Top Items:
David Frum / The Atlantic:
The Sound of Fear on Air — This morning, I had an unsettling experience. — I was invited onto MSNBC's Morning Joe to talk from a studio in Washington, D.C., about an article I'd written on Trump's approach to foreign policy. Before getting to the article, I was asked about the nomination …
Discussion:
BizPac Review, Mediaite, Raw Story and Daily Mail
RELATED:
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
What's Happening at MSNBC? — David Frum just shared a disturbing anecdote from an appearance this morning on MSNBC's Morning Joe. According to his short article at The Atlantic, he made a flippant reference to reporting that Pentagon nominee Pete Hegseth was known for drinking on the job at Fox News.
Discussion:
Alternet.org, Raw Story and Daily Mail
Politico:
Playbook: Pete Hegseth's last stand — With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine — DRIVING THE DAY — BIG FAMILY NEWS — From Global Editor in Chief John Harris: Rachael Bade — who for the past four years has been a Playbook co-author and for the past 14 years has fashioned …
New York Times:
Pete Hegseth's Troubles at Work Raise Questions About Leadership — President-elect Donald J. Trump's choice for defense secretary led two nonprofits into debt, and episodes of drinking continued into his days as a Fox News personality. — Almost from the moment he first went on air …
Discussion:
Wide World of News, Washington Examiner, Politico, The Daily Beast, Voice of America, Mediaite, Washington Post, Daily Kos, New Republic and Raw Story
Ryan Bort / Rolling Stone:
Hegseth Is Reportedly Vowing to Stop Drinking, Having His Mom Call Senators — Trump's pick to take over the Pentagon appears to be struggling to convince Republican senators he's fit for the job … The former Fox News host has been struggling to weather a firestorm of scrutiny stemming …
Discussion:
Forbes, Megyn Kelly, Mediaite, The Nation, The Hill, RedState and Washington Times
The Hill:
Hegseth nomination sinking fast in the Senate
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Breitbart, Raw Story, Power Line, Washington Post, CBS News, New Republic, Mediaite and Politico
CBS News:
Hegseth signed NDA, received six-figure severance payment after leaving veterans' group, sources say
Hegseth signed NDA, received six-figure severance payment after leaving veterans' group, sources say
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Twitchy and Vanity Fair
Jonathan Martin / Politico:
Biden White House Is Discussing Preemptive Pardons for Those in Trump's Crosshairs — The nomination of Kash Patel, who has vowed to pursue Trump's critics, as FBI director has heightened concerns within the president's inner circle. — President Joe Biden's senior aides are conducting …
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Axios:
Behind the Curtain: Biden's haunting twin sins … They expected some blowback — not a wicked backlash. — But even Biden's best friends think it was nuts to pardon Hunter as a solo act on the same evening he left for a long-promised three-day trip to Africa.
Discussion:
Instapundit, Fox News, New York Times, The Colorado Sun and The Hill
Ben Croll / Variety:
Sean Penn Calls Trump's Reelection a ‘Dangerous Clown Show’ and Weighs In on His Friend Hunter Biden's Pardon: 'Any Father That Didn't Do That Would Have Been Remiss' (EXCLUSIVE)
Sean Penn Calls Trump's Reelection a ‘Dangerous Clown Show’ and Weighs In on His Friend Hunter Biden's Pardon: 'Any Father That Didn't Do That Would Have Been Remiss' (EXCLUSIVE)
Discussion:
RADAR, Breitbart, Fox News, BizPac Review, Mediaite, The Hill, Power Line and The Post Millennial
Catie Edmondson / New York Times:
Mike Johnson's Newest Headache: The Smallest House Majority in History — The Republican speaker held on to control of the House, but will preside over an even smaller majority at a time when President-elect Donald J. Trump will need his help to achieve major agenda items.
Discussion:
NOTUS, Alternet.org, Balloon Juice, Washington Times, The Daily Signal, GovExec.com, USA Today, Al Jazeera, ABC News, Reuters, Punchbowl News, Bloomberg, Missouri Independent and Axios
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Marianna Sotomayor / Washington Post:
GOP's razor-thin House majority could complicate Trump's policy plans
Discussion:
Semafor, Raw Story and New York Post
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Jeff Bezos Says He Is “Proud” of Decision to End Endorsements at Washington Post, “Very Optimistic” About Second Trump Term — The Amazon founder said that he is working on a plan to turn around the Post: “We saved the Washington Post once, this will be the second time.”
Discussion:
Washington Post, Business Insider, Associated Press, The Verge, Fox News, New York Times, Daily Mail, Fortune, Raw Story, TMZ.com, HuffPost, Variety, Axios and Deadline, more at Techmeme »
Oliver Darcy / Status:
The Times They Are A-Changin' — The old Los Angeles Times building. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) — Patrick Soon-Shiong is tightening his grip over the Los Angeles Times. — The MAGA-curious owner, who drew controversy when he blocked the newspaper's planned endorsement of Kamala Harris …
Nathaniel Weixel / The Hill:
What to know about the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare's CEO — A manhunt is underway in New York for the suspect who shot the CEO of the country's largest private health insurer Wednesday morning. — Police said UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed outside …
Discussion:
NBC News, Reuters, Fox News, People, The US Sun, CNN, Los Angeles Times, The Verge, KYMA-TV, RADAR, Twin Cities, Gothamist, Hollywood Life, NPR, CNBC, Associated Press, New York Post, NewsNation, Metro.co.uk, Bloomberg, WSVN-TV, Al Jazeera, TechCrunch, UPI, One America News Network, Minnesota Reformer, Townhall, WBNS-TV, CBS News, Fortune, STAT, Mercury News, Chicago Sun Times, freebeacon.com, Politico, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Examiner, Fox Business and RedState
Politico:
Jeffries stays out of the way as Dems mutiny against senior panel leaders — Democrats are increasingly anxious about the incoming Trump administration and are no longer bowing to seniority rules to pick their committee leaders. — House Democrats are poised to unseat several senior committee leaders …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill and Axios
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Nicholas Fandos / New York Times:
Nadler to Relinquish Democrats' Top Judiciary Post, Bowing to Calls for Change
Nadler to Relinquish Democrats' Top Judiciary Post, Bowing to Calls for Change
Discussion:
Axios, The Hill, Salon, Townhall, ABC News, Associated Press, Washington Times, UPI, Roll Call, IJR, Washington Examiner, PoliticusUSA, Raw Story, NBC News, Politico, Fox News and CBS News
New York Times:
Trump Organization Plans an Ethics Policy Without Banning Foreign Deals — The family business of President-elect Donald J. Trump is expected to announce some restrictions on transactions but is not likely to accept as many limitations as it did eight years ago.
