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.
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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:
Guardian, ABC News, NPR, Religion Dispatches, New York Times, Washington Post, Hot Air, Hinterland Gazette, Political Wire and Daily Kos
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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National Journal, Liberaland, Vox, CNBC, Pressure Points, DCist, The Verge, Towleroad News #gay, Daily Kos, Daily Signal, Slantpoint, The Dish, RedState and Obsidian Wings
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.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Associated Press, Talking Points Memo, Fox News, Bloomberg, The Gateway Pundit, emptywheel, Caracas Chronicles, Townhall.com, Firedoglake, The Huffington Post, BREITBART.COM, HardballTalk, Mediaite, Raw Story, Business Insider, Gawker, The Daily Caller, No More Mister Nice Blog, Shakesville and Washington Free Beacon
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
Erica Werner / Associated Press:
AP Interview: McConnell wants to stop coal rules
AP Interview: McConnell wants to stop coal rules
Discussion:
The World's Greatest … and Politico
Evan McMurry / Mediaite:
Rubio Lays into Obama's Cuba Moves: ‘Worst Negotiator in Modern U.S. History’
Rubio Lays into Obama's Cuba Moves: ‘Worst Negotiator in Modern U.S. History’
Discussion:
BREITBART.COM, The Gateway Pundit and TheBlaze.com
Peter Sullivan / The Hill:
Jeb Bush: No talks with ‘repressive regime’
Jeb Bush: No talks with ‘repressive regime’
Discussion:
Politico, USA Today, OnPolitics, Associated Press, The Nation, Real Clear Politics and Religion News Service
The White House:
FACT SHEET: Charting a New Course on Cuba
FACT SHEET: Charting a New Course on Cuba
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Real Clear Politics, Slate, Bloomberg View, NPR and The Federalist
Reuters:
Florida's Cuban Americans rejoice at U.S. policy overhaul
Florida's Cuban Americans rejoice at U.S. policy overhaul
Discussion:
Daily Kos and Booman Tribune
ABC News:
Alan Gross: Cuba Releases American After Five Years in Prison
Alan Gross: Cuba Releases American After Five Years in Prison
Discussion:
Politico, CNN, abc11.com, Washington Post, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, ABC News, Riptide 2.0 and New York Times
Evan McMorris-Santoro / BuzzFeed:
White House Credits Pope Francis For Facilitating Cuba Deal
White House Credits Pope Francis For Facilitating Cuba Deal
Discussion:
BREITBART.COM and Daily Kos
Peter Sullivan / The Hill:
Senate Dem: Cuba trade rewards ‘brutal behavior’
Senate Dem: Cuba trade rewards ‘brutal behavior’
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Washington Post and Viking Pundit
Washington Post:
Obama moves to normalize relations with Cuba as American is released by Havana
Obama moves to normalize relations with Cuba as American is released by Havana
Discussion:
Daily Signal and Vox Popoli
Rosie Gray / BuzzFeed:
Republicans Threaten To Block Future U.S. Embassy, Ambassador In Cuba
Republicans Threaten To Block Future U.S. Embassy, Ambassador In Cuba
Discussion:
Hot Air, Slantpoint, The World's Greatest … and Washington Post
rubio.senate.gov:
Rubio Comments On Reports Of Change In U.S. Policy Toward Cuba, Release Of Alan Gross
Rubio Comments On Reports Of Change In U.S. Policy Toward Cuba, Release Of Alan Gross
Discussion:
Robert Menendez-US Senator …, Daily Signal, New York Magazine, Political Insider blog, The Daily Banter and NPR
Igor Bobic / The Huffington Post:
Bob Menendez, Marco Rubio Torch Obama Administration Over Cuba Announcement
Bob Menendez, Marco Rubio Torch Obama Administration Over Cuba Announcement
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Daily Kos and Slantpoint
Justin Sink / The Hill:
In historic shift, Obama moves to normalize relations with Cuba
In historic shift, Obama moves to normalize relations with Cuba
Discussion:
Politico, ABC News, Yahoo! News, Hot Air and Riptide 2.0
Ken Dilanian / Associated Press:
US wins release of spy held for years in Cuba jail
US wins release of spy held for years in Cuba jail
Discussion:
The Seattle Times
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.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Boing Boing, Inside Movies, Associated Press, Hit & Run, Hot Air, The Verge, Gawker, Deadline, NPR, Variety, UPROXX, Guardian, The Huffington Post, Mediaite and EW.com, more at Mediagazer »
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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 …
Wall Street Journal:
Theaters Decide Not to Show Sony's ‘Interview’
Theaters Decide Not to Show Sony's ‘Interview’
Discussion:
Tech Times, Gigaom, Bloomberg View, The Verge, Crime and Consequences Blog, Mediaite and Fox News, more at Mediagazer »
Tatiana Siegel / Hollywood Reporter:
Sony Hack: New Leaked Docs Reveal Michael Lynton's Email Inbox
Sony Hack: New Leaked Docs Reveal Michael Lynton's Email Inbox
Discussion:
New York Times, Hit & Run, Gawker, Pastebin, Outside the Beltway, JustOneMinute, Boing Boing, New York Magazine and Deadline
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 …
Discussion:
National Review, UPROXX, Hot Air, JustOneMinute, Rush Limbaugh, ABC News, American Spectator, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, The Gateway Pundit, CNN, The Daily Caller, The PJ Tatler, Hinterland Gazette, Wall Street Journal, Gawker, Mediaite, Business Insider, Addicting Info, The Huffington Post, Right Wing Watch, Mashable, Bloomberg Politics and FOX News Radio
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Devin Dwyer / ABC News:
Obamas on Race: We've Been Treated Like the Help
Obamas on Race: We've Been Treated Like the Help
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Eater and Riehl World View
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 …
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CNN, Gawker, Mashable, Mediaite, UPROXX, TMZ.com, Hinterland Gazette, Jezebel, The Daily Caller, abc11.com and The Huffington Post
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.
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, American Prospect and Salon
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, ProfessorBainbridge.com and The College Fix
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, Washington Post, BillMoyers.com, The Daily Caller and Gothamist
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:
BillMoyers.com, Slantpoint, Daily Kos and Salon
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Robert C. Hockett / The Hill:
No author, no law — Something very odd has occurred in connection …
No author, no law — Something very odd has occurred in connection …
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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 …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Daily Beast, BuzzFeed, Yahoo! News, The Daily Banter and Political Wire
Mushtaq Yusufzai / NBC News:
A Dad's Hell: NBC Reporter's Kids Were Inside Attack — Award-winning NBC News Producer Mushtaq Yusufzai has reported from Peshawar, Pakistan, for years on militants, U.S. and Pakistani military activities, the scourge of polio and the plight of refugees. On Tuesday, the school his sons Jibran …
Discussion:
TVNewser, The Huffington Post and Mediaite
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 …
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Liberal Values