memeorandum: Republicans livid over Cuba talks, call it appeasement (Katie Glueck/Politico)

6:00 PM ET, December 17, 2014

Top Items:

Obama Announces U.S. and Cuba Will Resume Relations — WASHINGTON — The United States will restore full diplomatic relations with Cuba and open an embassy in Havana for the first time in more than a half-century after the release of an American contractor held in prison for five years, President Obama announced on Wednesday.

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Katie Glueck / Politico:

Republicans livid over Cuba talks, call it appeasement — Republican reacted with outrage Wednesday over the Obama administration's move to normalize relations with Cuba, with some lawmakers casting it as appeasement and the product of extortion by the communist Castro government.

Discussion: The Hill, NPR, Guardian, ABC News, CNN, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, Religion Dispatches, Washington Post, New York Times, Hinterland Gazette, Political Wire and Riptide 2.0

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:

Marco Rubio Challenges The Pope On Obama's New Cuba Policy — Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) torched President Barack Obama's new policy aimed at normalizing U.S. diplomatic relations with Cuba on Wednesday, and addressed Pope Francis' support for the president's move.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Balloon Juice and Daily Kos

Associated Press:

AP sources: US, Cuba seek to normalize relations — 1 photo — WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Cuba will start talks on normalizing full diplomatic relations, marking the most significant shift in U.S. policy toward the communist island in decades, American officials said Wednesday.

Elise Labott / CNN:

Cuba releases American Alan Gross, paves way for historic easing of American sanctions — Washington (CNN) — U.S. contractor Alan Gross, held by the Cuban government since 2009, was freed Wednesday as part of a landmark deal with Cuba that paves the way for a major overhaul in U.S. policy toward the island …

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Reuters:

Florida's Cuban Americans rejoice at U.S. policy overhaul — (Reuters) - Some Cuban exiles rejoiced at the prospect of easier access to their relatives. Some swelled with guarded optimism over the prospect of thawing relations between the United States and the communist island.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos and Booman Tribune

Evan McMurry / Mediaite:

Rubio Lays into Obama's Cuba Moves: ‘Worst Negotiator in Modern U.S. History’ — Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) laid into President Barack Obama's impending normalization of relations between the U.S. and Cuba on Fox News Wednesday morning, saying Obama had traded away concessions for …

Discussion: BREITBART.COM, The Gateway Pundit and TheBlaze.com

Erica Werner / Associated Press:
AP Interview: McConnell wants to stop coal rules

Discussion: Politico and The World's Greatest …

Evan McMorris-Santoro / BuzzFeed:
White House Credits Pope Francis For Facilitating Cuba Deal

Discussion: The Daily Caller, BREITBART.COM, Daily Kos and Hot Air

Peter Sullivan / The Hill:
Jeb Bush: No talks with ‘repressive regime’

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico, USA Today, Associated Press, OnPolitics, The Nation, Real Clear Politics and Religion News Service

James Oliphant / National Journal:
Obama Goes Cowboy on Cuba

Discussion: Political Wire

Rosie Gray / BuzzFeed:
Republicans Threaten To Block Future U.S. Embassy, Ambassador In Cuba

Discussion: Hot Air, Washington Post, The World's Greatest …, Slantpoint and National Review

The White House:
FACT SHEET: Charting a New Course on Cuba

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, White House.gov Blog, Bloomberg View, Slate, Wall Street Journal, The Federalist and NPR

ABC News:
Alan Gross: Cuba Releases American After Five Years in Prison

Discussion: The Hill, CNN, Yahoo! News, Politico, Washington Post, Hot Air, abc11.com, ABC News, Outside the Beltway and Riptide 2.0

The White House:
Statement by the President on Cuba Policy Changes

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The Daily Banter and Slantpoint

Peter Sullivan / The Hill:
Senate Dem: Cuba trade rewards ‘brutal behavior’

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Washington Post

Bollettino Sala Stampa della Santa Sede: Comunicato della Segreteria di Stato

New York Times: U.S.-Cuba Shift May Change Political Landscape, Too

Washington Post:
Obama moves to normalize relations with Cuba as American is released by Havana

Discussion: Bloomberg View, TVNewser, Daily Signal and Vox Popoli

rubio.senate.gov:
Rubio Comments On Reports Of Change In U.S. Policy Toward Cuba, Release Of Alan Gross

Discussion: Robert Menendez-US Senator …, The Daily Banter, Daily Signal, New York Magazine, Political Insider blog and NPR

Igor Bobic / The Huffington Post:
Bob Menendez, Marco Rubio Torch Obama Administration Over Cuba Announcement

Discussion: Hit & Run and Slantpoint

Gregg Kilday / Hollywood Reporter:

Top Five Theater Circuits Drop ‘The Interview’ After Sony Hack — The country's largest chains won't be showing the movie — The country's top five theater circuits have decided not to play Sony's The Interview, a knowledgeable source tells The Hollywood Reporter.

