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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 …
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Trump grants clemency to 20 people, including three former GOP 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 …
Discussion:
National Review, Reuters, Fox News, Talking Points Memo, RedState and The Intellectualist


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 …
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Breitbart, CNBC, THE CITY, HotAir, Townhall, The Intellectualist and Mock Paper Scissors

Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grants of Clemency
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Last Refuge, American Military News, Greensburg Tribune-Review, Reason, NPR, TheBlaze and UPI


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.”
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Trump asks Congress to increase stimulus payments
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Townhall, CNBC, Summit News, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, Al Jazeera, TheBlaze, Fox News and NPR

Trump rips coronavirus stimulus bill and demands bigger checks
Discussion:
Reuters

Trump takes aim at Covid stimulus bill, raising specter of veto
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Mediaite, ABC News, POLITICUSUSA, Denver Post, Fox News, CBS News, Axios and NECN

Trump slams relief bill, calls on Congress to increase stimulus money
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA, CANNONFIRE and Deadline


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.
Discussion:
Variety, Politico, Vanity Fair and Salon, more at Techmeme »
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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.
Discussion:
Newsy, Axios, USA Today, RedState, Alternet.org, Crooks and Liars, Mock Paper Scissors, CBS News, New York Times, Townhall, Conservative News Today and Raw Story


‘I Will Retire’: Dr. Birx Will Not Seek Role In Biden Administration
Discussion:
National Review, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, NPR, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, New York Post, Washington Examiner, The Hill, IJR, The Gateway Pundit and Mediaite


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 …
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Trump orchestrates final loyalty test in dying bid to subvert election — President Donald Trump is plotting a final stand in Congress on Jan. 6, casting it as the ultimate loyalty test in his quest to remain in power and shutting out anyone who won't get in line.
Discussion:
NBC News, OpenSecrets.org, Raw Story, KTVZ-TV, Israpundit, Business Insider, Washington Times, The Hill, The Week and Axios




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:
CyberScoop and Political Wire
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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 …
Discussion:
ABC News


Republicans plunge into open battle over attempts to overturn Trump's loss to Biden — The GOP is plunging into open warfare over President-elect Joe Biden's election victory — with President Trump taunting Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in a passive-aggressive email blast …
Discussion:
The Week, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, Raw Story, Forbes, Townhall, Bloomberg, Breitbart, Business Insider and The Guardian
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Don't let Mitch McConnell get away with his vile rewriting of history
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New York Times, Jacobin, Slate, Raw Story, Breitbart and New Republic, more at Mediagazer »


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 …
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Trump's private bankers resign from Deutsche Bank
Discussion:
The Hill, UPI and The Intellectualist


Newsom names Assemblywoman Shirley Weber to succeed Padilla as California secretary of state — Gov. Gavin Newsom took swift action Tuesday to fill the newly vacant post of California secretary of state by selecting Democratic Assemblywoman Shirley Weber to serve as the state's chief elections officer …
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KUSI-TV, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Fox News, LGBTQ Nation, Associated Press, KNSD-TV, Patterico's Pontifications, Politico and NPR
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Alex Padilla becomes California's first Latino U.S. senator, replacing Kamala Harris
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Washington Post, FiveThirtyEight, One America News Network, CNBC, The Root, UPI, Reuters, Fox News, California Governor and Twitchy

Alex Padilla Will Replace Kamala Harris in the Senate
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Los Angeles Times, Yahoo Lifestyle, CNN, NBC News, RedState, New York Magazine, The Nation, Vox, The Gateway Pundit, The 19th, Al Jazeera, IJR, Talking Points Memo, HotAir, The Federalist, New York Post, NPR and Washington Examiner


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 …
Discussion:
KTVZ-TV, Vanity Fair, Talking Points Memo and Political Wire
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Senior Trump advisers prepare to launch policy group
Discussion:
The Hill and Political Wire


Dominion worker sues Trump campaign and conservative media — NEW YORK — An election systems worker driven into hiding by death threats has filed a defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump's campaign, two of its lawyers and some conservative media figures and outlets.
Discussion:
NPR, CBS Denver, The Colorado Sun and Axios


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:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Daily Caller and Georgia Memo


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:
ABC13, Talking Points Memo and CREW
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The dishonest heart of the challenge to the 2020 election results
Discussion:
Detroit News and Raw Story


Dr. Fauci made the right house calls — Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, turns 80 this week. At a time when Americans desperately need heroes, there is no better choice as a national hero than the top doc who has led us through this nightmarish COVID-19 pandemic.
Discussion:
HotAir


Trump pardons Blackwater contractors jailed for massacre of Iraq civilians — Four guards fired on unarmed crowd in Baghdad in 2007, killing 14 and sparking outrage over use of private security in war zones — President Donald Trump has pardoned four Blackwater security guards …
Discussion:
Associated Press


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.


How Cities Lost Control of Police Discipline — In the chaos of 1960s Detroit, a fledgling police union laid the groundwork for a system that, to this day, constrains discipline for officers accused of misconduct. — It took Portland, Ore., almost $1 million in legal fees …
Discussion:
City Journal