Top Items:
Politico:
GOP frets ‘dangerous’ result in Tennessee … Democrat Aftyn Behn's overperformance in the Tennessee special election — which attracted millions of dollars in spending and national attention in its final days — continues a trend of concerning electoral results for the GOP.
RELATED:
Politico:
Why Republicans aren't eager to cut an Obamacare deal
Why Republicans aren't eager to cut an Obamacare deal
Discussion:
Washington Post, Associated Press and The Bulwark
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
What the special election in Tennessee says about the 2026 midterms
What the special election in Tennessee says about the 2026 midterms
Discussion:
New York Times, CNN, Sabato's Crystal Ball, DNYUZ, The American Conservative, Mediaite, Bloomberg, Raw Story and NPR
Mia McCarthy / Politico:
Capitol agenda: GOP fears what Tennessee means for 2026
Capitol agenda: GOP fears what Tennessee means for 2026
Discussion:
ABC News, IJR, The National Pulse, Roll Call and Washington Examiner
Andrew Howard / Politico:
Despite loss, Democrats overperformed in bright red Tennessee House race
Despite loss, Democrats overperformed in bright red Tennessee House race
Discussion:
Washington Post, PJ Media, HuffPost, Democrats, The Hill, New Jersey Online, Newsweek, MS NOW, Alternet.org, Reason, The Parnas Perspective, ABC News, MPR News, NBC News, LGBTQ Nation, NewsMax.com, The Federalist, The Independent, New York Magazine, CBS News, NOTUS, Raw Story, The Post Millennial, PoliticusUSA and Associated Press
Associated Press:
Trump pardons Texas Democratic Rep. Cuellar in bribery and conspiracy case — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is pardoning Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife in a federal bribery and conspiracy case. Trump, a Republican, said in a social media post that Cuellar …
Discussion:
IJR
RELATED:
Gabby Birenbaum / The Texas Tribune:
Donald Trump to pardon Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar — Cuellar had faced a dozen charges of bribery, money laundering and conspiracy. On Wednesday, he filed for reelection as a Democrat, quieting speculation that he migh switch parties. — TAKE OUR CONTENT — PLEASE!
Discussion:
CBS News, Bloomberg, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Straight Arrow News, New York Post, Washington Examiner, NewsNation, Scripps News, NOTUS, Click2Houston.com, New York Magazine, UPI, Roll Call, WAGA-TV, Washington Times, Al Jazeera, KHOU-TV, Associated Press, KVIA-TV, New York Daily News, Blaze Media, Raw Story, The Daily Wire, Joe.My.God., The Independent, IJR, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, GV Wire, Mediaite, MS NOW, New Republic, New Jersey Online, DNYUZ and WTOP News
Gregory Svirnovskiy / Politico:
Trump pardons Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar — President Donald Trump pardoned Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), the president announced in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, blaming former President Joe Biden for weaponizing the Justice Department against his opponents.
Discussion:
NewsNation and Mediaite
Greg Norman / Fox News:
Trump announces pardon for Democratic Rep Henry Cuellar
Discussion:
Townhall, RedState, The Post Millennial and Daily Mail
Miles Taylor / DEFIANCE.News:
Leaked memo exposes flimsy legal basis for Trump boat strikes — DOJ's classified, “legal authorization” for the missile attacks is beginning to collapse. — Today the administration's drug-boat scandal blew wide open — not because of a new strike, but because a leaked Justice Department memo shows …
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Elie Mystal / The Nation:
Pete Hegseth Should Be Charged With Murder — No matter how you look at the strikes on alleged “drug boats”—as acts of war or attacks on civilians—Hegseth has committed a crime and should be prosecuted. — Pocket — Pete Hegseth is a murderer. He meets all of the legal qualifications to be a murderer.
Discussion:
Wonkette
Aram Roston / The Guardian:
Family of victim in alleged Trump ‘drug boat’ killings files first formal complaint
Discussion:
CNN, Defense One, CBS News, Washington Post, Raw Story and Politico
Michael Gold / New York Times:
Democrats Release Images of Epstein's Private Home — In publicizing the photos and videos, Democrats in Congress appeared to be intensifying pressure on the Justice Department to release its files on the Epstein case. — House Democrats on Wednesday released photographs and videos …
Discussion:
CNN, NewsNation, Straight Arrow News, Axios, New York Post, Scripps News, Metro.co.uk, PBS NewsHour, Mediaite, Alternet.org and DNYUZ
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Hailey Fuchs / Politico:
Major banks provide Jeffrey Epstein documents to House Oversight Committee. — The House Oversight Committee has received new materials from major financial institutions as part of its investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The files from JPMorgan Chase …
Discussion:
MS NOW and Daily Mail
Sahil Kapur / NBC News:
Lawmakers ask AG Pam Bondi for a status update on releasing the Epstein files — Five members of Congress spanning both parties and both chambers want a briefing by Friday on the Trump administration's progress in releasing the Epstein files. — WASHINGTON — Five members of Congress …
Discussion:
Axios, Alternet.org, The Independent, Joe.My.God. and New York Times
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
The Potemkin Pentagon Press — Presidents—they're just like the rest of us. Yesterday, Donald Trump had a deeply human experience: repeatedly dozing off throughout a meeting after burning the candle at both ends on an epic all-night social media binge. Unfortunately, that meeting …
Discussion:
DNYUZ, Associated Press, The Wrap, Bloomberg and The Hill
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Doodling, drowsiness and a conspicuous misspelling highlight Trump's last Cabinet meeting of 2025
Discussion:
New Republic, DNYUZ, Crooked Media, Newsweek, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, CBS News and Joe.My.God.
