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David Gregory will not host this Sunday's ‘Meet The Press’ — NBC's David Gregory, the subject of a now-popular police investigation, is on vacation and will not host this Sunday's edition of “Meet The Press.” — The Washington Metropolitan Police Department launched an investigation …
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Police: NBC asked to use high-capacity clip — Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy — During an interview with NRA Chief Wayne LaPierre on “Meet the Press,” David Gregory held up a high-capacity ammunition magazine.


Cops told NBC not to use gun clip — NBC was told by the Washington, D.C., police that it was “not permissible” to show a high-capacity gun magazine on air before Sunday's “Meet the Press,” according to a statement Wednesday from the cops. — “NBC contacted [the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department] …


The White House's Kent Conrad problem — On Fox News Sunday, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), the outgoing chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, made a proposal to solve the “fiscal cliff.” The proposal isn't going anywhere, but its specifics explain something important about the White House's negotiating strategy.
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Mother Jones and Balloon Juice
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Time to be the Speaker — I have a simple plea to John Boehner - be the Speaker. — The Speaker of the House can dictate what spending gets done and what doesn't, if he uses his constitutional powers. — The president can merely sign or reject anything passed by the Congress.
Discussion:
Politico

Look beyond the Capitol for the next speaker
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway and FIRST DRAFT

Americans' Optimism Wanes About Averting “Fiscal Cliff”
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Politico, The Hill, Los Angeles Times, msnbc.com, New York Times, BuzzFeed, Business Insider, CNN, The PJ Tatler and Reuters

Benghazi penalties are bogus — The four officials supposedly out of jobs because of their blunders in the run-up to the deadly Benghazi terror attack remain on the State Department payroll — and will all be back to work soon, The Post has learned. — The highest-ranking official caught …
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Give Chuck a Chance — In case you haven't heard, President Obama is considering appointing Chuck Hagel, a former United States senator from Nebraska and a Purple Heart winner, as the next secretary of defense — and this has triggered a minifirefight among Hagel critics and supporters.
Discussion:
Israel Matzav, Washington Monthly, The Washington Note and Weekly Standard
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Chuck Hagel Gets His Second Wind
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, Mother Jones and The Washington Note


Bipartisan Group Of Former National Security Advisers Condemn Attacks On Hagel
Discussion:
The Huffington Post


Let's Come Together, America — Posted by Howard S., Starbucks chairman, president and chief executive officer — There are moments in our lives when we have an opportunity to ignite tremendous positive change—not just in the lives of the customers and communities we serve every day, but in our country.
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Starbucks to use cups to send ‘fiscal cliff’ message to lawmakers
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Addicting Info and Boise Weekly

FreedomWorks tea party group nearly falls apart in fight between old and new guard — The day after Labor Day, just as campaign season was entering its final frenzy, FreedomWorks, the Washington-based tea party organization, went into free fall. — Richard K. Armey, the group's chairman …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, PostPartisan, Crooks and Liars, Hit & Run, Wonkette, Gawker, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Mother Jones, Paul Krugman and Roger Ailes

Court punts on recess appointments — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has declined to wade into the issue of whether President Barack Obama had the authority to make four recess appointments earlier this year when the Senate was not officially in recess.
Discussion:
The Volokh Conspiracy


Liberals Panic As They Lose the Gun Narrative — When you argue for a living, you can tell how an argument is going for you. The evidence and my gut both tell me that the liberals have lost control of the gun control narrative. — Not for lack of trying - it was almost as if they were poised …


‘Killing people is what I like best’: Firefighter-slay lunatic's suicide screed — The homicidal maniac who torched his upstate neighborhood and gunned down two responding firefighters in an elaborate ambush left behind a twisted suicide note that revealed his bloodlust, authorities said yesterday.
Discussion:
protein wisdom
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Democrats push for tax cuts they once opposed — Democrats seeking a deal to avert the year-end “fiscal cliff” are trying to etch into stone the signature economic achievement of Republican President George W. Bush by permanently extending tax cuts enacted during his tenure.
Discussion:
AEIdeas, The Plum Line and Business Insider


Bush 41 spends Christmas in hospital — (CNN) - Former President George H.W. Bush spent Christmas with his family in a Houston hospital and is in good spirits, though doctors have not yet discussed when he may be released, his spokesman told CNN. — “The president has made very slight improvement …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Post Politics, Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes' and Business Insider