Top Items:
New York Times:
Delaying Vote, Debt Panel Splits on Taxes and Spending — WASHINGTON — The chairmen of President Obama's debt-reduction commission have been unable to win support from any of the panel's elected officials for their proposed spending cuts and tax increases, underscoring the reluctance …
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Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Fiscal Commission Final Report — Get your fresh catfood! — FDL has obtained a copy of the Catfood Commission final report in advance of its official 9:30 release. — It can be downloaded here: PDF — Their reigning spirit of self-importance comes through on the very first page: “The Moment of Truth.”
Discussion:
Paul Krugman and Lawyers, Guns & Money
John Stanton / Roll Call:
House May Block Food Safety Bill Over Senate Error — A food safety bill that has burned up precious days of the Senate's lame-duck session appears headed back to the chamber because Democrats violated a constitutional provision requiring that tax provisions originate in the House.
Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:
Commission's final deficit report preserves controversial spending cuts; panel to vote Friday on whether to endorse plan — The leaders of President Obama's fiscal commission released a final report Wednesday that is full of political dynamite, including sharp cuts in military spending …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, Bloomberg, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, National Review, FrumForum, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/* and Daily Kos
David Leonhardt / New York Times:
In Tax Cuts, the Options Run Short — Democrats have left themselves in a tough spot on the Bush tax cuts. After delaying the issue until after the election and then being trounced in that election, they find themselves with little leverage. — If they cannot come up with a plan …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Politico, TalkLeft, Wake up America, The Caucus, Unfogged, The Hill and Prairie Weather
David Espo / Associated Press:
Senate GOP letter calls for blocking most bills — WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans intend to block action on virtually all Democratic-backed legislation unrelated to tax cuts and government spending in the current postelection session of Congress, officials said Tuesday …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress, Fox News, Crooks and Liars, AMERICAblog Gay and Daily Kos
Alan Silverleib / CNN:
Senate GOPers: Take up tax cuts first — Washington (CNN) — Senate Republicans promised Wednesday to block legislative action on every issue being considered by the lame-duck Congress until the dispute over extending the Bush-era tax cuts is resolved and an extension of current government funding is approved.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and Economist's View
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
DADT No More? Republicans Threaten To Block All Dem Initiatives — Just hours after Democrats and Republicans agreed to bargain on tax cuts, and fewer hours still after Defense Secretary Robert Gates implored Congress to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell this year, word leaked that Republicans …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Guardian, TPMMuckraker, Wonkette and Joe. My. God.
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Vast Majority Wants Some Aspect of Bush Tax Cuts Extended
Vast Majority Wants Some Aspect of Bush Tax Cuts Extended
Discussion:
Hotline On Call, Politics Daily, CNN and Washington Post
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Senate GOP vows to halt action in lame-duck session until tax deal
Senate GOP vows to halt action in lame-duck session until tax deal
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway and The Page
Walter Shapiro / Politics Daily:
After the White House Summit: Towel-Snapping Partisanship Lives On
After the White House Summit: Towel-Snapping Partisanship Lives On
Discussion:
The Note and The Politico
James P. Rubin / The New Republic:
The Irony of Wikileaks — By threatening U.S. diplomacy, the hard left is undercutting its own worldview. — There's no question that many of the Wikileaks documents are a great read. These diplomatic conversations between American officials and leaders from the Arab world, China …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online and Booman Tribune
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Howard Chua-Eoan / Time:
WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Tells TIME: Hillary Clinton ‘Should Resign’
WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Tells TIME: Hillary Clinton ‘Should Resign’
Discussion:
CNN, The Politico, New York Times, The Hill, Gothamist, The Confluence, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, The Caucus, NewsReal Blog, Washington Post, Associated Press, Politics Daily, GOP 12, FrumForum, The Page, Hot Air, Gawker, DealBook, Weekly Standard, Swampland and McClatchy Washington Bureau
Mike Baker / Associated Press:
Bill Clinton expects leak of files to cost lives
Bill Clinton expects leak of files to cost lives
Discussion:
Politics Daily, FrumForum and Washington Post
Guardian:
Call for WikiLeaks culprit to be executed
Call for WikiLeaks culprit to be executed
Discussion:
Reuters, LOON, The Daily Beast, The Nation and News: News blog
Julian Pecquet / The Hill:
Judge upholds healthcare reform law — A federal judge in Virginia on Tuesday rejected a legal challenge to the healthcare reform law, the second time the law's mandate that people buy insurance has been ruled constitutional. — The lawsuit was brought by Liberty University …
RELATED:
Kevin Sack / New York Times:
Judge Rejects Health Law Challenge
Judge Rejects Health Law Challenge
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Bloomberg, Law Blog and Outside the Beltway
Tara Palmeri / New York Post:
Co-host spittin' mad over Spitzer — Tweet — Eliot Spitzer's TV sidekick is so fed up with playing second fiddle to the hooker-loving ex-gov that she's threatening to walk, sources told The Post yesterday. — Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker actually stormed off the set of the …
Discussion:
Gawker, NewsBusters.org blogs and JammieWearingFool, more at Mediagazer »
Michael Falcone / ABCNEWS:
Is GOP Breaking Silence on Sarah Palin for President? — Among Potential GOP Contenders, Politeness Still Rules — When the television host and former Florida congressman Joe Scarborough published a scathing op-ed piece in Politico against Sarah Palin on Tuesday, he was not only trying to put a dent in her presidential ambitions.
