Politics

CNN reports: President Donald Trump on Friday did not dismiss the idea of pardoning former national security adviser Michael Flynn after he pleaded guilty earlier this month to lying to the FBI about conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the US. Asked whether he would consider a pardon for Flynn, Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn Friday morning …

The Hill reports: White House spokesman J. Hogan Gidley ripped the FBI in an interview with Fox News on Friday, saying the bureau has an “extreme bias” against President Trump in the wake of the release of anti-Trump text messages between two FBI officials. “It is troubling, deeply troubling, that the revelations have now come to light that there is …

The Washington Post reports: Nomination hearings for U.S. district judges tend to be dry affairs that offer little in the way of mass entertainment — in other words, they’re not typically the stuff of viral videos. But a clip of one of President Trump’s federal judicial nominees struggling to answer rudimentary questions about the law garnered well more than 1 …

The Washington Examiner reports: Sen. Ted Cruz sought to burn so-called “snowflakes” Thursday, mocking the Internet outrage over the Federal Communications Commission’s vote to repeal the so-called “net neutrality” regulations of the Obama era. Using a slang label for people who take offense easily to a lack of political correctness, the Texas Republican indicated that the backlash to Thursday’s decision …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump spoke by phone with President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Thursday, talking about how they can work together to resolve the situation involving North Korea’s nuclear program, the White House said. Trump also used the call to thank Putin for “acknowledging America’s strong economic performance in his annual press conference,” according to a White House …

Axios reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin said accusations of President Trump’s collusion with the Russians have “inflicted damage to the domestic political situation” and shows a “lack of respect for voters” who went for Trump in 2016, the AP reports. Putin was speaking at his annual news conference in Moscow. Why it matters: The U.S. intelligence community determined just months …

Talking Points Memo reports: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said Thursday that he won’t vote for his party’s huge corporate tax cut plan unless GOP leaders increase the size of the child tax credit. “I want to see the refundable portion of the child tax credit increased from its current number,” Rubio told reporters as he entered the Senate floor. “If …

The Hill reports: Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) says he’s not quitting Congress anytime soon. Asked at the end of his weekly press conference whether he was leaving Congress “soon,” Ryan chuckled and replied as he walked off the stage: “I’m not, no.” Rumors have been swirling for weeks that Ryan — who this October marked his second year in the …

The New York Times reports: The Federal Communications Commission voted on Thursday to dismantle landmark rules regulating the businesses that connect consumers to the internet, granting broadband companies power to potentially reshape Americans’ online experiences. The agency scrapped so-called net neutrality regulations that prohibited broadband providers from blocking websites or charging for higher-quality service or certain content. The federal government …

The Birmingham News reports: Senator-elect Doug Jones has a message for his Republican challenger Roy Moore: It’s time to move on. Speaking on the Today Show two days after his upset win, Jones said he is “confident” he won Tuesday night’s election, despite Moore’s refusal to concede until provisional and military votes are counted. “I understand the frustration a little …

NBC News reports:  Dan Johnson, a Republican state lawmaker in Kentucky who defiantly denied allegations that he sexually assaulted a teenage girl in the basement of his home, died in an apparent suicide Wednesday night, the county coroner said. He was 57. Johnson was elected to the state legislature in 2016, part of a wave of Republican victories that gave …

CNN reports: Rep. Mo Brooks, who lost to Roy Moore in Alabama’s GOP Senate primary, announced Wednesday he has prostate cancer and that losing the race “may have saved” his life. Speaking from the House floor, Brooks said that he learned of his “high risk” prostate cancer in October. Appearing to hold back tears, the congressman talked about the night …

NPR reports: The nomination of Brett Talley, the Justice Department official in line for a lifetime judicial appointment, “will not be moving forward,” a Trump administration official told NPR Wednesday. Talley had been rated “unanimously unqualified” for the post by the American Bar Association this year after an evaluation that questioned his experience. Talley had never argued a case, or …

The Hill reports: Former Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday suggested a possible 2020 bid for the presidency, saying he “may very well do it.” “If I were offered the nomination by the Lord Almighty right now, today, I would say no because we’re not ready, the family’s not ready to do this. If in a year from now, if …

Mediaite reports: The shocking victory came after multiple women stepped forward to accuse GOP candidate Roy Moore of sexual misconduct, with many of them claiming these incidents occurred when they were underage. One such accuser, Beverly Young Nelson, appeared on CNN’s New Day this morning, exuding joy to host Alisyn Camerota. “I’m feeling fantastic,” she said. “Roy Moore’s loss means …

The Daily Beast reports: Rep. Peter King made the cable news rounds Wednesday morning, dropping into CNN’s New Day to jab at former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon in the wake of a stunning Republican loss in Alabama by U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore. “When you lose, you blame. And Republicans are blaming former White House chief strategist Steve …

The Minnesota Star-Tribune reports: Gov. Mark Dayton will appoint Lt. Gov. Tina Smith to replace Sen. Al Franken as Minnesota’s next U.S. senator, according to two high-level Democratic sources with knowledge of the decision. Dayton will name Smith as his choice at a Wednesday morning news conference, and she plans to run for the seat in a 2018 special election, …

From the New York Daily News: Jones’ narrow win means the Republican majority over Democrats in the Senate drops to a slim 51 to 49. It will also further galvanize the Democratic Party as it looks to build on sentiment against President Trump to mount a challenge next year to the Republican control of Congress. The bitter political battle centered …

Talking Points Memo reports: After Democrat Doug Jones defeated Republican Roy Moore Tuesday night in the special election to fill a Senate seat representing Alabama, President Donald Trump reminded Twitter early Wednesday morning that he endorsed Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL) in the primary. Though Trump backed Strange in the Republican primary, he was quick to jump on the Moore bandwagon …

The Hill reports: President Trump congratulated Democrat Doug Jones for winning the Alabama Senate race Tuesday night. Jones defeated Republican Roy Moore in a close election for the open seat, becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Alabama since 1992. The result was a major blow for Trump, who backed Moore despite a series of allegations that …