Top Items:
Alan Feuer / New York Times:
Judge Says Justice Dept. May Have Committed Misconduct in Comey Case — The magistrate judge raised the question of whether “government misconduct” in the case might require dismissing the charges against the former F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, altogether.
Discussion:
CBS News, Talking Points Memo, Al Jazeera, Lawfare, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Law and Chaos, IJR and Reason
RELATED:
Politico:
Judge says possible errors by Lindsey Halligan could imperil Comey case … Fitzpatrick's decision came after he personally reviewed records of the grand jury proceedings that led to Comey's Sept. 25 indictment on charges that he lied to Congress in 2020. The indictment was signed by Halligan …
Discussion:
emptywheel, Mediaite and The Mahablog
Eric Tucker / Associated Press:
Judge scolds Justice Department for ‘profound investigative missteps’ in Comey case — The Justice Department engaged in a “disturbing pattern of profound investigative missteps” in the process of securing an indictment against former FBI Director James Comey, a federal judge ruled Monday …
Discussion:
Axios, The Guardian, NOTUS, CBS News, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Fox News, Bloomberg, New York Sun, Democracy Docket, Townhall, The Daily Caller, CNBC, NewsMax.com, JURISTnews, New Republic, Associated Press, MS NOW, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit and Newsweek
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
Trump's Epstein Humiliation Grows — Donald Trump is obsessed with the idea that his predecessor, Joe Biden, was so mentally incapacitated that he used an autopen to sign all his pardons and legislation. He not only put a picture of an autopen in place of Biden's mug on his …
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Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
‘He got tired of me winning’: How Thomas Massie outmaneuvered Trump on Epstein … Insisting “I DON'T CARE!” in a late-night Truth Social post, Trump was bowing to the inevitable — a broad House Republican mutiny on a vote that was only scheduled because Massie forced it.
Discussion:
The Hill, Associated Press, Time, The Guardian, Raw Story, CNN, PoliticusUSA, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune
Adam Wren / Politico:
Trump to back primary against Indiana Republican who opposes redistricting
Discussion:
The Hill, CNN, NewsMax.com, Washington Times, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, HuffPost, MeidasTouch News, Axios, IJR, Election Law Blog, UPI, Scripps News, New York Sun, Townhall, Washington Examiner, New York Post and NBC News
Kurt Schlichter / Townhall:
Time to Purge the GOP Backstabbers, Sissies, and Narcissists
Time to Purge the GOP Backstabbers, Sissies, and Narcissists
Discussion:
RedState
Brianna Sacks / Washington Post:
FEMA head resigns. Richardson had been hard to reach during Texas floods. — David Richardson resigned Monday after a brief tenure leading the Federal Emergency Management Agency. — David Richardson on Monday resigned as acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Associated Press, Straight Arrow News, NBC News, The Hill, Wall Street Journal, Fox News, Politico, USA Today, CBS News, Bloomberg, Washington Times, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, Daily Caller News Foundation, Raw Story, Daily Mail, MS NOW, New Republic, Newsweek and Crooks and Liars
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Gabe Cohen / CNN:
FEMA chief steps down as Trump administration prepared to oust him — The embattled acting chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency will step down after hurricane season following months of public controversy and internal frustration. — David Richardson submitted a resignation letter …
Discussion:
NOTUS, Washington Examiner, Axios, The Independent, Raw Story, New York Sun and The Gateway Pundit
Luke Barr / ABC News:
Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson resigns: Sources
Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson resigns: Sources
Discussion:
CBS News and NewsMax.com
The Harvard Crimson:
As Summers Sought Clandestine Relationship With Woman He Called a Mentee, Epstein Was His ‘Wing Man’ — When former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers was pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman he described as a mentee, he turned to a longtime associate for guidance: convicted sex offender Jeffrey E. Epstein.
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MJ Lee / CNN:
Exclusive: Elizabeth Warren calls on Harvard to sever ties with Larry Summers after new Jeffrey Epstein emails — Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Harvard University should sever ties with Larry Summers, the school's former president and one of its most prominent faculty members …
Discussion:
The Hill and New York Magazine
Nell Scovell / The Daily Beast:
Harvard's Slutty Professor Has to Go for Emailing Epstein for Sex Tips — INCONVENIENT VERITAS — Donald Trump wasn't the only name lurking in the predator's inbox. — OPINION — Before Republicans on the House Oversight Committee released a vast tranche of Jeffrey Epstein's emails …
Alex Isenstadt / Axios:
Scoop: Ted Cruz sets stage for 2028 run with Tucker jabs — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is laying the groundwork for a 2028 presidential bid by leaning into his feud with Tucker Carlson — and staking out turf as a traditional, pro-interventionist Republican.
