Top Items:
Mike Fleming / Deadline:
Hollywood Cowardice: George Clooney Explains Why Sony Stood Alone In North Korean Cyberterror Attack — EXCLUSIVE: As it begins to dawn on everyone in Hollywood the reality that Sony Pictures was the victim of a cyberterrorist act perpetrated by a hostile foreign nation on American soil …
Discussion:
Reuters, CNN, RedState, Hot Air, Mediaite, The Huffington Post, TMZ.com, The Daily Banter, New York Times, Insider Louisville, emptywheel, The Daily Caller, abc11.com and NBC News
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Brian Stelter / CNNMoney.com:
Source: Hackers send new message to Sony — The hackers behind a devastating cyberattack at Sony Pictures have sent a new message to executives at the company, crediting them for a “very wise” decision to cancel the Christmas day release of “The Interview,” a source close to the company told CNN.
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Mashable, Gawker, The Verge, Tech Times, BuzzFeed, CNN and Politico, more at Mediagazer »
New York Times:
Sony and Mr. Kim's Thugs — Sony Pictures pulled the movie “The Interview” after large theater chains said they would not show it, fearing threats of violence to their customers and employees by hackers believed to be working for the North Korean government.
Discussion:
Fox News, The Verge, Taylor Marsh, Daily Kos, Tech Times, RedState and The Huffington Post
Jeremy Diamond / CNN:
McCain to hold cybersecurity hearing after Sony attack — Washington (CNN) — Sen. John McCain, the incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, will hold a hearing into the cyber attack on Sony Pictures in the first two weeks of the next Congress.
Matt Latimer / Associated Press:
AP: China arrests U.S. aid worker in North Korean border town
AP: China arrests U.S. aid worker in North Korean border town
Discussion:
ABC News, Associated Press and abc11.com
Adrian Hong / The Atlantic Online:
North Korea Is Not Funny
North Korea Is Not Funny
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Salon and Slate
The Daily Beast:
Paramount Bans Showing ‘Team America’
Paramount Bans Showing ‘Team America’
Discussion:
Hit & Run, USA Today, The Dish, RedState, Associated Press, Washington Free Beacon, National Review, Ed Driscoll, Hot Air, Mashable, NPR, The Daily Banter, The Gateway Pundit, The Hill, FOX31 Denver, Bloomberg Politics, Mediaite, Inside Movies, American Spectator, The Federalist, Hollywood Reporter, Nerdist and CNN
CNN:
U.S. will respond to North Korea hack, official says
U.S. will respond to North Korea hack, official says
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Boing Boing and EW.com
Rocco Parascandola Police / NY Daily News:
SEE IT: NYPD plainclothes officer delivers body blows to youth as he's being cuffed, Internal Affairs investigating — 'I can't believe he just did that after everything that's happened' a witness says as the boy is punched repeatedly while three NYPD officers try to subdue and cuff him in an incident caught on video.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Mediaite, Hinterland Gazette and Gawker
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Carimah Townes / ThinkProgress:
Video: NYPD Officers Caught Arresting, Repeatedly Punching Boy
Video: NYPD Officers Caught Arresting, Repeatedly Punching Boy
Discussion:
Slantpoint and New York Magazine
Associated Press:
Obama's options on Cuba end at embargo — WASHINGTON — President Obama's steps toward normalizing relations with Cuba don't alter two key facts: Only Congress can overturn the law barring widespread commerce with Cuba, and there's almost no chance that will happen anytime soon.
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Lucy McCalmont / Politico:
Marco Rubio says Rand Paul's clueless on Cuba
Marco Rubio says Rand Paul's clueless on Cuba
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, National Review, Weekly Standard, Outside the Beltway and Hit & Run
Jane Mayer / New Yorker:
The Unidentified Queen of Torture — For the past eight months, there has been a furious battle raging behind closed doors at the White House, the C.I.A., and in Congress. The question has been whether the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence would be allowed to use pseudonyms as a means …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo
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Anna Palmer / Politico:
GOP goes on K Street hiring spree — Lobbyists can come home again. — As Republicans take control of Congress, they are bringing in veteran influence peddlers to help them run the show. Nearly a dozen veteran K Streeters have been named as top staffers to GOP leaders or on key committees …
Discussion:
Daily Kos
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Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Putin's Bubble Bursts — If you're the type who finds macho posturing impressive, Vladimir Putin is your kind of guy. Sure enough, many American conservatives seem to have an embarrassing crush on the swaggering strongman. “That is what you call a leader,” enthused Rudy Giuliani …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Agoldberg / The Smoking Gun:
Woman Seeks Trademark For “I Can't Breathe,” Dying New York Man's Final Words — Buster — An Illinois woman is seeking to trademark the dying last words of the New York City man who gasped “I can't breathe” while being arrested by NYPD cops for selling loose cigarettes.
Discussion:
Raw Story, Jezebel, Gawker and New York Magazine
Kelli Heitstuman-Tomko / Sheridan Press:
Dog shoots man: Accidental shooting injures man — SHERIDAN — The Johnson County Sheriff's Office has released its findings on the shooting of a man Monday on Murphy Gulch Road. — Sheriff Steve Kozisek said Richard L. Fipps, 46, of Sheridan had driven to Murphy Gulch Road with two employees to move a vehicle that had become stuck.
Discussion:
Liberaland, Associated Press, Raw Story and fox8.com
Jack Healy / New York Times:
Nebraska and Oklahoma Sue Colorado Over Marijuana Law — DENVER — Two heartland states filed the first major court challenge to marijuana legalization on Thursday, saying that Colorado's growing array of state-regulated recreational marijuana shops was piping marijuana into neighboring states and should be shut down.
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, New York Magazine and Althouse
RELATED:
John Ingold / Denver Post:
NEBRASKA AND OKLAHOMA SUE COLORADO OVER MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION
NEBRASKA AND OKLAHOMA SUE COLORADO OVER MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION
Discussion:
The Dish, Hit & Run, Wall Street Journal, The Daily Caller, Lawyers, Guns & Money and KFOR-TV
Andrew Ferguson / Weekly Standard:
A Model Senator — “In any election,” Tom Coburn often says, “you should vote for the candidate who will give up the most if they win.” All things being equal, we should prefer politicians who have accomplished something in their lives beyond government work—and who are willing to sacrifice it …
Discussion:
Political Wire
Tim Alberta / National Journal:
Carly Fiorina Hiring for Presidential Campaign — Despite her improving political skills, the California businesswoman would be an underdog in a likely all-male GOP field. — Carly Fiorina is laying the groundwork for what one ally says is an “imminent” presidential campaign—one that could launch as early as next month.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Fox News, Shakesville, Hot Air and The PJ Tatler
J. Christian Adams / Rule of Law:
Holder Decrees Crossdressing Protected Under Federal Law — Attorney General Eric Holder has issued an edict, through a memorandum, that cross dressing and transsexualism is now protected under federal civil rights laws which were designed to protect women from sex discrimination.
Discussion:
The New Civil Rights Movement, Liberaland and National Review
The Huffington Post:
Rep. Blake Farenthold Joked Online About Drinking And Hitting On Women — WASHINGTON — Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas), who is being sued by a former employee for sexual harassment, wrote posts about alcohol and female travelers on an online forum geared toward frequent fliers.
Discussion:
Daily Kos and The Texas Tribune