Punchbowl News:
12/5/24 ☀️ AM: … The meeting is at 3 p.m., after the Senate leaves town for the week. (The rhythms of Congress are hard. It takes everyone time to learn.) … Unlike previous spending-reduction initiatives, DOGE has no statutory authority or fast-track floor process …
Judd Legum / Popular Information:
North Carolina Supreme Court candidate seeks to disqualify 60,000 voters — including his opponent's parents — In an effort to overturn the results of November's election, Jefferson Griffin, a Republican candidate for the North Carolina Supreme Court, is asking state election officials to throw out more than 60,000 ballots.
Discussion:
WRAL-TV, Carolina Journal, NCSBE, The North State Journal, RedState, The Federalist and Associated Press
Public Notice:
Evan Greer on why Dems should stay strong on trans rights — “I wish more Democrats would ask themselves, ‘How can we stand for more?’ instead of ‘How can we stand for less?’” — ∙ Paid — 🏳️⚧️ Public Notice is possible thanks to paid subscribers.
David Sirota / The Lever:
Trump Nominee Pressured IRS To Crush The Humane Society — Donald Trump's pick to head the Internal Revenue Service pressed the agency to investigate and consider stripping the country's leading animal welfare group of its tax status after it supported an initiative to protect dogs, according to documents reviewed by The Lever.
Discussion:
New York Times, Axios, HuffPost, Roll Call, djt.nucleusemail.com, Michigan Advance, Breitbart, UPI, Raw Story, Fox News, Politico, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Bloomberg and Washington Examiner
Daniel Henninger / Wall Street Journal:
The Great DOGE Reversal — The project led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy puts citizens back on top. — It is easy to mock or minimize DOGE. Its name, the Department of Government Efficiency, reads like a Muskian stab at humor. It may be an impossible dream.
Patricia Mazzei / New York Times:
Pam Bondi's Journey From Traditional Republican to Warrior for Trump — The president-elect's choice for attorney general is known for her charm and fealty to him. — The day before Florida's 2016 presidential primary, the state attorney general, Pam Bondi, surprised her fellow Republicans …
Discussion:
Breitbart
Josh Fiallo / The Daily Beast:
Hegseth Vows to Get Sober if Confirmed — The embattled Fox News host-turned-secretary of defense nominee denied ever having a drinking problem. — Satanic Temple To Host Public Elementary School Program — SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE — A parent personally requested they offer …
Jeremy Kohler / ProPublica:
Missouri Voters Enshrined Abortion Rights. GOP Lawmakers Are Already Working to Roll Them Back. — One month after Missouri approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to abortion, legislators have proposed a flurry of bills to tighten abortion access or raise the bar for future amendments driven by voter initiatives.
Discussion:
Missouri Independent, Michigan Advance, Washington Examiner and Associated Press
Katie Honan / The City:
Campaign Board Head Hints Eric Adams Could Be Denied Reelection Matching Funds — Executive director says Campaign Finance Board members will make “judgment calls” that could take into account a recent federal indictment for allegedly obtaining $10 million illegally in 2021. — Support local news today!
Discussion:
Reason
Maggie Haberman / New York Times:
Trump Replaces His White House Counsel Before He Even Started the Job — The shake-up is a sign that the new administration may see the same chaos and infighting that so often plagued President-elect Donald J. Trump's first term in office. — President-elect Donald J. Trump on Wednesday replaced …
Politico:
DeSantis' political future widens as Trump dangles Defense chief job — The governor is being considered to lead the Department of Defense. It may be a strong opportunity to keep himself in the limelight for a 2028 presidential run. — TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Nearly a year ago …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Daily Mail, Washington Examiner, Orlando Sentinel, The Independent and Digby's Hullabaloo
Washington Post:
Trump energy nominee misinterprets studies to support claims, scientists say — Chris Wright cites data to back his claim there is no climate crisis. Authors of the papers he cites say he is misinterpreting their work. — Oil executive Chris Wright, President-elect Donald Trump's pick …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Nancy Cook / Bloomberg:
Trump Taps Fiserv CEO Bisignano for Social Security Chief — Program faces shortfall and is politically risky to change — Bisignano is JPMorgan veteran behind major fintech merger — President-elect Donald Trump is nominating Frank Bisignano, the chief executive officer of fintech …
Discussion:
Forbes, New York Times and Washington Examiner
James Downie / MSNBC:
South Korea just gave Donald Trump a warning — if his opponents are listening — Swiftly and decisively rebutting would-be authoritarians works better than hoping it works out for the best. — Just before 11 p.m. local time Tuesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in a televised address to the nation.
Discussion:
Raw Story and New York Times
