Top Items:

Congress sends health care repeal to Obama, setting up certain veto — Congressional Republicans made good Wednesday on a central campaign pledge from the 2014 midterms, delivering a bill repealing the health care reform law they loathe to President Obama's desk, forcing a certain veto.
Discussion:
Power Line and Real Clear Politics
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House passes ObamaCare repeal, sending measure to president — The House on Wednesday passed legislation that would repeal much of ObamaCare and defund Planned Parenthood for one year, sending the measure to President Obama's desk. — The bill passed by a vote of 240 to 181.
Discussion:
Mother Jones and Yahoo


Obamacare had little effect on part-time employment: Study — The sky didn't fall when Obamacare went into effect — and the number of people working part-time didn't rise, either. — A new study further undercuts a major claim by critics of the Affordable Care Act, who contended that the law …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money


House sends Obamacare repeal bill to White House
Discussion:
ACASignups.net, Washington Post and The Week

Republicans Start 2016 by Trying to Repeal Obamacare Again
Discussion:
Politico and Associated Press

Trump Maintains Lead in NH; Dem Race Close — PPP's newest New Hampshire poll finds Donald Trump leading in the state by 14 points. Trump's position in the state has been steady over the last three months- we found him at 28% in mid-October, 27% in early December, and we find him at 29% …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Daily Mail, The Last Refuge, Daily Kos and NBC News
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Clinton, Sanders Aim for Victory in Nevada Caucuses — Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders battled for support among Nevada Democrats on Wednesday night, looking beyond the leadoff contests of Iowa and New Hampshire to a state that could play a pivotal role in the nomination fight.
Discussion:
Bloomberg Business, ABC News and abc13.com

The predictive value of GOP Presidential polls
Discussion:
New York Times, Business Insider and The Week

Donald Trump's low-energy campaign
Discussion:
Bloomberg Business, The Week and Political Wire


Grand jury indicts DPS trooper who arrested Sandra Bland — A Waller County grand jury has indicted Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Brian Encinia - the trooper who arrested Sandra Bland - on perjury charges. — Darrell Jordan, a special prosecutor, said the charge is a Class A misdemeanor …
Discussion:
CANNONFIRE, Los Angeles Times, Raw Story, Mediaite, Hit & Run, Mashable, ThinkProgress and Daily Kos
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Texas Trooper Who Arrested Sandra Bland Is Indicted on Perjury Charge — HEMPSTEAD, Tex. — The state trooper who arrested Sandra Bland, the Chicago-area woman who three days later was found hanged in her cell at the Waller County jail, was indicted on a perjury charge, a special prosecutor said here Wednesday.

John McCain: Ted Cruz's citizenship is “worth looking into” — PHOENIX — Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, who faced questions as the 2008 GOP presidential nominee about his birth abroad, is now posing the same question to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. — In an interview Wednesday …
Discussion:
National Review, PoliticusUSA, The Resurgent, Trail Blazers Blog, MichelleMalkin.com and Washington Post
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Donald Trump Wants Ted Cruz to ‘Go Before a Judge’ About His Citizenship — Donald Trump wants Ted Cruz to go before a judge to “immediately, like tomorrow” to determine whether or not he is a “natural born citizen” and therefore eligible to run for president.
Discussion:
addictinginfo.org, abc13.com and Politico


Donald Trump Has Now Flip-Flopped Twice on Ted Cruz's Eligibility
Discussion:
alan.com

Trump fumes as Cruz steals wall mojo
Discussion:
The Hill, CNN, ABC News, BuzzFeed, Bloomberg Business, The Texas Tribune, Hot Air, Daily Mail, TheBlaze.com and Washington Post


