Top Items:
Politico:
As affordability concerns mount, Hill Republicans are struggling to act … “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, urging Republicans …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times
RELATED:
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, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, Deseret News and Semafor
Punchbowl News:
12/8/25 ☀️ AM: … The Senate returns this afternoon and the House comes back Tuesday evening. House Republican staff directors are in Boston for a retreat. — Both chambers will be focused on health care and defense policy. — With little time left in 2025, the political and policy stakes are high.
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, Agence France-Presse and Joe.My.God.
RELATED:
Reuters:
Kremlin says new US security strategy accords largely with Russia's view
Kremlin says new US security strategy accords largely with Russia's view
Discussion:
The Moscow Times, Joe.My.God., Associated Press, New Republic, Alternet.org and Al Jazeera
Rachel Muller-Heyndyk / BBC:
New US security strategy aligns with Russia's vision, Moscow says
New US security strategy aligns with Russia's vision, Moscow says
Discussion:
NOTUS, Bloomberg, Letters from an American, The Bulwark, Washington Post, Blaze Media, The Guardian, Newsweek, HuffPost and France 24
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, CBS News, KDFX-TV, 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
Former MAGA loyalist Marjorie Taylor Greene says Trump policies are not America First
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., Forbes, The Hill, The Independent, Raw Story 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:
Financial Times, Al Jazeera, Euronews, The Independent, The Japan Times and Semafor
RELATED:
Chan Ho-him / Associated Press:
China's exports grow 5.9% in November, while US shipments drop 29%
China's exports grow 5.9% in November, while US shipments drop 29%
Discussion:
IJR
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, New York Times, NewsNation, ABC News, NPR, American Thinker, Bloomberg, Democracy Docket and CBS News
RELATED:
Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Trump's plans to shatter the bureaucracy have a green light at the Supreme Court
Trump's plans to shatter the bureaucracy have a green light at the Supreme Court
Discussion:
Bloomberg
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.”
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 …
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
Netflix co-CEO discussed Warner Bros. deal with Trump — Will Netflix's $82.7 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. get approval from federal regulators? — While Paramount was assumed to be the frontrunner to acquire the storied movie studio thanks to CEO David Ellison's connections …
Discussion:
Variety, Gizmodo, Bloomberg, UPI, Raw Story, Semafor, The Hollywood Reporter, The Verge and Straight Arrow News, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
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.
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Must the Military Disobey Unlawful Orders? Pam Bondi Has Said Yes. — As a lawyer for a conservative think tank, Ms. Bondi, now the attorney general, filed a Supreme Court brief last year saying service members who followed such orders were committing crimes.
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:
New York Times, Reuters, Al Jazeera, Associated Press, The Guardian, France 24, TheJournal.ie, KDFX-TV, Bloomberg and Washington Post
Daniel Desrochers / Politico:
‘Only so long’ before Trump's tariff costs hit consumers, businesses warn … “In the first half of next year, we are concerned that consumers are going to start to see the price increases become a little more broad based, and there may not be all the [holiday sales] promotion to help clear through …
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
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:
Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com, Joe.My.God. and Axios
Reed Abelson / New York Times:
Obamacare Users Face Higher Deductibles, Higher Premiums … Millions of Americans are confronting the highest health insurance costs in years. For those enrolling in Obamacare for next year, the plans will cover a considerably smaller fraction of their medical bills.
Discussion:
NPR, Chicago Tribune, NewsMax.com and Politico
Russell Contreras / Axios:
AI boom fuels “environmental justice” fears in communities of color … Many of these centers are clustered in regions where marginalized communities already face higher levels of air pollution, industrial zoning and climate vulnerability. — Civil rights groups say these impacts resemble …
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
Bill Barrow / Associated Press:
Trump slams pardoned Democratic congressman as ‘disloyal’ for not switching parties — Donald Trump is angry that Rep. Henry Cuellar is running again as a Democrat rather than switch parties after the president pardoned the Texas congressman and his wife in a federal bribery and conspiracy case.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Raw Story, IJR, New York Sun, Washington Examiner, The Independent, NBC News, NewsNation and Mediaite
RELATED:
Sharon Waxman / New York Times:
Hollywood Doesn't Want Netflix to Buy Warner Bros. — I was pretty surprised this summer when a longstanding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, those guys who hand out the Oscars, said the quiet part out loud in a casual conversation in my backyard.
Discussion:
Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, more at Mediagazer »
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, nationthailand, Bloomberg, France 24, The Guardian, IJR, Associated Press, UPI, NewsMax.com, Fox News, The Japan Times and Al Jazeera


