Top Items:
Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:
BOMBS EXPLODE At SWISS & CHILEAN Embassies in Rome — ANOTHER SUSPECTED BOMB At Ukrainian Embassy — A parcel bomb exploded at the Swiss Embassy in Rome today. A second blast was just reported at the Chilean Embassy. — A parcel bomb exploded today at the Swiss Embassy in Rome seriously injuring a 53 year-old employee.
Discussion:
Telegraph, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air and Fox Nation
RELATED:
Eric Reguly / Globe and Mail:
Explosion rocks Chile embassy in Rome, second blast of day
Explosion rocks Chile embassy in Rome, second blast of day
Discussion:
FrumForum
Dan Friedman / NationalJournal.com:
Senate's Returning Democrats Unanimously Favor Filibuster Reform — All except Dodd sign a letter urging Majority Leader Harry Reid to change the rules. — All Democratic senators returning next year have signed a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., urging him to consider action …
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Josh Gerstein / The Politico:
Barack Obama's plan to close Gitmo ‘in shambles’ — Nestled among a string of improbable victories President Barack Obama racked up in the lame-duck Congressional session is legislation containing the most debilitating setback to date to his plan to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay …
Discussion:
Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, New York Magazine and FrumForum
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Peter Landers / Wall Street Journal:
Congress Bars Gitmo Transfers — Congress on Wednesday passed legislation that would effectively bar the transfer of Guantanamo detainees to the U.S. for trial, rejecting pleas from Obama administration officials who called the move unwise. — A defense authorization bill passed by the House …
Discussion:
TalkLeft, Right Wing News, New York Times and Guardian
Christian Science Monitor:
Six big achievements of a surprisingly ‘do something’ Congress — The outgoing 111th Congress is among the most productive in history, in spite of its reputation for gridlock and 13 percent approval rating. Democrats controlled the House and the Senate, and used their large majorities …
Discussion:
The Agonist
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Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Schumer predicts bipartisanship early in 112th Congress
Schumer predicts bipartisanship early in 112th Congress
Discussion:
The Politico and TPMDC
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
111th Congress comes to a close; new session begins Jan. 5
111th Congress comes to a close; new session begins Jan. 5
Discussion:
CNN, The Other McCain and Left Coast Rebel
nbcdfw.com:
Muscle Car Roars Onto Lawn of Bush's Dallas Home — Driver says his gas pedal became stuck — Authorities have detained someone whose car apparently ran off the road and onto former President George W. Bush's lawn Wednesday night. — The Secret Service and Dallas police questioned …
Discussion:
The Hill, msnbc.com, Weasel Zippers and AOL News
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Jennifer Epstein / Reuters:
Car crashes onto George W. Bush's lawn — Former President George W. Bush had an unexpected and unwanted pre-Christmas surprise Wednesday night when a car crashed on the lawn of his suburban Dallas home. — Though officials initially classified the incident as an “executive threat” …
David House / Firedoglake:
Bradley Manning Speaks About His Conditions … Sign the letter to the Commanding Officer of Bradley Manning's brig urging for Bradley's unnecessary POI order to be lifted — Bradley Manning, the 23-year-old Army private accused of leaking classified information to Wikileaks …
Discussion:
Boing Boing and NewsReal Blog
Chicago Sun Times:
Hearing officer: Let Rahm Emanuel run for mayor — Former White House chief-of-staff Rahm Emanuel early Thursday survived the pivotal first round of a residency challenge that will determine whether his name remains on the ballot for mayor of Chicago. — “The name of Rahm Emanuel shall appear …
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, New York Magazine, Lynn Sweet and FrumForum
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Erika Niedowski / The Hill:
Official: Emanuel can be on Chicago's mayoral ballot
Official: Emanuel can be on Chicago's mayoral ballot
Discussion:
The Note, CNN and Associated Press
Tom Diemer / Politics Daily:
Oprah: Sarah Palin Presidential Run ‘Does Not Scare Me’ … And now we have Oprah Winfrey's take on Sarah Palin's presidential ambitions. — In an interview with Parade magazine, Winfrey said America could “fall in love” with the former Alaska governor as a television personality …
Discussion:
CNN and The Politico
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New York Times:
Alabama Town's Failed Pension Is a Warning — PRICHARD, Ala. — This struggling small city on the outskirts of Mobile was warned for years that if it did nothing, its pension fund would run out of money by 2009. Right on schedule, its fund ran dry. — Then Prichard did something …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, The Other McCain, National Review, Viking Pundit and Calculated Risk
BBC:
North Korea ‘ready for sacred war’ with the South — Invited dignitaries watched the live exercises along with the South Korean president — North Korea is ready for a “sacred war of justice” using a nuclear deterrent, its armed forces minister has said.
