Top Items:
Politico:
Playbook: The case for the defense — With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine, Ali Bianco and Rachel Umansky-Castro — On today's Playbook Podcast: Jack and Dasha discuss the future of under-fire Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ... and why for Donald Trump, affordability is still the hardest word.
Discussion:
CNN and Washington Post
RELATED:
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
The Only Democrats Trump Likes... Frustration with House Speaker Mike Johnson was apparently one of the factors that drove Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to announce her resignation from Congress late last month. Now, Rep. Nancy Mace is considering doing the same. And Johnson is openly feuding with Rep. Elise Stefanik.
Wall Street Journal:
Hegseth Asked Top Admiral to Resign After Months of Discord — The relationship between the Pentagon chief and military leader had been deteriorating since Trump's inauguration — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shocked official Washington in mid-October when he announced that the four-star head …
Discussion:
Defense One, New Republic, The Independent and Mediaite
Erin Doherty / Politico:
Poll: Trump's own voters begin blaming him for affordability crisis … New polling shows many Americans have begun to blame President Donald Trump for the high costs they're feeling across virtually every part of their lives — and it's shifting politics. — Almost half — 46 percent …
Discussion:
The Hill, Los Angeles Times, To the Contrary, New Jersey Online, DNYUZ, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., New Republic, Polygraph and New York Magazine
Alex Isenstadt / Axios:
Scoop: Trump's comeback travel
Discussion:
Associated Press, DNYUZ, The Daily Caller, Alternet.org, Raw Story and KDFX-TV
Matt Brown / Associated Press:
Republican Matt Van Epps is sworn in as the newest House member days after winning election
Republican Matt Van Epps is sworn in as the newest House member days after winning election
Wall Street Journal:
How a Man Convicted of Running a Latin American Narco State Landed a Pardon
How a Man Convicted of Running a Latin American Narco State Landed a Pardon
Discussion:
New York Times, The Hill, Joe.My.God., KDFX-TV, DNYUZ and MS NOW
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
December 3, 2025 — Republican Matt Van Epps won yesterday's special election …
December 3, 2025 — Republican Matt Van Epps won yesterday's special election …
Discussion:
USA Today, Punchbowl News, New Republic, The Hill, Strength In Numbers and No More Mister Nice Blog
Cameron Adams / The Daily Beast:
Real Reason for Pentagon Pete Commander's Shock Retirement Revealed
Real Reason for Pentagon Pete Commander's Shock Retirement Revealed
Discussion:
DNYUZ and Alternet.org
Jennifer Rubin / The Contrarian:
Republicans are ‘Nowhere on Healthcare’
Republicans are ‘Nowhere on Healthcare’
Discussion:
The Hill, Punchbowl News, Alternet.org, The Daily Caller and The Independent
Associated Press:
FBI makes arrest in investigation into pipe bombs placed in DC on eve of Jan. 6 riot, AP source says — The FBI made an arrest on Thursday in its nearly 5-year-old investigation into who placed pipe bombs in Washington on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
Discussion:
CBS News, MS NOW, CNBC, Wall Street Journal, Fox News, The Hill, New York Post, Politico, WTTG-TV, Deseret News, One America News Network, The National Pulse, DNYUZ, NPR, New York Daily News, Forbes, WAGA-TV, TMZ.com, France 24, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Townhall, The Daily Caller, The Independent, Daily Caller News Foundation, Raw Story, twitchy.com, Washington Times, The Daily Wire, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, IJR and Alternet.org
RELATED:
NBC News:
Suspect arrested in January 2021 D.C. pipe bomb case — The bombs were planted outside the Republican and Democratic national party headquarters in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol. — The FBI has arrested a suspect in its investigation into pipe bombs planted near …
CNN:
FBI makes arrest in DC pipe bomber investigation, sources say — Video Ad Feedback — Kennedy's handpicked CDC advisers could change childhood vaccine schedule — CNN is at airport in Venezuela as US deportation flights land — North Korean leader and his daughter attend 80th Air Force anniversary
Discussion:
