Top Items:


Obamacare Initiates Self-Destruction Sequence — On Wednesday, Politico's Carrie Budoff Brown reported that the administration was saying fewer than 500,000 people had actually lost insurance due to Obamacare-induced cancellations. This struck me as a strange leak: Half a million is a lot less …
Discussion:
Reuters, Hit & Run, ThinkProgress and The Incidental Economist
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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.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Guardian, Weasel Zippers, Connecting.the.Dots, neo-neocon, Shakesville, Power Line, Mediaite and Weekly Standard

Let's call the whole thing off
Discussion:
New York Times, Outside the Beltway, BizPac Review and neo-neocon


Who Says Obama Hasn't United the Country?
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Gateway Pundit and The PJ Tatler

Utter Chaos: White House Exempts Millions From Obamacare's Insurance Mandate, ‘Unaffordable’ Exchanges
Discussion:
National Review, Maggie's Farm, Josh Blackman's Blog, The PJ Tatler, NBCNews, Betsy's Page and Los Angeles Times

Obama Vows ‘Year of Action’ After He ‘Screwed It Up’ on Health Care
Discussion:
Politico, Reuters and Balloon Juice

Does New Obamacare Mandate Exemption Open A Pandora's Box?
Discussion:
Health Affairs Blog

White House Will Allow Some To Buy Catastrophic Health Plans


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.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, American Prospect and Balloon Juice
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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 …
Discussion:
Politico, BuzzFeed, Liberaland, Little Green Footballs and The Raw Story


Ian Bayne, GOP Congressional Candidate: ‘Duck Dynasty Star Is Rosa Parks Of Our Generation’ — WASHINGTON — Embattled “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson has been suspended from his show by A&E for his remarks about gays and African-Americans, and now some high-profile conservatives are rallying to his side and defending him.
Discussion:
Lone Star Q, Daily Kos, The Hinterland Gazette, Wonkblog, PostPartisan, The Baffler and ABC News


GOP Congressional Candidate: Duck Dynasty Star Is ‘Rosa Parks Of Our Generation’
Discussion:
his vorpal sword and Suburban Political Recount

The Robertson Family Offical Statement
Discussion:
Politico, TheBlaze.com, CNN, Guardian, Mediaite, Business Insider, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Gateway Pundit, Shakesville, The Huffington Post, The Hinterland Gazette, Deadline.com, Achenblog, Scared Monkeys, National Review, NewsBusters, CBS Houston, Gawker, The Reaction, Towleroad News #gay, Taylor Marsh, Patterico's Pontifications, Hot Air and Michelle Malkin

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.
Discussion:
CBS Boston, Mediaite, Politico, Business Insider and The Raw Story
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Massachusetts State Police Bust ‘Obama Care’ Heroin — Massachusetts State Police on Friday confiscated 1,250 bags of heroin during a traffic stop — and many of the bags were labled “Obama care.” Other bags were labled “Kurt Cobain.” — The traffic stop was made in the town of Hatfield, Mass.
Discussion:
The Jawa Report


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
Discussion:
Spiegel Online, Washington Post, Angry Bear, The Daily Caller, Lawfare, Mashable, Boing Boing and New York Times
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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 …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money
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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:
Hit & Run and Outside the Beltway

Federal judge strikes down Utah's ban on same-sex marriage — A federal judge in Utah Friday struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage, saying the law violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantees of equal protection and due process. — “The state's current laws deny its gay …
Discussion:
The Raw Story, Taegan Goddard's … and Daily Kos

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 …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Reuters, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider and The PJ Tatler


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 …
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog
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Senate hatches last-minute deal
Discussion:
Daily Kos and Booman Tribune


Harry Reid hospitalized — Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D- Nev.) was hospitalized early Friday after not feeling well, according to his office. — “Early this morning, Senator Reid was not feeling well and as a precaution decided to go to the hospital. Tests have been conducted and everything is normal.
Discussion:
Daily Kos


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.
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GOP Rep.: School Lunch Comments Not Targeted At Any Income Group
Discussion:
Balloon Juice


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 …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, JSOnline, ThinkProgress and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion


The Ultimate Obamacare Chill-Out Post — Everybody worries about Obamacare leading to the dreaded insurance “death spiral.” It would work like this: Large numbers of young, predominantly healthy people decide insurance isn't worth the price. Insurers, left with a pool of predominantly older …