Top Items:
Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Paul closes in on Gingrich — There has been some major movement in the Republican Presidential race in Iowa over the last week, with what was a 9 point lead for Newt Gingrich now all the way down to a single point. Gingrich is at 22% to 21% for Paul with Mitt Romney at 16% …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Hot Air, Ballot Box, CNN, Outside the Beltway, The PJ Tatler, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, The Daily Caller, Business Insider, Campaign 2012, Booman Tribune, Patterico's Pontifications, National Review, The Mahablog and Swampland
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Justin Sink / The Hill:
Trump pulls out of GOP debate — Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will not moderate next month's GOP debate sponsored by Newsmax. — The reality televison show host's decision came after most Republican candidates declined to participate in the debate, with only Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum agreeing to appear.
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, CNN, Little Green Footballs, Taylor Marsh, GOP 12, The Lonely Conservative and Indecision Forever
Catalina Camia / USA Today:
Donald Trump bows out as GOP debate moderator — Donald Trump says he's withdrawing as moderator of a GOP presidential debate in Iowa. — Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum were the only Republican candidates who agreed to the Dec. 27 debate, sponsored by the conservative website Newsmax.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Gothamist, Daily Kos and Campaign 2012
Alexander Burns / The Politico:
Trump bows out of GOP debate — This just in: Donald Trump has bowed out of moderating the Newsmax debate in Iowa later, announcing his decision in a statement saying he will not give up the option of running for president as an independent. Trump: … Gotta love that the date of “The Apprentice” season finale ended up in there.
Discussion:
Business Insider, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway and Ricochet Conversations Feed, more at Mediagazer »
Bobby Bank / ABCNEWS:
Donald Trump Backs Out of Debate, Floating Independent Bid
Donald Trump Backs Out of Debate, Floating Independent Bid
Discussion:
PopWatch and entertainment.time.com
Susan Page / USA Today:
Swing States Poll: Downbeat Dems, resurgent Republicans — WASHINGTON - President Obama is moving to energize the Democratic base for his re-election campaign, but in the case of a dozen battleground states, he'll have to work harder than four years ago to find it.
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Ben Smithand Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
Romney's role: The Hillary Clinton of 2012? — For Mitt Romney this December, it's beginning to look a lot like Clinton. — Like the great, fallen front-runner of 2008, here is another well-funded, Establishment-blessed, presumptive nominee whose supposedly firm hold on his party's greatest prize seems to be slip-sliding away.
Discussion:
CNN, msnbc.com, Taylor Marsh and The Other McCain
Dylan Byers / The Politico:
Romney '02 edition — Thanks to Andrew Kaczynski, the Internet's favorite new oppo research hobbyist, a 2002 video of Mitt Romney is making the rounds that features potentially damaging fodder for his opponents: — “I'm not a partisan Republican,” Romney says in the interview.
The Hill:
Republican leaders say they'll have the votes to pass payroll-tax bill — House Republican leaders on Tuesday predicted they will have the votes to pass legislation to extend a payroll tax cut. — The leaders are “close” to securing enough support to pass the bill, members leaving a closed-door GOP conference meeting said Tuesday.
Discussion:
The Politico and CNN
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Ezra Klein / Washington Post:
Wonkbook: The GOP's two conversations over taxes
Wonkbook: The GOP's two conversations over taxes
Discussion:
Paul Krugman, Hullabaloo, House.gov, The Hill, Political Mojo and The Politico
Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
House Dems accuse GOP of setting up tax bill to fail on purpose
House Dems accuse GOP of setting up tax bill to fail on purpose
Discussion:
The Politico
Josh Lederman / The Hill:
Mitt Romney starts to show cracks as front-runner status slips further — After keeping his cool with an almost mechanical regularity throughout months of campaigning and the rise and fall of his political foes, Mitt Romney is finally getting his feathers ruffled.
Discussion:
CNN, The Politico and Prairie Weather
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Dave Levinthal / The Politico:
Super PAC forms for Gingrich
Super PAC forms for Gingrich
Discussion:
CNN, GOP 12 and The Daily Caller
Hank Stuever / Washington Post:
Chelsea Clinton makes broadcast debut on NBC's ‘Rock Center’ — It's no surprise whatsoever that Chelsea Clinton didn't electrify broadcast journalism with her debut Monday night on NBC's “Rock Center With Brian Williams,” because she has no experience in broadcast journalism.
