memeorandum: Schools need a religious partner if they want any of Gov. Kasich's student mentorship money (Patrick O'Donnell/Plain Dealer)

10:15 PM ET, December 14, 2014

Top Items:

Matt Siegel / Reuters:

Hostages held in Sydney cafe, Islamic flag seen in window: local TV — (Reuters) - Hostages were being held inside a central Sydney cafe where a black flag with white Arabic writing could be seen in the window, local television showed on Monday, raising fears of an attack linked to Islamic militants.

Discussion: Zero Hedge, Guardian, Hot Air, Vox Popoli and BuzzFeed

Daily Mail:

Terror in Sydney as gunman takes at least 13 hostages at Lindt cafe, forces crying women to hold black Islamic flag against the window and ‘demands to speak to Tony Abbott’ — Dozens of people are being held hostage by terrorists who stormed into a central Sydney cafe with a gun …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

BBC:

Sydney siege: Gunman takes hostages in Lindt cafe — At least one gunman has taken several people hostage at a cafe in the Australian city of Sydney. — Pictures on Australian television show at least three people with their hands up against a window, and a black flag with Arabic writing.

Discussion: Associated Press, Talking Points Memo and Gawker

Dana Ford / CNN:

Possible hostage situation unfolds in Sydney — (CNN) — A major police operation was under way Monday morning in Sydney in response to a reported hostage situation. — CNN affiliate Seven Network said that hostages are being held at the Lindt Chocolate Cafe. — CNN could not confirm whether that was true.

Discussion: National Post and National Review

Heather Alexander / Houston Chronicle:

Police: Man shot during traffic stop in southwest Houston — Two police officers opened fire on an apparently unarmed man during a traffic stop in southwest Houston Friday night, allegedly shooting him three times for not following commands. — HPD officers pulled over the car the man …

Discussion: The Free Thought Project

Melissa Hawkes / Click2Houston.com:
Man shot by police officers during traffic stop

Discussion: Addicting Info, Hinterland Gazette and Raw Story

Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:

Elizabeth Warren was told to stay quiet, but she didn't - and it's paying off — Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), right, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee, express their outrage to reporters …

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, naked capitalism, FOX News Radio, Prairie Weather, Raw Story and Firedoglake

Daniel Strauss / Talking Points Memo:
Elizabeth Warren's Searing Anti-Wall Street Speech Struck A GOP Nerve

Discussion: msnbc.com, Washington Monthly and Politico

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:

2014 Answer of the Year — I hereby nominate Dick Cheney's answer to Chuck Todd's question about a United Nations official who's called for the criminal prosecution of U.S. interrogators, as the 2014 Sunday Show Answer of the Year: … Short and sweet.

Discussion: Power Line

Politico:

Ted Cruz does it again — And the GOP pile on begins. — AP Photo — Sen. Kelly Ayotte returned home to New Hampshire Friday, planning to see “The Nutcracker” with her daughter this weekend. — But there was an unexpected conflict: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. — Story Continued Below

Discussion: The Hill, Outside the Beltway, The PJ Tatler, BREITBART.COM, Booman Tribune, The Moderate Voice, New York Times, The Hugh Hewitt Show, NBC News, Vox, msnbc.com and Washington Post

Ramsey Cox / The Hill:
Senate rebukes Cruz's claims of unconstitutional immigration order

Discussion: Hot Air and RedState

Stacy Brown / Page Six:

Cosby to media: Stay neutral despite rape allegations — Bill Cosby declined yet again to discuss the growing list of rape and sexual abuse allegations against him. — Bill Cosby broke his silence Friday, albeit briefly, to lecture the media on remaining “neutral” and to say that his wife is standing by him.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Hinterland Gazette, Mashable, Gawker, Mediaite, The Huffington Post, TMZ.com and FOX News Radio

Brian Lowry / Variety:

The ‘24’ Effect: How ‘Liberal Hollywood’ Carried Water For Torture — Bashing “liberal Hollywood” and out-of-touch celebrities has become a favorite sport among conservatives. But those seeking to defend the Bush administration in light of the recent Torture Report — and that's mostly conservatives …

Discussion: FOX News Radio

Arthur C. Brooks / New York Times:

Abundance Without Attachment — “CHRISTMAS is at our throats again.” — That was the cheery yuletide greeting favored by the late English playwright Noël Coward, commemorating the holiday after which he was named. Less contrarian were the words of President Calvin Coolidge …

Discussion: The Society Pages and Big Think

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Former CIA chief not sure he would have approved waterboarding — Former Central Intelligence Agency Director Michael Hayden says he's not sure he would have approved the use of waterboarding if he had authority over its use shortly after the 9/11 attacks. — Hayden said use …

Discussion: Liberaland

Frank Bruni / New York Times:

Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and the 2016 Presidential Campaign — AS brothers who governed large states at the same time, each Bush was bound to be defined in terms of the other. George was the impulsive one who'd stumbled and then swaggered toward success. Jeb was the cogitator, the toiler.

Discussion: Hullabaloo