Donald Trump than James Mattis.
Robert Morrison / The Guardian:
The death of our Siemens factory is the result of another Trump lie  —  Trump has the power to tell companies such as Siemens to keep plants open.  All he would have to do is sign an executive order  —  This week, days before Christmas, I will clock into my good, union job one last time.
Discussion: Raw Story
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 …
RELATED:
Alex Marshall / New York Times:
Barack Obama Joins Lin-Manuel Miranda on a ‘Hamilton’ Remix  —  In the early hours of Friday morning, Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of “Hamilton,” released “One Last Time (44 Remix),” a gospel reworking of a song from the hit musical.  Halfway through, Barack Obama — the 44 in question …
Discussion: The Week and IJR
Sonny Bunch / Washington Free Beacon:
‘Vice’ Review  —  The best superhero origin story of the year  —  Vice—the new biopic about our greatest living vice president, Dick Cheney—is the movie our country needs right now: a story about a small-town guy who overcame the odds and kept his fellow Americans safe in an age of nihilistic terror.
Discussion: Instapundit
Tyler Pager / New York Times:
After Big Losses, a N.Y. House Republican Clashes With Her Party  —  She arrived in Washington as a rising star, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, and she quickly won leadership positions and garnered effusive praise from her party leaders.  —  Now, not even four years later …
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Schumer: House-passed border wall bill dead in the Senate  —  Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) says a House-passed spending bill providing $5.7 billion for a border wall and border security is dead on arrival in the Senate, signaling rising odds of a partial government shutdown.
Discussion: Breitbart
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 …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Jackie Salo / Page Six:
Is Sasha Obama headed to the University of Michigan?
Discussion: The Root and The Daily Caller
American Greatness:
In Defense of Philip Anschutz
Ben Zimmer / The Atlantic:
Why Kirstjen Nielsen Sounds Like the Hulk
David Roberts / Vox:
The Green New Deal, explained
Discussion: HuffPost, EcoWatch and Longreads
Azi Paybarah / New York Times:
N.Y. Today: The Great Taxi Fee Battle of 2018 (and Beyond)
Susan Snyder / Philly.com:
North Philly to Oxford
Michael Gerson / Washington Post:
If Trump's actions aren't impeachable, then what is?
Discussion: RedState
David Sims / The Atlantic:
Aquaman Has No Business Being This Good
 Earlier Items: 
Julie Zauzmer / Washington Post:
‘Hand yourself over to human justice’: Pope Francis tells priests guilty of abuse that the church won't shield them
Eli Lake / Bloomberg:
Nikki Haley Isn't So Sure About the UN
Associated Press:
After Year of the Woman, 2020 buzz so far focuses on the men
Discussion: Talking Points Memo
Caitlin Flanagan / The Atlantic:
Kirsten Gillibrand's Invocation of ‘Intersectionality’ Backfires
Steven Shepard / Politico:
Gallup retreats from political polling again under new leadership
Washington Post:
President Trump has made 7,546 false or misleading claims over 700 days
Paul Kane / Washington Post:
In budget brinkmanship, Republicans once again hold themselves hostage
Washington Post:
As stocks drop, Trump fears he's losing his best argument for re-election
Discussion: Political Wire