Discussion:
PopWatch, Don Surber, Mediaite, Hot Air, UrbanGrounds, americanthinker.com, THEROOT.COM, The PJ Tatler, NO QUARTER, newsfeed.time.com and The Gateway Pundit
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Alessandra Stanley / New York Times:
The TV Watch: Chelsea Clinton Finally Embraces Her Celebrity
The TV Watch: Chelsea Clinton Finally Embraces Her Celebrity
Discussion:
Gothamist, Media Decoder and Towleroad News #gay, more at Mediagazer »
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System:
For immediate release — Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in November suggests that the economy has been expanding moderately, notwithstanding some apparent slowing in global growth. While indicators point to some improvement in overall labor market conditions, the unemployment rate remains elevated.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Washington Post, Business Insider, msnbc.com, FT Alphaville and MarketBeat
Rep. Dennis Cardoza / The Hill:
Opinion: Obama would rather be university professor than president — After observing President Obama for the last three years, it has become obvious to me that the President might prefer to be a university professor rather than do the job he holds today. While he may not realize that he feels …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, The PJ Tatler, National Review, americanthinker.com, The Politico and Instapundit
Mike M. Ahlers / CNN:
NTSB recommends full ban on use of cell phones while driving — Washington (CNN) — Federal accident investigators Tuesday called for a nationwide ban on the use of cell phones and text messaging devices while driving. — Study: Half of young people text, drive
Discussion:
Hit & Run, The Moderate Voice and Shakesville, more at Techmeme »
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Mike Allen / The Politico:
SCARBOROUGH: ROMNEY LOOKING MORE LIKABLE — Michael Duffy promoted - Perry Bacon leaves WashPost - What Peter Watkins is up to - ABC's ‘This Week’ unveils debate series — WEST WING MINDMELD: “On Sunday, the President spoke to Senator Reid, and they decided that Congress cannot go home …
Discussion:
FishbowlDC, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, FiveThirtyEight, newsfeed.time.com and Poynter
Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:
Amanpour Said to Be Leaving ‘This Week’ — Christiane Amanpour is preparing to leave as the anchor of “This Week,” the Sunday morning news program on ABC, two people with knowledge of her plans said Tuesday. — Ms. Amanpour, a longtime international correspondent for CNN, joined ABC about a year and a half ago to anchor “This Week.”
Discussion:
Business Insider, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite, Inside Cable News and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »
Tim Mak / The Politico:
Protests growing against Lowe's — The drumbeat is growing to get hardware chain Lowe's to apologize for pulling advertising from TLC's “All-American Muslim,” as a leading liberal group announced a petition-drive and a Democratic lawmaker denounced the home improvement store on the House floor.
Discussion:
Colorlines, National Review, Right Wing Watch and Crooks and Liars
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Jonah Goldberg / National Review:
All-American Mess — I'd bet that TLC's All-American Muslim …
All-American Mess — I'd bet that TLC's All-American Muslim …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, newsfeed.time.com, entertainment.time.com and Inside TV
Lynn Sweet:
Axelrod on Newt: “the higher a monkey climbs...the more you can see his butt.” — Obama 2012 Press Secretary Ben LaBolt, Strategist David Axelrod, Campaign Manager Jim Messina, Deputy Manager Stephanie Cutter at Tuesday press briefing at the DNC. (photo by Lynn Sweet)
Discussion:
Mediaite
Reuven Blau / NY Daily News:
Mayor Bloomberg criticizes Obama administration's decision on Plan B morning-after pill — Hizzoner says government should make the contraceptive available over the counter to young teen girls — Mayor Bloomberg said the Plan B morning-after contraceptive “should be available” over the counter to teenage girls age 16 or younger.
Discussion:
Firedoglake and ThinkProgress
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Jennifer Steinhauer / New York Times:
Millionaires on Food Stamps and Jobless Pay? G.O.P. Is on It — WASHINGTON — It's an image many Americans would find rather upsetting: a recently laid-off millionaire, luxuriating next to the pool eating grapes bought with food stamps while waiting for an unemployment check to roll in.
Discussion:
The Hill, The Impolitic, Daily Kos, Wonkette, Washington Monthly, Bark Bark Woof Woof and Investor's Business Daily
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Blunt defeats Johnson in race for Senate GOP leadership post — Sen. Roy Blunt (Mo.), a veteran of Republican leadership circles, defeated Tea Party favorite Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) to become vice chairman of the Senate GOP Conference. — He was elected to the fifth-ranking post …
Discussion:
Roll Call, The Politico and Washington Monthly
Ben Smith / The Politico:
Gingrich misses a McCain moment — John McCain in 2008 took the occasional strange, xenophobic question about Barack Obama, and routinely batted them back: Obama wasn't scary, or (God forbid!) “an Arab,” as one woman memorably told him. He was a decent family man, just wrong on the issues.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Washington Post and Mondoweiss
Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Rep. Issa asks Obama official why illegal camping of Occupy DC was permitted — Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) on Tuesday announced he wants answers on whether “political judgments played a role” in allowing Occupy D.C. protesters to remain camped in Northwest Washington.
Discussion:
The Politico, Weasel Zippers and The Other McCain
Andy Bloxham / Telegraph:
Belgium grenade attack: latest — At least two people have been killed and dozens wounded when up to four grenades exploded outside the main courthouse in the eastern Belgian city of Liege. — The scene of the grenade attack in Liege … Live — 15.51 In another shocking attack in Europe today …
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, Washington Post, Jihad Watch, News: News blog, Atlas Shrugs, The Jawa Report, Pirate's Cove and Daily Pundit
Washington Post:
Eric Holder wades into debate over voting rights as presidential election nears — The Obama administration on Tuesday will wade into the increasingly divisive national debate over new voting laws in several states that could depress turnout among minorities and others who helped elect the president in 2008.
Jonathan Macey / Wall Street Journal:
Congress's Phony Insider-Trading Reform — The denizens of Capitol Hill are remarkable investors. A new law meant to curb abuses would only make their shenanigans easier. — Members of Congress already get better health insurance and retirement benefits than other Americans.
Discussion:
Big Government and The Big Picture