TOP STORIES

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Wednesday, December 11

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TRUMP'S TOP STOOGES: TO HELL WITH HISTORY If President Donald Trump’s biggest fans in Congress are concerned about their place in history, they’re not showing it. “I don’t care how I’m remembered,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told HuffPost. “I care that the American people elected this guy president, he’s doing a great job, and [the Democrats] have zero facts on their side to remove this guy from office.” [HuffPost]

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PRESIDENT DISMISSES ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT House Democrats are pressing "two flimsy, pathetic, ridiculous articles of impeachment,” Trump told fans at a rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania. “With today’s announcement, they are now admitting there was no collusion, there was no obstruction of justice, and there were no crimes, whatsoever." [HuffPost]

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EX-ETHICS CHIEF: BARR WILL TRY TO INTERFERE IN ELECTION Walter Shaub, the former head of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, called Attorney General William Barr a “threat to democracy” and warned he may try to interfere in the 2020 presidential election to benefit Trump. [HuffPost]

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TRUMP SLAMS SECURITY FOR BEING 'POLITICALLY CORRECT'

When a woman in a #MeToo hat wearing a T-shirt with a middle finger on it snuck into an empty pen near the stage at his campaign rally, Trump ordered security to eject her. The guard tried to do so without touching the woman, which led to Trump taunting him. [HuffPost]

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MULVANEY: POLITICS 'SHOULD INFLUENCE' FOREIGN POLICY Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney is defending his infamous press conference performance in which he acknowledged a quid pro quo between Trump and Ukraine, saying the U.S. does that “all the time.” [HuffPost]

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SIX DEAD IN JERSEY CITY SHOOTOUTS Veteran police Detective Joseph Seals was among six people killed in shootouts in Jersey City that spanned several locations over the course of hours. Three other officers were wounded in the gunfights. [HuffPost]

WHAT'S BREWING

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BOMBSHELL AFGHANISTAN REPORT LANDS WITH THUD A bombshell report detailing how successive U.S. administrations misled the public about the nearly two-decade war in Afghanistan went mostly ignored by lawmakers. Some said they weren’t even aware that it had been published. [HuffPost]

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DEFENSE BILL TO FIX 'WIDOW'S TAX' A bill funding the Defense Department will finally end a policy military families have hated for decades: the so-called widow’s tax, which prevents survivors from receiving full benefits from both the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs. [HuffPost]

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THE NEW FAMILY SEPARATION The forced return to Mexico of migrants seeking refuge in the U.S. is one of Trump’s most inhumane immigration policies, yet it hasn’t received nearly the attention that his family separation and prolonged detention practices have. [HuffPost]

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GIULIANI INDICATES HE'LL REPORT ON UKRAINE THIS WEEK Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney, said the president asked him to brief the Justice Department and Republican senators on the findings of his recent trip to Ukraine. Giuliani indicated he would aim to do so by week’s end, but did not provide details. [AP]

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PASTORS ACCUSED OF PUSHING YOUTH TO GIVE BLOOD FOR DONATION MONEY A controversial church praised by politicians for its work to tackle knife crime has been accused of “sickening” allegations that some of its pastors pressured young people from the congregation to sell their own blood for money to donate to the church. [HuffPost]

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BLACK BRITS CONSIDERING LEAVING UK IF TORIES WIN ELECTION Boris Johnson’s record on racism has left some Black Brits so afraid for their safety that they are considering leaving the U.K. should the Conservatives claim victory in Thursday’s election. Racist comments written or signed off by the prime minister include an article published in The Spectator while he was editor that claimed Black people have lower IQs. [HuffPost]

BEFORE YOU GO