memeorandum: Ukraine takes historic step toward NATO (Agence France-Presse)

8:05 AM ET, December 23, 2014

Top Items:

De Blasio's nightmare — New York's mayor has lost the police — and maybe much more than that. — Bill de Blasio, like his progressive political idol Barack Obama, is finding out that you can't do the New Politics if you don't pay attention to the old politics.

Discussion: Washington Post, Hullabaloo, Today and The Hill

Ben Kamisar / The Hill:

Dem: Cops should focus on gun control — Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) on Monday said police union leaders should be more focused on keeping guns from the insane than pointing fingers at politicians over the murder of two New York City policemen. — Rangel offered criticism …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, New York's PIX11, The Huffington Post and Gothamist

Bernard B. Kerik / TIME:

Bernie Kerik: War Is Being Waged on Our Homeland — Bernard B. Kerik served as the 40th Police Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (2000-2001) and is Founder and CEO of The Kerik Group. — This war on law and order is as dangerous as any global enemy we face. And it's built on a lie.

Discussion: City Journal, Fox News Insider and Slantpoint

Peter Sullivan / The Hill:

NYC police chief: Tensions like '70s — New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said Monday that current tensions between the police and the community remind him of the the 1970s, a turbulent time for the city. — In the wake of the killing of two New York City police officers on Saturday …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs and Taylor Marsh

Matt Flegenheimer / New York Times:
De Blasio, With Bratton by Side, Seeks Balance After 2 Killings

Discussion: CBS New York, The Nation, The Intercept, The Week, Hit & Run, Towleroad News #gay, Mashable, Police State USA, National Review, ThinkProgress, The Daily Caller and Shakesville

New York Times:

North Korea Loses Its Link to the Internet — SAN FRANCISCO — A strange thing happened to North Korea's already tenuous link to the Internet on Monday: It stopped. — While perhaps a coincidence, the failure of the country's computer connections began only hours after President Obama declared Friday …

Sam Biddle / Gawker:
A Lot of Smart People Think North Korea Didn't Hack Sony

Discussion: Slantpoint, BuzzFeed, The Daily Caller, Frankly Curious, Re/code, Hit & Run and Balloon Juice, more at Mediagazer »

Bloomberg:
North Korean Internet Goes Dark in Wake of Sony Hack

Discussion: Bloomberg View and National Review

Everett Rosenfeld / Reuters:
North Korea suffering major Internet outages: Report

Discussion: Re/code, 7online.com, Wall Street Journal, The PJ Tatler, Washington Post, The Huffington Post, UPROXX and The Verge

John Marzulli / NY Daily News:

Rep. Michael Grimm to plead guilty to felony count of tax evasion, sources say — The Staten Island Republican was charged in a 20-count indictment with hiding more than $1 million in income and wages at a Manhattan restaurant he co-owned — Rep. Michael Grimm will plead guilty on Tuesday …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Slantpoint, Business Insider, Daily Kos, Capital New York, New York Magazine, Talking Points Memo and Washington Post

Tom Hays / Associated Press:

AP sources: NYC congressman to plead guilty — Associated Press 1 hr ago — NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm of New York City plans to plead guilty to a federal tax evasion charge rather than go to trial next month, people familiar with plea negotiations said Monday.

Politico:
John Boehner won't say if Michael Grimm has to go

Discussion: National Review and ABC News

William K. Rashbaum / New York Times:
Rep. Michael Grimm Is Said to Agree to Tax Fraud Guilty Plea

Discussion: Mediaite, BuzzFeed and Bloomberg Politics

Richard Cowan / Reuters:

Exclusive: Senate Republican leader McConnell opposes Obama on Cuba — Reuters 1 hr ago — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said on Monday he opposed U.S. President Barack Obama's plans to normalize relations with Cuba, and spoke of steps lawmakers might take to rein in the new policy.

Discussion: Capitol Hill Cubans, Slantpoint and Associated Press

Mary Clare Jalonick / Associated Press: FDA going after sellers of pure caffeine powder

Josh Lederman / Associated Press: 5 issues Obama sought to tackle on his own in 2014

Michael Tarm / Associated Press: Blagojevich brother: I was fed ‘pawn’ to get then-governor

CBS News:

How do Americans feel about reestablishing relations with Cuba? — Shares - — In the wake of President Obama's surprise announcement of an agreement to normalize diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba, 54 percent of Americans approve of reestablishing both diplomatic …

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, Bloomberg Politics and New York Times

BBC:

Singer Joe Cocker dies aged 70 — Singer Joe Cocker, best known for his cover of the Beatles' With A Little Help From My Friends, has died aged 70. — The singer song-writer from Sheffield had a career lasting more than 40 years with hits including You Are So Beautiful and Up Where We Belong.

Discussion: EW.com, ITV, Wall Street Journal, Mashable, WGBH News, UPROXX, Gawker, Ultimate Classic Rock, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Gothamist

Ben Sisario / New York Times:
Joe Cocker, Raspy-Voiced Rock Star With Distinctive Moves, Is Dead at 70

Discussion: Power Line

David Weigel / Bloomberg.com:

Republicans Block Reappointment of CBO Chief Doug Elmendorf — (Bloomberg) — Incoming Republican leaders in Congress won't reappoint Doug Elmendorf to another term as head of the Congressional Budget Office, according to a party aide briefed on the decision.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Agence France-Presse:

Ukraine takes historic step toward NATO — 1 hr ago — Dmitry Zaks — Kiev (AFP) - Ukraine took a historic step toward NATO on Tuesday in a parliamentary vote certain to stoke Russia's anger ahead of talks on ending the ex-Soviet state's separatist war.

Discussion: kyivpost.com

Patrick Howley / The Daily Caller:

BOMBSHELL REPORT: IRS Targeted ‘Icky’ Conservative Groups — Top IRS officials specifically targeted tea party groups and misled the public about its secret political targeting program led by ex-official Lois Lerner, according to a bombshell new congressional report.

Discussion: CNN, Power Line, Ed Driscoll and Washington Examiner

Miserable S**tehawk / Gawker:

Slimy Baltimore FOX Affiliate Caught Faking “Kill a Cop” Protest Chant — Last night, Baltimore's WBFF aired a video of protesters chanting “kill a cop"- evidence, it claimed, of murderously violent rhetoric on the part of anti-brutality protesters in Washington, D.C. The only problem?

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Balloon Juice, LiberalAmerica.org, WBFF FOX 45, Mediaite and PoliticusUSA

WSB-TV:

Delta employee charged with helping smuggle guns onto plane — ATLANTA — Channel 2 Action News has confirmed federal charges for a Delta employee. — He's accused of helping to put 18 firearms on a plane at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Discussion: ABC News and Raw Story