THE FRIEND OF MY ENEMY

The Trump gang is well-connected with the very worst

Exhibit A: http://www.salon.com/2016/12/20/donald-trumps-future-nsa-director-met-with-austrian-party-founded-by-nazis/

Donald Trump’s future NSA director met with Austrian party founded by Nazis

More: http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/far-right-austrian-party-signs-pact-putin
Far Right Austrian Party Signs Pact With Putin, Meets With Flynn

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trumps-nsa-faces-fresh-scrutiny-after-meeting-right-wing-austrian
Flynn has peddled bizarre conspiracy theories; he shared classified information with foreign officials without permission; his ties to Russia haven’t been explained in any real detail; and he was on the Turkish government’s payroll while serving as a top adviser to the Trump campaign without ever publicly disclosing that fact.  And now Flynn is chatting with the head of a far-right Austrian party who’s forged a new partnership with Putin’s political party. The Deputy National Security Advisor in the incoming Trump administration, meanwhile, will be K.T. McFarland, who’s peddled all kinds of weird beliefs. They’ll be joined by Monica Crowley, up until recently a Fox News pundit, who’ll serve as the National Security Council’s senior director of strategic communications, despite her embrace of bonkers conspiracy theories – including the amazing assertion that President Obama is secretly not black. This is the team Donald Trump has assembled to help oversee national security policy in the coming years.  I may not have a punch-line, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a bad joke. . . . [read on]

Exhibit B: http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/trumps-budget-director-pick-spoke-john
Trump's OMB Pick Spoke At John Birch Society? Of Course!

More: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/20/1612719/-Trump-s-new-budget-director-gave-a-speech-to-the-John-Birch-Society-just-six-months-ago

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trumps-choice-budget-director-tough-defend

Exhibit C: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/friedman-even-worse-than-i-thought
Friedman Even Worse Than I Thought

More: http://www.salon.com/2016/12/19/donald-trump-is-sending-a-right-wing-bankruptcy-lawyer-to-israel-what-could-go-wrong/

People really don't care about Putin, it seems

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/12/20/14005630/putin-trump-politics-arguments

More: http://www.vox.com/world/2016/12/20/14001118/putin-russia-hack-dnc-clinton-trump-election-podesta-emails

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/20/1613042/-How-much-does-Trump-love-Putin-Russia-isn-t-on-his-defense-priorities-list
How much does Trump love Putin? Russia isn't on his defense priorities list

This is what happens when you ignore your intelligence briefings

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/12/what-does-donald-trump-know-anything

More: http://www.salon.com/2016/12/20/ignorance-or-paranoia-trump-links-three-unrelated-attacks-into-his-us-vs-them-worldview/

Trump thinks we are dumb

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-ignores-his-own-buy-american-hire-american-rule
On Friday night, after wrapping up one of nine self-indulgent post-campaign campaign rallies, Donald Trump declared via Twitter, “My administration will follow two very simple rules: buy American and hire American.” A day later, during another self-congratulatory event, the president-elect repeated the identical phrase to an Alabama audience. Perhaps Trump assumes we all have very short memories  . . .
 

Trump has no friends. Really. It's good that he has a family that loves him, but that's not the same thing. You can see why he clings to his kids . . . and his rally crowds

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/13/nyregion/for-donald-trump-friends-in-few-places.html
Last month Donald J. Trump told a crowd in New Hampshire . . . “I have no friends, as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “You know who my friends are? You’re my friends.” . . .

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2015/12/does-donald-trump-have-any-friends
I've been wondering for a while whether Trump has any friends. Real friends, that is. Not family members, not people who work for him, and not celebrity buddies who have a casual acquaintance with him. I'm talking about people he's worked with frequently and who like him. People he hangs out with regularly. People from his childhood or college years that he's stayed close to. Are there any?  I can't tell. Nobody from the New York development community seems willing to say anything about him, which would make sense if they all dislike him but don't want to trigger a temper tantrum. Who needs the grief, right? How about childhood friends? Not that I've heard of. Trump seems to view people almost entirely transactionally, as assets to be deployed, so it would hardly be surprising if none of them had stayed close. Given his penchant for demanding sycophancy, and lashing out instantly against even a hint of criticism, I suppose it would be hard to have any real long-term friends or even any long-term business pals. It's kind of sad, actually. . . .

