Top Items:
Juli Weiner / Vanity Fair:
In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949-2011 — Christopher Hitchens—the incomparable critic, masterful rhetorician, fiery wit, and fearless bon vivant—died today at the age of 62. Hitchens was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the spring of 2010, just after the publication of his memoir …
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, The Atlantic Online, Hot Air, AMERICAN DIGEST, Balloon Juice, The Moderate Voice, Scared Monkeys, Big Journalism, Catholic Bandita, Media Decoder, American Spectator, The Spectacle Blog, newsfeed.time.com, Gothamist, Outside the Beltway, Wonkette, The Daily What, The Lonely Conservative, The American Mind, Ed Driscoll, The Gateway Pundit, Little Green Footballs, neo-neocon, UrbanGrounds, Ricochet Conversations Feed, US Politics, The Mahablog, Naked Politics, The Hinterland Gazette, Ace of Spades HQ, Taylor Marsh, BizzyBlog and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
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William Grimes / New York Times:
Christopher Hitchens, 1949-2011: Christopher Hitchens Is Dead at 62 — Obituary — Christopher Hitchens, a slashing polemicist in the tradition of Thomas Paine and George Orwell who trained his sights on targets as various as Henry Kissinger, the British monarchy and Mother Teresa …
Christopher Buckley / News Desk:
Postscript: Christopher Hitchens, 1949-2011 — We were friends for more than thirty years, which is a long time but, now that he is gone, seems not nearly long enough. I was rather nervous when I first met him, one night in London in 1977, along with his great friend Martin Amis.
Discussion:
Ricochet Conversations Feed, entertainment.time.com, Power Line, Attackerman and FishbowlDC, more at Mediagazer »
BBC:
Christopher Hitchens dies at 62 after suffering cancer — Vanity Fair's editor said those who read him felt they knew him — British-born author, literary critic and journalist Christopher Hitchens has died at the age of 62. — He died from pneumonia, a complication of the oesophageal cancer he had, at a Texas hospital.
Discussion:
Guardian
Matt Schudel / Washington Post:
Christopher Hitchens dies; Vanity Fair writer was a religious skeptic, master of the contrarian essay — Christopher Hitchens, a sharp-witted provocateur who used his formidable learning, biting wit and muscular prose style to skewer what he considered high-placed hypocrites …
Discussion:
Reuters, CNN and Michael Totten
Graydon Carter / Vanity Fair:
Christopher Hitchens, 1949-2011: In Memoriam — Christopher Hitchens was a wit, a charmer, and a troublemaker, and to those who knew him well, he was a gift from, dare I say it, God. He died today at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, after a punishing battle with esophageal cancer, the same disease that killed his father.
Discussion:
FrumForum, Associated Press, Weekly Standard, The Week, Nation Now, Guardian, The Atlantic Online, Poynter and Truthdig, more at Mediagazer »
Joy McCann / Conservative Commune:
R.I.P. Christopher Hitchens [UPDATEDx5]
R.I.P. Christopher Hitchens [UPDATEDx5]
Discussion:
The Other McCain, Belmont Club, Datechguy's Blog and Feministe
David Folkenflik / NPR:
Writer Christopher Hitchens Dies At 62
Writer Christopher Hitchens Dies At 62
Discussion:
Newshoggers.com, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Booman Tribune
msnbc.com:
First Thoughts: It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Romney's Super PAC — It's a bird; it's a plane; it's Romney's Super PAC!... Restore Our Future is playing a large role in the battle for Iowa... Breaking down the Iowa and Super PAC spending... Breaking down last night's debate... Wyden gives Romney lots of cover on Medicare... Why?
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Washington Post, Hullabaloo and Taegan Goddard's …
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A.Killough / CNN:
Haley explains her decision to back Romney, not Gingrich
Haley explains her decision to back Romney, not Gingrich
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, GOP 12, Ballot Box and The Politico
Serafin Gomez / Fox News:
SC Gov.Nikki Haley Endorses Mitt Romney on FOX and Friends
SC Gov.Nikki Haley Endorses Mitt Romney on FOX and Friends
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, The Lonely Conservative, National Review and The Hinterland Gazette
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Nikki Haley to endorse Romney
Nikki Haley to endorse Romney
Discussion:
CNN, The Caucus, Reuters, GOP 12, Outside the Beltway, ABCNEWS, Wonkette, Wall Street Journal, Trail Blazers Blog and Ricochet Conversations Feed
Darren Samuelsohn / The Politico:
GOP wins light bulb fight — The shutdown-averting budget bill will block federal light bulb efficiency standards, giving a win to House Republicans fighting the so-called ban on incandescent light bulbs. — GOP and Democratic sources tell POLITICO the final omnibus bill includes …
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Stephen Dinan / Washington Times:
Congress overturns incandescent light bulb ban — Congressional negotiators struck a deal Thursday that overturns the new rules that were to have banned sales of traditional incandescent light bulbs beginning next year. — That agreement is tucked inside the massive 1,200-page spending bill …
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Don Surber, The PJ Tatler and Ricochet Conversations Feed
Tanya Somanader / ThinkProgress:
Rep. Allen West: 'If Joseph Goebbels Was Around, He'd Be Very Proud Of The Democrat Party' — Arguably the most inflammatory member in Congress, GOP Rep. Allen West (FL) outdid himself yesterday by comparing the Democratic Party to the Nazi party. Bristling at a new poll revealing …
Discussion:
Washington Post and Naked Politics
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Darren Samuelsohn / The Politico:
Allen West: Goebbels would be proud of Democrats
Allen West: Goebbels would be proud of Democrats
Discussion:
DownWithTyranny!, The Buzz Florida Politics Feed, The Raw Story, Daily Kos and The New Republic
Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Dems call on Rep. West to apologize for Joseph Goebbels comparison
Dems call on Rep. West to apologize for Joseph Goebbels comparison
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, nation.foxnews.com and Weasel Zippers
Washington Post:
Congressional leaders reach spending deal to avoid government shutdown — Congressional negotiators signed off Thursday evening on a $1 trillion spending agreement for federal agencies, just 28 hours before a deadline that would have led to a government shutdown.
