memeorandum: Buttigieg's hand-picked successor to take over as South Bend mayor (Ursula Perano/Axios)

2:20 PM ET, January 1, 2020

Top Items:

Thomas Kaplan / New York Times:

Pete Buttigieg's Campaign Says It Raised $24.7 Million in the Fourth Quarter — Mr. Buttigieg, who appears in strong position in Iowa with a month until the caucuses, continues to show fund-raising strength. — WASHINGTON — Pete Buttigieg raised more than $24.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2019 …

Discussion: The Week

Fredreka Schouten / CNN:

Buttigieg announces $24.7 million fundraising haul in fourth quarter — (CNN)Pete Buttigieg raised more than $24.7 million during the final three months of 2019, his campaign announced early Wednesday morning — cementing his standing as one of the fundraising leaders of the 2020 Democratic presidential race.

Discussion: Breitbart, The Guardian, Axios, The Hill and DNyuz

Julie Bykowicz / Wall Street Journal:

Buttigieg Campaign Raised $24.7 Million in Fourth Quarter — With about $76 million in total last year, the former South Bend, Ind., mayor was one of the best fundraisers in the Democratic presidential field — Pete Buttigieg raised $24.7 million in the final three months of the year, his campaign said Wednesday.

Niall Stanage / The Hill: Ranking the Democrats: Who has best chance of winning nomination?

Elena Schneider / Politico:
Buttigieg finishes year with $24.7 million haul in final quarter

Discussion: The Week

Ursula Perano / Axios:
Buttigieg's hand-picked successor to take over as South Bend mayor

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Washington Post

Washington Post:

Supporters of Iranian-backed militia start withdrawing from besieged U.S. Embassy in Baghdad following militia orders — BAGHDAD — Supporters of an Iranian-backed militia began to withdraw from the perimeter of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Wednesday, following an order from senior militia leaders to end their siege of the facility.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Townhall, Lawfare, Breitbart, Esquire, DNyuz, WND, HuffPost and The Daily Caller

Associated Press:

Militiamen withdraw from US Embassy but Iraq tensions linger — BAGHDAD (AP) — Iran-backed militiamen withdrew from the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Wednesday after two days of clashes with American security forces, but U.S.-Iran tensions remain high and could spill over into further violence.

Discussion: Townhall, Associated Press and Wall Street Journal

Peter Beinart / The Atlantic:
The Embassy Attack Revealed Trump's Weakness

Discussion: BBC, New York Times and DNyuz

ABC News:
Pentagon expects to deploy troops to Mideast after Iraqi protesters assault US embassy …

Discussion: Power Line, CBS News, The Guardian, UPI, The Atlantic, NPR, NBC News, The Gateway Pundit and The Drive

Lucas Tomlinson / Fox News:
Up to 4,000 US troops could deploy to Middle East amid Baghdad unrest: officials

Discussion: Common Dreams, New York Post, Associated Press, BizPac Review, The Right Scoop and The Economic Collapse

Adam Liptak / New York Times:

Impeachment Trial Looming, Chief Justice Reflects on Judicial Independence — Chief Justice John Roberts's year-end report on the judiciary praised civics education, but it was not hard to detect a timely subtext that appeared to be addressed to President Trump.

Ariane de Vogue / CNN:
Chief Justice John Roberts says Americans may ‘take democracy for granted’

Discussion: IJR and Law & Crime

Greg Stohr / Yahoo News: U.S. Taking Democracy for Granted, Chief Justice Roberts Says

Josh Gerstein / Politico: Chief Justice John Roberts warns about dangers of fake news

Associated Press:
Mother of Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts dies at age 90

Discussion: Axios, One America News Network and ABC News

Dareh Gregorian / NBC News:

Giuliani says he'd testify at Trump Senate trial — The former New York City mayor added he'd “love to try the case” on Trump's behalf, but “I don't know if anyone would have the courage to give me the case.” — President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani says he'd be willing …

Discussion: New York Post

ABC News: Rudy Giuliani says he's willing to testify, give ‘demonstrations’ at Trump impeachment trial

Astead W. Herndon / New York Times:

Elizabeth Warren Isn't Talking Much About ‘Medicare for All’ Anymore — There are signs her campaign is seeking to calm fears about her health care proposal, including having small meetings with rural Iowa voters to explain her financing and transition plans.

Discussion: DNyuz

Daniel Lippman / Politico:

Trump cuts loose with unpredictable characters at Mar-a-Lago — At Trump's luxury South Florida resort, the president is just another guy in the buffet line. — Guests wait for the arrival of President Donald Trump to his New Year's Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago property on Dec. 31, 2019.

Discussion: Raw Story

David Wallace-Wells / New York Magazine:

Global Apathy Toward the Fires in Australia Is a Scary Portent for the Future — Right now, on the outskirts of a hyper modern first world megapolis, at the end of a year in which the public seemed finally to wake up to the dramatic threat from global warming, a climate disaster …

Isabella Kwai / New York Times:
Thousands Flee to Shore as Australia Fires Turn Skies Blood Red

Discussion: Common Dreams, Raw Story and The Week

Stuart Stevens / Washington Post:

Wake up, Republicans. Your party stands for all the wrong things now. — Stuart Stevens is a writer and GOP political consultant who is working with a political action committee that backs Bill Weld for president. — Here's a question: Does anybody have any idea what the Republican Party stands for in 2020?

Dave Philipps / New York Times:

From the Brig to Mar-a-Lago, Former Navy SEAL Capitalizes on Newfound Fame — After receiving presidential clemency, Edward Gallagher has left the SEALs to become a pitchman and conservative activist. — A year ago, Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher was wearing drab prison scrubs …

Geoffrey A. Fowler / The Hour:

How we survive the surveillance apocalypse — “Go, go gadgets” has long been the attitude in my house. Perhaps yours, too: A smartphone made it easier to stay in touch. A smart TV streamed a zillion more shows. A smart speaker let you talk to a smart thermostat without getting out of bed.

Michael Kranish / Washington Post:

Bloomberg's business in China has grown. That could create unprecedented entanglements if he is elected president. — Mike Bloomberg was presiding over his inaugural Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore in 2018 when, to the surprise of some in the audience, he gushed about one of China's top government officials.

Catherine Lucey / Wall Street Journal:

Trump's Tumultuous Year, From Policy Wins to Impeachment — The president started his third year during a government shutdown and concluded it impeached, scoring some victories along the way — President Trump ended 2019 with a strong economy, a string of domestic policy achievements …