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7:10 PM ET, December 17, 2014

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Obama Announces U.S. and Cuba Will Resume Relations  —  WASHINGTON — The United States will restore full diplomatic relations with Cuba and open an embassy in Havana for the first time in more than a half-century after the release of an American contractor held in prison for five years, President Obama announced on Wednesday.
RELATED:
Katie Glueck / Politico:
Republicans livid over Cuba talks, call it appeasement  —  Republican reacted with outrage Wednesday over the Obama administration's move to normalize relations with Cuba, with some lawmakers casting it as appeasement and the product of extortion by the communist Castro government.
Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:
Marco Rubio Challenges The Pope On Obama's New Cuba Policy  —  Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) torched President Barack Obama's new policy aimed at normalizing U.S. diplomatic relations with Cuba on Wednesday, and addressed Pope Francis' support for the president's move.
Associated Press:
AP sources: US, Cuba seek to normalize relations  —  1 photo  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Cuba will start talks on normalizing full diplomatic relations, marking the most significant shift in U.S. policy toward the communist island in decades, American officials said Wednesday.
Reuters:
Florida's Cuban Americans rejoice at U.S. policy overhaul
Elise Labott / CNN:
Cuba releases American Alan Gross, paves way for historic easing of American sanctions
Evan McMurry / Mediaite:
Rubio Lays into Obama's Cuba Moves: ‘Worst Negotiator in Modern U.S. History’
Erica Werner / Associated Press:
AP Interview: McConnell wants to stop coal rules
James Oliphant / National Journal:   Obama Goes Cowboy on Cuba
Evan McMorris-Santoro / BuzzFeed:
White House Credits Pope Francis For Facilitating Cuba Deal
Reuters:   Obama to announce major Cuba policy overhaul; prisoners swapped
New York Times:   U.S.-Cuba Shift May Change Political Landscape, Too
Washington Post:
Obama moves to normalize relations with Cuba as American is released by Havana
Gregg Kilday / Hollywood Reporter:
Top Five Theater Circuits Drop ‘The Interview’ After Sony Hack  — The country's largest chains won't be showing the movie  —  The country's top five theater circuits have decided not to play Sony's The Interview, a knowledgeable source tells The Hollywood Reporter.
RELATED:
Brent Lang / Variety:
Sony Cancels Theatrical Release for ‘The Interview’ on Christmas  —  With theater chains defecting en masse, Sony Pictures Entertainment has pulled the planned Christmas Day release of “The Interview.”  —  In announcing the decision to cancel the holiday debut, Sony hit back at the hackers …
New York Times:
U.S. Links North Korea to Sony Hacking  —  WASHINGTON — American intelligence officials have concluded that the North Korean government was “centrally involved” in the recent attacks on Sony Pictures's computers, a determination reached just as Sony on Wednesday canceled its release of the comedy …
William Boot / The Daily Beast:
Exclusive: Sony Emails Say State Department Blessed Kim Jong-Un Assassination in ‘The Interview’
Sandra Sobieraj Westfall / People.com:
The Obamas: How We Deal with Our Own Racist Experiences  —  The Obamas open up about raising their daughters, the impact of stereotypes, and what's on the POTUS dance party playlist.  Subscribe now for instant access to the exclusive PEOPLE interview!  —  The protective bubble that comes …
RELATED:
Devin Dwyer / ABC News:
Obamas on Race: We've Been Treated Like the Help
Discussion: Power Line and The Huffington Post
Lynette Rice / People.com:
Stephen Collins Confesses Sexual Abuse of Underage Girls to PEOPLE: ‘I Did Something Terribly Wrong’  —  Embattled actor Stephen Collins has released a lengthy statement to PEOPLE in which he admits to inappropriate sexual contact with three female minors.  —  The 67-year-old …
Discussion: CNN, Gawker, Mediaite, Mashable, UPROXX and TMZ.com
Chris Davis / KCEN-TV:
Words Exchanged Before KCEN Employee Shot in Station Parking Lot  —  (KCEN) - Law enforcement officials have taken a man who was hold up inside of a house into custody.  They are calling him a person of interest in the shooting of Patrick Crawford.  But they are not saying whether or not he is the shooter.
New York Times:
Cuomo to Ban Fracking in New York State, Citing Health Risks  —  Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's administration announced on Wednesday that it would ban hydraulic fracturing in New York State because of concerns over health risks, ending years of uncertainty over the disputed method of natural gas extraction.
Katherine Timpf / National Review:
U Michigan Department Chair: We Should ‘Hate Republicans’  —  A University of Michigan department chairwoman has published an article titled, “It's Okay To Hate Republicans,” which will probably make all of her conservative students feel really comfortable and totally certain that they're being graded fairly.
Chris Smith Gonzalez / The Galveston County Daily News:
Texas City plumber's truck ends up in Syrian war  —  TEXAS CITY — A local plumber is being flooded with phone calls — and some threats — after a picture of one of his old company vehicles being used by Islamist militants in Syria was posted on Twitter.  —  The picture was posted online …
RELATED:
Alice Barr / KHOU-TV:
Texas City truck seen on Islamic military group's Twitter feed
Pew Research Center:
America's wealth gap between middle-income and upper-income families is widest on record  —  The wealth gap between America's high income group and everyone else has reached record high levels since the economic recovery from the Great Recession of 2007-09, with a clear trajectory …
Nick Anderson / Washington Post:
Johns Hopkins mistakenly says ‘yes’ to hundreds of rejected applicants  —  Sam Stephenson was steeling himself for another round of college applications after his first choice, Johns Hopkins University, turned him down.  Then the 17-year-old from Culpeper County in Virginia received an e-mail …
Discussion: CNN
Josh Israel / ThinkProgress:
Terri Schiavo's Husband Speaks Out On Jeb Bush's Presidential Bid  —  Then-Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL) discussing the Terri Schiavo case in March 2005  —  In his announcement Tuesday that he would explore a 2016 presidential bid, former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL) promised to focus on …
Phil / Uber Blog:
Our Commitment to Safety  —  Millions of people have come to rely on Uber for daily commutes, special nights out, and reliable transportation for their loved ones.  Riders are served by the hundreds of thousands of Uber driver partners whose service reduces drunk and distracted driving …
Discussion: New York Times, Mashable and The Verge
 
