memeorandum: Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Operation Broken Trust Announcement (The United States Department of Justice)

7:00 PM ET, December 6, 2010

Top Items:

Obama and GOP reach deal on two-year extension of Bush tax cuts for all incomes — President Obama and congressional Republicans have reached a tentative deal to extend the Bush tax cuts for all income levels and are presenting the proposal to congressional Democrats Monday afternoon, The Daily Caller has learned.

Discussion: TPMDC, Firedoglake, The Hill, The Fix, The Hill, AmSpecBlog, Hot Air, Moe Lane, AMERICAblog News and Talking Points Memo

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Let's Not Make a Deal — Back in 2001, former President George W. Bush pulled a fast one. He wanted to enact an irresponsible tax cut, largely for the benefit of the wealthiest Americans. But there were Senate rules in place designed to prevent that kind of irresponsibility.

Ezra Klein:

The Bush tax cuts in one chart — It's time, I think, to repost this chart showing how much taxpayers at different income levels would get from the Democratic plan, which was to simply extend the cuts for income under $250,000, and the Republican plan, which was to extend the cuts for everyone:

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Atlantic Online and Alas, a blog

Ezra Klein:

Can the White House win in 2012 by losing on the Bush tax cuts now? — The compromise the White House is negotiating on the Bush tax cut is looking more and more like the White House's opening gambit in the 2012 campaign. — The White House has stopped negotiating for ideal …

Discussion: The Politico, Talking Points Memo, The Atlantic Online, CNN, A plain blog about politics, The Note, FT Alphaville, The Plum Line, New York Times, Rortybomb, The Monkey Cage, AmSpecBlog, Wonk Room, Daily Kos and Swampland

Wall Street Journal:

White House Proposes Payroll-Tax Holiday — WASHINGTON—Aides to President Barack Obama are proposing a one-year reduction in the payroll tax as part of negotiations with Congress on a broader package to stave off income-tax increases due to take effect next year.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, Don Surber and New York Magazine

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Bachmann: GOP could scuttle tax deal tied to extending jobless aid — A House Tea Party leader said Monday that GOP lawmakers might vote down an extension of tax cuts if it's tied to an extension in unemployment aid. — Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), the chairwoman of the House Tea Party Caucus …

Discussion: Zandar Versus The Stupid, Outside the Beltway and CNN

Ezra Klein:
Who graduates, who votes and who's unemployed — in one graph

Discussion: The New Republic

The Huffington Post: Tax Cut Deal: White House, GOP Leaders Close To Agreement

The Huffington Post:
Tax Cuts: The Real End Game Is In The House

Discussion: Firedoglake, Daily Kos, Outside the Beltway, FrumForum and Reuters

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
Retiring Sen. George Voinovich to oppose any extension of Bush-era tax cuts

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Atlantic Online, Crooks and Liars, National Review, PostPartisan, Hullabaloo and The Gateway Pundit

Jake Tapper / Political Punch:
President Obama's Outline of Possible Yet Not Quite Done Deal …

Discussion: The Caucus, National Review and AmSpecBlog

Ezra Klein:
Why aren't the Democrats using reconciliation to pass the tax cuts?

Discussion: The Atlantic Online

David Weigel / Weigel:
Just How Big of a Dive is Obama Taking on Tax Cuts?

Discussion: Yglesias and AmSpecBlog

David Leonhardt / Economix:
Obama's Tax-Cut Retreat, Through Two Lenses

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and Daily Kos

Ed Henry / CNN:
Source: White House presents proposed tax deal to Democratic leaders

Discussion: Daily Kos and South Capitol Street

Lbentzterp / CNN:

TRENDING: Elizabeth Edwards stops cancer treatment, releases statement — (CNN) - Elizabeth Edwards is surrounded by family and friends in her North Carolina home after being informed by her doctors that further cancer treatment would be unproductive. — “Elizabeth has been advised …

Discussion: ABCNEWS and The Page

Sandra Sobieraj Westfall / People.com:

Elizabeth Edwards's Cancer Spreads — Elizabeth Edwards's cancer fight has taken a turn for the worse, with the disease spreading to her liver and doctors recommending against additional treatment. — “Elizabeth has been advised by her doctors that further treatment of her cancer would be unproductive.

Discussion: CBS News, Ben Smith's Blog, TPMDC, Gawker and New York Magazine

WRAL-TV:

Elizabeth Edwards seriously ill — CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Elizabeth Edwards' cancer has spread, and her health has deteriorated, multiple sources told WRAL News Monday. — Edwards, 61, the wife of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, was briefly hospitalized recently …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Politics Daily

The Note:

Sarah Palin Passes On RNC — ABC News' John Berman and Mary Bruce report: — Sarah Palin isn't running...for one job at least. She doesn't appear to be a candidate to Chair the Republican National Committee. — The activist group Tea Party Nation, planned on sending a letter to Palin pleading for her to run.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, TPMDC, Ballot Box, Guardian, Weigel, The Daily Caller, Weasel Zippers, CNN, conservatives4palin.com, National Review and GOP 12

Andy Barr / The Politico:
Tea party group wants Palin for RNC

Discussion: Hot Air, CNN, The Atlantic Online, Left Coast Rebel, The Note, Cubachi, Little Green Footballs, Indecision Forever, The Hill, TPMDC and FrumForum

Peter J. Boyer / New Yorker:
HOUSE RULE

Discussion: The Hill, Wonkette, Prairie Weather, USA Today and New York Magazine

Reid Wilson / Hotline On Call:
Priebus Will Run For RNC Chair

Discussion: The Politico, The Fix, Weigel, The Note, TPMDC, FrumForum and Politics Daily

Lydia Saad / Gallup:

Kennedy Still Highest-Rated Modern President, Nixon Lowest — Jimmy Carter's retrospective approval rating and rank drop from 2006 — PRINCETON, NJ — Of the nine U.S. presidents who have served in the past 50 years, John F. Kennedy continues to earn the highest retrospective job approval rating from Americans, now 85%.

