Brian Williams - President Trump's New Chief Of Staff Once Called Him 'A Terrible Person'

  Because he is a terrible person.

SNL - It's A Wonderful Trump Cold Open

The Criminal In Chief

The Palmer Report: Donald Trump’s new strategy: admit he’s a criminal by Bill Palmer

Please Strike It Down

Guardian UK: Courts likely to strike down Republican lame-duck power grabs, experts say - After Democrats won governor’s races in Wisconsin and Michigan, GOP-controlled legislatures have tried to limit executive power

In short, some experts see the moves as a dramatic overreach by one branch of government to grab powers in the domain of others: one probably doomed to fail when it is legally challenged.

Antisemitism At Columbia University

Guardian UK: Antisemitic graffiti at Columbia ruffles liberal bastion - The incident, coupled with the university’s response to the murder of Jews in Pittsburgh, has left some students feeling ‘deeply uncomfortable’

It's The Populism

NY Times: The Secret to Winning in 2020 -It’s the populism, stupid.By David Leonhardt

There is only one quality — beyond, of course, charisma — that Democrats should demand in their nominee. The Democrats need a candidate who can and will run as an economic populist.

They need a candidate who will organize the 2020 campaign around fighting for the little guy and gal.

African-Americans Targeted

NY Times: Russian Effort to Influence 2016 Election Targeted African-Americans

The Russian influence campaign on social media in the 2016 election made an extraordinary effort to target African-Americans, used an array of tactics to try to suppress turnout among Democratic voters and unleashed a blizzard of posts on Instagram that rivaled or exceeded its Facebook operations, according to a report produced for the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The Market On Monday

  Good morning. At 9:25 a.m. ET DOW futures are -130 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open significantly lower.

CNN: Goldman hit in Malaysia; Nissan board meeting; Retail pain By Ivana Kottasová

Weekend!

  Enjoy the weekend, see you bright and early Monday morning.

work by Denise Regan

Kompromat

San Francisco Chronicle: Strange real estate deal raises specter of Putin buying Trump By Jackie Speier

The Plot Thickens

VOX: Exclusive: Paul Manafort advised White House on how to attack and discredit investigation of President Trump - We now have details as to how the indicted former campaign manager worked with the president to undermine federal law enforcement. By Murray Waas

Write It

NY Times: How to Finally Write Your Nonfiction Book - No, it will not be easy. Yes, it will be rewarding. (Eventually.)

Of Course He Can

Yahoo: Obama DOJ official: Trump can be indicted while in office by Michael Isikoff

Fixer

The Daily Beast: Cohen: Mueller Has ‘Substantial’ Evidence to Back Up My Story - The president’s former right-hand man says Donald Trump wanted to silence his accusers for political reasons. by Nico Hines

The Six Investigations Into Trump

Corrupt Insurgency

The Atlantic: The Corruption of the Republican Party - The GOP is best understood as an insurgency that carried the seeds of its own corruption from the start. by George Packer

Of Course He Knew

Salon: Michael Cohen claims Trump knew hush-money payments were wrong: “Don’t believe what he is saying” - Cohen claimed his former boss directed him to break the law during the 2016 race Friday on “Good Morning America” by Shira Tarlo

The Onion - CNN Opens Up 24-Hour Anonymous Tip Line For Anyone With Synonyms For ‘Mueller Closing In’

The Onion: CNN Opens Up 24-Hour Anonymous Tip Line For Anyone With Synonyms For ‘Mueller Closing In’

Bad News

Scientific American: Satellite Spies Methane Bubbling up from Arctic Permafrost - Radar instrument aboard a Japanese probe can spot signs of gas seeping from lakes that form as the ground thaws By Jeff Tollefson

'Avalon'

Roxy Music