Top Items:
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Administration Weighs Legal Action Against States That Legalized Marijuana Use — WASHINGTON — Senior White House and Justice Department officials are considering plans for legal action against Colorado and Washington that could undermine voter-approved initiatives to legalize the recreational use …
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Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Mr President, Don't Even Think About It — Charlie Savage reports on the Obama administration's response to the legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington. Balko is discouraged: … Pete Guither sees the article as a trial balloon: … Well, since they're asking …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Plum Line, The Reality-Based Community, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite and Hit & Run
Tim Dickinson / Rolling Stone:
Obama's Pot Problem — Now that states have started legalizing recreational marijuana, will the president continue the government's war on weed? — By — When voters in Colorado and Washington state legalized recreational marijuana in November, they thought they were declaring a cease-fire in the War on Drugs.
Emily Swanson / The Huffington Post:
Marijuana Legalization Poll Finds Americans Want Federal Government To Leave States Alone
Marijuana Legalization Poll Finds Americans Want Federal Government To Leave States Alone
Discussion:
Firedoglake and AMERICAblog
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Supreme Court to Take Up Gay Marriage — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court announced on Friday that it would enter the national debate over same-sex marriage, agreeing to hear a pair of cases challenging state and federal laws that define marriage to include only unions of a man and a woman.
Discussion:
American Prospect, The Plum Line, BuzzFeed, Mashable!, Outside the Beltway, Towleroad News #gay, Hot Air, Guardian, Gallup, New York Magazine and The Week
RELATED:
Sam Baker / The Hill:
Supreme Court to hear historic same-sex marriage cases — The Supreme Court announced Friday that it will hear a challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) — the federal law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The court also agreed to hear …
Discussion:
Reuters, Washington Monthly, CNN and GOP 12
Kali Borkoski / SCOTUSblog:
Live blog anticipating orders, hopefully regarding same-sex marriage (sponsored by Bloomberg Law) (Update: Completed) — We anticipate orders this afternoon, including likely in the same-sex marriage cases. Our list of “Petitions to watch” for this Conference is here.
Discussion:
The Raw Story, Mediaite, The Maddow Blog, Advocate and The Daily Dish
Greg Stohr / Bloomberg:
Gay Marriage Gets Supreme Court Review for the First Time — The U.S. Supreme Court will take up the issue of gay marriage for the first time, agreeing to rule on a California ballot measure banning the practice and a federal law defining marriage as solely an opposite-sex union.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, TBogg, SCOTUSblog and Daily Kos
Terry Baynes / Reuters:
Supreme Court takes up same-sex marriage for first time
Supreme Court takes up same-sex marriage for first time
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
Andrew Kirell / Mediaite:
‘Gangnam Style’ Singer PSY's Vitriolic Anti-American Past Revealed, Outrage Ensues — He has the most-watched YouTube video of all-time, an international phenomenon of a mega-hit in “Gangnam Style,” has made appearances on nearly every American morning talk show under the sun from Today to Ellen …
Discussion:
NY Daily News, Twitchy, Mashable!, Red Alert Politics, FP Passport, Weasel Zippers, The Week, The Daily Caller and BuzzFeed
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Rosie Gray / BuzzFeed:
President Still Set To Attend “Gangnam Style” Artist's Performance — It's for charity. — The First Family will attend a “Christmas in Washington” concert where South Korean rapper Psy will perform, a White House spokesman said, despite the artist's Iraq War-era anti-American remarks that have surfaced.
Discussion:
Post Politics, Mediaite, New York Magazine and Twitchy
Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Deposed GOP lawmaker suggests he could vote against Boehner as Speaker — Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) urged House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to release a scorecard Amash said was used to push him off of a coveted House committee. — Besides Amash, Reps. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) …
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Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:
The fiscal cliff deal comes clearer: a 37% top tax rate and a higher Medicare eligibility age
The fiscal cliff deal comes clearer: a 37% top tax rate and a higher Medicare eligibility age
Discussion:
Paul Krugman, Politico and Hullabaloo
Nick Baumann / Mother Jones:
GOP Resurrects Plan to Rig Electoral College — After Romney got walloped on November 6, Republicans want to change how electoral votes are awarded. — In September, top Pennsylvania Republicans shocked the nation by proposing a change to the state's election rules that would have rigged …
Discussion:
Firedoglake and Zandar Versus The Stupid
Dick / DickMorris.com:
Whites Stayed Home And Re-Elected Obama — Now that all the data is in, the fundamental reason for Romney's defeat is apparent, if largely unreported. It is not just that blacks, Latinos, and single women showed up in record numbers at the polls. It's that whites didn't.
