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Syrian rebels announce fall of Russia-backed Assad regime — Syrian rebels announced on Dec. 8 that they had ousted President Bashar al-Assad from the capital city of Damascus. — “The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled. We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad,” rebel leaders said in a statement.
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Syria rebels celebrate in captured Homs, set sights on Damascus — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad flew out of Damascus for an unknown destination on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters, as rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments.
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BBC, Washington Examiner, The Hill, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, UPI, Al Jazeera, Sky News, Althouse, CNN, Bloomberg, The Times of Israel, Axios, masslive.com, Middle East Monitor, NPR, The Kyiv Independent, Power Line, The New European, Townhall, Instapundit, Semafor, The Guardian, New York Post, USA Today, Exposing the role …, Wall Street Journal, NewsNation, Associated Press, Algemeiner.com, The War Zone and The Japan Times

Russia says Syria's Assad has left country and gave orders for peaceful power handover — Russia said on Sunday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had left office and departed his country after giving orders for a peaceful transfer of power, but did not say where he was now or whether the Russian military planned to stay in Syria.
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Politico, Bloomberg, The Kyiv Independent and Reuters

Jubilation and gunfire as Syrians celebrate the end of the Assad family's half-century rule — Syrians poured into streets echoing with celebratory gunfire on Sunday after a stunning rebel advance reached the capital, ending the Assad family's 50 years of iron rule but raising questions …

The Syrian Regime Collapsed Gradually—And Then Suddenly — Assad's fall offers the possibility of change. — As Hemingway once wrote of bankruptcy, the collapse of autocratic regimes tends to happen gradually and then suddenly—slowly, and then all at once. This is not just a literary metaphor.
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The Hill, Atlantic Council, Jewish Insider, The Gateway Pundit, Forbes, Reuters, Middle East Monitor and Bloomberg

Syria's sudden uprising is a stark reminder of Obama's failed foreign policy
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Reuters, The Independent, Fox News and The Hill

Trump details sweeping changes he'll carry out on day one and beyond in an exclusive interview — Trump vowed to launch a mass deportation effort, impose tariffs and pardon many convicted in the Jan. 6 attack in an interview with “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker.
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The Hill, Daily Mail, Forbes and No More Mister Nice Blog
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Ryan J. Reilly / NBC News:
Trump will ‘most likely’ pardon Capitol rioters on Day 1 and says Jan. 6 committee members should be jailed — The president-elect also said during an exclusive interview with “Meet the Press” that he won't request a special prosecutor to investigate outgoing President Joe Biden.
Discussion:
The Hill, The Guardian, Deadline, Metro.co.uk, Forbes and CNN

Trump Transition Live Updates: Trump Gives First Televised Interview Since Election — Where Things Stand — President-elect Donald J. Trump insisted in an interview with NBC's “Meet the Press” to air on Sunday that he would not direct his administration to seek retribution …

Trump aims to end birthright citizenship, says American citizens with family here illegally may be deported — President-elect Donald Trump, in an exclusive interview with “Meet the Press,” also said he is open to working with Democrats on a legislative way to keep Dreamers in the United States.
Discussion:
Rolling Stone and The Guardian

Did Trump Drain Democrats' Energy? These Races Will Be the First Test. — As Democrats try to fire up their fatigued base, two contests for the Virginia legislature will serve as the first measure of partisan enthusiasm since Donald J. Trump's victory. — Even as the exhausted nation recovers …
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Holly Otterbein / Politico:
Democrats inch toward the anger phase of their election loss
Democrats inch toward the anger phase of their election loss
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American Prospect

Climate Activists Need to Radically Change Their Approach Under Trump — Donald Trump's return to Washington might seem like a terrifying moment for the fight against climate change. The incoming administration is not just hostile to the energy transition; it's also expected to pull …
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Informed Comment and Energy Security and Freedom

Federal employees scramble to insulate themselves from Trump's purge — Career civil servants are scrubbing social media, changing job titles and looking for private sector work over fear that Trump might fire them — Lisa Rein covers federal agencies and the management of government.
Discussion:
Raw Story

What Doctors Like Myself Know About Americans' Health Care Anger — I rushed around the patient as he lay motionless with his eyes closed in the emergency room. He was pale and sweaty, his T-shirt stained with vomit. You didn't have to be a health-care worker to know that he was in a dire state.

Youngkin: Jordanians ‘crashed’ Quantico. Feds: It was an Amazon delivery. — Virginia's governor has used the arrest of two undocumented men who misunderstood directions to stop at a check-in station to inflame fears over illegal immigration. — RICHMOND — There are two versions …

US announces nearly $1 billion more in longer-term weapons support for Ukraine — The United States will provide nearly $1 billion more in longer-term weapons support to Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday as the Biden administration rushes to spend all the congressionally approved money …
Discussion:
Defense News, Al Jazeera, Politico and Washington Examiner
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