GOP Sen. Cruz Says ‘Bad Actors’ Will Get Worse Under Obama — Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz said Wednesday that ‘bad actors’ like North Korea will only get worse under the Obama administration. — Responding to questions about North Korea's claim that it tested a hydrogen bomb …
Discussion:
Bloomberg Business, ABC News and Bloomberg.com
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White House Disputes North Korea's Claim of Hydrogen Bomb Test
Discussion:
Mashable, Washington Post, Business Insider, Tech Insider, NK News, Slate, Bloomberg View, Mother Jones, Slantpoint, defensetech.org, Maxim and Outside the Beltway

North Korea says it has the ‘H-bomb of justice’ after nuclear test
Discussion:
NBC News, The Daily Caller, Business Insider, Washington Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Clayton Cramer


Louisville woman accused of assaulting, robbing disabled man after he jokes that he doesn't believe in God — LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A woman was arrested at the Hall of Justice in downtown Louisville Tuesday afternoon, months after police say she assaulted and robbed a man after he joked that he did not believe in God.
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Woman beats disabled man with his own cane for saying he doesn't believe in God: police
Discussion:
LiberalAmerica.org


Roy Moore says probate judges have duty to enforce same-sex marriage ban — Chief Justice Roy Moore issued an order today saying that a ruling issued last March by the Alabama Supreme Court remains in effect and that probate judges “have a ministerial duty not to issue any marriage license contrary” …
Discussion:
WIAT-TV, Towleroad, The Free Thought Project, Outside the Beltway, Hot Air and Human Rights Campaign
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Gun Store Owner Who Gave Trump a Rifle Has Armed Standoff with CNN Hosts — If you've ever wondered what it would look like if a First Order stormtrooper did a cable news hit while his armor was at the dry cleaners, today is your lucky day. Mark Limoges, the New Hampshire gun owner who gifted …


How You Pronounce ‘Muslim’ Says A Lot About Your Politics — You may have noticed something different in the way some people, including various presidential candidates, talk about Islam depending on whether they are Republicans or Democrats. No, I'm not referring to the Democrats' refusal to say …
Discussion:
alicublog and Instapundit


Melania Trump's American Dream — Donald Trump's first lady talks candidly about her husband's controversial presidential bid, the secrets to their happy marriage, and why she's stayed out of the spotlight—until now. — By Alex Kuczynski and Photographs by Douglas Friedman
Discussion:
Daily Mail, NBC News, The Week and The Daily Caller


Citizen Asks ATF: Do I Need a Federal Firearms License to Sell Thousands of Guns to Mexican Cartels? — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has posted a link to their Facebook page clarifying requirements for people selling guns to obtain a Federal Firearms License.

Libertarian Gary Johnson launches presidential bid, lowers expectations — Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson has joined the crowded 2016 presidential race. But he's not making any promises about his ability to defeat the likes of Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.
Discussion:
Bloomberg Business, Mediaite, Hit & Run and The Week


Trump Supporters Back Up ‘Birther’ Claims, Accuse Obama of Being Part of ‘New World Order’ — Here's a treasure from our friends at The Young Turks, just in time for the end of your work day: Jordan Chariton interviewed a few supporters of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump last night …


Rand Paul pokes Rubio over his ‘cute new boots’ — GOP presidential hopeful Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) may have gotten more than he bargained for after donning a pair of stylish, high-heeled black leather boots on the campaign trail. — Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) stopped by co-host Whoopi Goldberg's …
Discussion:
Bloomberg Business, Politico, Bloomberg.com, The Week, New York Times, Vanity Fair and Yahoo Politics


Marine Corps boot camp, job titles to be gender neutral by April — The Marine Corps has been ordered to come up with a plan to make its enlisted entry-level training coed, and to make its job titles more gender-neutral following the recent move to open all military combat roles to women.
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, Mashable and The Daily Caller

Rest in Peace, Florence — Can a non-believing misanthrope rest in peace? I hope so. — For odd and comical reasons, all related to National Review, and my having lived for a few years in Fredericksburg, Virginia, my former neighbor, Florence King, and I became friends. Good and lifelong.
Discussion:
Patterico's Pontifications