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4:30 PM ET, December 20, 2013

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:
The individual mandate no longer applies to people whose plans were canceled  —  Today, the Obama administration announced that people whose insurance plans were canceled this year will “temporarily” be exempted from the law's individual mandate.  Here's how they're doing it — and what it means for the law.
RELATED:
Avik Roy / Forbes:
Utter Chaos: White House Exempts Millions From Obamacare's Insurance Mandate, ‘Unaffordable’ Exchanges  —  It's hard to come up with new ways to describe the Obama administration's improvisational approach to the Affordable Care Act's troubled health insurance exchanges.
Paul Mirengoff / Power Line:
Let's call the whole thing off  —  When President Obama signed Obamacare into law, Joe Biden famously told him, “this is a big f___ing deal.”  So too, minus the adjective, is the Obama administration's decree that those whose health insurance policies were terminated will be allowed …
Amy Goldstein / Washington Post:
Obama administration relaxes rules of health-care law four days before deadline
Jennifer Rubin / Right Turn:   Well, let's delay the mandate after all
Dylan Scott / Talking Points Memo:
Does New Obamacare Mandate Exemption Open A Pandora's Box?
Discussion: Health Affairs Blog
Bloomberg:
Obama Lifts Health Mandate for Those With Canceled Plans
The Atlantic Online:
Phil Robertson's America  —  I've yet to take in an episode of Duck Dynasty.  I hear it's a fine show, anchored by a humorous and good-natured family of proud Americans.  I try to be good natured, and I have been told that I can appreciate a good joke.  I am also a proud American.
RELATED:
Swalker / Duck Commander:
The Robertson Family Offical Statement  —  We want to thank all of you for your prayers and support.  The family has spent much time in prayer since learning of A&E's decision.  We want you to know that first and foremost we are a family rooted in our faith in God and our belief that the Bible is His word.
Ian Bayne for US Congress:
Duck Dynasty Star is Rosa Parks of Our Generation  —  Today, Ian Bayne called Phil Robertson, star of the A&E series “Duck Dynasty,” the ‘Rosa Parks’ of our generation.  —  “In December 1955, Rosa Parks took a stand against an unjust societal persecution of black people, and in December 2013 …
Daniel Strauss / Talking Points Memo:
GOP Congressional Candidate: Duck Dynasty Star Is ‘Rosa Parks Of Our Generation’
Guardian:
GCHQ and NSA targeted charities, Germans, Israeli PM and EU chief  —  • Unicef and Médecins du Monde were on surveillance list  —  • Targets went well beyond potential criminals and terrorists  —  • Revelations could cause embarrassment at EU summit
RELATED:
Massachusetts State Police / Facebook:
Trooper Joe Petty assisted by Tpr Dave Stucenski & K9 Frankie Locate 1250 Bags of Heroin in Hatfield  —  Early this morning, Trooper Joseph Petty was on a traffic stop of Route 91 in Northampton when a vehicle passed by him.  Trooper Petty observed several violations.
RELATED:
Eric Lach / Talking Points Memo:
Massachusetts State Police Bust ‘Obama Care’ Heroin
Discussion: The Jawa Report
Charmaine Noronha / Associated Press:
CANADIAN COURT STRIKES DOWN ANTI-PROSTITUTION LAWS  —  You are here  —  Home » Canada » Canadian court strikes down anti-prostitution laws … TORONTO (AP) — Canada's highest court struck down the country's anti-prostitution laws Friday, a victory for sex workers who stepped …
RELATED:
Sean Fine / Globe and Mail:
Supreme Court strikes down Canada's prostitution laws  —  The Supreme Court of Canada has struck down the country's major prostitution laws, saying that bans on street soliciting, brothels and people living off the avails of prostitution create severe dangers for vulnerable women and therefore violate Canadians' basic values.
Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Hit & Run
Washington Post:
Officials' defenses of NSA phone program may be unraveling  —  From the moment the government's massive database of citizens' call records was exposed this year, U.S. officials have clung to two main lines of defense: The secret surveillance program was constitutional and critical to keeping the nation safe.
RELATED:
Jenny Beth Martin / New York Times:
John Boehner's Betrayal  —  WOODSTOCK, Ga. — THERE'S a political axiom that says if nobody is upset with what you're doing, you're not doing your job.  We've seen this proved time and again in the liberal attacks on conservatives like Sarah Palin and Dr. Benjamin Carson …
RELATED:
Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
Senate hatches last-minute deal
Discussion: Daily Kos and Booman Tribune
Paul Steinhauser / CNN:
President ends year at all-time CNN polling low  —  Washington (CNN) - Fourteen points.  —  That's how far President Barack Obama's poll numbers fell in CNN polling over the course of what's been an especially tough year.  —  Obama's approval rating stands at 41% in a new CNN/ORC International …
McKay Coppins / BuzzFeed:
Paul Ryan Finds God  —  How a backstage prayer in Cleveland and a new leader in the Vatican set the budget-slashing congressman on a mission to help the poor.  “My bet is that he's on Pope Francis' team.”  —  On Oct. 24, 2012, Paul Ryan slipped into a high-ceilinged backstage room …
Jeff Manning / Oregonian:
Cover Oregon: Official who oversaw development of health exchange, Carolyn Lawson, resigns  —  Tim Lagerhausen, left, and Shailesh Jain of Oracle join dozens of programmers at work completing the Cover Oregon website.  With the application deadline looming, the state was forced …
Lucy McCalmont / Politico:
Jack Kingston defends school lunch quote  —  Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston, who suggested children should sweep cafeteria floors to earn meals from the federal school lunch program, is clarifying his comments Friday, saying he meant all children should be instilled with a work ethic.
Discussion: Talking Points Memo, CNN and Daily Kos
Jeremy Herb / The Hill:
Obama gives military one year to curb sex assault  —  President Obama on Friday gave the military a year to show progress in curbing sexual assault within its ranks.  —  If it fails to make progress, Obama warned he would support additional reforms.  —  Obama's decision was criticized …
Discussion: CNN and Prairie Weather
Philip Klein / Washington Examiner:
Obamacare ‘death spiral’ scenario is about the states, stupid  —  OBAMACARE HEALTH CARE HEALTHCARE.GOV HEALTH CARE EXCHANGES HHS  —  As problems continue to plague the rollout of President Obama's health care law despite improvements to the federal healthcare.gov website …
Discussion: Washington Post
 