More: https://www.truthexaminer.com/2016/08/donald-trump-admits-he-has-no-friends/

http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/285464/donald-trump-has-no-friends-ask-co-workers-hang-after-work/

http://www.watchthecircus.com/politics/without-a-friend-in-the-world-should-trump-be-president/
According to one Psychology Today column, having close friends means “you will be more optimistic, less bothered by life’s hassles, less likely to engage in damaging behaviors, and less likely to suffer from debilitating stress.” . . . An online column by the Mayo Clinic suggests reasons why Trump has few, if any, friends.  It advises that to nurture friendship you should, among other things:  

• Accept others. “Don’t judge… Don’t belittle or make fun of what the other person thinks or feels.”  
• Be positive.  “Nonstop complaining puts a strain on a friendship.”  
• Don’t compete.  “Don’t let friendships turn into a battle over who makes the most money or who has the nicest home.  Instead, admire then talents and celebrate their good fortune.”  
• Listen up.  “Ask what’s going on in your friends’ lives.  Let the other person know you are paying close attention through eye contact, body language and occasional brief comments like, ‘That sounds fun.'”  
• Respect boundaries.  “Try not to ask questions that make your friends uncomfortable.” 

It seems clear why Donald Trump has no friends outside of his family.  If he did, he would not be Donald Trump.  A man who cannot make friends, and has not done so his entire life, is not a person we should put in the White House. He is a man who takes counsel only from himself and recognizes the virtues of no one with greater or better experience.  He will favor sycophants and attack even reasoned criticism and critics.  He will be easily discouraged and lash out when he fails to succeed.  He will be dangerous.

A convincing case -- that will convince no one

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/12/the-case-for-donald-trumps-impeachability.html
The Case for Donald Trump’s Impeachability

More: http://www.salon.com/2016/12/20/problem-what-problem-newt-gingrich-says-donald-trump-should-just-pardon-advisers-who-break-the-law/
Problem? What problem: Newt Gingrich says Donald Trump should just pardon advisers who break the law 

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/20/1613044/-Newt-Gingrich-has-solution-for-Trump-s-ethical-problems-Abandon-those-traditional-rules
Newt Gingrich has solution for Trump's ethical problems: Abandon those 'traditional rules'

What Trump supporters mean by "drain the swamp" (it isn't what you think)

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/21/drain-the-swamp-of-all-those-p-c-liberals-turns-out-trumpers-dont-care-about-lobbyists-or-plutocrats/

In other news . . . 

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/20/1613001/-McConnell-refuses-bipartisan-demand-for-a-special-panel-to-investigate-Russian-election-interference
McConnell refuses bipartisan demand for a special panel to investigate Russian election interference

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/12/did-ryan-zinke-defraud-government
Rep. Ryan Zinke, Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of the Interior, submitted several bogus travel vouchers back in the 90s, when he was an officer at SEAL Team 6. It turns out he was traveling to Montana not to "scout for training locations," but to renovate a house he planned to live in after he retired. He was warned to knock it off. So far this seems pretty minor. It was nearly 20 years ago, and hardly amounted to a major felony. But then there's this . . .

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/fbi-search-warrant-rocked-presidential
FBI Search Warrant That Rocked Election 2016 Was Flimsy And Weak

More: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/yep-comey-s-decision-was-just-as-bad-as-you-thought
If the prospect of a Trump-appointed FBI chief weren't so scary, there is no question that Comey should be unemployed right now.

http://www.vox.com/2016/12/20/14032588/obama-oil-drilling-arctic-trump
Obama tries to preempt Trump by banning oil drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans

Bonus item: Another reported Trump video that we should have seen before the vote

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/12/tom-arnold-says-he-has-video-trump-using-n-word-using-c-word

Actor Tom Arnold is making waves with recent claims that he has outtakes from "The Apprentice" that feature President-elect Donald Trump using inflammatory language...."When the people sent it to me, it was funny," Arnold said, explaining that hundreds of people have seen the footage that was sent around years ago as a Christmas video.  "He wasn't going to be president of the United States. It was him sitting in that chair using the N-word, using the C-word, calling his son [intellectually disabled]," Arnold said.  ...."If that had gotten released, it absolutely would have finished him," [Dori] Monson told Arnold.

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sharing its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com) with others via email or social media.

Thanks for helping to spread the word!

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SECURITY DETAIL

Trump doesn't trust the Secret Service, wants to maintain a private security force. My question: who's paying for them?

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/12/trump-likely-to-retain-a-private-security-force-as-president.html
“It’s playing with fire,” former Secret Service agent Jonathan Wackrow, who worked on Barack Obama’s protective detail during his 2012 reelection campaign, told Politico. “It creates greater confusion and it creates greater risk … you never want to comingle a police function with a private security function.”

