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PAUL: TRADE WITH CUBA ‘PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA’ — WASHINGTON (AP) — Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said Thursday that starting to trade with Cuba “is probably a good idea” and that the lengthy economic embargo against the communist island “just hasn't worked.” — Paul became the first potential …
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Obama libre — The last five weeks of the president's year were better than almost all the rest. — If President Barack Obama's year ended in November, it would have been one of the worst of his presidency. — Good thing he had the last five weeks. — Story Continued Below
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The Federalist, National Review, Hot Air, The Hill, Daily Kos, Bloomberg View and Weekly Standard


Obama gives the Castro regime in Cuba an undeserved bailout — IN RECENT months, the outlook for the Castro regime in Cuba was growing steadily darker. The modest reforms it adopted in recent years to improve abysmal economic conditions had stalled, due to the regime's refusal to allow Cubans greater freedoms.


Every big question you have about the U.S. opening to Cuba, answered — So by now I'm sure you're aware that the Obama administration and Cuba's communist regime have pledged to restore diplomatic ties through a variety of means, which include an exchange of prisoners …


Republicans hardly unanimous on new Cuba policy — We've grown accustomed to some clear divisions among Republicans on foreign policy, with the Dick Cheney wing of the GOP aggressively at odds with the Rand Paul wing. It's not exactly a 50-50 split - the former contingent is vastly larger than the latter …
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Crooks and Liars, The Atlantic Online, Politico, The Dish, The Hill, Daily Kos, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Hinterland Gazette


How Republicans could stop Obama's Cuba play
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American Prospect, Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Alternet, The Mahablog and FiveThirtyEight

Paul backs opening up to Cuba, breaking with others in GOP
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Outside the Beltway, Weekly Standard, Hit & Run and National Review

Sen. Menendez: One-sided deal rewards Cuba regime
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Hit & Run, Fox News, Scared Monkeys, OnPolitics, Real Clear Politics and Washington Post

Congressional critics ready to block Obama push to normalize Cuban relations
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VodkaPundit, Slantpoint, Bloomberg and Fox News Insider

Menendez on Obama Cuba deal: ‘I think it stinks’
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BuzzFeed

US-Cuba deal: a marriage 18 months in the making, blessed by Pope Francis
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Althouse

Mr. Obama's Historic Move on Cuba
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Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, RedState, Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Gawker, Addicting Info, Politico, Fausta's Blog and JSOnline

Obama Gives Rubio a Gift From Cuba
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New York Times, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Daily Kos, Facebook, BREITBART.COM, Washington Post and Reuters


‘Governor, This Is Barack Obama, Formerly Of Somerville.’ … For the past eight years, Deval Patrick has joined Jim Braude and Margery Eagan on the radio each month to field calls from listeners. On Thursday, he joined the hosts of Boston Public Radio for the final time as governor of Massachusetts.
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Mediaite, Bloomberg Politics, Washington Post, Political Wire, New York Times, New York Magazine and The Huffington Post


Kim Jong-un death scene from ‘The Interview’ leaks online — Well, that was fast. — Right on the heels of Sony's announcement that the studio would be scrapping the Christmas Day release of “The Interview,” the film's controversial climax has surfaced. — The scene features North …
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Deadline and The PJ Tatler
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Texas Theater to Show ‘Team America’ In Place of ‘The Interview’
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The Daily Beast, Hit & Run, Bloomberg Politics, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Talking Points Memo, Slate, American Spectator, National Review, CNN, Tech Times, Associated Press, Mediaite, Addicting Info, New York Times, Hot Air, Gawker, CNNMoney.com, The Hill, Taylor Marsh, The Huffington Post, Nerdist, The Moderate Voice, Truth Revolt, Jezebel, The Verge and The Daily Caller


