memeorandum: Supreme Court to hear ObamaCare subsidy challenge in March (Sarah Ferris/The Hill)

8:45 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: The PJ Tatler, 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, Liberty Unyielding, New York's PIX11, The Huffington Post and Gothamist

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

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

CNN:
NYC mayor meets with families of slain police officers

Discussion: Mediaite, CBS New York, 7online.com and WREG-TV

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

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

ABC News:
NYPD Cadets Advised Not to Wear Uniforms in Public

Discussion: Slantpoint

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

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

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 and Slantpoint

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

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, Mediaite, Business Insider, Daily Kos, Capital New York, New York Magazine, New York Times, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post and Bloomberg Politics

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

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

Sarah Ferris / The Hill:

Supreme Court to hear ObamaCare subsidy challenge in March — The highly anticipated case challenging ObamaCare's subsidies will officially reach the Supreme Court on March 4. — Justices will hear arguments in King v. Burwell in just under three months, according to the court's schedule posted Monday afternoon.

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: Ultimate Classic Rock and 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

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

Jim Finkle / Reuters:

Apple pushes first ever automated security update to Mac users — (Reuters) - Apple Inc has pushed out its first-ever automated security update to Macintosh computers to help defend against newly identified bugs that security researchers have warned could enable hackers to gain remote control of machines.

Discussion: The Verge, Mashable, VentureBeat and Engadget

Ruby Cramer / BuzzFeed:

The Draft Campaign Elizabeth Warren Didn't Ask For But Hasn't Killed — She has said it in newspapers and magazines. She has said it on the radio and on national television. She has said it at public events and book signings; in prepared statements to reporters and in quick exchanges with the press.

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