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MSNBC:
Richardson withdraws as Commerce nominee — New Mexico governor cites pending investigation of business dealings — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, tapped in December by President-elect Barack Obama to serve as secretary of Commerce, has withdrawn his name for the position …
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Fox News:
Bill Richardson Withdraws as Commerce Secretary-Designate — The commerce secretary-designate has withdrawn his nomination because of an investigation into whether Bill Richardson exchanged New Mexico state government contracts for campaign financing. — FOXNews.com
Discussion:
The Huffington Post
Michael D. Shear / Washington Post:
Richardson Withdraws Name as Commerce Secretary-Designee — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has withdrawn his name from consideration as commerce secretary for President-elect Barack Obama, citing an ongoing investigation about business dealings in his state.
Discussion:
City Desk
Jonathan Weisman / Wall Street Journal:
Richardson Withdraws as Commerce Nominee — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson withdrew his nomination as President-elect Barack Obama's commerce secretary Sunday, citing a federal grand-jury investigation into a “pay to play” scheme in his home state, Obama transition officials said.
The Caucus:
Richardson Withdraws From Cabinet Appointment — (Tannen Maury/European Pressphoto Agency) — Mr. Richardson says in the statement that he and his administration “have acted properly in all matters,” but that the “ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process.”
The Politico:
Richardson exits Cabinet due to probe — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson announced Sunday afternoon that he is withdrawing as President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for secretary of Commerce because of unanswered questions about a federal grand jury investigation back home.
Times of London:
Israel splits Gaza in three as soldiers battle Hamas — James Hider on the Gaza border and Azmi Keshawi in Gaza City — Israeli troops fought heavy battles with Hamas fighters in two densely populated Gaza towns today as the Army sought to split the strip into three sections to cut off the Islamist group's supply lines.
Discussion:
Haaretz, Firedoglake, Think Progress, Palestine Monitor, IMEMC, Associated Press, Guardian, Newshoggers.com, AlterNet.org, Daled Amos, Gulf News and Agence France Presse
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J. Taylor Rushing / The Hill:
Reid cracks Senate door open for Burris — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) indicated Sunday that there is a chance that controversial Illinois Senate appointee Roland Burris could be seated in the upper chamber. — Reid, who appeared on NBC's “Meet the Press,” …
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The Politico:
Burris puts Senate Dems in tough spot — The defiant move by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to name a Senate successor to Barack Obama has triggered a political and legal mess that could drag on for months and is already prompting uncomfortable racial questions for Democrats.
John Harlow / Times of London:
Charity homes built by Hollywood start to crumble — RESIDENTS of a model housing estate bankrolled by Hollywood celebrities and hand-built by Jimmy Carter, the former US president, are complaining that it is falling apart. — Fairway Oaks was built on northern Florida wasteland by 10,000 volunteers …
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Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Orwell, blinding tribalism, selective Terrorism, and Israel/Gaza — (updated below) — Former McCain-Palin campaign spokesman and current Weekly Standard editor Michael Goldfarb notes that Israel, a couple of days ago, dropped a 2,000-pound bomb on a Gazan home which killed a top Hamas leader …
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, The Daily Dish, protein wisdom, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Right Wing News, Balloon Juice and The Tank
New York Times:
The End of the Financial World as We Know It — AMERICANS enter the New Year in a strange new role: financial lunatics. We've been viewed by the wider world with mistrust and suspicion on other matters, but on the subject of money even our harshest critics have been inclined to believe that we knew what we were doing.
Discussion:
The Big Picture, The Peking Duck, Prairie Weather, Silicon Alley Insider and The Buck Stops Here
Washington Post:
More Groups Than Thought Monitored in Police Spying — New Documents Reveal Md. Program's Reach — The Maryland State Police surveillance of advocacy groups was far more extensive than previously acknowledged, with records showing that troopers monitored — and labeled as terrorists …
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:SURVEILLANCE STATE RUN AMOK.... In July, the Washington Post reported …
Discussion:
The Impolitic
Ryan Powers / Think Progress:
George H. W. Bush: I'd like to see Jeb elected president.» — This morning on Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace asked former President George H.W. Bush about the possibility of his son, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, running for Senate. The former president expressed his hope …
Aaron David Miller / Newsweek:
He should get tough with Israel. — In Search of the High Ground: In July, Obama got a bird's-eye view of the Holy Land with Livni (right) and Defense Minister Ehud Barak — From the magazine issue dated Jan 12, 2009 — Jews worry for a living; their tragic history compels them to do so.
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Times of London:
Fears over earthquake ‘swarm’ at Yellowstone National Park — Hundreds of earthquakes have hit Yellowstone National Park, raising fears of a more powerful volcanic eruption. — The earthquake swarm, the biggest in more than 20 years, is being closely monitored by scientists and emergency authorities.
Discussion:
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