US servicemen in first ground battle with ISIS - Kurdish media — American forces were involved in their first ground battle with Islamic State fighters, according to Kurdish media outlet Shafaq News, near the Ain Al-Assad base in the Anbar province of Iraq early Sunday. The report could not be independently verified.
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Liberaland and Weekly Standard
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Jeb Bush's 2016 Move Fuels Democratic Debate — If he captures the GOP nomination—and a share of the minority vote—Democrats will urgently need to boost their appeal among whites. — Jeb Bush's announcement this week that he will “actively explore” a 2016 presidential candidacy adds …
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Jeb Bush's web of interests face scrutiny as he ‘explores’ presidential bid
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Politico, Bloomberg Politics, OnPolitics and Talking Points Memo

What the media gets wrong about Jeb Bush
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Bloomberg View and National Review


Lawrence Summers' $28 Million Payday, Courtesy of Elizabeth Warren — Senator Elizabeth Warren famously declared “there is nobody in this country who got rich on his own.” — That truism presumably includes President Barack Obama's former economic chief Lawrence Summers …
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Booman Tribune

GOP LEGEND QUITS CONGRESS WITH MESSAGE FOR AMERICA — 'I don't know who's happier to see me leave, Pelosi or Boehner' — Garth Kant is WND Washington news editor. Previously, he spent five years writing, copy-editing and producing at “CNN Headline News,” three years writing …
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Raw Story and Right Wing Watch


Watching Colbert Makes Conservatives Even More Conservative — After nine years hosting one of the most popular comedy programs on air, it's hard to remember a time when Stephen Colbert might have been mistaken for the kind of conservative commentator he satires.
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Slantpoint


The Pitchforks Are Coming... For Us Plutocrats — To: My Fellow Zillionaires — You probably don't know me, but like you I am one of those .01%ers, a proud and unapologetic capitalist. I have founded, co-founded and funded more than 30 companies across a range of industries …


Catsimatidis' daughter files for divorce from husband of 3 years — Andrea Catsimatidis and Christopher Cox tour the Great Wall of China in 2013. — This political love match was not made to last. — Andrea Catsimatidis, daughter of billionaire grocer and failed mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis …
Discussion:
American Spectator and Washington Free Beacon


Officials: Boko Haram kidnaps 185 women and children, kills 32 people — Kano, Nigeria (CNN) — Boko Haram insurgents kidnapped at least 185 women and children, and killed 32 people in a raid in northeastern Nigeria this week, local officials and residents said.
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The Daily Caller
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Suspected Boko Haram gunmen kidnap 100 women, children in Nigeria
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Gawker and Shakesville

Amazon Introduces Prime Now: One-Hour Delivery on Tens of Thousands of Daily Essentials Exclusively for Prime Members — Prime Now launches in Manhattan today with plans to expand to additional cities in 2015 — SEATTLE—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced Prime Now …
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The Verge, Mashable and New York Magazine


Grimes pledges legal challenge if Paul attempts simultaneous races — Alison Lundergan Grimes says she will challenge Senator Rand Paul if he tries to get on the ballot for both Senate re-election and president — FRANKFORT, Ky. (WHAS11) — Six weeks after she lost her own bid for the U-S Senate …
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Alison Lundergan Grimes: Rand Paul can't run for president and Senate
Discussion:
American Spectator and WHAS-TV


In Vermont, single-payer healthcare quietly disappears — If you're looking for a state with a reliable Leftward tilt, you'd be hard pressed to do better than Vermont. After all, this is the place which has repeatedly elected Bernie Sanders - a man who considers the Democrat Party …
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Burlington Free Press, Campaign for America's Future, Liberaland, Ed Driscoll, Hit & Run and VodkaPundit
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Vermont's Giving Up On Single-Payer Health Care Over Ballooning Costs
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American Spectator and The Huffington Post

At private meeting, union head tells officers to use ‘extreme discretion’ — Police union leader Pat Lynch is telling officers to use “extreme discretion,” in response to what he said was a lack support from City Hall and Washington in the wake of a grand jury decision not to indict an officer in the death of Eric Garner last month.
Discussion:
Gothamist, The Gateway Pundit, Slate and Mediaite