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11:50 AM ET, December 18, 2012

Top Items:

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:

President Delivers a New Offer on the Fiscal Crisis to Boehner — WASHINGTON — President Obama delivered Speaker John A. Boehner a new offer on Monday to resolve the pending fiscal crisis — and what may be close to a final deal, which would raise revenues by $1.2 trillion over the next decade …

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Politico, The Week, The Glittering Eye, Jared Bernstein, Daily Kos, Towleroad News #gay, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, National Review, Prairie Weather, Calculated Risk and Wall Street Journal

Politico:

John Boehner moving to Plan B on fiscal cliff — House Republicans, discouraged by the pace of negotiations with the White House, will move their own bill that would hike tax rates on income above $1 million, according to several sources familiar with the plan.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Daily Kos, Business Insider, CNN and Talking Points Memo

CEPR:

Thoughts on the Chained CPI, Social Security, and the Budget — According to reliable sources, the Obama administration is seriously contemplating a deal under which the annual cost of living adjustment for Social Security benefits would be indexed to the chained consumer price index rather …

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Brad DeLong and Eschaton

David Dayen / Firedoglake:

Obama's Latest Fiscal Slope Offer: I'm Missing the Part Where Republicans Give Up Something — I noted the emerging fiscal slope deal yesterday, and we have additional developments on that front. — The headlines here is that the Obama Administration narrowed the demand they maintained for four years …

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Washington Post:

Poll: Most want ‘fiscal cliff’ compromise but oppose cuts that may be part of deal — Joshua Roberts/Reuters - House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) walks to his office after meeting with President Obama to talk about the “fiscal cliff” on Dec. 17. According to a poll …

Discussion: Reuters, The Fix, Taylor Marsh, Post Politics, USA Today, Lynn Sweet, Hot Air, First Read and The Hill

Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:
A ‘fiscal cliff’ deal is near: Here are the details

Politico:
Obama makes new offer to narrow gap on cliff

Discussion: CNN, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, Quartz, americanthinker.com, First Read, The Raw Story, Guardian, Weasel Zippers and Business Insider

BuzzFeed:
Pelosi Backed Boehner's Tax Cut Proposal

Discussion: Weekly Standard

Paul Krugman:
Rumors of a Deal — It sounds as if Ezra Klein is hearing …

Discussion: American Prospect, The Huffington Post, Crooks and Liars, The Plum Line, CANNONFIRE, Hullabaloo and The Atlantic Online

Erik Wasson / The Hill:
Obama makes new fiscal offer; Boehner says it's not enough

Discussion: Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'

PR Newswire:

Cerberus Capital Management Statement Regarding Freedom Group, Inc. — We were shocked and deeply saddened by the events that took place at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT on December 14, 2012. We cannot comprehend the losses suffered by the families and friends of those killed …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Reuters, Quartz, BuzzFeed, Forbes, The Caucus, Gawker and DealBook

Dan Primack / Fortune:

Cerberus: We want out of gun biz — Bushmaster rifle owner decides to sell the company. — FORTUNE — Private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management announced early this morning that it plans to sell Freedom Group, a firearms conglomerate that produced the .223 Bushmaster rifle used in last week's elementary school massacre.

Discussion: The Raw Story, Politicker and emptywheel

Susan Candiotti / CNN:

Sporting goods chain suspends sale of certain semi-automatic after shooting — Mourners leave Honan Funeral Home after attending the funeral for Jack Pinto, 6, one of the youngest victims of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, on Monday, December 17, in Newtown, Connecticut.

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, ABCNEWS, ABCNEWS, Quartz and Mediaite

Washington Post:

Obama asks Cabinet members for proposals to curb gun violence — President Obama on Monday began the first serious push of his administration to attempt to reduce gun violence, directing Cabinet members to formulate a set of proposals that could include reinstating a ban on assault rifles.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Wonkblog, The Hill, Right Wing News, msnbc.com, Balloon Juice, Post Politics, The Fix and Gawker

Andrew Ross Sorkin / DealBook:
Wall Street, Invested in Firearms, Is Unlikely to Push for Reform

Discussion: Slate and Reuters

Mark Scott / DealBook:
Cerberus to Sell Freedom Group, a Gunmaker

Discussion: New York Post, Gothamist and The Hinterland Gazette

Mike Brunker / World News:

Richard Engel and NBC News team freed from captors in Syria — Updated at 8:15 a.m. ET: NBC News' Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel and members of his network production team were freed from captors in Syria after a firefight at a checkpoint on Monday, five days after they were taken prisoner, NBC News said early Tuesday.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Wired, The Jawa Report, First Read, Boing Boing, americanthinker.com, msnbc.com, “The Lid”, Deadline.com, The Raw Story, Hot Air, Gawker and Gothamist, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:
Richard Engel of NBC Is Released in Syria

Discussion: CNN, The Lede, Media Decoder and Guardian

John Cook / Gawker:
Richard Engel is Missing in Syria; NBC News Enforces News Blackout

Discussion: Politico, BuzzFeed, Taylor Marsh, Mediaite, NZweek, Business Insider, Daily Mail, Weasel Zippers, Twitchy, Outside the Beltway and The Jawa Report, more at Mediagazer »

Declan McCullagh / CNET:

Instagram says it now has the right to sell your photos — In its first big policy shift since Facebook bought the photo-sharing site, Instagram claims the right to sell users' photos without payment or notification. Oh, and there's no way to opt out. — Instagram said today …

Discussion: BBC, NBC4 Washington, Shakesville and CBS Boston, more at Mediagazer »

NYT Bits:
What Instagram's New Terms of Service Mean for You

Discussion: Dave Winer, Politico, Boing Boing, The Big Picture, The Atlantic Online, Gawker, GigaOM and TechCrunch

Roberto Baldwin / Wired:
How to Download Your Instagram Photos and Kill Your Account

Discussion: CBS Dallas and AMERICAblog

David Kopel / Wall Street Journal:

Guns, Mental Illness and Newtown — There were 18 random mass shootings in the 1980s, 54 in the 1990s, and 87 in the 2000s. — Has the rate of random mass shootings in the United States increased? Over the past 30 years, the answer is definitely yes. It is also true that the total U …

Discussion: National Review, Cafe Hayek and Betsy's Page

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
McArdle Wins Worst Newtown Reaction Award

Discussion: TBogg and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Megan McArdle / Asymmetrical Information:
There's Little We Can Do to Prevent Another Massacre

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Wonkette, The Atlantic Online, No More Mister Nice Blog, Wall Street Journal, Ross Douthat, Roger Ailes, Hot Air, Wonkblog, Telegraph, Balloon Juice, The Frisky and Lexington Herald-Leader

Politico:

It's raining men — Behind the Curtain: About this weekly feature — Behind the Curtain is a reported column, Web show and online conversation about the behind-the-scenes intrigue that shapes politics and policy. It will unfold every Tuesday (and beyond, when news dictates).

Discussion: Mediaite

Abby Livingston / Roll Call:
South Carolina Special Election Attracts Familiar Faces

Discussion: Post Politics, Taegan Goddard's … and The Fix

Emily Goodin / Ballot Box:
OVERNIGHT CAMPAIGN: Inouye's death leaves opening in Senate

Discussion: CNN, Politico and ABCNEWS

Emma Brown / Washington Post:

Daniel K. Inouye, U.S. senator, dies at 88 — Sen. Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii, a highly decorated World War II combat veteran who used his status as one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington and the second-longest-serving senator in history to send billions of dollars to his home islands …

Discussion: 2chambers, New York Times, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Shakesville, CNN, Fox News, The Huffington Post, The Democratic Daily, The Week, FIRST DRAFT, Senator Inouye's Press Feed, Balloon Juice, The Fix, U.S. News, Post Politics, Gawker, Outside the Beltway and Rumproast

Catalina Camia / USA Today:
Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye, 88, dies

Discussion: americanthinker.com, Associated Press, AMERICAblog, Moe Lane and Towleroad News #gay

Investor's Business Daily:

Clinton And Kerry Get A Free Ride From The Press — Politics: Diplomacy involves considerable travel. What it shouldn't include is free rides from both the media and political establishment. But Hillary Clinton and John Kerry are getting just that as the guard changes at State.

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Patterico's Pontifications

Heather Haddon / Wall Street Journal:

Booker Leaning Toward Senate Run — Popular Mayor Is Looking to Take Aim at Lautenberg Seat Instead of Challenging Gov. Chris Christie — Newark Mayor Cory Booker is leaning against jumping into next year's race for New Jersey governor and instead is having serious discussions about running …

Discussion: Ballot Box, Post Politics and The Raw Story

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:

Emanuel: Obama ‘very clear’ on supporting assault weapons ban — Chicago Mayor and former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday defended President Obama, saying he had always been “very clear” on supporting a federal assault weapons ban. — During an interview on “CBS This Morning …

Discussion: Politico