William Boot / The Daily Beast:

Exclusive: Sony Emails Say State Department Blessed Kim Jong-Un Assassination in ‘The Interview’ — CEO Michael Lynton showed a rough cut of the movie to U.S. officials before moving ahead. Now hackers are threatening to bomb any theater that shows it. — The Daily Beast has unearthed …

Brent Lang / Variety:
Sony Cancels Theatrical Release for ‘The Interview’ on Christmas

Discussion: Washington Post and The Verge, more at Mediagazer »

Tatiana Siegel / Hollywood Reporter:
Sony Hack: New Leaked Docs Reveal Michael Lynton's Email Inbox

Discussion: New York Times, Hit & Run, Gawker, Outside the Beltway, Pastebin, JustOneMinute, New York Magazine and Boing Boing

Sandra Sobieraj Westfall / People.com:

The Obamas: How We Deal with Our Own Racist Experiences — The Obamas open up about raising their daughters, the impact of stereotypes, and what's on the POTUS dance party playlist. Subscribe now for instant access to the exclusive PEOPLE interview! — The protective bubble that comes …

Devin Dwyer / ABC News:
Obamas on Race: We've Been Treated Like the Help

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Eater

Lynette Rice / People.com:

Stephen Collins Confesses Sexual Abuse of Underage Girls to PEOPLE: ‘I Did Something Terribly Wrong’ — Embattled actor Stephen Collins has released a lengthy statement to PEOPLE in which he admits to inappropriate sexual contact with three female minors. — The 67-year-old …

Discussion: CNN, Gawker, Mediaite, Mashable, UPROXX, TMZ.com and Hinterland Gazette

Chris Davis / KCEN-TV:

Words Exchanged Before KCEN Employee Shot in Station Parking Lot — (KCEN) - Law enforcement officials have taken a man who was hold up inside of a house into custody. They are calling him a person of interest in the shooting of Patrick Crawford. But they are not saying whether or not he is the shooter.

Discussion: KRHD-LP, Mediaite, Liberaland, WTVR-TV, fox8.com, 6abc.com, KXAN-TV, Gawker and Poynter

New York Times:

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's administration announced on Wednesday that it would ban hydraulic fracturing in New York State because of concerns over health risks, ending years of uncertainty over the disputed method of natural gas extraction. — State officials concluded that fracking …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Tech Times, Daily Kos, Washington Post, BillMoyers.com, The Daily Caller and Gothamist

Katherine Timpf / National Review:

U Michigan Department Chair: We Should ‘Hate Republicans’ — A University of Michigan department chairwoman has published an article titled, “It's Okay To Hate Republicans,” which will probably make all of her conservative students feel really comfortable and totally certain that they're being graded fairly.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Outside the Beltway, ProfessorBainbridge.com and The College Fix

Josh Israel / ThinkProgress:

Terri Schiavo's Husband Speaks Out On Jeb Bush's Presidential Bid — Then-Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL) discussing the Terri Schiavo case in March 2005 — In his announcement Tuesday that he would explore a 2016 presidential bid, former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL) promised to focus on …

Discussion: Washington Post, Liberaland, The Daily Beast, The Daily Banter, BuzzFeed, Yahoo! News and The Federalist

Pew Research Center:

America's wealth gap between middle-income and upper-income families is widest on record — The wealth gap between America's high income group and everyone else has reached record high levels since the economic recovery from the Great Recession of 2007-09, with a clear trajectory …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Slantpoint, Bloomberg Politics, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and American Prospect

Alice Barr / KHOU-TV:

Texas City truck seen on Islamic military group's Twitter feed — The phones are ringing off the hook at Mark-1 Plumbing in Texas City, for a reason no one there could have ever imagined. — “People think you are aiding and abetting terrorists?” KHOU 11 News reporter Alice Barr asked Jeff Oberholtzer, son of Mark-1's owner.

Discussion: USA Today, Guns.com and The Daily Caller