memeorandum: Iraq's prime minister says ‘urgent measures’ should be taken to remove foreign forces (Erin Cunningham/Washington Post)

5:40 PM ET, January 5, 2020

Top Items:

Iran Shifts on a Landmark Nuclear Deal: Live Updates — The announcement followed a vote in Iraq's Parliament to expel American troops, in response to the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, a top Iranian commander, in Baghdad. — RIGHT NOW Tehran said in a statement that its nuclear program would …

Discussion: National Review, Washington Monthly, Politico, The Daily Caller, Breitbart, Mother Jones, CNN, Fox News, NPR, Alternet.org, Mediaite, Task & Purpose, Al Jazeera, Sun-Sentinel, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Daily Kos and Radio Free Europe

Associated Press:

The Latest: Iraq parliament votes to expel US military — BEIRUT (AP) — The latest on U.S.-Iran tensions (all times local): — Iraq's parliament has voted to expel the U.S. military from the country. — Lawmakers voted Sunday in favor of a resolution that calls for ending foreign military presence in the country.

Discussion: Politico, Washington Times, Al Jazeera, Daily Kos, The Hill and Mediaite

Erin Cunningham / Washington Post:

Iraq's prime minister says ‘urgent measures’ should be taken to remove foreign forces — ISTANBUL — Iraq's prime minister Sunday urged parliament to take “urgent measures” to force the withdrawal of foreign forces following a U.S. drone strike that killed a senior Iranian commander and key Iraqi militia leader in Baghdad last week.

Discussion: Politico, Slate, IRNA English, Outside the Beltway, Breitbart, Raw Story, Mother Jones, Axios and YouTube

New York Times:

Iran Ends Nuclear Limits as Killing of Iranian General Upends Mideast — The consequences of the American assassination of a senior Iranian commander are mounting. — BEIRUT — The consequences of the American assassination of a top Iranian general rippled across the Middle East and beyond on Sunday …

Discussion: Vox, PJ Media Home, Bloomberg, Balloon Juice, Outside the Beltway, middleeastmonitor.com, Radio Free Europe, RT Arabic, The Independent and Washington Monthly

Greg Miller / Washington Post:

Trump faces Iran crisis with fewer experienced advisers and strained relations with traditional allies — Presidents on the brink of war tend to rely on an array of Oval Office assets: teams of experienced advisers, trusted sources of intelligence, strong ties with U.S. allies and credibility with the broad American public.

Discussion: Raw Story

New York Times:

U.S.-Led Coalition Halts ISIS Fight as It Steels for Iranian Attacks — American forces in Iraq and Syria will now focus on protecting themselves. — WASHINGTON — The American-led coalition in Iraq and Syria has halted its yearslong mission of attacking the Islamic State and training local forces …

Discussion: Washington Post and The Daily Caller

Will Bunch / The Philadelphia Inquirer:

The folks who lied about Iraq and Afghanistan are lying about Iran. We must stop a new war — If you're a citizen like me — a baby boomer who started kindergarten one month after the Vietnam War-triggering lies of 1964′s Gulf of Tonkin incident — then continual warfare is pretty …

Discussion: Unprecedented, Common Dreams, The Root and USA Today

CNN:

Exclusive: Supreme Leader's military adviser says Iran's response will be ‘against military sites’ — Tehran, Iran (CNN)The military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader said Sunday that his country's response to the killing by the United States of one its most influential commanders will certainly …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Axios, NBC News, UPI, Vox, KTLA, Alternet.org, The Week, Balloon Juice, New York Times and Associated Press

Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:

HUGE — BREAKING NEWS: Iranian Regime Offers $80 MILLION for President Trump's Head! —VIDEO — On Friday morning the United States killed General Qassim Soleimani, a top commander of Iran's al-Quds Force, in an airstrike at Baghdad's International Airport.

Discussion: New York Times, PJ Media Home and Jihad Watch

David French / TIME: President Trump's Bold, Justified Gamble in Killing Soleimani May Just Pay Off

David Nakamura / Washington Post:
In confrontation with Iran, Trump wrestles with the shadow of Obama, ‘the metric he has to beat’

Discussion: Breitbart and Associated Press

Milo Boyd / Mirror.co.uk:
Iran 'offers $80million bounty for Donald Trump's head' after death of general

Discussion: Redstate, Raw Story and Al Arabiya

Aya Batrawy / Associated Press:
Trump's threats draw Iran's cultural sites into tensions

Discussion: KTLA, Associated Press and Axios

Lara Seligman / Foreign Policy: Pentagon Chief Kept Tight Circle on Suleimani Strike