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-still-employing-private-security-team-as-president-elect
Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks declined to answer the site's questions about who is paying the private security officials, their relationship with the Secret Service and what role they are expected to play after Trump's inauguration. . . .

More: http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-raises-eyebrows-maintaining-private-security-force

I can appreciate why some tire of the “this is not normal” description of Trump’s behavior, but this is not normal. . . .

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/12/donald-trump-doesnt-trust-secret-service-will-keep-his-own-security-force
Every time we learn more about Trump, we learn what a total whack job he is. He's like a walking encyclopedia of neuroses. . .

Trump's rallies: because it's all about ME

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-explains-the-point-his-self-congratulatory-tour

Trump's decision-making "process"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/12/19/why-we-should-be-terrified-of-donald-trumps-decision-making-process/?utm_source=rss_plum-line&utm_term=.389975a0566a
I suspect that distrust comes from what is obviously his profound intellectual insecurity — no actual smart person goes around saying things like “I’m, like, a smart person” and “Let me tell you, I’m a really smart guy” and “I have a very good brain” and “Look, if I were a liberal Democrat, people would say I’m the super genius of all time” and “Look, I went to the best school, I was a good student and all of this stuff. I mean, I’m a smart person,” unless they have some serious issues. . . .

We know the Russians interfered in the election to help Trump. But did Trump's people coordinate with them?

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/questions-surrounding-russias-intervention-election-intensify

New conservative move: the Russian hacking is Obama's fault. Or Clinton's fault

http://www.newshounds.us/mike_huckabee_blames_obama_for_russian_hacks_during_campaign_121016

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/blaming-clinton-russias-pro-trump-intervention-bonkers  

More: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/12/help-me-understand-republican-view-russias-election-hacking
Just for the record, I want to make sure I understand something:      

• During the presidential campaign, Mitch McConnell and his fellow Republicans promised to raise hell if President Obama responded aggressively to Russia's interference in the election.
• Now that the election is over, Republicans are bashing Obama for not having a more aggressive response to a ruthless cyberattack by a hostile foreign power. It's yet another example of Obama fecklessness on the foreign stage.

Oh, good

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/dana-rohrabacher-endorses-russian-election
Rep Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia and emerging threats, told MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell on Monday that he was not bothered by Russian attacks on the U.S. election because Americans had a right to know what was in private emails sent by Hillary Clinton's campaign staff. . . .

More: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2016/12/how_trump_s_apparatchiks_are_erasing_russia_s_role_in_the_election.html

Russia's connection with the alt-right movement

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/20/meet-the-moscow-mouthpiece-married-to-a-racist-alt-right-boss.html

The Trump gang shakes down Kuwait

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/12/trump-mafia-approach-governing
Judd Legum of ThinkProgress reports that "members of the Trump Organization" pressured the government of Kuwait to switch their annual National Day celebration from the Four Seasons to the Trump International . . .

More: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-big-shakedown

The China Syndrome

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trumps-antagonism-towards-china-sinks-deeper-incoherence
Trump’s antagonism towards China sinks deeper into incoherence

A terrible attack in Berlin -- but before the facts are even in, Trump tells us this is a Muslim assault against Christianity

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-christmas-market-berlin

Another billionaire for Trump's team

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/20/1612672/-Trump-picks-another-billionaire-Wall-Street-trading-firm-founder-Vincent-Viola-as-Army-secretary
Wall Street trading firm founder Vincent Viola as Army secretary

More: http://forextv.com/market-news/virtu-founder-wont-sell-stock-after-being-nominated-to-be-secretary-of-the-army/
Vincent Viola, the founder, executive chairman and majority holder of Virtu Financial , doesn’t plan to divest his holdings in the high-frequency trading firm  . . .

Trump knows the rhythms of the abuser: punish, then make nice, pretend nothing happened. . . but remind everyone it could happen again

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/19/donald-trumps-media-cocktail-party-reporters-the-president-elect-avoids-and-hates-go-to-his-mar-a-largo-soiree/
President-elect Donald Trump wine and dined his press pool on Sunday in an off-the-record conversation at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. The get-together was described as a holiday cocktail party, but no one can accuse Trump of trying to curry favor from his chroniclers. The reception failed to live up to the former real estate mogul’s extravagant lifestyle, as the food offerings featured cold cuts and Lays potato chips. . . .