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, Wonkette, Daily Kos, Business Insider and Post Politics
David Brooks / New York Times:
The Republican Glasnost — Senator Marco Rubio won the Jack Kemp Foundation's Leadership Award earlier this week. In his speech accepting the award, he sketched out his Republican vision. Some of the policies he mentioned were pretty conventional for someone of his party: limiting regulations, approving the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Crooks and Liars, driftglass and Daily Kos
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Steve Kornacki / Salon:
What Jim DeMint figured out
What Jim DeMint figured out
Discussion:
First Read, The Plum Line, Little Green Footballs and Business Insider
CNN:
New photo shows Obama taking Romney's concession call — (CNN) - A never-before-seen official White House photo, posted online Friday, shows President Barack Obama on Election Night speaking with his freshly defeated rival Mitt Romney. — The photo was taken in the presidential suite …
Discussion:
Politico, The Hinterland Gazette, Towleroad News #gay and Truthdig
Donovan Slack / Politico:
Obama to take corporate cash for inauguration — President Barack Obama will accept unlimited corporate donations for his Inauguration in January, reversing his position from his first Inauguration, according to two sources close to the planning. — There are no legal limits for inauguration donations …
Discussion:
Sunlight Foundation Blog, Weasel Zippers and The Impolitic
RELATED:
Bill McBride / Calculated Risk:
November Employment Report: 146,000 Jobs, 7.7% Unemployment Rate — From the BLS: … Click on graph for larger image. — There was uncertainty about this report because of Hurricane Sandy. — The headline number was above expectations of 80,000, but both September and October payroll growth was revised down.
Discussion:
Wonkblog, Hot Air, AEIdeas, Business Insider, CNNMoney.com, Firedoglake, The Democratic Daily and National Review
RELATED:
Nelson D. Schwartz / New York Times:
Job Growth Steady Despite Storm and Fiscal Impasse
Job Growth Steady Despite Storm and Fiscal Impasse
Discussion:
CNN, Economix, Red Alert Politics, The Fix, AEIdeas, aflcio.org, Outside the Beltway, Gothamist, The Daily Dish, Truthdig, The Week and The Moderate Voice
Fox News:
Cheney Takes Flamethrower To Obama — Former Vice President Dick Cheney was honored last night at the Hudson Institute's 2012 Herman Khan Award Dinner at the Pierre Hotel in New York City. Cheney was introduced by Lewis “Scooter” Libby, who spoke in detail about Cheney's life and accomplishments …
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog
Molly Ball / The Atlantic Online:
Sorry, Democrats: 4 Ways Progressives Are About to Have Their Hopes Dashed — Liberals are fired up about Obama's second term and Elizabeth Warren's election. They're about to be disappointed. — Reuters/The Atlantic — Ever since Election Day, the left has been riding high.
Zeke Miller / BuzzFeed:
Biden Says Obama Could Deal On Tax Rates — Raising rates on top earners to Clinton-era levels not a prerequisite for a deal, the vice president says, as long as they rise. — Image by Susan Walsh / AP — WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden said Friday that the Obama administration …
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh
Dylan Byers / Politico:
Press fear Obama private swearing in — The White House Correspondents Association is strongly urging the Obama administration to allow press access to the president's official swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20, following indications from inauguration committee officials that the event could potentially be closed to the press.
Discussion:
Mediaite
Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:
‘Welfare Spending Equates to $168 Per Day for Every Household in Poverty’ — The amount of money spent on welfare programs equals, when converted to cash payments, about “$168 per day for every household in poverty,” the minority side of the Senate Budget Committee finds.
Discussion:
Rush Limbaugh and Weasel Zippers
John Podhoretz / New York Post:
The Republican crisis — Party of ‘eat your veggies’ — If you want to know why Republicans and conservatives are in a political crisis, you need only consider the fact that the Right's deeply held view now boils down to this: Taxes should not go up on the wealthy, and your health benefits should be cut.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, The Daily Caller, Applesauce and Betsy's Page
Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Axelrod slashes his mustache — Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod shaved his mustache on national television Friday to settle a bet. — Axelrod fulfilled the bet with MSNBC “Morning Joe” co-cost Joe Scarborough to raise over $1 million toward epilepsy research.
Discussion:
Gawker, CNN, Politico and New York Magazine
Kevin Robillard / Politico:
Emanuel Cleaver backs Medicare means test — The chair of the Congressional Black Caucus on Friday said he would accept means-testing of Medicare as part of a deficit reduction deal. — “I think we've got to do Medicare,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver said on MSNBC's “Morning Joe.” “It's going to pull this economy down.
Discussion:
Daily Kos
Alicia Mundy / Washington Wire:
Adelson: No Second Bite for Chamber of Commerce — Readers who saw that casino mogul Sheldon Adelson gave some $33 million for the Republican blitz during the last weeks of the presidential campaign may think he's a soft touch. After all, Mr. Adelson spent more than $100 million on GOP …
Ed O'Keefe / 2chambers:
Joe Manchin objects to MTV's ‘Buckwild’ reality show — Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W. Va.). ( AP) — Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) isn't too wild about MTV's new reality show, “Buckwild.” — The show is scheduled to debut next month and follows a group of nine twenty-somethings living …
Discussion:
The Hill and Balloon Juice