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Remarks from the NRA press conference on Sandy Hook school shooting, delivered on Dec. 21, 2012 (Transcript) — Video: After a week of silence in the wake of the Newtown shootings, the National Rifle Association finally spoke out Friday defending guns and decrying violence.
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N.R.A. Calls for Armed Guards in Schools to Deter Violence — WASHINGTON — The National Rifle Association on Friday called for schools to be protected by armed guards as the best way to protect children from gun violence. — The group, long the most vocal and influential organization …

Community Resource Officer Called to “Back Lot” — Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy Neil Gardner soon would complete his second year as the uniformed community resource officer assigned to Columbine High School. Gardner, a 15-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office, normally ate his lunch …
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National Review, The Atlantic Online, Wonkblog, Business Insider and Twitchy


Christie: Armed guards won't make schools safer — Governor Chris Christie said he doesn't agree that placing armed guards at every school in the state would help prevent tragedies like the Newtown, Conn. school shooting last week. — “In general I don't think that the solution to safety …
Discussion:
Mediaite and Post Politics


Journalists slam NRA throughout press conference — When National Rifle Association Wayne LaPierre leader took the stage on Friday to address the media about last week's elementary school massacre, he made it clear multiple times that the organization has issues with how the press reports on guns.
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The PJ Tatler, more at Mediagazer »


NRA CALLS FOR ARMED POLICE OFFICER IN EVERY SCHOOL
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Forbes, The Week, Business Insider and The Page

Wayne LaPierre Wants Armed Guards at Schools. Columbine Had an Armed Guard.
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Firedoglake, The PJ Tatler, Boing Boing and The New Republic


Inside the Meltdown — “How the hell can you do this?” — • followers — At a quarter to 8 p.m. on Thursday night, House Republicans gathered in the Capitol basement for an urgent, closed-door conference meeting. The scene was hushed and confused.
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Behind the scenes of a GOP meltdown — Things were so bad for Speaker John Boehner Thursday night, support for his Plan B tax bill so diminished, the limits of his power with his own party laid bare, that he stood in front of the House Republican Conference and recited the Serenity Prayer.
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CNN, Wall Street Journal, News Desk, neo-neocon, Right Turn, americanthinker.com, thenation.com/blogs/117, mobile.nationaljournal.com, Washington Examiner, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Taylor Marsh, Business Insider, The Plum Line, New York Times, Guardian, Campaign for America's …, First Read, The Hill, Quartz, Washington Post, Gawker and The Mahablog

Playing Taxes Hold 'Em — A few years back, there was a boom in poker television — shows in which you got to watch the betting and bluffing of expert card players. Since then, however, viewers seem to have lost interest. But I have a suggestion: Instead of featuring poker experts …
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The Plum Line, Daily Kos, Off the Charts Blog, Robert Reich and Balloon Juice


The humiliation of John Boehner — He's powerless, and his own party continues to make him look like a fool. Maybe he'll just walk away — Last night was hardly the first public humiliation that John Boehner has suffered at the hands of his fellow Republicans, but it's probably the most stark.
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Outside the Beltway and A plain blog about politics

Boehner Points — Subtly — Toward A Way Forward After Failure Of Plan B
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Daily Kos

The Failure of Last Night's “Plan B” Vote Makes a Fiscal Cliff Deal More Likely
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New York Magazine, The Huffington Post, Wonkblog, Wall Street Journal and Firedoglake

Does A Speaker Survive This?
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Washington Monthly and American Prospect

How Boehner's Plan B for the ‘fiscal cliff’ began and fell apart
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The Fix, Reuters, Hullabaloo, The Monkey Cage, americanthinker.com, Hot Air, First Read, US News, Prairie Weather, The National Memo, Shakesville and ABCNEWS

Democrats plot next steps after Boehner stumble
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CNN, The Huffington Post, Associated Press and Talking Points Memo

How Boehner could cut a deal and still keep his speakership
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Washington Wire, National Review, Hit & Run, The New Republic and Wall Street Journal


Obama Nominates Kerry for Secretary of State — WASHINGTON — President Obama nominated Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts as secretary of state, choosing an elder of the Democratic Party's foreign policy establishment and a crucial political ally in the Senate to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton.
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Outside the Beltway, msnbc.com, Twitchy, Taylor Marsh, Mediaite, Business Insider and Daily Kos
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Hillary Clinton, Susan Rice congratulate Kerry on State nomination
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Politico

Roots of John Kerry's secretary of state ambition lie in wake of 2004 defeat
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The National Memo


John Kerry will be nominated for secretary of state, official says
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New York Times, The PJ Tatler, Shakesville and ImmigrationProf Blog

Kerry a Frequent Visitor with Syrian Dictator Bashar Al-Assad
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The Caucus, The Lonely Conservative and The Spectacle Blog

Kerry Has Investments in Companies Accused of Violating Iran Sanctions
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Roll Call, Jammie Wearing Fools and OpenSecrets.org

Frank not saying ‘no’ to Senate appointment
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The Atlantic Online, Advocate, Post Politics, BuzzFeed and Business Insider


Chuck Hagel apologizes for gay slur — Former Sen. Chuck Hagel, seeking to preserve his viability for nomination as secretary of Defense, on Friday issued a strong apology for a gay slur in 1998 that turned some top Democratic activists against his potential selection.
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EXCLUSIVE: Top Republican Senator will oppose Hagel nomination
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Outside the Beltway, Washington Free Beacon and Post Politics

Shock audio: Hagel on the “Jewish lobby” [UPDATE: Hagel Apologizes for Gay Comments]
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Politico

4 dead in Blair Co. shooting; 3 troopers injured — Sponsored Links — BLAIR COUNTY, Pa. — The Blair County district attorney said that four people, including the alleged gunman, are dead after a series of shootings along a rural road on Friday. — The district attorney …
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Crooks and Liars, The Hinterland Gazette and Balloon Juice
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While the NRA Was on TV Talking About the Need for More Guns Some Guy Was Walking Up and Down a Road …
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Mother Jones, Poynter and Balloon Juice, more at Mediagazer »


With Farm Bill Stalled, Consumers May Face Soaring Milk Prices — WASHINGTON — Forget the fiscal crisis and the automatic budget cuts. Come Jan. 1, there is a threat that milk prices could rise to $6 to $8 a gallon if Congress does not pass a new farm bill that amends farm policy dating back to the Truman presidency.
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Firedoglake, CRFB.org, LewRockwell.com Blog and The PJ Tatler

Cuomo Says He'll Outline Gun Proposal Next Month — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Thursday that he had started discussions with leaders of the State Legislature about new gun control measures, and that he planned to propose a package of gun legislation in his State of the State address on Jan. 9.
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americanthinker.com, Washington Examiner, Capital New York, Weasel Zippers and The Lonely Conservative