RELATED:
Chris Cameron / New York Times:
Trump Defends Tucker Carlson After Nick Fuentes Interview
Discussion:
Straight Arrow News, Politico, Washington Post, Forbes, Axios, Raw Story, Deseret News, Washington Examiner, TMZ.com, The Forward, New York Post, Daily Caller News Foundation, Newsweek, One America News Network, Daily Mail, The Hill, Washington Times, The Independent, Townhall, Mediaite, Los Angeles Times, The Gateway Pundit and Associated Press, more at Mediagazer »
Zack Beauchamp / Vox:
Inside the war tearing the Heritage Foundation and the American right apart
Inside the war tearing the Heritage Foundation and the American right apart
Discussion:
The Hill, NewsMax.com and Mediaite
New York Times:
The Unraveling of the Justice Department — Sixty attorneys describe a year of chaos and suspicion. — President Trump's second term has brought a period of turmoil and controversy unlike any in the history of the Justice Department. Trump and his appointees have blasted through …
Discussion:
NextDraft, The Forward, emptywheel and Raw Story
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Trump Has the Look of the Weak Horse; People Are Acting Accordingly — One of my instrument panel watchwords for understanding politics is that all power is unitary. In the case of presidents, you don't have one bundle of power in one area and a siloed, distinct and unaffected bundle in another.
Discussion:
Political Wire
RELATED:
Reuters:
Trump leaning toward backing sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia, senior White House official says
Discussion:
Axios, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Breaking Defense, Al Jazeera, MS NOW, Fox News, IJR, One America News Network and Breitbart
Rebecca Shabad / NBC News:
Marjorie Taylor Greene blasts Trump for ‘vicious’ attacks after saying her company received pipe bomb threat
Marjorie Taylor Greene blasts Trump for ‘vicious’ attacks after saying her company received pipe bomb threat
Discussion:
The Hill, NewsMax.com, Mediaite, NPR, PoliticusUSA and HuffPost
Olivia Nuzzi / Vanity Fair:
Olivia Nuzzi's American Canto: Read the Exclusive Excerpt — She flamed out and she faded away. Vanity Fair's West Coast Editor returns to the written word to survey scorched earth. — I woke the morning after Election Day on the wrong coast of the right country.
Discussion:
New York Post and Daily Mail
Ken Dilanian / MS NOW:
Kash Patel's girlfriend being protected by FBI SWAT agents as security perk — FBI Director Kash Patel's country music performer girlfriend currently enjoys the protection of an FBI security detail to shield her from potential threats, prompting concerns that the arrangement may delay law enforcement …
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Examiner, New York Sun, The Independent, Raw Story, New Republic, Mediaite, Crooks and Liars and Grabien
Ryan Lucas / NPR:
Justice Department official told prosecutors that U.S. should ‘just sink’ drug boats — At a Justice Department conference in February, then-acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove told the department's top drug prosecutors that the Trump administration wasn't interested in interdicting suspected drug vessels at sea anymore.
Discussion:
Raw Story, Reuters, Talking Points Memo and Mediaite
Garrett M. Graff / Doomsday Scenario:
Trump, Border Patrol Retreat in Failure from Chicago — Five important lessons of the first six months of Trump's immigration raids — and why CBP's Greg Bovino is the Nathan Bedford Forrest of the Trump era. … In the last few days, roving Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino decamped from Chicago …
Discussion:
CNN, Law Dork, The Contrarian and UPI
Thor Benson / madness:
We need to talk about JD — I know we try to think about him as little as possible, but I think we need to talk about the Vice President of the United States. While JD Vance seems to think the job of the vice president is to troll people on social media, host podcasts and travel …
Washington Post:
How foreign student enrollment is shifting in the U.S., in 6 charts — Foreign student enrollment in U.S. colleges has stalled, with a 17 percent decline in new students this fall after Trump policy changes, a key survey shows. — The number of newly enrolled foreign college students …
Steve Vladeck / One First:
193. The “War” on Judges — Deputy Attorney General Blanche's attack on lower courts is an impressive combination of light on substance; shamelessly hypocritical; and profoundly dangerous. More people should be condemning it. — Welcome back to “One First,” a (more-than) …
New York Times:
The Crypto Industry's $28 Billion in ‘Dirty Money’ … President Trump has started his own cryptocurrency business and vowed to make the United States the world's “crypto capital.” Crypto companies have declared themselves safe and secure. And a procession of major industries …
Discussion:
CBS News, more at Techmeme »
Philip Elliott / Time:
The Shutdown's Over and Chuck Schumer Isn't Going Anywhere — The Senate was a pretty lonely place for some Democrats last week. Certainly, the eight lawmakers who compromised with Senate Republicans to reopen the government after six weeks of a shutdown felt the icy reception.
