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9:25 PM ET, December 22, 2020

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
New York Times:
Trump Pardons Two Russia Inquiry Figures and Blackwater Guards  —  The pre-Christmas wave of 20 pardons and commutations are not likely to be the last before Mr. Trump leaves office on Jan. 20.  —  In an audacious pre-Christmas round of pardons, President Trump granted clemency on Tuesday …
RELATED:
CNN:
Trump announces wave of pardons, including Papadopoulos and former lawmakers Hunter and Collins  —  (CNN)President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a wave of lame duck pardons, including two for men who pleaded guilty in Robert Mueller's investigation, as well as ones for Republican allies …
Washington Post:
Trump grants clemency to 20 people, including three GOP former members of Congress and two men convicted in the Russia probe  —  President Trump granted clemency on Tuesday to 20 people, including three former Republican members of Congress and two people who were convicted of crimes as part …
Shannon Najmabadi / The Texas Tribune:   Trump commutes remaining prison term of former Texas GOP congressman Steve Stockman, who was convicted of misusing charitable funds
The White House:
Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grants of Clemency
Discussion: NPR, Greensburg Tribune-Review and UPI
Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Trump turns on Pence, McConnell and White House counsel Cipollone in desperate final days  —  President Trump, in his final days, is turning bitterly on virtually every person around him, griping about anyone who refuses to indulge conspiracy theories or hopeless bids to overturn the election, several top officials tell Axios.
RELATED:
The Daily Beast:
Trump Tells Sidney Powell He Won't Name Her ‘Special Counsel’  —  The president has met with the conspiracy theorist lawyer recently.  But he is not yet buckling to one of her wishes. … Donald Trump informed the conspiracy-theory-driven MAGA attorney Sidney Powell on Monday that he does …
David Edwards / Raw Story:   Karl Rove goes off on Sidney Powell: ‘Any idiot with access to Google’ can debunk her lawsuits
Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast:
Karl Rove Tears Into Sidney Powell: Trump Is ‘So Ill-Served’ by Her ‘Antics’
Discussion: Mediaite
Robin Bravender / Business Insider:
Bidenworld is worried Trump will trash tradition and force the president-elect to fire thousands of GOP holdovers on his first day in the White House … - President Donald Trump could complicate President-elect Joe Biden's job by leaving thousands of political holdovers in office when Inauguration Day comes.
RELATED:
Associated Press:
WH virus coordinator Deborah Birx says she will retire  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, said Tuesday she plans to retire, but is willing to first help President-elect Joe Biden's team with its coronavirus response as needed.
Zoë Richards / Talking Points Memo:
‘I Will Retire’: Dr. Birx Will Not Seek Role In Biden Administration  —  Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said on Tuesday that she will not seek a role in President-elect Joe Biden's administration.  —  She cited concerns about the treatment of her family …
Washington Post:
Trump calls on Congress to approve $2,000 stimulus checks, hinting that he might not sign economic relief bill into law without changes  —  The president has still not signed the measure even though it passed Monday night.  He called the measure “a disgrace.”
RELATED:
Axios:
Trump asks Congress to increase stimulus payments  —  President Trump indicated in a video Tuesday evening that he won't sign the $900 billion coronavirus relief bill and a $1.4 trillion government funding measure passed by Congress as it stands.  —  Why it matters: The surprise announcement …
Tal Axelrod / The Hill:
Trump slams relief bill, calls on Congress to increase stimulus money
Discussion: POLITICUSUSA and Deadline
Ben Collins / NBC News:
As Trump meets with QAnon influencers, the conspiracy theory's adherents beg for dictatorship  —  On Friday, President Donald Trump met with current and former advisers in the Oval Office, including retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, and one person familiar with the meeting said Flynn advocated …
David Enrich / New York Times:
Trump's Longtime Banker at Deutsche Bank Resigns  —  Rosemary Vrablic, who oversaw hundreds of millions of dollars in loans to President Trump's company, will leave the bank next week.  —  President Trump's longtime banker at Deutsche Bank, who arranged for the German lender to make hundreds …
RELATED:
Kara Scannell / CNN:
Trump's private bankers resign from Deutsche Bank
Discussion: The Hill, UPI and The Intellectualist
Los Angeles Times:
Alex Padilla becomes California's first Latino U.S. senator, replacing Kamala Harris  —  Alex Padilla, a Los Angeles Democrat who once developed software for satellites but later rose through local and state political office to become California secretary of state, was chosen Tuesday …
RELATED:
Los Angeles Times:
Newsom names Assemblywoman Shirley Weber to succeed Padilla as California secretary of state
Shawn Hubler / New York Times:
Alex Padilla Will Replace Kamala Harris in the Senate
Benjamin Wermund / Houston Chronicle:
Texas AG Ken Paxton urged White House to revoke Harris County COVID relief  —  FILE- In this Sept. 10, 2020, file photo, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the Austin Police Association in Austin, Texas.  Paxton on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, announced a multi-state lawsuit against Google …
Discussion: Talking Points Memo
RELATED:
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
The dishonest heart of the challenge to the 2020 election results
Discussion: Detroit News and Raw Story
CREW:
Ken Paxton urged Mnuchin to revoke CARES Act aid given to Texas, new records show
Discussion: The Texas Tribune, ABC13 and Raw Story
Nick Niedzwiadek / Politico:
Trump nominates Hope Hicks, Ric Grenell to government posts  —  President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced plans to appoint another slate of top allies to various government boards, yet another sign that his time in office is winding to a close.  —  The president named Hope Hicks to be a member …
RELATED:
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Senior Trump advisers prepare to launch policy group
Discussion: The Hill and Political Wire
Washington Post:
FBI links Iran to online hit list targeting top officials who've refuted Trump's election fraud claims  —  The FBI has concluded that Iran was behind online efforts earlier this month to incite violence against the bureau's director, a former top U.S. cyber expert and multiple state elections …
Discussion: Political Wire
Becket Adams / Washington Examiner:
AOC is right  —  When Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is right, she's right.  —  She's also an embarrassing hypocrite, but that doesn't mean she's wrong.  —  The New York representative went on a righteous tear Monday after it became clear that Congress was going to pass a massive …
Discussion: The Pipeline, HotAir and Roll Call
RELATED:
Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:
The Left's Most Naïve Cynics Have Turned on AOC
Discussion: HotAir and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Mike Stobbe / Associated Press:
US deaths in 2020 top 3 million, by far most ever counted  —  NEW YORK (AP) — This is the deadliest year in U.S. history, with deaths expected to top 3 million for the first time — due mainly to the coronavirus pandemic.  —  Final mortality data for this year will not be available for months.
Wall Street Journal:
Hunter Biden's Family Name Aided Deals with Foreign Tycoons  —  Business dealings of Joe Biden's son are at the center of a federal tax investigation and loom over the start of his presidency  —  Hunter Biden ramped up business activities with European and Chinese tycoons as his father exited the vice presidency four years ago.
Adam Klasfeld / Law & Crime:
Judge Says Lin Wood's Post-Election Lawsuits May Have Violated Several Professional Rules, Orders Him to Respond  —  Attorney Lin Wood's lawsuits aimed to topple the 2020 election may have violated Delaware's rules of professional conduct, preventing him from representing President Donald …
Discussion: Raw Story
Andrew Blankstein / NBC News:
Former Rep. Katie Hill sues ex-husband, Daily Mail, Redstate.com over ‘nonconsensual porn’  —  LOS ANGELES — Former congresswoman Katie Hill filed suit in Los Angeles Tuesday against her ex-husband and the owners of Redstate.com and the Daily Mail, saying they had distributed what amounted to …
Discussion: Axios and The Wrap
Substack Blog:
Substack's view of content moderation  —  Building a system that puts readers and writers in charge  —  As Substack grows, there is increasing interest in the stance we take on content moderation.  It's a complicated issue, so we wanted to take a moment to lay out our position clearly and explain how we got there.
Bradford Betz / Fox News:
Warnock's wife told officer that her husband is ‘a great actor’ after domestic dispute  —  Medical officials did not find visible signs of injury on his wife's foot and Warnock was never charged with a crime.  —  Ossoff, Warnock would embrace ‘far-left liberal policies’ in Senate: Alyssa Farah
Discussion: Georgia Memo
 
