Inauguration Spending
- Federal prosecutors probing Trump inauguration spending: report (Al Jazeera)
- Manhattan federal prosecutors are now investigating Trump’s shady inauguration spending and potential criminal bribes: report by Cody Fenwick (AlterNet)
- Report: Trump Inaugural Committee Under Investigation for Possible Finance Crimes by Molly Olmstead (Slate)
- Trump inauguration spending ‘under criminal investigation’ after materials seized in Cohen case by Chris Riotta (Independent)
- The Trump inauguration is now being criminally investigated by Andrew Prokop (Vox)
Mueller Investigation / Cohen / Hush Money
- What You Need To Know About Another Wild Week In The Russia Investigation by Philip Ewing (NPR)
- Trump Denies Directing Cohen to “Break the Law” by Inae Oh (Mother Jones)
- Did Michael Flynn Try to Strike a Grand Bargain With Moscow as it Attacked the 2016 Election? by David Corn, Dan Friedman (Mother Jones)
- Trump ducks for legal cover after Cohen sentencing by Caitlin Oprysko, Josh Gerstein, Darren Samuelsohn (Politico)
- Trump responds to former lawyer Michael Cohen’s bombshell claims in rambling Twitter denial by Chris Riotta, Tombury-Dennis (Independent)
- Russia probe expands to the Middle East: Robert Mueller reportedly looking at Trump’s ties to Saudis by Tom Boggioni (Salon)
- It’s Only Breaking the Law If You Say the Words “Let’s Break the Law” Out Loud, President Suggests by Ben Mathis-Lilly (Slate)
- Analysis: Everything Trump Did Before Entering Office That Could Justify Impeachment by Frank Bowen (Slate)
- Analysis: Evaluating Trump’s latest legal defense on the 2016 hush-money payments by Philip Bump (Washington Post)
- Michael Cohen emerges as a valuable asset as prosecutors open a criminal probe into Trump’s inauguration spending by Sonam Sheth (Business Insider)
- Trump Defends Hush-Money Payments In Fox News Interview by Scott Horsley (NPR)
- President Trump Is Said to Have Been in the Room During Hush-Money Meeting by Patricia Hurtado, Shahien Hasiripour (TIME)
- Intel panel expects to refer more cases of suspected lying to Mueller by Morgan Chalfant (The Hill)
- Ex-US attorney: Mueller ‘absolutely’ has Trump’s tax returns by Owen Daughterty (The Hill)
Maria Butina
- Maria Butina’s plea is the worst news ever for Trump by Lucian K. Truscott IV (Salon)
- Maria Butina Pleads Guilty to Participating in a Russian Conspiracy Against the US by Hannah Levintova (Mother Jones)
- Maria Butina Guilty In Foreign Agent Case, Admits Clandestine Influence Scheme by Carrie Johnson, Philip Ewing (NPR)
- Maria Butina Admits She Worked as Russian Secret Agent to Infiltrate NRA by Polly Mosendz, Greg Farrell, Andrew Harris, Erik Larson (TIME)
- Read: accused Russian spy Maria Butina’s plea agreement by Jen Kirby (Vox)
- Maria Butina Pleads Guilty to Role in a Russian Effort to Influence Conservatives by Matthew Rosenberg (NY Times)
- Maria Butina’s Defiant Plea and Yet Another Russian Ploy by Natasha Bertrand (The Atlantic)
Immigration / Border
- Judges Ask ICE to Make Courts Off Limits To Immigration Arrests by Matthew S. Schwartz (NPR)
- Almost 15,000 Migrant Children Now Held At Nearly Full Shelters by John Burnett (NPR)
- Trump back to saying Mexico will pay for wall, after threatening to shut government over funding it by Ryan Koronowski (ThinkProgress)
- Trump claims new trade pact will ensure Mexico pays for border wall by Caitlin Oprysko (Politico)
- Trump says trade deal pays for border wall, Democrats scoff by Doina Chiacu, Anthony Esposito (Reuters)
- Trump administration could deport thousands of Vietnamese refugees after immigration rules changed by Tim Wyatt (Independent)
- Trump administration may target Vietnamese refugees for deportation under new rules by Igot Derysh (Salon)
- The Border Wall Is Going to Be an Environmental Disaster by Luke Darby (GQ)
- Migrant caravan: Girl dies in custody after crossing US-Mexico border (BBC)
- 7-Year-Old Migrant Girl Dies Of Dehydration And Shock In Border Patrol Custody by Richard Gonzales (NPR)
Khashoggi / Saudi Arabia
- Senate votes to condemn Saudi crown prince for Khashoggi killing, end support for Yemen war by Karoun Demirjian (Washington Post)
- Washington Post to run full-page ad on Khashoggi killing by Jason Schwartz (Politico)
- Senate passes resolution naming crown prince ‘responsible’ for Khashoggi slaying by Jordain Carney (The Hill)
- Outraged over Khashoggi’s murder, Senate votes to end U.S. support of Saudi Arabia in Yemen war by D. Parvaz (ThinkProgress)
- Senate votes to end US military support for Saudis in Yemen by Julian Borger (The Guardian)
Other News
- US magazine National Enquirer admits paying off Playboy model to protect Trump’s 2016 election campaign by Mike McIntire, Charlie Savage, Jim Rutennberg (Indendent)
- How a Compromise on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal Paves the Way Forward for Progressives by Kara Voght (Mother Jones)
- Senate passes compromise bill to combat sexual harassment on Capitol Hill by Marianne Levine (Politico)
- Melania Trump Attacks Media as ‘Opportunists,’ but Admits She Sometimes Disagrees With Husband’s ‘Tone’ by Mahita Gajanan (TIME)
- Trump ‘cancels’ White House Christmas party for journalists, as feud with media escalates by Tom Embury-Dennis (Independent)
- Trump cancels White House holiday party for press: report by Emily Birnbaum (The Hill)
- Oil company played major role in influencing car emissions rollback by Miranda Green (The Hill)
- Trump Moves to Gut the Clean Water Act by Michelle Chen (The Nation)
- Melania Trump’s approval rating drops 11 points in CNN poll by Matthew Choi (Politico)
- DeVos cancels $150M in student loan debt after losing court battle by Michael Stratford (Politico)
- House Democrats to seek Trump tax returns: Pelosi by Ginger Gibson (Reuters)
- Trump administration asks Supreme Court to temporarily allow transgender military ban by Lydia Wheeler (The Hill)
- Trump Considering Son-In-Law Jared Kushner For Next Chief Of Staff by S.V. Date (Huffington Post)
- Trump Is Considering Jared Kushner for Chief of Staff Because He’s Been So Good at Everything Else by Elliot Hannon (Slate)
Analysis
- The Oil Industry’s Covert Campaign to Rewrite American Car Emissions Rules by Hiroko Tabuchi (NY Times)