More: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/19/1612605/-Trump-s-private-meeting-with-the-media-Did-he-promise-to-never-beat-them-again
Trump's private meeting with the media: Did he promise to never beat them again?

Or you can just buy them

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/kushner-claims-team-trump-struck-deal-better-coverage
Kushner claims Team Trump ‘struck a deal’ for better coverage

The NYT says something really dumb (then takes it out of the story)

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/new-york-times-edits-out-some-stupidity
"As Trump finishes announcing his choices for Cabinet and senior White House aides, a picture is emerging of an administration with little ideological cohesion and no single animating purpose. They are neither all conservative, nor all liberal. . . ."

The National Enquirer's president

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-original-fake-news-source-goes-full.html

A family of scammers. After an ill-fated attempt to auction off coffee with their sister, the Trump boys auction off some quality time with themselves

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/19/for-just-1-million-you-can-kill-animals-with-donald-trump-jr-and-eric-trump/

You won't believe where this tree came from

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/from-cannot-make-this-shit-up-files.html 
 
The electoral college finally votes -- and, uh, CLINTON loses more electors than Trump does

http://www.vox.com/2016/12/19/14007112/electoral-college-vote-updates

More: http://www.vox.com/2016/12/19/14012970/electoral-college-faith-spotted-eagle-colin-powell

Blame Hillary Clinton if you want -- but the Dems have been losing the white working class vote ever since Bill Clinton

http://prospect.org/article/mapping-white-working-class-0

In other news . . .

http://www.vox.com/identities/2016/12/19/14006804/north-carolina-lgbtq-law-transgender-bathrooms
North Carolina Republicans agree to repeal of HB2 in exchange for repeal of nondiscrimination ordinance

Bonus item: Samantha Bee . . .and Glenn Beck?

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/19/samantha-bee-and-glenn-back-unite-over-trump-it-s-all-of-us-against-trumpism.html

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sharing its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com) with others via email or social media.

Thanks for helping to spread the word!

I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***

CONTROL FREAK

Trump said this at one of his victory rallies this weekend: “I didn’t want to do interviews because they cut your sentence off, they cut it in half. You’d make a beautiful statement and all of a sudden you’d say, I didn’t say that. . .  and I said, I don’t want to deal with these people . . . if you want to quote me, quote me from the speeches. Now I get nice quotes.” This is his excuse for not doing interviews or press conferences where he might be asked a question he doesn't want to answer. It's a phony excuse because if the media is determined to edit your quote in a dishonest way, they can do it from speeches too. The real message is: I have to control the process, and talk about only what I want to talk about. I only want "nice quotes." 

He wants to be the writer, director, and star of his own series -- and then the media can choose to cover it or not (he knows they won't be able to resist). 

More on Trump's pathologies

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/three-psychiatry-professors-beg-obama-make
Three Psychiatry Professors Beg Obama To Make Trump Undergo A Full Psychiatric Evaluation

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/18/donald-trumps-questionable-intelligence-all-those-false-claims-about-his-academic-record-and-derision-of-others-bespeak-profound-insecurity/
Donald Trump’s questionable intelligence: All those false claims about his academic record and derision of others bespeak profound insecurity

The alt-right and attacks on the press

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/19/newt-gingrich-ramps-up-attacks-on-propaganda-media-if-youre-not-with-trump-youre-the-enemy/
“One of the great disgraces of the propaganda media we have,” Gingrich said last week in a speech at the Heritage Foundation, “all of us on the right should describe it as the propaganda media, drop the term ‘news media’ until they earn it, and begin to realize that the propaganda media cannot come to grips with the level of talent that they’re dealing with.” [read on]

What is the alt-right? http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/opinion/sunday/what-the-alt-right-really-means.html
In the internet age, political consciousness can be raised not just through quarterlies, parties and rallies but also through comment boards, console games and music videos. The internet solves the organizing problem of mobs, even as it gives them incentives not to stray from their screens. The adjective “alt-right” does not just denote recycled extremist views — it also reflects the way those views have been pollinated by other internet concerns and updated in the process. . .  [read on!]

It's hard to detect a clear strategic policy in anything Trump does. But it appears that Trump may be identifying China as the country's primary threat, and cozying up to Russia as a counterweight, in the same way that Nixon once reached out to China as a counterweight to the then Soviet Union

http://www.vox.com/world/2016/12/18/13921962/trump-obama-china-russia-policy 

More: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/18/beijing-commits-act-of-war-obama-does-nothing.html

Is Rex Tillerson's nomination in trouble?

http://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/12/18/the-tillerson-reveal-tax-evasion-and-a-russian-connection/
The Tillerson Reveal: Tax Evasion and a Russian Connection

Is Michael Flynn's?

