memeorandum: The Obamacare paradox: the law looks terrible but is doing great (Sarah Kliff/Vox)

1:25 PM ET, December 6, 2014

Top Items:

2 Hostages Killed in Yemen as U.S. Rescue Effort Fails — SANA, Yemen — United States commandos stormed a village in southern Yemen early Saturday in an effort to free an American photojournalist held hostage by Al Qaeda, but the raid ended badly with the kidnappers killing the American …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, BBC, The Daily Caller, Addicting Info, Business Insider, New York Magazine, Gawker, FOX News Radio and Althouse, more at Mediagazer »

Mohammed Ghobari / Reuters:

U.S., South African hostages in Yemen killed in rescue attempt — (Reuters) - A U.S. journalist and a South African teacher held by al Qaeda militants in Yemen were killed alongside 10 of their captors during a rescue attempt by U.S. and Yemeni forces, senior officials said on Saturday.

Discussion: Hot Air, Scared Monkeys and NO QUARTER USA NET

Washington Post:

Hagel: U.S. hostage ‘murdered’ in Yemen — Al-Qaeda terrorists in Yemen killed an American journalist after U.S. commandos staged another risky operation Friday to free the young man after his captors had threatened to execute him. — In a statement, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel …

Discussion: Mashable and The PJ Tatler

ABC News:

Obama Says Somers' Life Was in Imminent Danger — President Barack Obama said Saturday he authorized the attempt to rescue American Luke Somers in Yemen because the U.S. had information that the American photojournalist's life was in imminent danger. — Shortly before the White House statement …

Discussion: Politico and Associated Press

ABC News:

American Hostage Luke Somers Killed in US Rescue Attempt … Freedom for Kidnapped Journalist Luke Somers Facebook Page — American journalist Luke Somers was “murdered” on Friday during a desperate attempt by U.S. commandos to free him from al Qaeda in Yemen as a three-day deadline …

Discussion: DoD, Mediaite and The Gateway Pundit

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:

Rolling Stone's disastrous U-Va. story: A case of real media bias — On Slate's DoubleX Gabfest podcast last month, reporter Sabrina Rubin Erdely explained why she had settled on the University of Virginia as the focus for her investigative story on a horrific 2012 gang rape of a freshman named Jackie …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Hot Air, Shots in the Dark, Taylor Marsh, Outside the Beltway, National Review, The Intercept, Patterico's Pontifications and The Marshall Project, more at Mediagazer »

Washington Post:
Rolling Stone's flawed story shouldn't keep schools from taking rape claims seriously

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Reality-Based Community, The Verge, Mashable, National Review and Globe and Mail, more at Mediagazer »

Harry Enten / FiveThirtyEight:

Senate Forecast: Landrieu Headed Toward Historic Defeat In Louisiana Runoff — William Thompson of Kansas and Wesley Jones of Washington are former U.S. senators — you get a pass for not recognizing them, they've been dead for more than 80 years. But if you'll be watching Saturday's Senate …

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Power Line, FOX News Radio and The PJ Tatler

David Weigel / Bloomberg Politics:
The Last Days of Democratic Politics In Louisiana Are Here

Discussion: Hot Air, PJ Media, The Hill, Washington Post, RedState and New York Times

New York Times:

Hillary Clinton's History as First Lady: Powerful, but Not Always Deft — WASHINGTON — As a young lawyer for the Watergate committee in the 1970s, Hillary Rodham caught a ride home one night with her boss, Bernard Nussbaum. Sitting in the car before going inside, she told him she wanted to introduce him to her boyfriend.

Discussion: National Review

Elise Viebeck / The Hill:

HHS asks GOP: Keep us away from Gruber — The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is asking lawmakers not to seat ObamaCare consultant Jonathan Gruber next to Medicare's top official when the two testify on Capitol Hill next week. — HHS Assistant Secretary for Legislation Jim Esquea wrote …

Discussion: RedState and Politico

National Journal:

John Kerry Is Trying to Stall the Release of the CIA Torture Report — The secretary of State is reportedly asking the Senate to wait to release its report on the Bush-era use of “enhanced interrogation” techniques. — Secretary of State John Kerry is pleading with the Senate to delay …

Discussion: Booman Tribune

Josh Rogin / Bloomberg View:
Kerry Puts Brakes on CIA Torture Report

Discussion: The Intercept, Techdirt, Hullabaloo, The Verge, Politico, Hot Air, New York Times, Hit & Run, Balloon Juice and The Dish

Dr. Thomas Pfeiffer / CBS News:

Cops: Doctor forced woman to swallow abortion pill — Shares - — ROSENDALE, N.Y. — Police say a New York doctor choked a woman and forced her to swallow a pill that could cause an abortion, after she told him she was pregnant. — The Ulster County Sheriff's Office …

Discussion: Liberaland, Talking Points Memo and New York Magazine

Ramsey Cox / The Hill:

Reid indicates Senate might not pass House tax extender bill — Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday night that the Senate might not be able to pass the House tax extenders bill before the end of the year. — Reid said it was “imperative” for the Senate to pass a government funding bill …

Discussion: The Nation

David Boaz / Associated Press:

Eric Garner could spark American Spring: Column — One death too many can bring a government to its knees. — The violent death of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia set off the Arab Spring. Could the killing of Eric Garner lead to a springtime of police reform - and regulatory reform — in the United States?

Discussion: Informed Comment, Wall Street Journal, alicublog, New York Times, National Review and Liberal Values