Top Items:
Matthew Yglesias / Slow Boring:
A Senate majority could be within Democrats' reach — That's the real lesson of the Tennessee special — just don't blow it — I wasn't paying much attention to last week's special election in Tennessee until the votes came in and a little factional squabbling started about whether that race …
Discussion:
Washington Post and NewsMax.com
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Daniel Nichanian / Bolts:
In 2025, Democrats Flipped 21 Percent of GOP-Held Legislative Seats
Discussion:
Mother Jones, New York Times, The Hill, Alternet.org and Newsweek
Ethan Cohen / CNN:
Georgia Democrat Eric Gisler flips a state House seat in district Trump won by double digits, CNN projects
Georgia Democrat Eric Gisler flips a state House seat in district Trump won by double digits, CNN projects
Discussion:
NBC News, New York Times, Alternet.org, Raw Story, Washington Times, Associated Press, NOTUS, New Republic, Newsweek and Democrats
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
Voters Got Us Into This Mess. They're Getting Us Out.
Voters Got Us Into This Mess. They're Getting Us Out.
Discussion:
NBC News, Alternet.org, New Republic and MS NOW
David Nir / The Downballot:
Georgia Democrats flip conservative seat in yet another upset
Georgia Democrats flip conservative seat in yet another upset
Discussion:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Raw Story
Bloomberg:
US Seizes Sanctioned Oil Tanker Off the Coast of Venezuela — US forces have intercepted and seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, according to people familiar with the matter, a move that marks a serious escalation of tensions between the two countries.
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Independent, Mediaite, The Atlantic, WBUR and CBS News
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Jeff Cox / CNBC:
Divided Fed approves third rate cut this year, sees slower pace ahead — A Federal Reserve split over where its priorities should lie cut its key interest rate Wednesday, but signaled a tougher road ahead for further reductions. — Fulfilling expectations of a “hawkish cut,” …
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Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System:
Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement
Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement
Discussion:
Townhall, CBS News, The Daily Signal, The National Pulse and Daily Caller News Foundation
Aimee Picchi / CBS News:
Federal Reserve lowers its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points in third straight cut
Federal Reserve lowers its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points in third straight cut
Discussion:
Politico, Al Jazeera, TPR, KDFX-TV and UPI
Washington Post:
DHS inks contract to create its own fleet of Boeing 737s for deportations — The agency will spend nearly $140 million to buy the planes, funding that comes from a massive budget increase for immigration enforcement approved by Congress. … The Department of Homeland Security recently signed …
Discussion:
Financial Times, The Hill, The Independent, NewsMax.com, Joe.My.God. and The Guardian, more at Techmeme »
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Paul Krugman:
Trump Says That You Are the Problem — Last night Donald Trump gave an important speech on the economy in Pennsylvania — supposedly in a working-class area, although the actual venue was a luxury casino resort. The event was initially touted as the start of an “affordability tour,” …
Discussion:
National Journal, HuffPost, Roll Call, LGBTQ Nation, So What, El País, New Republic, Alternet.org, Breitbart, Mediaite, Politico, Democrats, New Jersey Online and Raw Story
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Matt Viser / Washington Post:
At the first stop on his affordability tour, Trump mocks affordability
Discussion:
NBC News, CNN, Alternet.org, Reason, IJR, Roll Call, NOTUS, Washington Times, New York Post, CBS News and The Post Millennial
David E. Sanger / New York Times:
Trump Says Americans Are Doing Great, Even as Views on the Economy Sour
Trump Says Americans Are Doing Great, Even as Views on the Economy Sour
Discussion:
Advocate, Democrats, New York Post, No More Mister Nice Blog, Raw Story, CBS News, Alternet.org and MS NOW
Erin Doherty / Politico:
New poll paints a grim picture of a nation under financial strain … Americans are struggling with affordability pressures that are squeezing everything from their everyday necessities to their biggest-ticket expenses. — Nearly half of Americans said they find groceries, utility bills …
Discussion:
The Hill, Salon, Quartz, New Republic and Alternet.org
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Politico:
Trump's blind spot
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Alternet.org, Mock Paper Scissors and Democrats
Laurel Rosenhall / New York Times:
Judge Says Trump Must End Guard Deployment in Los Angeles — A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration had illegally kept troops in Los Angeles after emergency conditions had ended. The administration is expected to appeal. — A federal judge ordered the Trump administration …
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Associated Press:
Live updates: Judge orders Trump to end California National Guard deployment in Los Angeles
Discussion:
CNN, Reuters, KDFX-TV, CalMatters, NPR, UPI, Fox News, Washington Times, The Guardian, The Independent, MS NOW, The Gateway Pundit, Governor of California and New Republic
Jack Queen / Reuters:
US judge blocks Trump's National Guard deployment in Los Angeles
US judge blocks Trump's National Guard deployment in Los Angeles
Discussion:
New York Times, CBS News, NewsMax.com, Deadline, Raw Story and FOX 11 Los Angeles
Christine Chung / New York Times:
U.S. Plans to Scrutinize Foreign Tourists' Social Media History — Even visitors from countries like Britain and France, whose citizens don't need visas, would have to share five years' worth of social media. — Travelers visiting the United States from countries like Britain, France …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Washington Post, Mother Jones, Bloomberg, Real Patriotism …, The Independent, NewsMax.com and Gizmodo, more at Techmeme »
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Joseph De Avila / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Wants to Screen Foreign Visitors' Social-Media History for Entry
Trump Administration Wants to Screen Foreign Visitors' Social-Media History for Entry
Discussion:
The Hill, UPI, New York Post and Metro.co.uk
New York Times:
Inside the Pentagon's Scramble to Deal With Boat Strike Survivors … The Pentagon was in a bind. The military had plucked two survivors from the Caribbean Sea in mid-October after striking a boat that U.S. officials said was carrying drugs, and it needed to figure out what to do with them.
