Top Items:
Constant Méheut / New York Times:
For Zelensky, Just Keeping Trump Talking Counts as a Win — Though discussions produced little tangible progress, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine at least avoided the type of setbacks that have blighted earlier meetings. — A new round of peace talks between President Volodymyr Zelensky …
RELATED:
Illia Novikov / Associated Press:
US offers Ukraine 15-year security guarantee as part of peace plan, Zelenskyy says
Politico:
US offered Ukraine 15 years of security guarantees, Zelenskyy says
US offered Ukraine 15 years of security guarantees, Zelenskyy says
Discussion:
The Guardian, Politico and Radio Free Europe/Radio …
Holly Ellyatt / CNBC:
Zelenskyy asks Trump for 50 years of security guarantees, says meeting with Russia possible
Zelenskyy asks Trump for 50 years of security guarantees, says meeting with Russia possible
Discussion:
Financial Times, Bloomberg, New York Times, Euronews, UPI, France 24, Al Jazeera, The Hill, NBC News and Washington Post
Robert Draper / New York Times:
‘I Was Just So Naïve’: Inside Marjorie Taylor Greene's Break With Trump … Eleven days after Charlie Kirk was killed in September, Marjorie Taylor Greene, the third-term Georgia congresswoman, was watching his memorial service on TV as the luminaries of the conservative movement …
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Hill, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Independent and New Republic
New York Times:
Trump Says the U.S. Struck a ‘Big Facility’ in Campaign Against Venezuela — The administration provided no details of what the president said was an attack last week linked to U.S. efforts to disrupt drug trafficking from Latin America. — President Trump said in a radio interview …
RELATED:
Megan Lebowitz / NBC News:
Trump says the U.S. took out a ‘big facility’ in Venezuela amid strikes on alleged drug boats
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Townhall, The Daily Caller and Daily Mail
Kevin Liptak / CNN:
Trump says US knocked out ‘big facility’ as part of Venezuela campaign
Trump says US knocked out ‘big facility’ as part of Venezuela campaign
Discussion:
Associated Press, Axios and The Guardian
Washington Post:
How Vance brokered a truce between Trump and Musk — JD Vance played a key role brokering a reconciliation between the president and his wealthiest supporter. But as Trump's first year in office comes to a close, both he and his Trump world allies have learned hard lessons about Musk's unusual influence.
Discussion:
New Republic, Althouse, The Independent and Raw Story, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Mike Lee / Politico:
Trump's Texas troubles
Andrew Egger / The Bulwark:
When MAGA Comes to Christmas Dinner — Donald Trump has recently taken to saying that we have the “hottest” country in the world. But the markets say otherwise. “US stocks eclipsed by rest of world in 2025 as investors diversify,” reports the Financial Times this morning.
Discussion:
New Republic and Associated Press
RELATED:
Charles Ornstein / ProPublica:
Our Reporters Reached Out for Comment. They Were Accused of Stalking and Intimidation. — This summer, my colleagues were reporting out a story about the Department of Education's “final mission,” its effort to undermine public education even as the Trump administration worked feverishly to close the agency.
Paul Waldman / Public Notice:
Why every vestige of Trump must be torn down — 🎆 🍾 🎊 PN NEW YEAR'S SPECIAL 🎊 🍾 🎆 Click the button below to sign up for an annual paid subscription for the special price of $40 ⬇️ — 🥳 🥳 PN New Year's Special 🥳 🥳
Rebecca Falconer / Axios:
“Stern warning”: China's military holds live drills around Taiwan … - Taiwan's Defense Ministry condemned the move and said in statements its armed forces were on “high alert” after spotting two Chinese military aircraft and 11 ships “operating around Taiwan” around 6am local time.
Discussion:
CNN, Mediaite, France 24, Associated Press, Al Jazeera and Focus Taiwan
RELATED:
Fox News:
China surrounds Taiwan with warships, fighter jets in largest military drills on record
China surrounds Taiwan with warships, fighter jets in largest military drills on record
Discussion:
HotAir, The Hill, Straight Arrow News, RedState, BBC, CBS News, Washington Times, New York Times, UPI, France 24, CNN, Associated Press, Semafor, Washington Examiner, Reuters, Focus Taiwan, NewsMax.com and Bloomberg
Alan Feuer / New York Times:
Suspect Confessed to Planting Pipe Bombs Near the Capitol Before Jan. 6 — A Virginia man was charged with planting the bombs outside Democratic and Republican headquarters. Court documents show he believed that the 2020 election had been “tampered with.”
