Wiretap: Panic buttons, culture wars and why the Pence-Hamilton spat matters

Conflict of interest

How do you sell $2 million apartments in Pune, India? It’s apparently a lot easier when you’ve got a pair of 23-story, black-glass towers named after the president-elect of the United States. Via the New York Times. And that’s just the kind of business relationship that even Trump is concerned might be a “little conflict of interest.” Via the Washington Post.

Push your buttons

Doyle McManus: How to prioritize your panic-button pushing in the Trump era. Via the Los Angeles Times.

Same difference

At the National Review, they may not have liked the idea of Trump winning the presidency, but they sure seem to savor the idea of Clinton losing it.

It gets worse

For those worried about Jeff Sessions and Michael Flynn and Steve Bannon, don’t forget Mike Pompeo, Trump’s pro-water boarding, pro-rectal-feeding (yes, you read that right) pick to lead the CIA.  Via Vox.

Culture wars

With the Trump presidency, the Clash of Civilizations is back. And, once again, it may not  turn out well. Via Politico.

Shots fired

Was the Hamilton-Pence story just a meaningless distraction, or was it the first shot fired in the new culture wars? Via Vulture.com.

Buried deep

The Trump University $25 million settlement, or How the Con Man in Chief buried the story that America needed to hear. Via the New Yorker.

W.W.A.D.

Linda Hirshman: If you’re trying to figure out how to resist a Trump presidency, the answer is simple: Ask yourself what the abolitionists would do. Via the Washington Post.

Identity crisis

Ross Douthat on the unexpected but real post-Trump crisis in liberalism. Via the New York Times.

Voice of reason

Jeffrey Goldberg: What Gwen Ifill knew about race in America and why we will miss the chance for her to continue telling us what we couldn’t know. Via the Atlantic.

Photo credit: Michael R Perry, Creative Commons, Flickr