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Jake Shermanand Manu Raju / The Politico:
Boehner on Keystone: We're fighting for the pipeline provision
Boehner on Keystone: We're fighting for the pipeline provision
Discussion:
Daily Kos
Russell Berman / The Hill:
Shutdown averted: Deal reached on $1T omnibus package
Shutdown averted: Deal reached on $1T omnibus package
Discussion:
Hot Air
New York Post:
Long Island high-school students suspended for ‘Tebowing’ — The Tebow mania sweeping the nation sacked a group of Long Island high-school students who were suspended for mimicking the quarterback's famous prayer pose. — Twin brothers Tyler and Connor Carroll of Riverhead HS …
Discussion:
The Daily What, Mediaite and Joe. My. God.
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Christopher Hunt / ESPN:
High schoolers banned for Tebowing
High schoolers banned for Tebowing
Discussion:
Scared Monkeys, The Lonely Conservative and Jammie Wearing Fools
Lymari Morales / Gallup:
Fewer Americans See U.S. Divided Into “Haves,” “Have Nots” — The majority would put themselves in the “haves” category if they had to choose — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans are now less likely to see U.S. society as divided into the “haves” and “have nots” than they were in 2008, returning to their views prior to that point.
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Frank Newport / Gallup:
Americans Prioritize Economy Over Reducing Wealth Gap
Americans Prioritize Economy Over Reducing Wealth Gap
Discussion:
Via Meadia and The Politico
Steven Jiang / CNN:
‘Batman’ star Bale punched, stopped from visiting blind Chinese activist — DONGSHIGU VILLAGE, China (CNN) — As Christian Bale approached an impromptu checkpoint leading to this tiny village in eastern China, four men blocking the narrow path started marching toward him in menacing unison.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, LifeNews.com, News Desk, msnbc.com, Global Spin, Guardian, Verum Serum, Washington Post, The Daily What and The Daily Caller
Sarah Maslin Nir / New York Times:
Tea Party Group Leader Is Arrested at La Guardia — An influential Tea Party leader was arrested at La Guardia Airport early Thursday after he tried to board a flight with a semi-automatic handgun and its ammunition in his luggage, the authorities said. — Mark J. Meckler, 49 …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and Gawker
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Tim Mak / The Politico:
Mark Meckler, tea party leader, arrested with gun
Mark Meckler, tea party leader, arrested with gun
Discussion:
Associated Press and Mediaite
Politifact.com Truth-O-Meter rulings from National:
Michele Bachmann: “After the debate that we had last week, PolitiFact came out and said that everything I said was true." — “After the debate that we had last week, PolitiFact came out and said that everything I said was true.” — DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz “denied unemployment went up under Obama.”
Discussion:
The Politico, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Hill, Hot Air and Outside the Beltway
Kevin Zieber / Media Matters for America:
Cartoon Regularly Featured On Big Journalism Connected To Nazi-Era Magazine — In at least three instances, Andrew Breitbart's Big Journalism website has used an image connected to a Nazi-era German magazine noted for anti-Semitic cartoons and pro-Hitler leanings.
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs
Scott Peterson / Christian Science Monitor:
Exclusive: Iran hijacked US drone, says Iranian engineer — In an exclusive interview, an engineer working to unlock the secrets of the captured RQ-170 Sentinel says they exploited a known vulnerability and tricked the US drone into landing in Iran. — ISTANBUL, TURKEY
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission:
SEC CHARGES FORMER FANNIE MAE AND FREDDIE MAC EXECUTIVES WITH SECURITIES FRAUD — Companies Agree to Cooperate in SEC Actions — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — 2011-267 — Washington, D.C., Dec. 16, 2011 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged six former top executives …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, msnbc.com and The Future of Capitalism
Yolanda Jones / The Commercial Appeal:
Southaven Mayor Greg Davis' expense receipts prompt frank revelation — Purchase at store for gay men leads to mayor's admission — Southaven Mayor Greg Davis addresses the media last month following a meeting with the state auditor. — Receipts from embattled Southaven Mayor Greg Davis reveal …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Towleroad News #gay
David Weigel / Slate:
The Mysterious Jeb Bush Poll — It started when the mayor of Merrifield, New Hampshire, tweeted that he'd gotten a robo-poll asking about a possible Jeb Bush presidential campaign. It's continued, with random granite state citizens getting the same calls. One of them sent over the gist of questions received last night.