memeorandum: Obama signs $1.1 trillion spending bill into law (Associated Press)

7:35 AM ET, December 17, 2014

Top Items:

Is Jeb Bush Too Liberal To Win The Republican Nomination In 2016? — On Tuesday, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announced that he will “actively explore” a bid for the White House. While Bush has not yet formed a presidential exploratory committee, he's “running” for president by any practical definition of the term.

Discussion: The Week, Vox, The Daily Caller, Daily Signal, Power Line, Hot Air, The Atlantic Online, Washington Post, Political Wire and FOX News Radio

Politico:

Money men cheer Bush news — Republican rivals will struggle to raise big cash. — In one swift move, Jeb Bush showed his fundraising prowess without raising a dollar. — A number of top tier donors reacted to the Republican's announcement on Facebook that he would “actively explore the possibility” …

Discussion: Bloomberg Politics, Wall Street Journal, The Center for Public … and Slantpoint

Philip Elliott / Associated Press:

Secretive groups ran $25M in ads for state races — WASHINGTON (AP) — Shadowy outside groups broadcast an estimated $25 million worth of political ads on local TV stations with a goal of shaping state-level elections this year, and their full roster of donors is unlikely to ever be known, according to an analysis released Wednesday.

Zeke J Miller / TIME:

Rand Paul is Already Running an Ad Against Jeb Bush — That didn't take long — The 2016 Republican primary battle is up and running—at least on Google. — Hours after former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announced he would “actively explore” a run for the White House, the political action committee …

Discussion: Slantpoint and Political Wire

Steve Peoples / Associated Press:

No doubt now: Jeb Bush eyeing 2016 race — WASHINGTON (AP) — It's suddenly become crystal clear that Jeb Bush has his eye on the presidency. — With just a few words, the former Florida governor stepped further into the 2016 Republican presidential contest than potential rivals …

Discussion: The Seattle Times

Jill Colvin / Associated Press:

Clinton denounces torture, says black lives matter — NEW YORK (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday she's proud to have been part of an administration that “banned illegal renditions and brutal interrogations” and said the U.S. should never be involved in torture anywhere in the world.

Katie Glueck / Politico:
Cruz on Jeb: GOP will lose with another moderate

Discussion: Hot Air, ABC News, National Review and Talking Points Memo

Andrew Taylor / Associated Press: GOP Sen. Coburn blocks terrorism insurance measure

Associated Press: Ex-staffer for congressman alleges harassment

Joan Lowy / Associated Press: Senate approves new auto safety chief

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Poll: Jeb Bush is a front-runner — but an underwhelming one

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Bloomberg View, Balloon Juice and The Week

Brian Beutler / The New Republic:
Jeb Bush Is Running for President, But Obama Has Already Destroyed His Candidacy

Discussion: National Review, New York Times, Crime and Consequences Blog, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller, Wall Street Journal and Salon

Danny Vinik / The New Republic:
Jeb Bush Just Flushed Marco Rubio's 2016 Hopes Down the Toilet

Discussion: Guardian, Hot Air, Daily Kos, CANNONFIRE, BREITBART.COM, Slantpoint and Roll Call

Joan Lowy / Associated Press: TSA chief: Travelers from some nations targeted

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Bush fires starting pistol for 2016

Discussion: Politico, Texas Politics, Addicting Info and Instapundit

Associated Press:
Bush (almost) Announces; He'll ‘Explore’ Candidacy

Discussion: Politico, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and ABC News

Josh Lederman / Associated Press:
Biden marks start of Hanukkah at national menorah

Discussion: Slantpoint

Brent Lang / Variety:

Sony Hackers Threaten 9/11 Attack on Movie Theaters That Screen ‘The Interview’ — The Sony hackers have threatened a 9/11-like attack on movie theaters that screen Seth Rogen and James Franco's North Korean comedy “The Interview,” substantially escalating the stakes surrounding the release of the movie.