Associated Press, NOTUS, Axios, UPI and The Gateway Pundit
Mike Lillis / The Hill:
Himes after seeing boat strike video: ‘We killed 2 people who were in deep distress’ — Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Thursday that he is “deeply” troubled by the Pentagon's double-tap strikes on suspected drug runners in the Caribbean …
Discussion:
New York Times, Mediaite, Daily Mail and The Independent
RELATED:
New York Times:
U.S. Military's Boat Strikes Planning Takes On New Significance — The details could raise questions about who was responsible for a follow-up strike on Sept. 2 — the commander who ordered it or the defense secretary. — Before the Trump administration began attacking people suspected …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Just Security, Associated Press, New Republic, DNYUZ, Raw Story, Semafor, Straight Arrow News and Talking Points Memo
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
The Furor Over Trump's Boat Attacks and a Particular Follow-Up Strike, Explained
The Furor Over Trump's Boat Attacks and a Particular Follow-Up Strike, Explained
Discussion:
The Hill, Straight Arrow News and DEFIANCE.News
Niall O'Connor / TheJournal.ie:
Four unidentified military-style drones breached no-fly zone to target Zelenskyy's arrival in Dublin — Gardaí are investigating whether the drones took off from land in Dublin or from an undetected ship. — 26.4k — FOUR UNIDENTIFIED MILITARY-STYLE drones breached a no-fly zone …
Popular Information:
Trump Jr.-backed startup receives $620 million Pentagon loan — In October, Popular Information reported that the Pentagon awarded a contract to Unusual Machines, an obscure drone company that President Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., joined as an advisor in November 2024 …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, New Republic and Forbes
Wall Street Journal:
Survivors of Boat Strike Were Actively Continuing Drug Mission, Admiral to Tell Lawmakers — Commander of September attack to provide account of his role for the first time in closed briefing — WASHINGTON—Two survivors of a Sept. 2 U.S. strike on a boat in the Caribbean were killed …
Discussion:
NBC News, New Republic, The Transom, Fox News, Washington Examiner and Raw Story
Jonathan Martin / Politico:
The President Who Never Grew Up … Sometimes, in journalism, the metaphors come easy. This is one of those times. — One day before Tennessee voters went to the polls this week for a special election in a House seat Donald Trump carried by 22 percentage points last year, the president quite literally phoned it in.
Discussion:
Raw Story and Alternet.org
Erik Wemple / New York Times:
New York Times Sues Pentagon Over First Amendment Rights — The company said in a lawsuit that the Defense Department's new reporting restrictions infringed on the constitutional rights of journalists. — The New York Times sued the Pentagon on Thursday, arguing that the Defense Department infringed …
Discussion:
Straight Arrow News, HuffPost, NPR, The Hill, NBC News, CNN, Politico, Axios, Breitbart, Associated Press, Fox News, The Post Millennial, New Republic, Daily Mail, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, The National Pulse, New York Sun, The Guardian, Deadline, Washington Times, Raw Story, NewsMax.com, The Independent, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Wrap, Forbes and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Economic Confidence Slips; Holiday Spending Plans Plummet — Consumers' holiday spending estimate has shrunk by over $200 as economic confidence edges down — WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. consumers expressed increased concern about the economy and jobs in November during a period that encompassed …
Discussion:
The Hill, USA Today, Daily Caller News Foundation and Los Angeles Times
Aishvarya Kavi / New York Times:
Trump Renames Institute of Peace for Himself — Workers installed Mr. Trump's name to a Washington building on Wednesday, thrusting the institute back into the spotlight as it is set to host the signing of a peace deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Discussion:
Associated Press, CNN, NBC News, Straight Arrow News, UPI, Washington Times, The Daily Caller, al.com, Washingtonian, New Republic, The National Pulse, Washington Post, The Hill, New Jersey Online, DNYUZ, The Independent, IJR, Bloomberg, Fox News, NOTUS, Reuters, Mediaite, Axios, New York Post and Joe.My.God.