Discussion:
New Republic and CNN
Scott Wong / NBC News:
House Democrat files impeachment articles against RFK Jr. — The impeachment push by Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., is almost certain to be blocked in the GOP-controlled House. — WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens, who is running for an open Senate seat in Michigan …
Discussion:
Fox News, U.S. Congressman Shri …, Washington Examiner, Newsweek, PoliticusUSA, NewsMax.com, Ars Technica, The National Pulse and IJR
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Annie Karni / New York Times:
House Democrat Seeks to Impeach Kennedy for Undercutting Public Health
House Democrat Seeks to Impeach Kennedy for Undercutting Public Health
Discussion:
The Hill, UPI, Townhall, Bloomberg, Daily Mail, twitchy.com, RedState, The Guardian, Axios, IJR, Raw Story, New York Daily News, Joe.My.God. and Newsweek
Humeyra Pamuk / Reuters:
Exclusive: US threatens new ICC sanctions unless court pledges not to prosecute Trump — President Donald Trump's administration wants the International Criminal Court to amend its founding document to ensure it does not investigate the Republican president and his top officials …
Discussion:
New Republic and Raw Story
Ben Jacobs / New York Magazine:
The Messy New York GOP Fight Trump Tried and Failed to Avoid — What he told Bruce Blakeman about challenging Elise Stefanik for governor. — Bruce Blakeman's announcement that he is running for governor against fellow Republican Elise Stefanik caught many by surprise, not least of which was the White House.
Federal Register:
Agency Information Collection Activities; Revision; Arrival and Departure Record (Form I-94) and Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) — Published Document: 2025-22461 (90 FR 57208) — This document has been published in the Federal Register.
Discussion:
CBS News, Scripps News, Straight Arrow News, Washington Examiner, CNBC, masslive.com, The Daily Wire, Joe.My.God., New York Sun, Quartz, KDFX-TV, Axios, The Guardian, MS NOW and Fox News
Whitney Curry Wimbish / American Prospect:
For-Profit School Opening in For-Profit ICE Family Prison — A for-profit virtual education company accused of defrauding investors and other harms is set to run a new school at an immigration prison in Texas, according to job advertisements. — Stride, Inc., an S&P 600 corporation based in Virginia …
Miami Herald:
Democrat Eileen Higgins wins Miami mayor's race, beats Trump's pick — Democrat Eileen Higgins has defeated Trump-backed opponent Emilio González in Tuesday night's runoff for Miami mayor, with the former Miami-Dade commissioner edging out the former city manager with nearly 60% of the vote …
Discussion:
Axios, CNN, New York Times, Politico, New York Magazine, The Guardian, New Jersey Online, USA Today, Salon, WTTG-TV, NBC News, The 19th, El País, MS NOW, Straight Arrow News, NPR, Washington Post, IJR, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Newsweek, Bloomberg, NOTUS, Washington Examiner, Florida Politics and The Hill
David Smith / The Guardian:
Wrong voters, wrong message: progressives' autopsy lays bare Kamala Harris failures — RootsAction report finds Harris courted moderates instead of working-class Democrats - and Gaza stance did not help — Kamala Harris lost last year's US presidential election because she chased …
Humeyra Pamuk / Reuters:
Rubio Stages Font Coup: Times New Roman Ousts Calibri — The secretary of state called it a “wasteful” diversity move, according to an internal department cable seen by Reuters. — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday ordered diplomats to return to using Times New Roman font …
Discussion:
NBC News, New York Times, TechCrunch, New York Magazine, RedState, New York Post, @amuse, Associated Press, Mother Jones, The Post Millennial, The Verge, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Mock Paper Scissors, twitchy.com, The Independent, Joe.My.God., Washington Times, Althouse, Gothamist, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion and Raw Story
Associated Press:
Judge grants Justice Department request to unseal records from Epstein's 2019 sex trafficking case — Secret grand jury transcripts from Jeffrey Epstein's 2019 sex trafficking case can be made public, a judge ruled Wednesday, joining two other judges in granting the Justice Department's requests …