Discussion: Fox News, Gawker, Newsweek, Hit & Run, UPROXX, New York Magazine, The Verge, Mediaite, Power Line, The Gateway Pundit, Gigaom and Washington Free Beacon, more at Mediagazer »

BuzzFeed:

Theater Chains Pull “The Interview,” Press Appearances Canceled Amid Threats — The stars of Sony's upcoming film pulled out of all planned media appearances, including a live BuzzFeed Brews event, on Tuesday. UPDATE: The studio also told movie exhibitors it would not object if they pulled the film from theaters.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Mashable, Gawker, The Verge, The Hill, Mediaite and The PJ Tatler

David Perera / Politico:
DHS: No credible threat to Sony movie launch

Discussion: Pastebin, Mashable and Los Angeles Times

Alex Stedman / Variety:
Seth Rogen and James Franco Cancel All Media Appearances for ‘The Interview’

Discussion: Deadline, The Verge, New York Times, JustOneMinute, Mediaite, The Huffington Post, KTLA, The Hill, UPROXX, The PJ Tatler, NPR, EW.com and Gawker, more at Mediagazer »

Jonathan H. Adler / Washington Post:

District court declares Obama immigration action unconstitutional (Updated) — Earlier Tuesday, a federal court in Pennsylvania declared aspects of President Obama's executive actions on immigration policy unconstitutional. — According to the opinion by Judge Arthur Schwab …

Discussion: Reason, Josh Blackman's Blog, Wall Street Journal, Daily Signal, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Patterico's Pontifications, Hot Air, Hinterland Gazette, The Gateway Pundit, American Spectator, Power Line, ImmigrationProf Blog, The PJ Tatler and Questions and Observations

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:
BREAKING: Republican Judge Strikes Down Obama's Immigration Order

Discussion: Daily Kos and Washington Monthly

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo: Federal Judge Declares Obama's Immigration Action Unconstitutional

Manu Raju / Politico:

Ted Cruz apologizes to colleagues over antics — Ted Cruz privately apologized to GOP senators Tuesday for interrupting their holiday schedules by his surprise tactics that effectively brought the Senate into session over the weekend. — According to five senators who attended Tuesday's caucus lunch …

Discussion: National Review, NewsMax.com, Daily Kos and Talking Points Memo

Sen. Ted Cruz / Politico:
What Really Happened This Weekend — Why I tried to block Obama's amnesty.

Discussion: The World's Greatest …, Daily Signal, Slantpoint and Trail Blazers Blog

The Independent:

There just might be life on Mars...Nasa Curiosity rover picks up mysterious methane ‘burps’ that could possibly be coming from alien organisms — Evidence of life on Mars could have been found by Nasa's Curiosity Rover. — Mysterious spikes of methane that cannot easily be explained …

Discussion: FOX News Radio

Brian Krebs / Politico:

Ever Wondered Who's Behind Those Viagra Emails? — The dark and deadly world of pharma spam. — Marcia Bergeron's body was discovered by a neighbor the day after Christmas 2006. The coroner didn't have to look far for a cause of death: More than a hundred generic pills were found in her home …

Dominic Kelly / OpposingViews.com:

Irate Passenger Throws Cup Of Boiling Noodles At Flight Attendant (Video) — Cameras caught the moment that an irate passenger on an AirAsia flight threw a cup of boiling hot noodles at a flight attendant because she wouldn't let her sit next to her boyfriend, and now, the couple may face charges.

Discussion: FOX News Radio

Associated Press:

Obama signs $1.1 trillion spending bill into law — President Barack Obama returns a salute as he steps off Marine One helicopter upon his return on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. (AP) — WASHINGTON - With little fanfare to mark a rare bipartisan achievement …

Discussion: The PJ Tatler

Gregory Korte / Associated Press:

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 …

Discussion: BREITBART.COM

William Desmond / National Law Journal:

Op-Ed: Delaying Exams Is Not a Request from ‘Coddled Millennials’ — Over the last week, much has been said about law students' petitioning for exam extensions in light of the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner at the hands of police officers.

Stephen Ohlemacher / Associated Press:

In final 2014 push, Congress renews tax breaks — WASHINGTON (AP) — Banks, retailers, commuters and teachers will keep their temporary tax breaks for another year after Congress gave final approval Tuesday to a massive tax package affecting millions of businesses and individuals.

Abby Ohlheiser / Washington Post:

Hero mom calls into CSPAN to berate her arguing pundit sons — Democrat Brad Woodhouse and Republican Dallas Woodhouse received a surprise during their joint appearance on C-SPAN when their mother called into scold them for fighting over the holidays. (C-SPAN)