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Boehner Says House G.O.P. Opposes Deal on Payroll Tax — WASHINGTON — A day after the Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation to extend a payroll tax cut for two months, House Republicans made clear Sunday that they would not support the measure. — Speaker John A. Boehner …
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ThinkProgress, The Impolitic, Balloon Juice, Booman Tribune, AMERICAN FUTURE and Blue Mass Group
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House GOP demands new payroll tax cut bill — WASHINGTON - Top House Republicans said Sunday they oppose a bipartisan, Senate-approved bill that extends a payroll tax cut and jobless benefits for just two months and said congressional bargainers need to write a new version lasting a longer time.
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The Mahablog

Speaker Boehner opposes Senate's two-month payroll tax cut extension — Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Sunday that neither he nor rank-and-file House Republicans supported the Senate's two-month payroll tax cut extension, casting doubt on the chances for an agreement less than a week before Christmas.
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The Politico

Keystone climbdown leaves Obama supporters scratching their heads
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The Politico, Roll Call, The Huffington Post, Taylor Marsh, CNN and New York Times

White House backs Senate payroll bill over House objections
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RedState, The Politico, The White House, CNN and Speaker

Quote of the Day — At this week's debate for Republican presidential candidates, Newt Gingrich emphasized one of his favorite subjects: his disgust for the federal judiciary. The disgraced former House Speaker warned of “an uprising” against the courts, adding that he's …
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ThinkProgress, Political Mojo and Zandar Versus The Stupid
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Gingrich: Gov't branches should rule 2 out of 3 — PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO — Newt Gingrich on Sunday reiterated his argument that there is something “profoundly wrong” with the United States' judicial system, and argued that the balance of power in American government should come down to “two out of three” branches of the government.
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The Atlantic Online, USA Today, Los Angeles Times and ABCNEWS

Gingrich: Congress can send Capitol Police to arrest rogue judges — GOP presidential frontrunner Newt Gingrich said Congress has the power to dispatch the Capitol Police or U.S. Marshals to apprehend a federal judge who renders a decision lawmakers broadly oppose.
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Patterico's Pontifications and Washington Post

The Des Moines Register's GOP caucus endorsement: Mitt Romney is best to lead
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ABCNEWS, Caffeinated Thoughts, The Politico, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Outside the Beltway, Washington Monthly, Scared Monkeys, New York Times, The Iowa Republican, Pirate's Cove, ThinkProgress, 2012 Decoded, americanthinker.com, Fox News, The Caucus, The Huffington Post, Washington Wire, Washington Post, Ballot Box, Taylor Marsh, CNN, The Moderate Voice, Campaign 2012, National Review and NewsBusters.org


Vaclav Havel, Dissident Playwright Who Led Czechoslovakia, Dead at 75 — PRAGUE — Vaclav Havel, the dissident playwright who wove theater into politics to peacefully bring down communism in Czechoslovakia and become a hero of the epic struggle that ended the Cold War, has died. He was 75.
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The Atlantic Online, ThinkProgress, Los Angeles Times, ArtsBeat, The Talking Dog, Firedoglake and Booman Tribune
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Vaclav Havel, dissident playwright and former Czech president, dies
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The Moderate Voice and Suburban Guerrilla

Vaclav Havel, leader of “Velvet Revolution,” dies
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americanthinker.com and Michael Totten

Vaclav Havel is Dead
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emptywheel, The Incidental Economist, The Daily What and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Vaclav Havel, RIP
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Harry's Place, Outside the Beltway and Chicago Boyz


Minnesota Republican Resigns Post Over Allegation of ‘Inappropriate’ Relationship — This news was a shock to me, involving allegations — and we must stress that these are only allegations at this point — against a female politician whom I have actually met: … (Via TPM and Memorandum.)
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Don Surber and Daily Pundit
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Sen. Koch quit over ‘inappropriate’ relationship

Latest Amy Koch developments complicate GOP plans across the board
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The Blotter and Firedoglake


Vivid new Battle of the Bulge photos offer never-before-seen look at the war-weary soldiers braving the frigid weather as they fight off Nazi Germany's last major offensive of World War II — Breathtaking new photographs, including several vivid full-color images, offer a never-before-seen look …


Last U.S. troops leave Iraq, ending war — (Reuters) - The last convoy of U.S. soldiers pulled out of Iraq on Sunday, ending nearly nine years of war that cost almost 4,500 American and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives and left a country still grappling with political uncertainty.
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ThinkProgress, Zandar Versus The Stupid and TalkLeft
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The brave women of the Middle East: Female protesters brutally beaten with metal poles as vicious soldiers drag girls through streets by their hair in day of shame — After being viciously beaten by a 10-strong mob of Egyptian male soldiers, this woman lies helplessly on the ground as her shirt …
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Atlas Shrugs


Discrimination against same-sex marriages cannot be tolerated in our society as a matter of law — By Robert Menendez — Since my vote in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act 15 years ago, like tens of millions of Americans, I have reflected deeply and frequently about this issue.
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Towleroad News #gay


A Photo That Encapsulates the Horror of Egypt's Crackdown — Three soldiers beat a defenseless woman, pull off her abaya, and drag her down a Cairo street — The above photo shows Egyptian army soldiers beating a young woman in Tahrir Square in Cairo on Saturday, the second straight …
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The Daily What, Sister Toldjah and Newshoggers.com
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Egyptian Soldiers Chase and Beat Unarmed Civilians in Cairo
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A Blog For All and americanthinker.com


Islamists win 70 percent of the vote in second round of Egypt elections — Unofficial results put Muslim Brotherhood ahead with 39 percent of the vote, Salafi Al Nour with 31 percent; liberal Wafd party wins 22 percent. — Get Haaretz on iPhone — Get Haaretz on Android
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NO QUARTER and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion