Top Items:
Michael Moore / New York Times:
The Obamacare We Deserve — TODAY marks the beginning of health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act's new insurance exchanges, for which two million Americans have signed up. Now that the individual mandate is officially here, let me begin with an admission: Obamacare is awful.
Discussion:
Pat Dollard, his vorpal sword, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, Hullabaloo, NewsBusters, CANNONFIRE, Prairie Weather and Guardian
RELATED:
David Nather / Politico:
For Obamacare, it's finally showtime — Obamacare just got real. — Sure, there were some new rules and benefits over the last few years, but that was just a warmup. Starting today, all of the big pieces of the Affordable Care Act — the biggest domestic achievement of Barack Obama's presidency …
Jonathan Allen / Politico:
W.H. stands by birth-control rule — The Obama administration Wednesday said the Affordable Care Act contraceptive coverage regulations are fair - and they don't really hurt the Denver-based religious organization that got a temporary New Year's Eve reprieve from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Los Angeles Times:
Justice Sotomayor grants temporary Obamacare exemption to nuns
Justice Sotomayor grants temporary Obamacare exemption to nuns
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, Real Science, BizPac Review and Fox News
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Taking Office, de Blasio Vows to Fix Inequity — Bill de Blasio, whose fiery populism propelled his rise from obscure neighborhood official to the 109th mayor of New York, was sworn into office on Wednesday, pledging that his ambition for a more humane and equal metropolis would remain undimmed.
Discussion:
Washington Post
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Ben Smith / BuzzFeed:
Mayor Bill De Blasio Chooses His Path With Uncompromising Inauguration — A mayor unafraid to make enemies, and eager to keep his friends. — Former President Bill Clinton, left, administers the oath of office to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, right, on the steps of City Hall.
Discussion:
Mediaite and No More Mister Nice Blog
John Ingold / Denver Post:
WORLD'S FIRST LEGAL RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA SALES BEGIN IN COLORADO — Colorado's ambitious experiment in cannabis policy hit a historic milestone Wednesday, when licensed stores began making the first legal sales of recreational marijuana anywhere in the world.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Hit & Run, New York Times, Americans Against the …, Gawker, The Raw Story, The Verge, Guardian, Althouse, The Cannabist and Taylor Marsh
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Nicky Phillips / Sydney Morning Herald:
Helicopter rescue delayed as second ship trapped in ice — On board the Aurora Australis — Plans to rescue 52 passengers trapped on the stricken Russian research ship Akademik Shokalskiy have been thrown into disarray after the Chinese ice-breaker Xue Long itself became stuck in pack ice, west of the Mertz Glacier.
Discussion:
Guardian, National Review and Real Science
Steven Hayward / Power Line:
Slow Learners — What is it about Obama that makes otherwise intelligent people so dumb? — Politico has a headline for the ages up right now: “Management Experts Knock Obama.” Management “experts” are just noticing now, after five years, that Obama's lack of experience is significant.
Paul Krugman:
The State of the Euro, In One Graph — Happy New Year! I'm trying to organize my thoughts and data on matters European, and I think I've come up with a useful way to summarize what has been happening in the euro area. In the figure below I compare the ratio of government debt to GDP …
CNN:
Murder most fowl? Giant rubber duck bursts in Taiwan — Happier times — (CNN) — A giant yellow duck on display at Taiwan's Keelung Port is finding little to be happy about this New Year's Day. — The famed 18-meter inflatable art installation, created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman …
Lisa Respers France / CNN:
James Avery, star of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ dies at 68 — (CNN) — Actor James Avery, who played the beloved Uncle Phil on the hit 1990s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” has died, his publicist said Wednesday. He was 68. — The cause of death was complications from open-heart surgery, said his manager, Toni Benson.
Discussion:
New York Times and Inside TV
Steve Contorno / PolitiFact:
The top 10 most viewed fact-checks of 2013 — As 2013 comes to close, it's time again to share our most popular fact-checks from the past 12 months. Topics ranged from government surveillance to the national debt to the Obamas' family vacation. — The following are the 10 fact-checks …
Norman Lebrecht / ArtsJournal:
Outrage at JFK as Customs men smash a musician's instruments — Boujemaa Razgui, a flute virtuoso who lives in New York and works with many US ensembles, was returning to base over the holiday when Customs officials at Kennedy Airport asked to see his instruments.
Discussion:
Slipped Disc, Mediaite, Liberaland, Talking Points Memo and The Raw Story
ThinkProgress:
Chief Justice Warns Sequestration Cuts Already Threatening Public Safety — Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, in his annual Year-End Report on the State of the Federal Judiciary, blasted the 2011 Budget Control Act's automatic “sequestration” federal spending cuts and warned …
Discussion:
The Raw Story and Liberaland
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Michael A. Memoli / Los Angeles Times:
Alabama Republican is Senate's top talker of 2013 — Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) holds the record for logging the most speaking time on the Senate floor in 2013. (Alex Wong / Getty Images / November 19, 2013) — WASHINGTON — Even in the year of the filibuster, it turns out that slow and steady wins the race.
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Mario Trujillo / The Hill:
Reid says jobless aid vote coming Monday
Reid says jobless aid vote coming Monday
Discussion:
Politico, The Impolitic, The Huffington Post, Taylor Marsh, Outside the Beltway and Booman Tribune