Washington Post: Hezbollah says retribution for Soleimani's death must target U.S. military, not civilians

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Why lying about an ‘imminent’ attack would matter

Discussion: Raw Story and Reason

Nabih Bulos / Los Angeles Times:
Iraqi parliament votes to expel U.S. military from country after Iran general's killing

Discussion: Power Line, Financial Times and Responsible Statecraft

Adam Taylor / Washington Post:
The key word in U.S. justifications for the killing of Iranian general: ‘Imminent’

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Common Dreams and Econlib

ABC News:
World is safer because of Iranian commander's death: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Discussion: Associated Press, Politico, Redstate, New York Times, Breitbart, HuffPost, CNN, Vanity Fair, middleeastmonitor.com, The Week, The Hill and Mediaite

Zachary Cohen / CNN:
Skepticism mounts over evidence of ‘imminent’ threat that Trump says justified Soleimani killing

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, HuffPost, Breitbart, PJ Media Home, Al Jazeera, The Hill and Talking Points Memo

Liz Sly / Washington Post:
Iran has vowed revenge against the U.S. But it seems to be in no hurry.

Discussion: Politico and Althouse

Associated Press:
Iran takes general's body on unprecedented public mournings tour

Discussion: Washington Times

Ronn Blitzer / Fox News:

Graham gives Pelosi ultimatum, proposes Senate rule change to remove her from impeachment process — Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., insists that if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi does not deliver articles of impeachment against President Trump to the Senate by the end of the week, the Senate should “take matters in our own hands.”

Discussion: Redstate, Axios and The Hill

Rachael Bade / Washington Post: Top Republican suggests changing Senate rules to begin Trump impeachment trial within days

Associated Press:
Graham urges Senate rules change to speed impeachment trial

Discussion: NBC News and The Hill

Allan Smith / NBC News:
Dems say no rush to turn over articles of impeachment, but wait won't be ‘indefinite’

Discussion: The Hill, Politico and Breitbart

Matthew Daly / Associated Press: Small cracks have appeared in GOP unity on impeachment trial

CBS News:

Sanders starts 2020 in strong position in Iowa and New Hampshire — CBS News Battleground Tracker — The New Year opens with Bernie Sanders in his best standing yet against the field in Iowa and New Hampshire. He's in a first-place tie with Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg in Iowa.

Discussion: The Guardian, The Hill, No More Mister Nice Blog, Common Dreams, Axios and The Week

Elena Schneider / Politico:
Iran situation casts Buttigieg's candidacy in a different light

Discussion: Axios, Blue Delaware, Fox News and Washington Post

Reid J. Epstein / New York Times: Buttigieg's Bet: After Iran Strike, Military Experience Matters Even More

Hansi Lo Wang / NPR:

Deceased GOP Strategist's Daughter Makes Files Public That Republicans Wanted Sealed — More than a year after his death, a cache of computer files saved on the hard drives of Thomas Hofeller, a prominent Republican redistricting strategist, is becoming public.

Discussion: Raw Story

Jim Sciutto / CNN:

Senior US officials say there is widespread opposition within the Trump administration to targeting cultural sites in Iran — Washington (CNN)Two senior US officials on Sunday described widespread opposition within the administration to targeting cultural sites in Iran should the United …

Discussion: Raw Story and The Hill

Rebecca Klar / The Hill:
Schiff: I haven't seen intelligence that ‘taking out’ Soleimani would ‘stop the plotting’

Discussion: NBC News and Breitbart

Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast: Mike Pompeo Insists U.S. Safer but There May Be a ‘Little Noise’ in Interim

Associated Press:

Extremists attack Kenya military base, 3 Americans killed — NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Al-Shabab extremists overran a key military base used by U.S. counterterror forces in Kenya before dawn Sunday, killing three American Department of Defense personnel and destroying several U.S. aircraft …

Discussion: Redstate, WGN-TV and Townhall

CNN: Three Americans killed in Kenya terror attack

Ibrahim Hooper / CAIR:

BREAKING: CAIR-WA Assisting Iranian-Americans Detained at U.S. Border — (SEATTLE, WA, 1/5/20) - The Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA) is assisting more than 60 Iranians and Iranian-Americans of all ages who were detained at length and questioned …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story and Common Dreams

Washington Post:

Venezuela's last democratic institution falls as Maduro stages de facto takeover of National Assembly — CARACAS, Venezuela — The government of President Nicolás Maduro staged a de facto takeover of Venezuela's legislature on Sunday, swearing in its own candidate as head …