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Sean Cockerham / Anchorage Daily News:
Supreme Court rules against Miller — The Alaska Supreme Court today ruled against Joe Miller on all counts, a decision that leaves his challenge of Sen. Lisa Murkowski's victory on life support. — “There are no remaining issues raised by Miller that prevent this election from being certified …
Discussion:
Politics Daily, Associated Press, The BRAD BLOG, Daily Kos, Election Law, The Moderate Voice, FrumForum, TPMDC and Conservatives4Palin
Justin Gillis / Green:
Climate Change and ‘Balanced’ Coverage — In an article this week on the relentless rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, I outlined one of the canonical projections of climate science: if the amount of carbon dioxide doubles, the average surface temperature of the earth is likely …
Discussion:
Stop The ACLU, JustOneMinute, New York Times and The Other McCain
New York Times:
Under ‘High-Tech House Arrest,’ WikiLeaks Founder Takes the Offensive — BUNGAY, England — When Julian Assange wakes these days, he looks out from a three-story Georgian mansion house overlooking a man-made lake. Under a blanket of snow, the 650-acre Ellingham Hall estate …
Discussion:
The Nation, The Wire and American Power, more at Mediagazer »
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Stephen C. Webster / Raw Story:
Shock: Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson favors marijuana legalization — Robertson a welcome addition to drug reform circles, former narc tells Raw Story — Count this among the 10 things nobody ever expected to see in their lifetimes: 700 Club founder Pat Robertson …
Discussion:
Mediaite, JustOneMinute, The Volokh Conspiracy, Hot Air, Sky Dancing and Fox Nation
Carol E. Lee / The Politico:
For Obama vacation, comfort is key — HONOLULU - For Ronald Reagan it was riding horses on his California ranch. For George W. Bush it was clearing brush and biking around his Crawford, Texas, estate. For Barack Obama, the signature image of his presidential vacationing, so far …
Discussion:
The Caucus and Taegan Goddard's …
Myglesias / Yglesias:
Lot Occupancy — As I've said on many occasions, I think it would be smart for Washington DC to allow taller buildings. But this is hardly the only source of undesirably inefficient use of valuable urban space. Another issue—this time one that I almost never hear being discussed—is the very sharp limits we have on lot occupancy.
Discussion:
Eschaton
Amanda Marcotte / Slate:
The women accusing Julian Assange of sexual assault deserve to be taken seriously. … Like This Story … - The Most Productive Lame-Duck Session Since World War II- Why Do People Kiss Under Mistletoe? - How Architects Can Use Video Screens Without Making Their Buildings Look …
Discussion:
Room Eight blogs, Focal Point, Sky Dancing, Mediaite and American Power
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Sady / Tiger Beatdown:
MooreandMe: And Then He Came Down
MooreandMe: And Then He Came Down
Discussion:
The Greenroom, American Power, pandagon.net, The Maddow Blog, Mediaite and The Awl
Rachel Weiner / The Fix:
Steven Spielberg advising Nancy Pelosi on rebranding Democrats … THE FIX NEWSLETTERS … THE LIVE FIX … POLITICS & PINTS
Discussion:
Mediaite, NY Daily News, Gawker, Pat Dollard, Deadline.com, Michelle Malkin, Weasel Zippers, Doug Ross, URGENT AGENDA, Inside Movies and FrumForum