memeorandum: “Room for smarm in your latte?” Isn't there something creepy … (Mickey Kaus/The Daily Caller)

11:10 AM ET, December 27, 2012

Top Items:

Free David Gregory — Moving right along in America's gun control, er, “conversation,” we now have the illuminating debate over the alleged criminality of “Meet the Press” host David Gregory. Somehow this seems appropriate to the quality of the rest of the gun debate.

Discussion: Politico and Business Insider, more at Mediagazer »

Dylan Byers / Politico:

WSJ ed board: ‘Free David Gregory’ — The Wall Street Journal editorial board is dismissing right-wing calls for David Gregory's indictment as “entirely nonsensical,” reflecting the widely-held belief that the investigation involving the “Meet The Press” is not a legitimate use of law enforcement's time.

Discussion: The Agonist and Daily Download

William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:

If David Gregory were not David Gregory — Now that the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department is on record that it told NBC News not to use the high capacity magazine in its segment with Wayne LaPierre, the big media is paying attention and taking this seriously.

Discussion: National Review, New York Times, Instapundit, americanthinker.com, The Patriot Perspective, Gretawire, Althouse, Yahoo! News, Shot in the Dark, BizzyBlog and Ed Driscoll, more at Mediagazer »

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Police: Gregory broke law — A Washington Metropolitan Police Department spokesman tells POLITICO that it was illegal for NBC's David Gregory to show an empty gun magazine on television last Sunday, even if it was empty. — The spokesman also said he could not confirm a report by TMZ …

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Moonbattery, Mediaite, White House Dossier, Power Line, TVNewser, Hullabaloo and Twitchy

Dylan Byers / Politico:
David Gregory will not host this Sunday's ‘Meet The Press’

Discussion: The Other McCain, Daily Kos, Washington Post, Poynter and Hot Air

Matthew Yglesias / Slate:

Why John Boehner Wants Action to Move to the Senate — The new line from John Boehner is that the onus is now on the Senate to pass a fiscal cliff solution, and then the House will take up and consider whatever the Senate passes. — On the face of it, this is nonsensical. Democrats have a majority in the Senate.

Discussion: Post Politics, Outside the Beltway, Mother Jones, The Plum Line, Daily Kos, Wonkblog and Balloon Juice

Reuters:

Fiscal cliff deal increasingly unlikely — Nearly all the major players in the fiscal cliff negotiations are starting to agree on one thing: A deal is virtually impossible before the New Year. — Unlike the bank bailout in 2008, the tax deal in 2010 and the debt ceiling in 2011 …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, CNN, ABCNEWS, Business Insider, Taylor Marsh and Politico

Katie Glueck / Politico:

Rep. Steve LaTourette: ‘Blame game’ leading to cliff — The “blame game” playing out in Washington is going to push the country “over the edge” as the fiscal cliff looms, charged outgoing GOP Rep. Steve LaTourette on Thursday. — “If the president and Sen. [Harry] Reid and [Speaker] …

CBS News:
The “fiscal cliff”: What to expect if there's no deal

Discussion: Lynn Sweet and Daily Kos

New York Times:
As Fiscal Deadline Looms, Path to Deal Remains Unclear

Discussion: The Maddow Blog, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal and CNBC

Seung Min Kim / Politico:
Treasury: U.S. will hit debt ceiling on New Year's Eve

Discussion: americanthinker.com, Weasel Zippers, Truthdig and The Hill

Sam Baker / The Hill:

Supreme Court won't block Obama health law's contraception mandate — The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to block the Obama administration's contraception mandate from taking effect. — Justice Sonia Sotomayor rejected a request for an emergency injunction that would have shielded employers from the mandate.

Discussion: Hot Air, Althouse and americanthinker.com

Linda Greenhouse / Opinionator:
The N.R.A. at the Bench

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy and Daily Kos

Pete Williams / First Read:
Supreme Court declines to block provision covering contraceptives in health care law

Discussion: The Raw Story

CEPR:

Ruth Marcus Is Outraged by Overly Generous Social Security Checks — Well, who can blame her? After all, we have tens of millions of seniors living high on Social Security checks averaging a bit over $1,200 a month at a time when folks like the CEOs in the Campaign to Fix the Debt are supposed …

Discussion: Sky Dancing, Jared Bernstein and Crooks and Liars

Ruth Marcus / Washington Post:
A cost savings everyone should endorse

Discussion: CANNONFIRE and PERRspectives

Lydia Saad / Gallup:

Americans Want Stricter Gun Laws, Still Oppose Bans — Support for strengthening gun sale laws has surged 15 percentage points since 2011 — PRINCETON, NJ — In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., Gallup finds 58% of Americans in favor of strengthening …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The Fix

USA Today:
Gun control poll shows mixed results

Discussion: The Hill, Hot Air and Politico

Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:

Hawaii's lieutenant governor is named to the U.S. Senate — Audrey McAvoy/AP - Hawaii Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz speaks the state Capitol in Honolulu on Wednesday, Dec. 26. 2012 after Gov. Neil Abercrombie, right, announced he was appointing Schatz to fill the seat vacated by the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye.

Discussion: Washington Wire, The Fix and Booman Tribune

Derrick DePledge / Honolulu Star-Advertiser:
Schatz picked by Abercrombie to replace Inouye in U.S. Senate

Discussion: Ballot Box, Business Insider and Taegan Goddard's …

Sarah Parnass / ABCNEWS:
Sen. Inouye's Replacement Named

Discussion: Daily Kos, CNN, Washington Examiner, Associated Press and Hawaii News Now

Noah Rothman / Mediaite:

Piers Morgan: Bible And Constitution ‘Inherently Flawed,’ ‘Time For An Amendment To Bible’ — On Monday, CNN host Piers Morgan invited Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren on his program to discuss gay marriage and the bible. Fresh off his feud with Second Amendment rights activists following …

Discussion: Commentary Magazine, Power Line, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit and The Other McCain

Robert Cox / Talk of the Sound:

Map: Where are the Journal News employees in your neighborhood? — The map indicates the addresses of all Journal News Employees in the New York Tri-State area. Each dot represents an individual Journal News employee — a reporter, editor or staffer. The data does not include freelancers …

Discussion: Politico, Mediaite, Wizbang, americanthinker.com, iOwnTheWorld.com, The Gateway Pundit, For What It's Worth, BizzyBlog and The Jawa Report

CNN:

CNN Poll: How will Obama perform in second term? — Washington (CNN) - A plurality of Americans think President Barack Obama will do a better job during his second term than he did in his first term in the White House, according to a new national survey. — A CNN/ORC International poll …

Discussion: Politico

Dana Bash / CNN:
Source: Reid looking for votes on fiscal cliff package

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Pundits Blog, Hot Air, The Reaction and Gallup

John Hinderaker / Power Line:

Our History, and Theirs — Here in Minnesota, there has been a political skirmish over the Department of Education's adoption of new K-12 educational standards for social studies, including history. The current revision has been drafted by education professionals and is proceeding through …

Discussion: The Free Press …

antarctica.ac.uk:

Press Release - Antarctic lake mission called off — Home » Media Room » Press Releases » Press Release - Antarctic lake mission called off » — Number: — In the early hours of Christmas Day (Tuesday 25 December 2012) Professor Martin Siegert …

Discussion: Guardian and BBC