PRES OBAMA GIVES A SPEECH ON NATL SECURITY *

THE PRES DEFENDED HIS USE OF DRONES, SAYING THE PROGRAM IS LEGAL AND THAT STRIKES HAVE BEEN EFFECTIVE IN FIGHTING TERRORISTS WHO LAUNCHED THE 2001 9/11 ATTACKS *

HE SAYS THE END OF THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN AND U.S. SUCCESS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST AL QAEDA ARE LIKELY TO REDUCE THE USE OF DRONES *

THE PRES ALSO RENEWED HIS CALL TO CLOSE THE DETENTION CENTER IN GUANTANAMO BAY *

OBAMA SAYS THERE'S "NO JUSTIFICATION BEYOND POLITICS FOR CONGRESS TO PREVENT US FROM CLOSING" GITMO *

IRS REPLACES LOIS LERNER A DAY AFTER SHE PLEADED THE FIFTH AT A CONGRESSIONAL HEARING... *

LERNER WAS DIR OF THE AGENCY'S DIVISION THAT OVERSAW EMPLOYEES WHO TARGETED TEA PARTY AND OTHER CONSERVATIVE GROUPS *

SHE WILL BE REPLACED BY KEN CORBIN, CURRENTLY DEPUTY DIR OF SUBMISSION PROCESSING IN THE WAGE AND INVESTMENT DIVISION *

A CONGRESSIONAL AIDE SAID LERNER HAS BEEN PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE *

JURY STILL DEADLOCKED ON WHETHER CONVICTED MURDERER JODI ARIAS SHOULD GET THE DEATH PENALTY, PROMPTING A RETRIAL *

THE JUDGE SCHEDULED THE RETRIAL FOR JULY 18 IN THE SENTENCING PHASE OF THE 32-YR-OLD'S TRIAL *

ARIAS WAS FOUND GUILTY OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER IN THE 2008 DEATH OF HER EX-BOYFRIEND *

REP JO BONNER (R-AL) IS RESIGNING FROM CONGRESS TO TAKE A JOB WITH THE UNIV OF ALABAMA *

BONNER IS SIX-TERM MEMBER OF THE HOUSE AND A MEMBER OF THE APPROPRIATIONS CMTE *

HE REPRESENTS A SOUTHWESTERN PORTION OF THE STATE THAT INCLUDES MOBILE *

5.7 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE STRIKES NEAR CANYONDAM, CA *

THE AREA IS SURROUNDED BY VAST PARK SPACE, AND THE NEAREST MAJOR CITIES ARE RENO AND CARSON CITY, NV *

THERE ARE NO IMMEDIATE REPORTS OF INJURIES *

BRIDGE COLLAPSE IN NW WASHINGTON SENDS VEHICLES AND PEOPLE INTO THE WATER *

THE FOUR LANE I-5 BRIDGE OVER THE SKAGIT RIVER AT MOUNT VERNON REPORTEDLY CRUMBLED AROUND 7 PM *

WA STATE AUTHORITIES SAY THERE ARE NO FATALITIES *

DEADLY PARKING GARAGE COLLAPSE AT MALL OUTSIDE D.C. *

ONE CONSTRUCTION WORKER KILLED, ANOTHER SERIOUSLY INJURED *

THE SURVIVING WORKER WAS TRAPPED FOR NEARLY FOUR HOURS BENEATH A 40-FOOT SECTION OF CONCRETE *

NO WORD ON WHAT CAUSED THE COLLAPSE *

TWO MORE ARRESTS IN CONNECTION WITH HACKING DEATH OF BRITISH SOLDIER *

COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICERS TAKING INTO CUSTODY A MAN AND A WOMAN, BOTH 29-YRS-OLD, ON SUSPICION OF CONSPIRACY TO MURDER *

MEANWHILE, THE TWO MEN WHO WERE SHOT AND ARRESTED AT THE SCENE REMAIN HOSPITALIZED IN STABLE CONDITION *

THEY'RE BELIEVED TO HAVE HACKED A BRITISH SOLDIER TO DEATH ON A SOUTH LONDON STREET WHILE SHOUTING JIHADIST RHETORIC *

THE MURDERED SOLDIER HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS 25-YR-OLD LEE RIGBY *

BRITAIN'S MILITARY SAYS RIGBY WAS A POPULAR DRUMMER AND MACHINE GUNNER, AS WELL AS THE FATHER OF A 2-YR-OLD BOY *

PRES OBAMA TO TOUR JERSEY SHORE WITH GOV CHRIS CHRISTIE (R) NEXT WK *

THE TRIP WILL HIGHLIGHT THE STATE'S ONGOING RECOVERY FROM SUPERSTORM SANDY *

THE FED GOVT HAS SPENT $1.3 BIL TO HELP FAMILIES HIT HARD BY THE STORM *

OKLAHOMA CITY POLICE CORRECT TORNADO DAMAGE ESTIMATE TO 12,000 HOMES *

A POLICE SPOX MISSPOKE THURS WHEN HE SAID 1,200 HOMES WERE HIT BY MONDAY'S STORM *

TOTAL DAMAGE FROM THE MASSIVE TORNADO MAY TOP $2 BIL DOLLARS *

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Amb. Susan Rice pens op-ed on withdrawing from consideration for secretary of state

Read Amb. Rice’s op-ed in the Washington Post and share your thoughts.

Susan Rice: Why I Withdrew

By Susan Rice, Thursday, December 13, 7:43 PM

On Thursday I asked that President Obama no longer consider me for the job of secretary of state. I made this decision because it is the right step for this country I love. I have never shied away from a fight for a cause I believe in. But, as it became clear that my potential nomination would spark an enduring partisan battle, I concluded that it would be wrong to allow this debate to continue distracting from urgent national priorities — creating jobs, growing our economy, addressing our deficit, reforming our immigration system and protecting our national security.

These are the issues that deserve our focus, not a controversy about me. On Sept. 16, when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was unavailable after a grueling week, the White House asked me to appear on five Sunday talk shows to discuss a range of foreign policy issues: the protests against our diplomatic facilities around the world; the attack in Benghazi, Libya; and Iran’s nuclear program.

When discussing Benghazi, I relied on fully cleared, unclassified points provided by the intelligence community, which encapsulated their best current assessment. These unclassified points were consistent with the classified assessments I received as a senior policymaker. It would have been irresponsible for me to substitute any personal judgment for our government’s and wrong to reveal classified material. I made clear in each interview that the information I was providing was preliminary and that ongoing investigations would give us definitive answers.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of Amb. Rice’s op-ed









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