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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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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.
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New York Times, ABC News, Washington Post, Hinterland Gazette, Political Wire and Daily Kos


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.
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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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National Journal, Liberaland, DCist, Vox, Pressure Points, CNBC, The Verge, Towleroad News #gay, Daily Kos, Daily Signal, Slantpoint, Obsidian Wings, The Dish and RedState


Jeb Bush: No talks with ‘repressive regime’ — Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) on Wednesday voiced his opposition to President Obama's move to begin normalizing relations with Cuba. — “I don't think we should be negotiating with a repressive regime to make changes in our relationship …
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USA Today, The Nation, Associated Press and Real Clear Politics


Alan Gross: How His Release Went Down … Early this morning, Alan Gross lifted off on an official U.S. transport plane and landed just a few hours later on American soil for the first time since being imprisoned in Cuba five years ago. — The agreement was reached following more than a year …
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abc11.com, 6abc.com and Associated Press


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.
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Washington Monthly and Daily Kos


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 …
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BREITBART.COM, The Gateway Pundit and TheBlaze.com


Alan Gross: Cuba Releases American After Five Years in Prison
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Politico, CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, ABC News and Riptide 2.0

In historic shift, Obama moves to normalize relations with Cuba
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ABC News, Politico, Yahoo! News, Hot Air and Riptide 2.0

Senate Dem: Cuba trade rewards ‘brutal behavior’
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The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, Washington Post and Viking Pundit

FACT SHEET: Charting a New Course on Cuba
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Wall Street Journal, Slate, NPR, Real Clear Politics and The Federalist

White House Credits Pope Francis For Facilitating Cuba Deal
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BREITBART.COM, Daily Kos and Hot Air

Obama moves to normalize relations with Cuba as American is released by Havana
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Robert Menendez-US Senator … and Vox Popoli

Bob Menendez, Marco Rubio Torch Obama Administration Over Cuba Announcement
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Hit & Run, Daily Kos and Slantpoint

Marco Rubio: Alan Gross Release Put ‘A Price on the Head of Every American Abroad’
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Associated Press, 6abc.com and abc11.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 …
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JustOneMinute, American Spectator, UPROXX, Rush Limbaugh, Talking Points Memo, CNN, ABC News, Washington Post, Hot Air, Mediaite, Wall Street Journal, Addicting Info, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, The PJ Tatler, Hinterland Gazette, Gawker, Business Insider, FOX News Radio, The Huffington Post, Mashable and Bloomberg Politics
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Obamas on Race: We've Been Treated Like the Help … President and Michelle Obama personally identify with everyday experiences of racial bias in America that have underpinned recent protests across the country, they told People magazine in an interview to be released Friday.
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The Huffington Post, Eater and Riehl World View

WH task force to review grand juries' handling of police killings
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Rush Limbaugh


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 …
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Mashable, CNN, Gawker, UPROXX, Mediaite, Jezebel, TMZ.com, Hinterland Gazette, The Daily Caller, abc11.com and The Huffington Post


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 …
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Sony Hack: Carmike Cinemas Drops ‘The Interview’
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CNNMoney.com, Re/code, Daily Signal, The Huffington Post, Deadline, The Daily Banter, Washington Post, Mediaite and TMZ.com

Sony Hack: New Leaked Docs Reveal Michael Lynton's Email Inbox
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New York Times, Hit & Run, Gawker, Outside the Beltway, Pastebin, JustOneMinute, New York Magazine, The Verge and Deadline

AP Interview: McConnell wants to stop coal rules — WASHINGTON (AP) — Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., pledged on Wednesday to do all he can to stop President Barack Obama's coal plant regulations, saying a White House “crusade” has devastated his state's economy.
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The World's Greatest …
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Obama Goes Cowboy on Cuba — Opening up relations with the Communist government is the latest signal that this president will push his authority to its fullest, believing history will vindicate him. — With respect to Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, the true cowboy diplomat may be the White House's current occupant.
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Political Wire


Kevin Yoder MIA After Tucking Wall Street Bailout Into Government Spending Bill — WASHINGTON — For all the anger among progressives about a Wall Street bailout provision that made its way into the just-passed $1.1 trillion government spending bill, there's been little attention on the person who put it in there.
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Slantpoint, Daily Kos, Salon and Medium
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No author, no law — Something very odd has occurred in connection …
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Instapundit


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 …
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Washington Post, The Daily Beast, BuzzFeed, The Daily Banter, Yahoo! News and Political Wire


Cuomo to Ban Fracking in New York State, Citing Health Risks — Credit: Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times — ALBANY — The Cuomo administration announced Wednesday that it would ban hydraulic fracturing in New York State, ending years of uncertainty by concluding that the controversial method …
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The Huffington Post, The Daily Caller and Gothamist


Why do people vote against their interests? — During my time as a political strategist, one of the most vexing problems was figuring out why so many people vote against their perceived interests. Commentators like myself have spent countless hours speculating on why so many people vote …


Obama issues ‘executive orders by another name’ — By issuing his directives as “memoranda” rather than executive orders, Obama has downplayed the extent of his executive actions. — WASHINGTON — President Obama has issued a form of executive action known as the presidential memorandum …
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Fox News, Hot Air, Slantpoint, Washington Post, Fox News Insider, Washington Free Beacon and Riehl World View