Washington Post:
Trump appears to doze off in another meeting
Trump appears to doze off in another meeting
Discussion:
CNN, New York Magazine, Mediaite, DNYUZ, The Independent, RedState and The Daily Beast
Zolan Kanno-Youngs / New York Times:
Trump Appears to Fight Sleep During Cabinet Meeting
Trump Appears to Fight Sleep During Cabinet Meeting
Discussion:
Daily Mail, Raw Story, The Independent, New Jersey Online and DNYUZ
Associated Press:
Federal authorities plan operation in Minnesota focusing on Somali immigrants, AP source says — Federal authorities are preparing a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota that would primarily focus on Somali immigrants living unlawfully in the U.S., according to a person familiar with the planning.
Discussion:
NBC News, The Hill, The Federalist, City of Minneapolis, FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, Reuters, Los Angeles Times, Townhall, Louder With Crowder, The Post Millennial, Breitbart, Associated Press, KDFX-TV, New York Sun, Real Patriotism …, MPR News, New York Times, WJBK-TV, The Independent, Al Jazeera and Wall Street Journal
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Dareh Gregorian / NBC News:
Trump calls Ilhan Omar ‘garbage’ and says Somalis should ‘go back to where they came from’ — The president, who has a history of disparaging African people and migrant communities, launched into a tirade over Minnesota's Somali population at the end of a Cabinet meeting.
Discussion:
Associated Press, HotAir, HuffPost, Salon, New York Times, NewsMax.com, The Portland Press Herald, Al Jazeera, France 24, MS NOW, New York Post, Ace of Spades HQ, The Hill, Mercury News, RUMBLE, KARE-TV, New York Times, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, Mediaite, Raw Story, Blaze Media, FOX 11 Los Angeles, The Guardian, Washington Post and Santa Rosa Press-Democrat
Myles Miller / Bloomberg:
Trump Zeroes In on New Orleans as Immigration Crackdown Expands
Trump Zeroes In on New Orleans as Immigration Crackdown Expands
Discussion:
New York Times, NBC News, Reuters, Scripps News, Fox News, Washington Examiner, NOTUS, Broad + Liberty, Al Jazeera, NewsMax.com, CBS News, New York Post, Joe.My.God., The Guardian, Axios and Associated Press
Olivia Beavers / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Ally Elise Stefanik Attacks Speaker Johnson's Leadership — In interview, New York lawmaker says Johnson is losing control of House Republicans — WASHINGTON—Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, a prominent ally of President Trump, criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson …
Discussion:
KDFX-TV, Daily Mail, KVIA-TV, Raw Story, DNYUZ, Alternet.org, Newsweek, NewsMax.com, HuffPost, CBS News, New Republic and New Jersey Online
RELATED:
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
Stefanik secures NDAA provision after high-profile fight with Johnson
Discussion:
NewsNation, The Daily Caller, The National Pulse, Axios, DNYUZ, Raw Story, Blaze Media, Washington Examiner, Fox News, Daily Caller News Foundation and Newsweek
Charlie Sykes / To the Contrary:
“A sickening moral slum of an administration” — George Will's verdict. — There is a temptation to describe what happened yesterday as somehow a “new low.” Our somnolent, gibbering, incoherent, deeply corrupt President, surrounded by his fawning toadies, unleashed a torrent of dehumanizing racist bile …
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George F. Will / Washington Post:
A sickening moral slum of an administration — Regarding Venezuela, Ukraine and much more, Trump and his acolytes are worse than simply incompetent. … Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seems to be a war criminal. Without a war. An interesting achievement.
Marc J. Dunkelman / New York Times:
What the Left Could Learn From Trump's Brutal Efficiency — Those of us opposed to MAGA complain plenty about what the Trump administration has done or is doing to the government — drawing on vast administrative resources for deportations, taking stakes in private companies, destabilizing the Federal Reserve.