Discussion:
HuffPost, CNN, The Hill, HotAir, Washington Examiner and New York Post
Department of Homeland Security:
ICE Arrests Uzbekistan Criminal Illegal Alien and Wanted Terrorist Driving 18-Wheeler in Kansas — This criminal illegal alien was RELEASED into the country under the Biden administration, granted a work authorization, and was even issued a commercial driver's license by Pennsylvania
Discussion:
RedState, Fox News, twitchy.com, The Daily Caller, NewsMax.com and Washington Times
Doha Madani / NBC News:
Trump administration ditches Biden plan to compensate travelers for airline delays — Under the Biden-era plan, passengers would have received reimbursements based on how long the delays went on with up to $775 for nine-hour delays. — The Trump administration has officially withdrawn …
Discussion:
WBIR-TV, FOX 32 Chicago and UPI
William S. Becker / The Hill:
The Supreme Court made a horrible mistake when it gave Trump absolute power — By now, the U.S. Supreme Court surely must see that it made a horrendous mistake last year when it ruled that presidents are above the law. The court's conservative majority should admit its error and fix it.
Corbin Bolies / The Wrap:
Matt Gaetz Producer Fired at OAN Over Antisemitic Posts | Exclusive — Vish Burra's posts characterizing Jewish people as “vermin” were “highly offensive” and “antisemitic,” a source tells TheWrap — Right-wing news outlet One America News fired “The Matt Gatez Show” …
Discussion:
The Independent and Joe.My.God., more at Mediagazer »
Julia Manchester / The Hill:
Trump says he's talking to Democrats about direct health care payment plan — President Trump said he is talking with Democrats about a direct health care payment plan on Sunday amid negotiations to tackle rising health insurance premiums. — “I've had personal talks with some Democrats …
David Rothkopf / Need to Know:
We've Got the Epstein Story All Wrong — In the midst of our national Epstein-mania are we missing what's really important? — Despite the fact that we seem to have entered a 24/7 Jeffrey Epstein news cycle, it is striking to me how misleading much of the coverage of the pedophile and his network of vile pals has been.
Ben Berkowitz / Axios:
Trump promises $2,000 tariff checks by mid-2026 — President Trump on Monday promised the government would pay out $2,000 tariff dividend checks starting around mid-2026.
Discussion:
The Hill, Tax Foundation, Fox Business, NewsNation, Business Insider and Bloomberg
Anders Hagstrom / Fox News:
Majority of Democrats say ‘extremist political rhetoric’ contributed to Charlie Kirk assassination: poll — NBC News poll shows 61% of respondents believe extreme rhetoric contributed to conservative activist's death — A majority of Democrats, Independents and Republicans agree that …
Discussion:
NBC News, The Independent, Daily Caller News Foundation, NewsMax.com and IJR
Joseph Cox / 404 Media:
This App Lets ICE Track Vehicles and Owners Across the Country — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently invited staff to demos of an app that lets officers instantly scan a license plate, adding it to a database of billions of records that shows where else that vehicle …
Gilad Edelman / The Atlantic:
The ‘Easy Way’ to Crush the Mainstream Media — The scandal that briefly made Brendan Carr a household name this fall was an outlier several times over. For one thing, FCC chairmen rarely make news. More than that, Carr usually knows better than to draw too much attention to himself.
Discussion:
NPR, Breitbart, Syracuse Post-Standard, Rolling Stone and New Republic