Discussion:
New York Times, Straight Arrow News, CBS News, NBC News, WTTG-TV, The Hill, Washington Examiner, New York Daily News, HotAir, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Fox News, Politico, CNN, UPI, Metro.co.uk, The Gateway Pundit, Joe.My.God., Raw Story, Mediaite, The Post Millennial, All Rise News, The Independent, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Al Jazeera, New York Sun, RedState, Deseret News, MS NOW, Washington Times, Axios, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Associated Press and FOX 11 Los Angeles
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
December 9, 2025 — When G. Elliott Morris of Strength in Numbers asked ChatGPT to fact-check an article for him yesterday, the chatbot couldn't get its head around modern America. It told him there were “multiple factual impossibilities” in his article, including his statements that “[t] …
Politico:
Trump aides and allies float potential Noem successors as speculation grows over her tenure … This story is based on conversations with 17 people, including administration officials, people close to the White House, and lawmakers. Many were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel issues.
Discussion:
Straight Arrow News, Raw Story, The Independent and Joe.My.God.
Jon Henley / The Guardian:
Just 0.001% hold three times the wealth of poorest half of humanity, report finds — Data from World Inequality Report also showed top 10% of income-earners earn more than the other 90% — Fewer than 60,000 people - .001% of the world's population - control three times as much wealth …
Discussion:
Al Jazeera
Reese Gorman / NOTUS:
National Republicans Propped Up Jasmine Crockett to Push Her Into a Senate Run — Republicans' Senate campaign arm has actively worked behind the scenes to encourage Rep. Jasmine Crockett to jump into the Senate Democratic primary in Texas, believing she will be the easiest opponent to beat.
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
House GOP erupts over health care as leaders hunt for a plan — House Republican leaders presented no firm plan Tuesday for advancing health care legislation as anxiety rises in the GOP ranks over the impending expiration of key Obamacare subsidies at the end of the year.
Discussion:
Popular Information, Axios, KDFX-TV, The Hill, Zeteo, Washington Times, IJR, Bloomberg and Alternet.org
Colby Hall / Mediaite:
We Asked AI Models to Analyze Trump's Latest Bizarre Rant. Verdict: ‘Profound Narcissistic Vulnerability’ — On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump produced what can only be described as a presidential self-diagnostic: a sprawling, grievance-fueled communiqué that reads …
Discussion:
The Hill, Deadline, HuffPost, Raw Story, NewsMax.com, New Republic and Mock Paper Scissors
Politico:
Andy Kim seeks to topple the Democratic machines in 2027 … “A constituent from the crowd spoke out and the state senator, the chairman, looked at him and said 'I don't care about you,'” Kim said in the video, in which he stood in front of his old high school in Cherry Hill, a town in Camden County where Norcross' power base is.
Straight Arrow News:
The military's new AI says ‘hypothetical’ boat strike scenario ‘unambiguously illegal’ — This recording was made using enhanced software. — Summary — GenAI — The Pentagon introduced a new Google Gemini-powered artificial intelligence platform known as GenAI. — American warriors
Discussion:
404 Media, Blaze Media, New Republic, One America News Network and Axios
David Daley / The Atlantic:
John Roberts's Dream Is Finally Coming True — This article was featured in the One Story to Read Today newsletter. Sign up for it here. — In 1982, when the Voting Rights Act was up for reauthorization, the Reagan Justice Department had a goal: preserve the VRA in name only, while rendering it unenforceable in practice.
Matthew Futterman / The Athletic:
Martina Navratilova discusses her criticism of Donald Trump: 'I just can't be compliant' — Martina Navratilova has never been shy about putting herself in line for criticism. — She defected from Czechoslovakia to the United States in 1975, saying that she did not get the chance to fulfill …
Discussion:
HuffPost, Fox News and The Independent
