Top Items:
ABC News:
Obama, Cuban President Raul Castro Shake Hands at Nelson Mandela Memorial — President Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro today at a memorial service for the late Nelson Mandela in South Africa. — Obama stopped to shake Castro's hand as he was walking to the podium to pay tribute to Mandela.
Discussion:
CNN, Politico and National Review
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USA Today:
Obama eulogizes Mandela as ‘great liberator’ — President Obama spoke of former South African President Nelson Mandela's legacy of making peace by getting them to trust each other. Obama spoke at the memorial for Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Dec. 10) AP
Discussion:
The Hinterland Gazette, The Agonist, Taylor Marsh, Jerusalem Post and Reuters
Politico:
President Obama speaks at Nelson Mandela memorial, transcript
President Obama speaks at Nelson Mandela memorial, transcript
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
Associated Press:
Nelson Mandela memorial service: Obama praises ‘Madiba’ in euology …
Nelson Mandela memorial service: Obama praises ‘Madiba’ in euology …
Discussion:
Jezebel, Weasel Zippers and NY Daily News
Joel B. Pollak / BREITBART.COM:
OBAMA SHAKES HANDS WITH CUBA'S RAÚL CASTRO AT MANDELA MEMORIAL
OBAMA SHAKES HANDS WITH CUBA'S RAÚL CASTRO AT MANDELA MEMORIAL
Discussion:
Hot Air, NBCNews, The Gateway Pundit and RealClearPolitics Video Log
Erin McClam / NBCNews:
Obama, in eulogy, calls Mandela ‘the last great liberator of the 20th century’
Obama, in eulogy, calls Mandela ‘the last great liberator of the 20th century’
Discussion:
theGrio and World News
Jennifer Epstein / Politico:
Obama shakes hands with Cuba's Raul Castro
Obama shakes hands with Cuba's Raul Castro
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog and CNN
Jill Dougherty / CNN:
A brief but important handshake between Obama, Castro
A brief but important handshake between Obama, Castro
Discussion:
BREITBART.COM, National Review and Shakesville
Jackie Calmes / New York Times:
Ex-Clinton Aide Expected to Join Obama — WASHINGTON — President Obama, after a rocky year that leaves him at the lowest ebb of his presidency, is bringing into his White House circle the longtime Democratic strategist John D. Podesta, a former chief of staff for President Bill Clinton.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, The Fix, ABC News, americanthinker.com and NBCNews
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Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
John Podesta to formally join Obama inner circle
John Podesta to formally join Obama inner circle
Discussion:
Capitol Report and Politico
Jonathan Cohn / The New Republic:
Yes, Obamacare is Redistribution—But Republicans Are Wrong About Who Pays — Republicans and their allies are making a lot of different arguments about what Obamacare is doing to America. It's hiking premiums! It's making people lose their doctors! It's destroying Medicare!
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, Washington Monthly and Mediaite
Keith Laing / The Hill:
GOP bills would prohibit in-flight calls — Political momentum to keep a ban on cellphone calls during flights gained momentum Monday as lawmakers said it would be crazy to allow them. — Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) became the second lawmaker after Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) to offer legislation to keep the ban in place.
Discussion:
Patterico's Pontifications and Instapundit
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Eric Lach / Talking Points Memo:
Republicans Want To Keep Airplane Phone Ban In Place Because Of The Noise — Two Republican lawmakers in recent days have said they will fight to keep a ban on in-flight cellphone calls in place because they can't stand to hear people yammer. — Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA) and Sen. Lamar Alexander …
Marjorie Connelly / The Caucus:
Despite Improving Indicators, Poll Finds Harsh View of Obama on Economy — Last week's reports of hopeful economic indicators did nothing to improve the American public's negative opinion of President Obama's stewardship of the nation's economy. However, while most Americans describe …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Real Clear Politics
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CBS News:
Poll: Most Americans are still pessimistic about the economy — Shares - — Tweets - Stumble — While the nation's unemployment rate is now at a five-year low, most Americans (61 percent) continue to say the economy is in bad shape. Thirty-seven percent now think the economy is good …
Discussion:
The Plum Line, CBS DC and Heritage Action for America
Jeremy Herb / The Hill:
OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Congress pushes quick work on Defense bill — The Topline: The race is on to finish the Defense authorization bill. — The House and Senate Armed Services leaders unveiled their final Defense bill on Monday, urging their colleagues to quickly pass it and arguing there were no other alternatives.
Discussion:
Firedoglake
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James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:
A student editor grovels after another cartoon kerfuffle. — For the University of Alabama's football team, the Nov. 30 season finale against intrastate archrival Auburn ended almost as disastrously as ObamaCare began (and as it has continued). After leading 21-14 at the half …
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Instapundit, The Volokh Conspiracy, Power Line and Blazing Cat Fur
Alexis C. Madrigal / The Atlantic Online:
The Last Smallpox Patient on Earth — The case of Ali Maow Maalin, a Somalian cook — On December 9, 1979, the Global Commission for the Certification of Smallpox Eradication signed their names to the statement that “smallpox has been eradicated from the world.”
Fox News:
New York's top court blocks Colorado from forcing Fox reporter to reveal sources or face jail — New York's top court today spared FoxNews.com reporter Jana Winter from jail for refusing to reveal confidential sources for a bombshell story following the Aurora movie massacre.
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Mediaite and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »
David Martosko / Daily Mail:
‘A public safety disaster’: Obamacare could force THOUSANDS of volunteer fire departments to close — The Affordable Care Act forces companies with more than 50 workers to buy them all health insurance or pay hefty fines — The IRS says volunteer firefighters are 'employees …
Discussion:
BizPac Review, americanthinker.com, Ricochet Conversations Feed and Weasel Zippers
New York Post:
The New York Times' ‘homeless’ hooey — If a five-part opus in The New York Times by Andrea Elliott is to believed, we live in a hard-hearted city. But if you read closely, it suggests just the opposite. — Begin with the family at the center of this story. The mother, father and eight kids aren't really homeless at all.
Discussion:
National Review
Wall Street Journal:
How to Keep Workers Unemployed — Another 99 weeks of jobless insurance won't create more jobs. — House-Senate negotiators are close to a modest budget accord to avoid another government shutdown, but suddenly the White House is introducing a last-minute demand.
Discussion:
Betsy's Page
Katie Glueck / Politico:
In surprise move, Steve Stockman challenges John Cornyn — Firebrand Texas Republican Rep. Steve Stockman on Monday mounted a surprise primary challenge to Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), setting the stage for the latest potentially explosive battle between a tea party darling and an incumbent firmly backed by the GOP establishment.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress, Hot Air, americanthinker.com and CNN
Matthew Barakat / Minneapolis Star Tribune:
APNewsBreak: US Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida loses $18M in fraud scheme — McLEAN, Va. — U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida lost $18 million in a scheme that cheated him and about 120 other investors out of more than $35 million, according to court papers. — The Virginia man who ran the scheme …