CNN:
Exclusive: Watchdog finds Hegseth risked endangering troops by sharing sensitive war plans on Signal, sources say — Pete Hegseth Federal agencies US military — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth risked compromising sensitive military information, which could have endangered American troops …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Fox News, Bloomberg, The Independent, ABC News and Washington Post
Judd Legum / Popular Information:
Kushner's Moscow mission wasn't just corrupt. It was unconstitutional. — Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, has been traveling the world to participate in high-stakes foreign policy negotiations on behalf of the president. On Tuesday, Kushner traveled to Moscow and sat across …
New Republic:
Transcript: Trump White House Rages at Pop Star Who Nailed MAGA “Evil” — The following is a lightly edited transcript of the December 3 episode of the Daily Blast podcast. Listen to it here. — Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR Network.
Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:
Hegseth says he wouldn't trust Miller, Rubio to babysit his kids — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a recent interview said he would not trust Secretary of State Marco Rubio or White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller to babysit his children. — In an episode of …
Discussion:
New Republic, DNYUZ, Joe.My.God., The Independent, IJR and Mediaite
Jeff Cox / CNBC:
November private payrolls unexpectedly fell by 32,000, led by steep small business job cuts, ADP reports … The U.S. labor market slowdown intensified in November as private companies cut 32,000 workers, with small businesses hit the hardest, payrolls processing firm ADP reported Wednesday.
Discussion:
Forbes, New York Times, Reuters, Breitbart, One America News Network, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times and Alternet.org
Kelly Garrity / Politico:
Rep. Ayanna Pressley will run for reelection, foregoing Senate race — Rep. Ayanna Pressley won't challenge Sen. Ed Markey for his Senate seat and instead plans to seek reelection to her House seat, she announced today, ending weeks of speculation about the progressive Democrat's political future.
Discussion:
The Boston Globe, Axios, WBUR, IJR, Boston Herald, Fox News, The Hill, Boston.com, Associated Press and Washington Examiner
Mona Charen / The Bulwark:
For Trump, Even the National Guard Shooting Is About Immigration — And he won't let the facts get in the way of his agenda. — FROM THE MOMENT THE NEWS BROKE of the attack on two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., the commentary has been missing something.
Discussion:
The Contrarian, The Daily Wire, KVIA-TV, Townhall and The Hill
Steve Rose / The Guardian:
Scott Galloway on the masculinity crisis: ‘I worry we are evolving a new breed of asexual, asocial males’ — When his book Notes on Being a Man was released last month, it raced to the top of the bestseller lists. The US author, tech entrepreneur and podcaster explains his theories on dating, crying - and the rise of Donald Trump
Discussion:
Daily Mail
Jason Beeferman / Politico:
Young Republicans chapter plans to host far-right German leader after ‘I love Hitler’ chat … In a statement to POLITICO, the group defended inviting the German politician, calling the AfD a model for fighting the far left and denying their “über alles” statement was intended to invoke Nazism.
Discussion:
New York Times
Hailey Fuchs / Politico:
Jack Smith subpoenaed for closed-door House Judiciary interview — The House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena to former special counsel Jack Smith, who led investigations into President Donald Trump, ordering him to appear at a closed-door session later this month.
Discussion:
CBS News, New York Post, Scripps News, Fox News, Bloomberg, Washington Times, The Gateway Pundit, The Post Millennial, The National Pulse and NewsMax.com
David R. Lurie / Public Notice:
Republicans in the era of Late Trumpism — PN is supported by paid subscribers. Become one ⬇️ — 🧠 Subscribe to PN 🧠 — Since 2016, the Republican Party has been under the thrall of Donald Trump's personality cult, having traded the party's “principles” for power.
Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
Pete Hegseth's “warrior ethos” is plain old cowardice — He calls himself the “Secretary of War” and plays a tough guy on TV, but in real life he's a major weenie — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth really wants you to think he's a tough guy. … With his perfectly coiffed hair and belligerent posture …
Discussion:
Raw Story, DNYUZ, Mediaite and The Daily Beast
Chris Hippensteel / New York Times:
U. of Alabama Suspends Black and Female Student Magazines, Citing D.E.I. Guidance — Officials told staff members at two student-run publications, called Nineteen Fifty-Six and Alice, that they were not compliant with Attorney General Pam Bondi's memo on diversity programs.
Eric Garcia / MS NOW:
Trump used a slur against Tim Walz. Many on the right didn't mind — Note how few Republicans have criticized the president for invoking the word long used as a pejorative for people with disabilities. … Much has been made of the fact that after President Donald Trump posted …
Discussion:
The Independent