New York Times:
Inside Kennedy's Methodical Quest to Shake Up America's Vaccine System … Throughout his two-decade crusade against vaccines, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. viewed the federal government's Vaccine Safety Datalink as a kind of holy grail. With millions of confidential patient records, the database …
Discussion:
KFF, Joe.My.God., Fox News, The Guardian, NewsMax.com, STAT, Techdirt and MS NOW
Ross O'Keefe / Washington Examiner:
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell files to run for Minnesota governor — MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell filed paperwork Wednesday to run for Minnesota governor. — While the paperwork doesn't certainly mean he is running, Lindell said he is 98% sure he is. The CEO filed with the Minnesota Campaign Finance …
Discussion:
MPR News, MS NOW, Washington Times, The Gateway Pundit, Mercury News, Blaze Media, Axios, RedState, Washington Post, New York Sun, KDFX-TV, New York Post, Daily Mail, Joe.My.God., One America News Network, Bloomberg, FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, The Daily Caller, The National Pulse, Raw Story, The Independent, Mediaite, The Post Millennial and Breitbart
Wall Street Journal:
For First Time in Decades, Child Deaths Will Rise This Year — Almost a quarter of a million more children are projected to die in 2025 than in 2024 — One of the greatest public-health achievements of recent decades has been driving down child mortality around the world.
Politico:
Macron warned US could ‘betray’ Ukraine in leaked leaders' call, Spiegel reports — French President Emmanuel Macron warned the U.S. could be about to “betray” Ukraine, according to a leaked transcript of a call between European leaders strategizing about how to protect Kyiv.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Reuters, France 24 and Alternet.org
Jeremy Barr / The Guardian:
Bari Weiss to moderate CBS News town hall with Charlie Kirk's widow Erika Kirk — Exclusive: event, scheduled to air on 13 December, will focus on ‘grief, faith, politics, and more’, according to internal files — Bari Weiss, the editor-in-chief of CBS News, is scheduled to moderate …
Steve Kopack / NBC News:
Government accountability office opens investigation into FHFA chief Bill Pulte — Senate Democrats wrote to the agency in November asking it to review Pulte's referrals to the Justice Department alleging mortgage fraud. — The Government Accountability Office, an independent …
Discussion:
Reuters and Joe.My.God.
American Prospect:
Losing India's Guardian Angels — BIHAR, INDIA - Sitting outside his modest house in India's eastern state of Bihar, Sudeshwar Singh, 48, scrolls on his smartphone through the recent Global Tuberculosis Report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) last month to check India's status.
Fox Business:
Ford CEO hails Trump fuel standards reset as a ‘victory’ for affordability and common sense — The CEO of Ford Motor Co. is revved up for the Trump administration's plan to make automobiles affordable, as he expressed his praise for helping to bring car prices back down.
Discussion:
The White House, RedState, IJR, Breitbart, Mediaite, The Daily Wire, ABC News and UPI
Camille Mumford / Emerson Polling:
California 2026 Poll: Swalwell Shakes Up Election for Governor — Home Polls California 2026 Poll: Swalwell Shakes Up Election for Governor — Governor Newsom with Highest Net Approval of 2025 — A new Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics survey finds Republican Chad Bianco …
Discussion:
Daily Caller News Foundation, The Hill and NewsMax.com
President Donald J. Trump / The White House:
Honoring the Memory of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, West Virginia Army National Guard — BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA — As a mark of respect for the memory of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, West Virginia Army National Guard, by the authority vested in me as President …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com and IJR
Ece Yildirim / Gizmodo:
Palantir CEO Says Making War Crimes Constitutional Would Be Good for Business — Alex Karp vows to use his “whole influence” on immigration and defense policy. — READING TIME 3 MINUTES — Read Later Read Later — Palantir CEO and Trump ally Alex Karp is no stranger to controversial (troll-ish even) comments.
Discussion:
Fortune, DNYUZ, The Gateway Pundit, Fox Business and Washington Post, more at Techmeme »
Victor Nava / New York Post:
Halle Berry bashes Gov. Gavin Newsom at NYT summit just before he takes stage: ‘Should not be our next president either’ — Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry lashed out at California Gov. Gavin Newsom Wednesday, arguing that he overlooks women and shouldn't “be our next president.”
Discussion:
The Hill, The Hollywood Reporter, Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com, Fox News, Variety, Mediaite, Townhall, Plain Dealer, TMZ.com, Breitbart, al.com, Page Six, IJR, Daily Mail, Deadline and The Wrap
Courtenay Brown / Axios:
Main Street bust threatens the entire economy — Economic pain is mounting quickly for America's small businesses, raising the chances of a Main Street recession despite an AI-powered growth boom. … The dynamic is not new, but the divide is getting bigger, faster.
Discussion:
NBC News, Fox Business, The Hill, Washington Times, KDFX-TV, KVIA-TV, UPI, CNBC and Alternet.org

