No one wants to replace John Kelly in Trump’s White House

Mike Pence’s chief of staff Nick Ayers rejected the job. No Images? Click here   By Paul Vale     Monday, December 10 TRUMP’S TOP PICK TO REPLACE KELLY SAYS ‘NO’ Nick Ayers, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff and President Donald Trump’s first choice to replace departing John Kelly, declined the offer and will leave the White House in the next few weeks. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Republican Rep. Mark Meadows, chairman of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, are among remaining contenders to take Kelly’s place as Trump’s third chief of staff in two years. [HuffPost] [Tweet | Share on Facebook] KUSHNER ADVISED MBS AFTER KHASHOGGI’S KILLING Jared Kushner flouted White House protocol by having private, informal conversations with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — even after the slaying of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. [HuffPost] ASSASSINATED JOURNALIST’S LAST WORDS "I can't breathe" were the final words uttered by Jamal Khashoggi after he was set upon by a Saudi hit squad at the country's consulate in Istanbul. [CNN] PARIS HIT BY FOURTH WEEKEND OF RIOTS Some 125,000 “yellow vest” protesters took to the streets of France on Saturday, with more than 1,200 taken into custody. The protests marked the fourth consecutive weekend rioting has hit the French capital, Paris. [BBC] FRENCH TELL TRUMP: BUTT OUT The French government has asked Trump to keep his nose out of the country’s politics after he weighed in on the Paris protests. [HuffPost] AG PICK FLOATED AS TRUMP’S DEFENSE ATTORNEY Before Trump nominated William Barr to be his attorney general, White House officials were considering him for a different position — the president’s defense lawyer. [Yahoo News]         RUBIO WARNS AGAINST MANAFORT PARDON Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said it would be a “terrible mistake” for Trump to pardon Paul Manafort. [HuffPost] FOX NEWS LEGAL ANALYST: TRUMP WILL BE INDICTED Former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy told Fox News that Southern District of New York prosecutors are going after Trump, given recent revelations about statements by Michael Cohen. “They are clearly going after the president on campaign finance violations and I think if you read the sentencing memo the Southern District filed in Cohen’s case, it’s clear that Trump is the target and he’ll be indicted eventually,” McCarthy said. [HuffPost] ANTI-SEMITIC PAMPHLETS HIT PITTSBURGH SHOOTING NEIGHBORHOOD Police are investigating anti-Semitic pamphlets found in Pittsburgh, including the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, where a gunman killed 11 people and injured six at a synagogue in October. [HuffPost] VIRGINIA PROBES NAZI EMT Alex McNabb, a prominent white supremacist and the host of a popular neo-Nazi podcast on which he regularly compares black patients to animals, works as an EMT In Virginia. Now the state is investigating him. [HuffPost] EUROPEAN COURT RULES UK CAN STOP BREXIT The European Court of Justice has ruled that the U.K. can decide on its own to revoke its withdrawal from the European Union. [HuffPost UK] ANATOMY OF A FOX NEWS FEAR CAMPAIGN Prime-time Fox News programs used the words “invasion” or “invaders” to describe migrants and asylum-seekers more times in the 30 days leading up to the Nov. 6 midterm election than they did during all of 2015, 2016 and 2017 combined. [HuffPost]       Natalie Portman is done playing the girl next door. This loyal dog was found guarding his home weeks after the California wildfire burned it to the ground. A former Miss Kentucky who is a teacher in West Virginia has been charged with sending nude pictures to a 15-year-old former student. A massive storm brought snow, sleet, and freezing rain across a wide swath of the South — causing dangerously icy roads, immobilizing snowfalls and power losses to hundreds of thousands of people. These are the best Christmas songs and holiday hits of 2018. New York City police officers forced a 27-year-old woman to give birth while shackled to a hospital bed, in violation of state law, according to a lawsuit. This generous stranger gave up his first-class seat to a mom flying to a hospital with her ailing baby. Leonardo DiCaprio is “obsessed with buying dinosaur skulls.” Jennifer Lopez shared adorable photos and videos on Instagram showing her two children working together with Alex Rodriguez’s two kids to decorate their Christmas tree. Soccer star Raheem Sterling accused British newspapers of helping to "fuel racism" with their portrayal of young black players, the day after he was subjected to alleged racist abuse in the Premier League. “Aquaman” took a massive $93.6 million in China over the weekend, marking the best start for a Warner Bros. title in that country. The “Avengers: Endgame” trailer was viewed 289 million times in its first day — smashing the 24-hour video views record. This 37-year old explains why she is still living paycheck to paycheck. Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin has an interesting prediction for Trump’s final minutes in office. The Justice Department is investigating possible criminal activity linked to millions of fake or duplicated messages — many from Russian email addresses — sent to the Federal Communications Commission opposing net neutrality.  Love this newsletter? Share it with a friend!      HuffPost is now a part of Oath and a part of Verizon. On May 25, 2018 we introduced a new Oath Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More. Start your workday the right way with the news that matters most — all with a dash of signature Morning Email snark. Does somebody keep forwarding you this email? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. 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