Discussion:
CNN, Tammy Bruce and Ben Smith's Blog
RELATED:
Derek Thompson / The Atlantic Online:
30 Most Dynamic Cities in the World — What is the most dynamic city in the post-recession world? — The surprising answer is Istanbul, according to a new report that shows the developing world is leading the way out of the Great Recession. — Grading each metropolis by the growth …
Discussion:
Brookings Institute and Prairie Weather
Evan McMorris-Santoro / TPMDC:
Cantor Urges ‘Open Mind’ On VA Legislature Plan To Blow Up The Constitution — Incoming House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is part of a class of Republicans who say they want to change the country fundamentally — and to that end, Cantor isn't dismissing a plan by legislators in his home state …
Discussion:
Comments from Left Field, Firedoglake, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and FrumForum
Alexander Mooney / CNN:
Cheney to co-host fundraiser for Cino in RNC race — Washington (CNN) - Former Vice President Dick Cheney and a clutch of former George W. Bush advisers have a horse in the Republican National Committee chairman race: Maria Cino. — CNN has learned that Cheney will be among the hosts next Thursday …
Discussion:
The Politico, The Hill, Ben Smith's Blog, The Daily Caller, FrumForum and TPMDC
Susan Crabtree / The Hill:
Rangel asks Pelosi to delay his censure vote — Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) asked House Democratic leaders to hold a vote to determine his sanction Thursday rather than Wednesday, according to two caucus sources. — On Tuesday, the 20-term House veteran asked Speaker Nancy Pelosi …
Discussion:
The Politico and JammieWearingFool
Wall Street Journal:
Europe's Crisis Widens — Italy, Spain See Bonds Sink, Portugal Faces Rating Cut as Faith in Rescue Ebbs — In Rome, students protesting spending cuts clashed with police — Investors dismissed European leaders' latest attempt to restore market calm, raising doubts about whether governments …
Discussion:
New York Times and The Page
George W. Bush / Washington Post:
America's global fight against AIDS — During a presidency often forced to focus on issues of national security, the fight against global disease was sometimes viewed as an anomaly or exception. It wasn't and isn't. America has a direct stake in the progress and hope of other nations.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, The Politico, The New Republic, PostPartisan, Commentary and TBD All News
RELATED:
Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
Colleges Are Producing New Style of AIDS Activist
Colleges Are Producing New Style of AIDS Activist
Discussion:
Balkinization and The Harvard Crimson
Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:
From WikiChina — While secrets from WikiLeaks were splashed all over the American newspapers, I couldn't help but wonder: What if China had a WikiLeaker and we could see what its embassy in Washington was reporting about America? I suspect the cable would read like this:
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Betsy's Page, National Review, Guardian and China Digital Times
Michael J. Boskin / Wall Street Journal:
Why the Spending Stimulus Failed — New economic research shows why lower tax rates do far more to spur growth. — President Obama and congressional leaders meeting yesterday confronted calls for four key fiscal decisions: short-run fiscal stimulus, medium-term fiscal consolidation, and long-run tax and entitlement reform.
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog, NewsBusters.org and Shot in the Dark
Edward Wyatt / New York Times:
F.C.C. Chairman Outlines Broadband Framework — WASHINGTON — Thwarted by the courts, by lawmakers on Capitol Hill and by some of his fellow commissioners, the Federal Communications Commission chairman will try again on Wednesday to devise a new strategy for regulating broadband Internet service providers.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Bloomberg and Balloon Juice, more at Mediagazer »
The Politico:
Senate commerce holds mini-med hearing, probes Cigna, Aetna ... Liberty lawsuit thrown out ... GOP govs meet Boehner on the Hill ... Wyden defends waiver legislation — MINI-MED CRACK DOWN: COMMERCE INVESTIGATES CIGNA, AETNA - The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation …
Clout St:
‘Historic’ civil unions measure passes Illinois House — Posted by Ray Long, Monique Garcia and Rex Huppke at 2:58 p.m.; updated at 7:04 p.m. — Civil unions would be allowed in Illinois beginning next year for same-sex couples under legislation the House passed today.
Discussion:
Box Turtle Bulletin
CNN:
Interpol puts Assange on most-wanted list — (CNN) — Interpol, at the request of a Swedish court looking into alleged sex crimes from earlier this year, has put WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on its most-wanted listed. — The Stockholm Criminal Court two weeks ago issued …
Discussion:
Politics Daily, The Page and Law Librarian Blog