Discussion: Ballot Box, Weasel Zippers, msnbc.com, American Power, Politics Daily, Online NewsHour, South Capitol Street, Outside the Beltway, The New Republic, New York Magazine and HotAirPundit

James Hohmann / The Politico:

Bush job approval rating higher than Obama's — George W. Bush's job approval rating is 1 point higher than Barack Obama's. — George W. Bush's job approval rating as president has spiked to 47 percent, according to a Gallup poll released Monday. — That's one point higher …

Discussion: Power Line, Weasel Zippers and FrumForum

Owen Bowcott / Guardian:

Assange to be questioned by UK police — • New extradition warrant issued over alleged sexual assaults — • Assange appeals for supporters to put up surety and bail — Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is expected to appear in a UK court tomorrow after his lawyers …

more at Mediagazer »

Wall Street Journal:
Julian Assange, Information Anarchist

Discussion: Yahoo! News, Cato @ Liberty and LewRockwell.com Blog, more at Mediagazer »

BBC:
Wikileaks: Julian Assange arrest warrant arrives in UK

Discussion: CNN, New York Times, The Nation, Salon, Guardian, Threat Level, Sky Dancing, Raw Story and News: News blog, more at Mediagazer »

John McCormack / Weekly Standard:

Gov. Gary Johnson: I Smoked Marijuana from 2005 to 2008 — The former New Mexico governor and likely 2012 Republican presidential candidate talks to THE WEEKLY STANDARD. — Gary Johnson, the former New Mexico governor and a likely 2012 Republican presidential candidate …

Discussion: CNN, Raw Story, Indecision Forever, Hit & Run, Outside the Beltway and Taegan Goddard's …

Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:

Rulings set on Wal-Mart, warming (final UPDATE, 11:58 a.m.) — The Supreme Court stepped into two major controversies on Monday, agreeing to sort out when a class-action lawsuit may be filed when employees are seeking back pay for alleged workplace discrimination, and to clarify whether companies claimed …

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy, Zandar Versus The Stupid and Althouse

New York Times:
Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Wal-Mart Appeal

Discussion: Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, National Review, New York Magazine, ACS Blog, Don Surber, ECHIDNE of the snakes and Kay Steiger

Felix Salmon:

Chart of the day: U.S. taxes — Stephen Culp has another striking chart today: — This chart should be ingrained in the mind of anybody who cares about fiscal policy. The main things to note: — Federal taxes are the lowest in 60 years, which gives you a pretty good idea …

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Daily Dish and Hullabaloo

Colby Hall / Mediaite:

Kathy Griffin Gets Booed By U.S. Troops After Calling Bristol Palin Fat — Comedian and self-proclaimed “D-lister” Kathy Griffin hosted VH1 Divas Salute the Troops which was taped for an audience of servicemen at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, California, and aired last night.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin and The Gateway Pundit

Karoli / Crooks and Liars:

Right wing declares war on the poor: Kate O'Beirne calls parents of school lunch recipients child abusers — I'm speechless. This little rant by Kate O'Beirne at a Republican strategy session is so evil, so incredibly cold-hearted, and so predictably right-wing that it makes me want to shove …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, iOwnTheWorld.com and DownWithTyranny!

The Politico:

Mike Huckabee wants some respect — Dial down the deafening Sarah Palin buzz for just a moment: The most consequential decision in the 2012 Republican presidential sweepstakes could be whether Mike Huckabee decides to run again - and associates say the former Arkansas governor may well take the plunge.

Discussion: Right Turn, The Note, Hotline On Call, South Capitol Street, Arkansas Blog, Ben Smith's Blog, Right Wing Watch and GOP 12

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Missouri Republican Numbers

Discussion: conservatives4palin.com, Hot Air and GOP 12

Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:

‘Operation Broken Trust’ ends with charges for more than 500 people in fraudulent investment schemes — Federal authorities announced Monday that they had charged hundreds of defendants in “Operation Broken Trust,” a 31/2-month effort to stop investment fraud that has caused $10.4 billion in investor losses.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and TalkLeft

The United States Department of Justice:
Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Operation Broken Trust Announcement

Discussion: NPR Blogs and FT Alphaville

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:

Inhofe: ‘Why Do They Always Pick On The Christians?’ — Last week, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) announced that he would refuse to participate in Tulsa's “Holiday Parade of Lights” because the city had renamed the parade, replacing “Christmas” with “Holiday.” After taking part in the parade every year …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, News Hounds, Booman Tribune, South Capitol Street and TPMDC

David Rose / Daily Mail:

What happened to the ‘warmest year on record’: The truth is global warming has halted — A year ago tomorrow, just before the opening of the UN Copenhagen world climate summit, the British Meteorological Office issued a confident prediction. The mean world temperature for 2010, it announced …