Discussion:
Reuters, The Hill, CBS News, Axios, Mother Jones, Associated Press, Mercury News, The National Pulse, FOX 7 Austin, Washingtonian, MS NOW, Fox News, ABC News, Politico, Washington Examiner, The Independent, RedState, WUSA, New York Post, NewsMax.com and Mediaite
Connie Loizos / TechCrunch:
Sauron, the high-end home security startup for “super premium” customers, plucks a new CEO out of Sonos — When Kevin Hartz's security system failed to alert him as an intruder rang his doorbell and tried to enter his San Francisco home late one night, the serial entrepreneur decided existing solutions weren't good enough.
Fox News:
Tim Walz pushes back on Minnesota fraud allegations following viral daycare video — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's office is pushing back against fraud allegations after a viral video showed visits to multiple childcare centers in the state, including one that allegedly received millions of dollars …
Discussion:
The Hill, Reuters, New York Post, Townhall, Ace of Spades HQ, Breitbart, twitchy.com, Matzav.com, The Independent, IJR, 77 WABC, NewsMax.com, American Greatness, The National Pulse, RedState, Axios, New York Sun, Issues & Insights, Washington Examiner, Mediaite, Not the Bee, Daily Mail, Instapundit, The Post Millennial and One America News Network, more at Mediagazer »
Ben Kamisar / NBC News:
What we learned about the state of the Trump coalition in conversations with 50 voters this year — A set of focus groups featuring 2024 Trump voters showed them largely sticking with the president, but they also showed discontent around the economy and immigration.
Discussion:
Raw Story
Anna Liss-Roy / Washington Post:
Duty? Insanity? These former members of Congress want to come back. — By The Washington Post's latest tally, at least 18 former members — 11 Democrats and seven Republicans — are asking voters to send them back to D.C. next year. — Republican House candidate Mayra Flores keeps getting the same question: Is she insane?
Discussion:
Washington Examiner
Alex Bronzini-Vender / New York Times:
Harvard's New Campus Orthodoxy Is Even More Stifling Than the Old — This past spring, under intense pressure from the Trump administration, Harvard University pulled the plug on diversity, equity and inclusion. The administrator who had overseen D.E.I. operations announced that the university …
New York Times:
How Kevin Hassett Became a Trump Loyalist and Fed Chair Contender — Mr. Hassett's evolution from conservative economist to defender of the president's economic agenda has raised questions about how he would lead the central bank. — For years, Kevin Hassett, an economist who advised …
Politico:
Trump admin doles out billions for rural health … The national reaction to the program has been mixed since it was announced this summer. — Some lawmakers and rural health advocates are upset that states are receiving billions more in funding for passing policies favored by the Trump administration.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and Bloomberg
Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark:
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene Gives Me Hope — People don't change—but they can remember who they are. — ∙ Paid — The central political question of our time is: — Will Republican voters recommit to liberalism? Or will they continue the pursuit of their authoritarian project?
Brittny Mejia / Los Angeles Times:
Federal judge dismisses indictment against TikToker shot by ICE, citing constitutional violations — 8 min Click here to listen to this article — A federal judge dismissed an indictment against a TikTok streamer who was shot by ICE agents — New body cam footage of the arrest shows the mayhem during the shooting
Discussion:
Mercury News
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
What voters in every state think about Trump and prices — Support independent, empirical political journalism in 2026 — If you find my data-driven political analysis valuable, consider becoming a premium subscriber to Strength In Numbers. Over the last year, I have published dozens …
Lydia Wheeler / Wall Street Journal:
Justice Department Using Fraud Law to Target Companies on DEI — Google and Verizon among those being investigated under novel interpretation of law applying to government contractors — WASHINGTON—The Trump administration has launched investigations into the use of diversity initiatives …
Discussion:
Mock Paper Scissors, The Western Journal, New York Post and NewsMax.com, more at Techmeme »
David M. Halbfinger / New York Times:
With Critical Decisions Ahead, Netanyahu Faces Mounting Pressure — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has a series of vexing choices to make in the year ahead on issues including Gaza, conscription and a judicial overhaul, with elections looming. — Benjamin Netanyahu …
Discussion:
CBS News, Straight Arrow News, Associated Press, France 24, Washington Times, Bloomberg, New York Sun, Reuters, Washington Post and Al Jazeera