 
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 More Items: 
Ryan Broderick / BuzzFeed:
High Schoolers Staged A Massive Sit-In After Their Vice Principal Was Ousted Over Same-Sex Marriage
Craig Whitlock / Washington Post:
Report: U.S. Air Force general drank too much, fraternized with foreign women in Moscow
John Biggs / TechCrunch:
Alleged Top Moderators Of Silk Road 2 Forums Arrested In Ireland, U.S. In International Sweep
Discussion: Forbes, Mashable and The Verge
John Fund / National Review:
Who Says Obama Hasn't United the Country?
Discussion: The PJ Tatler
Post Politics:
HealthCare.gov goes down as Dec. 23 deadline looms
Discussion: Weekly Standard
Benjy Hansen-Bundy / Mother Jones:
Science Says: Cocktails Could Protect You From Getting Sick
Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Daily Kos
 Earlier Items: 
John Sides / The Monkey Cage:
Democrats currently have a 1 percent chance of retaking the House
Eli Lake / The Daily Beast:
Terrorists for Human Rights
The Atlantic Online:
The Gangs of Chicago  —  I spent last week trooping through …
Discussion: Washington Monthly
Tal Kopan / Politico:
Chuck Todd: Will anyone be fined?
Brendan Nyhan / Columbia Journalism Review:
Political centrism is not objectivity
MacIver Institute:
Workers Dismantle Over 70 Unions in Wisconsin
 

 
From Techmeme:

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Thoughts on Apple TV's history and future; sources: Apple postponed a larger-than-usual number of iOS 19 features to spring 2026, when iOS 19.4 is set to debut

Wall Street Journal:
Sources: in the past year, Cantor Fitzgerald agreed to invest as much as $600M in Tether for about a 5% stake; Cantor holds most of Tether's $134B in assets

Aya Wagatsuma / Bloomberg:
Shares of Japan's Fujikura, which specializes in fiber optic cables for data centers, are up 400%+ in 2024 due to the AI boom, leading the Nikkei 225 index

 
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