 
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 More Items: 
Paul Handley / Agence France-Presse:
US Federal Reserve says can be ‘patient’ on rate rise
Discussion: Slantpoint
Jim Tankersley / Washington Post:
A black hole for our best and brightest
Anne Bayefsky / Jerusalem Post:
UN: Turning back the clock to pre-1948 is the real endgame
Discussion: The Gateway Pundit
Lawrence Hurley / Reuters:
U.S. top court blocks Arizona from denying driver's licenses to immigrants
Discussion: FOX News Radio
Joy-Ann Reid / New York Magazine:
Eric Holder on Anti-Police Protests, Obama's Legacy, and His Final Battle As Attorney General
Discussion: Gawker, Washington Post and Mediaite
Mushtaq Yusufzai / NBC News:
A Dad's Hell: NBC Reporter's Kids Were Inside Attack
 Earlier Items: 
Tarini Parti / Politico:
Republican Martha McSally wins last House race of 2014
Discussion: The Gateway Pundit
Zach Osowski / Herald Bulletin:
Alexandria church to close at year's end
Dan Froomkin / The Intercept:
Billion Dollar Surveillance Blimp to Launch over Maryland
Discussion: New York Magazine
James Carville / The Hill:
Why do people vote against their interests?
Discussion: Liberal Values
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Lauren Feiner / The Verge:
President Biden signs the ByteDance-TikTok divest-or-ban bill into law, after the Senate passed it by 79-18; the House passed the legislation 360-58 on April 20

Winston Cho / The Hollywood Reporter:
The FTC bans noncompete clauses that restrict job switching, potentially complicating hiring in Hollywood as firms try to protect trade secrets and other info

Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:
An interview with NPR CEO Katherine Maher, who defends NPR and accuses critics of “bad faith distortion” of her past comments about the First Amendment

 
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