Top Items:
Politico:
Republicans have an affordability problem. They can't agree on how to fix it. … “The cost of living is a legitimate issue — I think it was one of the main reasons President Trump was elected. I think it's still an issue,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said in an interview …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Daily Caller News Foundation
RELATED:
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Republicans look to Trump to quell conservative rebellion in Senate — Senate Republican leaders are hoping that President Trump will intervene to quell a conservative rebellion in the upper chamber against a package of spending bills that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is trying to advance before Christmas.
Discussion:
Raw Story
Leigh Ann Caldwell / Puck:
Johnson's Career Crisis & The House G.O.P. Exodus — Serving in the House—even when your party controls that chamber, the Senate, and the Oval Office—just ain't what it used to be. The 119th Congress has been divided and demoralized, and is on track to be the least productive in recent memory.
Discussion:
Joe.My.God.
Connor O'Brien / Politico:
Compromise defense bill stymies Trump on Europe troop withdrawals … The final bill is the result of weeks of negotiations between House and Senate leadership in both parties, heads of the Armed Services panels and the White House. The measure had been slowed in recent days by talks …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Deseret News, Fox News, Raw Story, Washington Examiner and Semafor
The Hill:
Health care fight hits critical juncture
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, NPR, American Prospect, New Jersey Online and KDFX-TV
Wall Street Journal:
The GOP Can't Agree on a Healthcare Plan. Some Republicans Are Panicking.
The GOP Can't Agree on a Healthcare Plan. Some Republicans Are Panicking.
Discussion:
Alternet.org
ProPublica:
Trump's Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal — The Trump administration has argued that Fed board member Lisa Cook may have committed mortgage fraud by declaring more than one primary residence on her loans. We found Trump once did the very thing he called “deceitful and potentially criminal.”
Scott Wong / NBC News:
‘I am America First’: Marjorie Taylor Greene knocks Trump for not focusing on domestic issues — In an interview on CBS News' “60 Minutes,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she has “zero plans” to run for president in 2028. — In a high-profile interview, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Fox News, KDFX-TV, CBS News, IJR, The Independent, Mediaite, NewsNation and Grabien
RELATED:
Lesley Stahl / CBS News:
Former MAGA loyalist Marjorie Taylor Greene says Trump policies are not America First
Discussion:
Straight Arrow News, NBC News, Joe.My.God., The Hill, Forbes, Raw Story, The Independent and Mediaite
Keith Bradsher / New York Times:
China's Trade Surplus Climbs Past $1 Trillion for First Time — President Trump's tariffs weren't enough to hold back the global export flood by China, which pushed past last year's record in just 11 months. — China got the world's attention last January when it announced that its trade surplus …
Discussion:
Quartz, Al Jazeera, Financial Times, Euronews, The Independent, The Japan Times and Semafor
RELATED:
Washington Post:
The Kennedy Center Honors gets a shakeup from its host: Trump — After taking over the cultural center, the president curated, and then emceed, its marquee event, which honored Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, Kiss, Sylvester Stallone and George Strait. … Yes, the president of the United States hosted the Kennedy Center Honors.
Discussion:
Breitbart, Deadline, Associated Press, The Gateway Pundit, NPR, Rolling Stone, CBS News, The Guardian, The Hill, MS NOW, New York Times, Straight Arrow News, Fox News and RedState
RELATED:
Politico:
The Trump show hits the stage — With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine, Ali Bianco and Rachel Umansky-Castro — On the Playbook Podcast: Jack and POLITICO White House reporter Megan Messerly offer their verdicts on Donald Trump's performance at the Kennedy Center last night.
Wall Street Journal:
ObamaCare Is a Mecca for Fraud — Federal auditors at the Government Accountability Office show how easy it is for the ineligible to sign up. — The Minnesota Medicaid grift illustrates how open-ended government welfare can easily become an inducement for fraud.
Discussion:
The Federalist
RELATED:
Reed Abelson / New York Times:
Obamacare Users Face Higher Deductibles, Higher Premiums
Obamacare Users Face Higher Deductibles, Higher Premiums
Discussion:
Fox News, The Hill, NPR, Chicago Tribune and NewsMax.com
Joe Stanley-Smith / Politico:
Russia praises US security strategy shift heralded by ‘strong’ Trump — Vladimir Putin's press secretary on Sunday praised U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial new National Security Strategy as largely in line with Russia's view of the world. — Moscow's public acknowledgement …
Discussion:
LewRockwell, Raw Story and Joe.My.God.