 
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 More Items: 
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Byron York's Daily Memo: The Democrats' Eric Swalwell problem
Chrissy Clark / Washington Free Beacon:
Future Biden Education Secretary Oversaw Creation of Critical Theory Class for High Schoolers
Ben Kamisar / NBC News:
DNC will elect new chair at Jan. 21 virtual Winter Meeting
Alexandra Hutzler / Newsweek:
Ivanka Trump Says Georgia Will Decide Whether America Remains ‘Land of the Free’
The Cook Political Report:
36 Facts About the 2020 Elections  —  In keeping with our end-of-cycle tradition …
Discussion: Washington Post and CNN
U.S. Department of Justice:
Department of Justice Files Nationwide Lawsuit Against Walmart Inc. for Controlled Substances Act Violations
 Earlier Items: 
Steve Hendrix / Washington Post:
Israeli government collapses, sending country back to elections for fourth time in two years
John Cole / PoliticsPA:
NRCC Blasts Lamb For Proxy Vote Shortly After Baby Announcement
Discussion: CBS Pittsburgh
Evie Fordham / Fox News:
Gov. Kristi Noem whips out flamethrower in Instagram photo
Discussion: Twitchy
New York Times:
How Cities Lost Control of Police Discipline
Discussion: City Journal
Molly Fischer / The Cut:
Who Did J.K. Rowling Become? Deciphering the most beloved, most reviled children's-book author in history.
Nick Miroff / Washington Post:
Several Trump immigration restrictions will remain in place, Biden advisers say, urging patience
 

 
From Techmeme:

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple and OpenAI are preparing a major announcement of their partnership at WWDC; the new AirTag with a better chip is scheduled to arrive by mid-2025

Amy Thomson / Bloomberg:
OpenAI pulls ChatGPT's Sky voice that users say sounds like Scarlett Johansson, says it is an actress' voice and wasn't chosen to be an “imitation” of Johansson

Rolfe Winkler / Wall Street Journal:
Neuralink gets US FDA approval to implant its brain chip in a second person; source: FDA signed off on proposed fixes like embedding wires deeper into the brain

 
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