Top Items:
Barton Gellman / Washington Post:
Edward Snowden, after months of NSA revelations, says his mission's accomplished — MOSCOW — The familiar voice on the hotel room phone did not waste words. — “What time does your clock say, exactly?” he asked. — He checked the reply against his watch and described a place to meet.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Balloon Juice, Firedoglake, Outside the Beltway, Hit & Run, Booman Tribune, Techdirt, The Moderate Voice, New Day, Talking Points Memo, Mashable, WorldViews, Washington Wire, Taylor Marsh, The Week, Boing Boing, Hot Air, Gizmodo, americanthinker.com, The Hinterland Gazette, WJLA-TV, CNN, Hullabaloo, TIME, Business Insider, The BLT, Guardian, BillMoyers.com, Digits, Gawker, The Raw Story, Josh Blackman's Blog and The Reaction, more at Mediagazer »
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Peter Walker / Guardian:
Edward Snowden to broadcast Channel 4's alternative Christmas Day message — NSA whistleblower records message from Russia, filmed by Laura Poitras, warning of the dangers of a loss of privacy — Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who prompted a worldwide debate when he leaked a cache …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Little Green Footballs and Talking Points Memo, more at Mediagazer »
Joanne Kenen / Politico:
HHS offers help for people who miss Obamacare deadline — People who can't finish the online signup for Obamacare health insurance by midnight today because of website problems can seek extra time to finalize their application and still get covered by Jan. 1, according to a message posted on HealthCare.gov early this afternoon.
Discussion:
Josh Blackman's Blog and Weasel Zippers
RELATED:
Chad Terhune / Los Angeles Times:
California health exchange tops 400,000 enrolled prior to deadline
California health exchange tops 400,000 enrolled prior to deadline
Discussion:
Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, americanthinker.com and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
ObamaCare site sees traffic surge on eve of enrollment deadline
ObamaCare site sees traffic surge on eve of enrollment deadline
Discussion:
Politico and Los Angeles Times
Andrea Peyser / New York Post:
Give her the heave-ho, de Blasio — Enough! — If Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio has a lick of sense in his 6-foot-5 frame, he'll cast out of his incoming administration Lis Smith — the randy Democratic operative who's got a freaky fetish for the black knee socks and balding pate of married ex-Love Gov Eliot Spitzer.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Gawker and Politicker
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Jose DelReal / Politico:
Bill de Blasio daughter reveals drug, alcohol abuse — In an unusual and moving Christmas Eve video, the college-age daughter of New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio is revealing for the first time her struggle with alcohol, drugs and depression — and is urging others in need to get help.
Discussion:
ABC 7 Eyewitness News, CNN, The Hinterland Gazette and BuzzFeed
Oliver Wright / The Independent:
Alan Turing gets royal pardon for ‘gross indecency’ - 61 years after he poisoned himself — He was the father of modern computing whose work on the Enigma code at Bletchley Park is said to have shortened the Second World War. — But he was also gay and in those less enlightened times …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Guardian, Shakesville, NBCNews and Business Insider
RELATED:
Emma G. Fitzsimmons / New York Times:
Alan Turing, Enigma Code-Breaker and Computer Pioneer, Wins Royal Pardon
Alan Turing, Enigma Code-Breaker and Computer Pioneer, Wins Royal Pardon
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, emptywheel and Gizmodo
Caroline Davies / Guardian:
Enigma codebreaker Alan Turing receives royal pardon
Enigma codebreaker Alan Turing receives royal pardon
Discussion:
Techdirt, Feministing, Gawker, Boing Boing and Towleroad News #gay
Kris Van Cleave / WJLA-TV:
VIDEO: Santa Claus shot with pellet gun at toy giveaway in Southeast — WASHINGTON (WJLA) - A man in a Santa Claus suit was shot in the back with a pellet gun Tuesday morning during a toy giveaway in Southeast Washington. — The video is disturbing. The man dressed as Santa has led …
Jennifer Bendery / The Huffington Post:
Here Are The 15 Democratic Senators Bucking The White House And Threatening War With Iran — WASHINGTON — As the United States finally puts a decade of war behind it, a group of senators, including 15 Democrats, is defying the White House and threatening to push the country into a fresh war with Iran.
Discussion:
Mondoweiss, Hullabaloo and Philly.com
RELATED:
Peter Beinart / The Daily Beast:
Where's the Anti-War Left on Iran?
Where's the Anti-War Left on Iran?
Discussion:
The American Conservative
Molly Ball / The Atlantic Online:
The Battle Within the Democratic Party
David Brooks / New York Times:
The Legitimacy Problem — It's pretty clear that the implementation of Obamacare will set the tone for how Americans think about government for years to come. There are two large questions to be settled, which you might call the questions of competence and coercion.
Discussion:
PolicyShop and Democratic Strategist
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Byron York / Washington Examiner:
GOP should try again to delay Obamacare's individual mandate
GOP should try again to delay Obamacare's individual mandate
Discussion:
americanthinker.com and Hot Air
Julian Sanchez / The Atlantic Online:
The War on Terror's Jedi Mind Trick — National-security officials insist new violations of privacy are essential for keeping Americans safe from terror—but there's no evidence the programs have stopped any attacks. — A Republican-appointed judge and President Obama's own handpicked …
Discussion:
CANNONFIRE and Outside the Beltway
RELATED:
Michael B. Mukasey / Wall Street Journal:
The Air of Unreality in NSA Reform
Lucy McCalmont / Politico:
Sarah Palin: I didn't read ‘Duck Dynasty’ interview — Turns out Sarah Palin, who has been one of Duck Dynasty's biggest defenders, hasn't actually read the GQ interview that includes cast member Phil Robertson's controversial comments on homosexuality and other subjects.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Business Insider, Liberaland and Gawker
Adam Withnall / The Independent:
Kim Jong-un: North Korean leader ‘was very drunk’ when ordering executions — Source tells Japanese newspaper purge of Kim's powerful uncle Jang Song-thaek was inevitable after ‘surprising’ first deaths — The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was “very drunk” when he ordered the recent execution …
Lucy McCalmont / Politico:
‘Festivus’ writer grieves about Rand Paul — One of the writers of the famed “Festivus” episode of “Seinfeld” isn't too happy Sen. Rand Paul used the holiday to tweet a rant against Washington. — Airing his own grievance on Tuesday, writer Dan O'Keefe, took a swipe at the Republican senator from Kentucky.
Discussion:
New Day, The Raw Story and Talking Points Memo
McKenzie Romero / Deseret News:
About 700 marriage licenses issued in Utah since judge's ruling — SALT LAKE CITY — Hundreds of same-sex couples waited for hours at the Salt Lake County Clerk's Office in a race against the clock Monday as Utah officials sought to close an unexpected window allowing them to wed in the state.
Discussion:
LGBTQ Nation
RELATED:
Michael Barone / Washington Examiner:
Is Mark Warner seeing dangerous numbers? — I couldn't help noting that Mark Warner, the Democratic senior senator from Virginia, was one of the six Democratic senators calling for “hardship exemptions” for people finding Obamacare insurance policies too expensive, and also one of the 13 Democratic senators …
Discussion:
Power Line