RELATED:
Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:
Trump's battle with independent agencies is back at the Supreme Court — Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has fired multiple members of agencies that Congress set up to be insulated from political pressures. — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday weighs whether …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, CBS News, New York Times, NewsNation, UPI, ABC News, NPR, KDFX-TV, Alternet.org, American Thinker, Bloomberg and Democracy Docket
Noah Berlatsky / Public Notice:
Let's call Trump's anti-Somali hate for what it is — PN is supported by paid subscribers. Become one ⬇️ — 🎄 Subscribe to PN 🎄 — President Donald Trump once again disgraced his office last week, this time by launching into multiple disgusting racist attacks …
Bloomberg:
Trump to Unveil $12 Billion in Long-Awaited Farm Aid Program — The Trump administration on Monday plans to unveil a long-awaited farm aid package, according to a White House official, offering $12 billion in assistance to a key base of support hit hard by low crop prices and the impact of the president's tariff policies.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner, Semafor, NewsMax.com, Joe.My.God. and Axios
Washington Post:
Trump pardons major drug traffickers despite his anti-drug rhetoric — The president has granted clemency to about 100 people accused of drug-related crimes during his time in office, a Post analysis shows. — Just now … On President Donald Trump's first full day in office this year …
Discussion:
MS NOW
Paul Krugman:
Is This The End of the Free World? — Trump wants to MAGAfy Europe, too — There was a time, not so long ago, when America was the leader of the free world. It was the first among equals within an alliance of nations bound together by shared values — above all a commitment to democracy and civil liberties.
Discussion:
New York Times
Sammy Westfall / Washington Post:
Child deaths under 5 believed to be rising for first time in decades — Cuts to development aid from several countries is a key factor, researchers said. — Just now … For the first time this century, the number of children worldwide who die before their fifth birthday is projected to rise …
CNN:
Thailand launches airstrikes on Cambodia as Trump's peace agreement hangs in balance — Asia Donald Trump — Thailand launched airstrikes against Cambodia on Monday as a new wave of fighting erupted between the southeast Asian neighbors, leaving a peace plan presided over by US President Donald Trump …
Discussion:
Reuters, New York Times, Bloomberg, nationthailand, KDFX-TV, France 24, Associated Press, The Guardian, IJR, NewsMax.com, UPI, Fox News, The Japan Times, Al Jazeera and Semafor
Hunter Woodall / CBS News:
Kentucky's Andy Beshear takes on national role as Democrats eye governors as their way back to the White House — Gov. Andy Beshear has spent years building a distinct political identity in the reliably red commonwealth of Kentucky by winning statewide as a Democrat even as Republican power has surrounded him.
Discussion:
Newsweek and Associated Press
Julia Ornedo / The Daily Beast:
Immigrants ‘Plucked Out’ of Oath Ceremony Lines After Trump Order — PLEASE HOLD — The Trump administration has reportedly canceled the naturalization ceremonies of immigrants from certain countries. — Immigrants who are one step away from American citizenship have suddenly found themselves …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Axios:
Behind the Curtain: Trump bets party, presidency on AI — President Trump is betting his presidency — and the future of the GOP — on lightly regulated, fast expansion of AI. … But none comes close to his sustained, and surging, all-in alliance with tech billionaires and AI companies reshaping the U.S. economy.
Discussion:
Alternet.org
Rebecca Rosman / NPR:
Zelenskyy heads to London for more Ukraine peace talks. Here's what to know — LONDON — When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives at 10 Downing Street on Monday, he can expect to be greeted with open arms. — Not just from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer …
Discussion:
Straight Arrow News, New York Times, UPI, France 24, Al Jazeera, Associated Press, Reuters, The Guardian, TheJournal.ie, KDFX-TV, Bloomberg, Semafor and Washington Post
Megan Brenan / Gallup:
Independents Drive Approval of ACA to New High of 57% — 91% of Democrats, 63% of independents and 15% of Republicans approve of the 2010 healthcare law — Editor's Note: This research was conducted in partnership with the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America …
Washington Post:
Venezuela's Maduro, shaken but still standing, aims to wait out Trump — Five months into the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is feeling the pressure but refusing to go into exile. — Just now … CARACAS, Venezuela …
Discussion:
New York Daily News

