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3:50 PM ET, December 17, 2014

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Peter Baker / New York Times:
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.
RELATED:
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.
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 …
Peter Sullivan / The Hill:
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 …
James Oliphant / National Journal:
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.
Discussion: Political Wire
Erica Werner / Associated Press:
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.
The White House:
FACT SHEET: Charting a New Course on Cuba  —  Today, the United States is taking historic steps to chart a new course in our relations with Cuba and to further engage and empower the Cuban people.  We are separated by 90 miles of water, but brought together through the relationships between …
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 and Daily Kos
Evan McMurry / Mediaite:
Rubio Lays into Obama's Cuba Moves: ‘Worst Negotiator in Modern U.S. History’
Evan McMorris-Santoro / BuzzFeed:
White House Credits Pope Francis For Facilitating Cuba Deal
New York Times:   Political Battles Likely as U.S. Shifts Stance Toward Cuba
Peter Sullivan / The Hill:
Senate Dem: Cuba trade rewards ‘brutal behavior’
Igor Bobic / The Huffington Post:
Bob Menendez, Marco Rubio Torch Obama Administration Over Cuba Announcement
Discussion: Hit & Run, Daily Kos and Slantpoint
ABC News:
Alan Gross: How His Release Went Down
Erin Dooley / ABC News:
Marco Rubio: Alan Gross Release Put ‘A Price on the Head of Every American Abroad’
ABC News:
John Kerry News
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 …
RELATED:
Devin Dwyer / ABC News:
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.
Justin Sink / The Hill:
WH task force to review grand juries' handling of police killings
Discussion: Rush Limbaugh
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.
RELATED:
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 …
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 …
The Huffington Post:
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.
Discussion: Slantpoint, Daily Kos, Salon and Medium
RELATED:
Robert C. Hockett / The Hill:
No author, no law  —  Something very odd has occurred in connection …
Discussion: Instapundit
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 …
Jesse McKinley / New York Times:
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 …
James Carville / The Hill:
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 …
Tarini Parti / Politico:
Republican Martha McSally wins last House race of 2014  —  The race for Gabrielle Giffords' former Ariz. seat had gone to a recount.  —  Republican Martha McSally has prevailed in Arizona's 2nd Congressional District over Democratic Rep. Ron Barber following a recount after initial vote …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Mushtaq Yusufzai / NBC News:
A Dad's Hell: NBC Reporter's Kids Were Inside Attack
Katherine Timpf / National Review:
U Michigan Department Chair: We Should ‘Hate Republicans’
Zach Osowski / Herald Bulletin:
Alexandria church to close at year's end
Michael Crowley / Politico:
Is Obama destroying the Russian economy?
Discussion: New York Magazine
Dan Froomkin / The Intercept:
Billion Dollar Surveillance Blimp to Launch over Maryland
Discussion: New York Magazine
Lindsey Graham / The Huffington Post:
The Senate Just Cemented Obama's Judicial Legacy
 Earlier Items: 
Tim Alberta / National Journal:
Marco Rubio Won't Back Down to Jeb Bush
Discussion: Power Line
Anna Lee / Greenville News:
Mother thought gun that killed son wasn't loaded, authorities say
Discussion: Addicting Info and Raw Story
James Cook / Business Insider:
Reddit Bans User Accounts After Receiving Takedown Requests From Sony Over Leaked Documents
Mark Murray / NBC News:
Hillary Clinton Early Leader in Presidential Race: Poll
Discussion: Fox News, Yahoo! News and Politico
Sarah Ferris / The Hill:
Blacks falling behind under ObamaCare
 

 
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Financial Times:
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Jibin Joseph / PCMag:
UK mobile operator Virgin Media O2 creates Daisy, an AI-generated “scambaiter” tool that mimics the voice of an elderly woman to waste scammers' time
 
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