curated news excerpts & citations
Miles Taylor: The president just published a “blacklist” of reporters — one giant leap toward autocracy.
Last night, the White House published a video of a laughing Santa Claus entering a home and unfurling a parchment scroll. The music and vibe are festive. But the prop Santa holds is not. It’s a list of journalists and media outlets singled out by the President of the United States — a blacklist.
Throughout history, regimes on the march toward autocracy have relied on ritual humiliation of the press long before they relied on prisons. The press is criticized and branded as an “enemy of the people.” Trump has long done that, and now he’s taking the next step. He’s naming the specific reporters and outlets he deems disloyal, knowing that as long as a large portion of the public accepts that framing, everything that follows becomes easier.
(Miles Taylor more…)
WhiteHouse.gov: Media Offenders
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James Eagle: Where the world’s gold is actually held
(James Eagle more…)
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Above the Law: Pentagon Unveils New GenAI Platform, It Immediately Starts Flagging Pete Hegseth’s War Crimes
The Defense Department’s new ChatJAG turned out to be better than the human chain of command.
(Above the Law more…)
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NY Times: Alvin Holsey, Admiral Who Oversaw Boat Strikes Off Venezuela’s Coast, Retires
The admiral had abruptly announced that he would step down as the head of the U.S. Southern Command. His departure leaves several issues about the strikes unanswered.
(NY Times more…)
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Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American – December 12, 2025
Today former Alabama senator Doug Jones launched his campaign to become the state’s next governor. He announced on November 24 that he would enter the race, but said in a speech tonight that he chose today for the official launch because the date marks exactly eight years since he won a 2017 special election for the U.S. Senate. In that election, voters tapped Jones, a Democrat, to fill the seat formerly held by Republican Jeff Sessions, who left the seat empty when he went to Washington, D.C., to be President Donald J. Trump’s first attorney general.
Jones’s election was an “earthquake,” Daniel Strauss of Politico reported at the time. For the first time in 25 years, the Senate seat Jones had won would go to a Democrat in what Strauss called “a huge political setback” to Trump. After he won, Jones told his supporters: “At the end of the day, this entire race has been about dignity and respect. This campaign has been about the rule of law. This campaign has been about common courtesy and decency.”
(Heather Cox Richardson more…)
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Allison Gill: Plaintiffs in the Alien Enemies Act Contempt Proceedings File a Blistering Response
The government wants to block testimony from a DOJ lawyer and whistleblower Erez Reuveni next week because they’re trying to protect Emil Bove.
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Al Jazeera: Thailand says attacks on Cambodia to continue despite Trump ceasefire claim
Cambodia’s Defence Ministry said Thai F-16 fighter jets continue to bomb targets inside country after US President Trump announced truce.
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AP: Trump sued by preservationists seeking reviews and congressional approval for ballroom project
(AP more…)
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NY Times: House Democrats Release Epstein Photos Documenting Ties to Powerful Men
Brian Allen: Epstein’s Estate Just Handed Over 95,000 Photos. The First 19 Are a Warning Shot.
GriftMatrix
Trump Action Tracker
Timeline: Tracking the Trump Justice Department’s Anti-Voting Shift
Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda
Trump Pardons Database
Project 2025 Tracker
DOGE Tracker
ProPublica: Elon Musk’s Demolition Crew
Wired: 6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties
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