Top Items:
Kevin Liptak / CNN:
West Wing briefly evacuated due to smoke, Secret Service says — (CNN) — The West Wing of the White House, including the press area, was evacuated Saturday out of an abundance of caution as authorities investigate the source of smoke coming out of what is believed to be a mechanical closet, a Secret Service spokesman told CNN.
Discussion:
The Hill
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Ernesto Londoño / Washington Post:
Libya protests prompt U.S. to evacuate diplomats, put troops on alert — Growing concerns over protests roiling Libya prompted the State Department to begin evacuating some diplomats from Tripoli, as the Pentagon put troops stationed at nearby European bases on high alert.
Discussion:
Hot Air, americanthinker.com, Outside the Beltway and Post Politics
Alex Koppelman / News Desk:
Spinning Benghazi — It's a cliché, of course, but it really is true: in Washington, every scandal has a crime and a coverup. The ongoing debate about the attack on the United States facility in Benghazi where four Americans were killed, and the Obama Administration's response to it, is no exception.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Guardian, National Republican …, National Review, Pundit & Pundette, Weasel Zippers, Viking Pundit and The Hill
Mark Landler / New York Times:
Benghazi E-Mails Put White House on the Defensive — WASHINGTON — A long-simmering dispute over the White House's account of the deadly assault on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, flared up on Friday, with a disclosure of e-mails that show the White House was more deeply involved …
Discussion:
TIME, Via Meadia and Twitchy
Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
An alternative explanation for the Benghazi talking points: Bureaucratic knife fight
An alternative explanation for the Benghazi talking points: Bureaucratic knife fight
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, USA Today, Mother Jones, Post Politics, The Fix and Business Insider
Noah Rothman / Mediaite:
MSNBC Guests: Benghazi Scandal Makes White House ‘Look Terrible,’ Possibly An ‘Impeachment Issue’
MSNBC Guests: Benghazi Scandal Makes White House ‘Look Terrible,’ Possibly An ‘Impeachment Issue’
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit and Washington Free Beacon
Justin Sink / The Hill:
White House denies misleading public on Benghazi talking points
White House denies misleading public on Benghazi talking points
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Reaction
David Weigel / Slate:
Jason Richwine Resigns from the Heritage Foundation — The Heritage Foundation tells without much more detail. The full explanation: … Some background: I'd been asking whether Heritage read Richwine's dissertation, or talked about any of the potentially explosive IQ research, before hiring him.
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Aaron Blake / Post Politics:
Jason Richwine resigns from Heritage Foundation
Jason Richwine resigns from Heritage Foundation
Discussion:
Right Turn, Cafe Hayek, Right Wing Watch, Mock, Paper, Scissors, The Raw Story, msnbc.com, The Daily Caller, Yahoo! News and Slate
Neil King Jr / Washington Wire:
Author of Heritage Immigration Report Quits
Author of Heritage Immigration Report Quits
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler and ImmigrationProf Blog
J. Bradford DeLong / Brad DeLong:
Moby Ben, or, The Washington Super-Whale: Hedge Fundies, the Federal Reserve, and Bernanke-Hatred — In February 2012, a number of hedge fund traders noted one particular index—CDX IG 9—that seemed to be underpriced. It seemed to be cheaper to buy credit default protection on the 125 companies …
Discussion:
Business Insider and Paul Krugman
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Jon Hilsenrath / Wall Street Journal:
Fed Maps Exit From Stimulus — Timing of Wind-Down Is Uncertain, but Focus Is on Managing Unpredictable Market Expectations — Federal Reserve officials have mapped out a strategy for winding down an unprecedented $85 billion-a-month bond-buying program meant to spur the economy …
Discussion:
Business Insider, The Lonely Conservative and Biz Beat Blog
Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:
The IRS was wrong to target the tea party. They should've gone after all 501(c)4s. — Let's be very clear: because the Internal Revenue Service holds so much private data, and because it can make people's lives absolutely miserable, it is of paramount importance in our political system that it both is …
Discussion:
Prairie Weather, Balloon Juice, The Plum Line, Law Blog, Wall Street Journal, Daily Kos and Washington Post
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Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:
I.R.S. Apologizes to Tea Party Groups Over Audits of Applications for Tax Exemption
I.R.S. Apologizes to Tea Party Groups Over Audits of Applications for Tax Exemption
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, The Week, Weasel Zippers, Business Insider and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Mike Isaac / AllThingsD:
Elon Musk and David Sacks Depart Fwd.us, Mark Zuckerberg's Political Action Group — Elon Musk and David Sacks, two of the Silicon Valley stars behind Fwd.us, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's political action committee, have left the group, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Discussion:
Yahoo! News, Reuters, E2-Wire, Politico, The Hill, ThinkProgress and Business Insider
BBC:
Guatemala court jails ex-leader — A court in Guatemala has found former military leader Efrain Rios Montt guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity. — A three-judge tribunal sentenced the 86-year-old to 80 years in prison. — Rios Montt was convicted of ordering the deaths …
Discussion:
Corey Robin and Booman Tribune
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Josh Eidelson / thenation.com/blogs/171221:
Fast Food Strike Wave Spreads to Detroit — Two updates appear below. — Hundreds of Detroit fast food workers plan to walk off the job beginning at 6 AM today, making the motor city the fourth in five weeks to see such strikes. Organizers expect participants from at least 60 stores …
Discussion:
Colorlines, ThinkProgress and Daily Kos
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Ned Resnikoff / msnbc.com:
Largest fast food strike yet as workers walk out in Michigan
Largest fast food strike yet as workers walk out in Michigan
Discussion:
aflcio.org
Daniel Winn / Local News:
Movie theater publicity stunt triggers officers to respond to active shooter situation — Movie theater publicity stunt triggers police response — JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - — Management at the Goodrich Capital 8 Theaters is defending what it calls a publicity stunt at the movie theaters this past weekend.
Discussion:
Red Alert Politics, Gawker, The Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Mediaite and Daily Kos
Sarah Kliff / Wonkblog:
Budget request denied, Sebelius turns to health executives to finance Obamacare — HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is asking private industry executives to help fund Obamacare's implementation. — Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has gone, hat in hand …
Discussion:
Politico, Hot Air, Mediaite, The Raw Story, CNN and The Lonely Conservative
Michael O'Brien / NBC Politics:
Rand Paul challenges Hillary Clinton in key Iowa speech — CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Presidential elections start in Iowa. — On Friday, Sen. Rand Paul put his stake in the ground for a possible run in 2016 by mocking the Obama administration and delivering a blistering critique of former Secretary …
Meenal Vamburkar / Mediaite:
Maher, Joy Reid Clash With Glenn Greenwald Over Benghazi: 'Obama's Supposed To Micromanage' The World? — On his Friday night show, Bill Maher invited his panel to discuss this week's developments about Benghazi — debating whether the story is as scandalous as Republicans are making it out to be.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice and The Raw Story
Nick Wing / The Huffington Post:
Michele Bachmann: 9/11, Benghazi Were God's ‘Judgment,’ So We Must Hold Day Of Prayer On Sept. 11 — Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) continued to promote a right-wing Sept. 11 “National Day of Prayer and Fasting” on Thursday, telling an audience gathered at a Capitol Hill event that such actions …
Discussion:
The Maddow Blog and Right Wing Watch
Aaron Blake / The Fix:
'I'm not good at math': The IRS's public relations disaster — About a half-hour into a conference call with reporters Friday afternoon, senior Internal Revenue Service official Lois Lerner said something she will regret. — “I'm not good at math,” she confessed as she tried to summon a statistic.
Discussion:
Washington Post and The Lonely Conservative
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Washington Post:
IRS admits targeting conservatives for tax scrutiny in 2012 election
IRS admits targeting conservatives for tax scrutiny in 2012 election
Discussion:
Scared Monkeys, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Beast, TBogg, OpenMarket.org, Talking Points Memo, The Impolitic, The Moderate Voice, Liberal Values, Los Angeles Times, The Lonely Conservative, Right Turn, OpenSecrets.org, ThinkProgress, Post Politics, Weasel Zippers, House Committee …, Mother Jones, BuzzFeed and WFPL