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/12/report-nsc-facing-staff-exodus-over-michael-flynn.html
Report: Many National Security Council Staffers Looking to Leave Over Concerns About Michael Flynn

Trump shows what he thinks of the National Endowment for the Arts

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/19/us/stallone-trump-nea-chairman.html

Trump's worst lies (of the last couple of weeks)

http://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/12/19/trumps-six-most-dangerous-lies/

As the margin of Clinton's vote lead grows, the counterfactual Trump supporters seem to be getting . . . worse?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/09/1609153/-The-fact-deniars-persist-Nearly-a-third-of-Trump-voters-don-t-know-he-got-trounced-in-popular-vote
[December 9] Nearly a third of Trump voters don't know he got trounced in popular vote

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/18/1612392/-Half-of-Republicans-believe-Trump-won-popular-vote-less-than-a-third-bothered-by-Russian-hacking
[December 18] Half of Republicans believe Trump won popular vote; less than a third bothered by Russian hacking

We're going to have to see how long the Trump gang keep telling this lie, once congressional hearings begin

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/18/1612369/-Trump-s-team-again-denies-Russian-election-hacking-calls-Obama-s-response-political
Trump's team again denies Russian election hacking, calls Obama's response 'political'

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/priebus-cia-russia-hack
Trump Team Still Won't Accept CIA Conclusion On Russian Hacks

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/18/us/politics/donald-trump-transition.html
Bipartisan Letter Seeks Single Inquiry Into Russian Hacking Claims

The voter fraud myth

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/18/us/voter-fraud.html

Bonus item: Love, Actually

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/open-thread-snl-eat-your-heart-out

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sharing its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com) with others via email or social media.

Thanks for helping to spread the word!

I don’t get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don’t run ads, etc.). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a “mission,” it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***

CLOAK AND DAGGER

In spy-speak, did Putin "turn" Trump?

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/did-known-kgb-agent-vladimir-putin-turn

More: http://www.salon.com/2016/12/17/what-they-did-in-the-shadows-president-putin-and-president-trump-and-what-we-know-about-what-we-dont-know/

Trump is still conducting foreign policy by Twitter, ironic misspellings and all

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/trump-accuses-china-unpresidented-act-over
Trump Accuses China Of 'Unpresidented' Act Over US Navy Drone

More: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/12/china-says-it-will-return-seized-research-drone-to-u-s.html

Trump's new Budget Director

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/trumps-transition-who-is-mick-mulvaney/2016/12/17/214179f4-c473-11e6-92e8-c07f4f671da4_video.html
Who is Mick Mulvaney?

More; http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2016/12/swamp-watch-17-december-2016

Watch Monica Crowley, Trump's new Deputy National Security Advisor

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/some-favorite-monica-crowley-moments-cls

Larry Lessig lays out the case for an Electoral College revolt

http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/12/17/electors-lawyer-lessig-on-possible-anti-trump-votes.cnn

How Trump is bullying and disciplining the media -- and how they're letting him

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/17/1611475/-Dear-Washington-journalists-Access-is-dead-Get-used-to-it
Donald Trump hasn't given a press conference since July 27, 2016. He's routinely ditched his traveling press corps for things as important as his first post-election meeting with President Obama to sneaking out of Trump Tower for a swanky dinner (apparently Trump Grill didn’t cut the mustard). And this week Reince Priebus stirred things up when he suggested the daily White House press briefing was one of those "traditions" that is being re-evaluated. . . .

More: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/sean-spicer-trump-will-not-ban-media-from-white-house
Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer said on Friday that President-elect Donald Trump will not ban individual media outlets from the White House as he did on the campaign trail, when he banned news outlets from attending his rallies. . . . He said suggestions that Trump's administration will change the way press briefings are run are just “conversations." . . .

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/joy-reid-and-panel-slam-media-following
Joy Reid Panel Slams Media For Following Trump's Blame Game

In other news. . .

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/12/17/no-minority-workers-are-not-taking-jobs-away-from-white-people/?utm_term=.9f40bb339e49
No, minority workers are not taking jobs away from white people

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-carbon-election.html
The carbon election

Bonus item: What Vladi got for Christmas

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/18/arts/television/snl-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-alec-baldwin.html

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