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SO YOU'RE SAYING IT DIDN'T HELP: Associated Press:
"U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice told lawmakers Tuesday that her initial
explanation of the deadly Sept. 11 raid in Libya was wrong, but her
concession failed to mollify three Republican senators who signaled they
would oppose her possible nomination to be secretary of state."
REFRESHER: AtlanticWire:
"All John McCain ever really said he wanted was for Susan Rice to come
out and talk about her statements about the Benghazi attacks, and say
that they were wrong. This afternoon, Rice appears to have done just
that."
THE GOP TRIO: John McCain: "We are significantly
troubled by many of the answers that we got and some that we didn't get
concerning evidence that was leading up to the attack on the consulate. "
Lindsey Graham: "Bottom line I'm more disturbed now than I was before
that 16 September explanation." Kelly Ayotte: "I'm more troubled today."
WHAT'S REALLY AT STAKE: New York Times:
"Their statements – coming after Ms. Rice’s conciliatory remarks during
a meeting designed to mend fences with her three critics and smooth the
way for her nomination as secretary of state if President Obama decides
on her as the successor to Hillary Rodham Clinton – attested to the
bitterness of the feud between the White House and Republicans over
Benghazi. Mr. Graham and Ms. Ayotte said that knowing what they know
now, they would place a hold on Ms. Rice’s nomination if Mr. Obama
selected her."
BUT IT'S WORTH REMEMBERING: McCain and co. need 40
votes to filibuster a nomination, a number they don't appear to have
despite their near non-stop efforts to keep the spotlight on Rice and
her original account of what happened in Benghazi.
HAPPY TUESDAY and welcome to The Slatest PM. Follow your afternoon host on Twitter at @JoshVoorhees and the whole team at @slatest.
ICYMI: China's State Paper Falls for Onion Joke About Kim Jong Un, Publishes 55 Photos in "Sexy" Tribute
WE TRUST YOU WON'T FORGET US: Associated Press:
"The historic Powerball jackpot boosted to $500 million on Tuesday was
all part of a plan lottery officials put in place early this year to
build jackpots faster, drive sales and generate more money for states
that run the game. Their plan appears to be working. Powerball tickets
doubled in price in January to $2, and while the number of tickets sold
initially dropped, sales revenue has increased by about 35 percent over
2011."
PLAN B: CBS News:
"The morning-after pill should be prescribed in advance to teens just
in case they one day need it, says the country's leading medical society
of pediatricians. The American Academy of Pediatrics said Monday that
emergency contraceptives like Plan B and Next Choice can be used to curb
a U.S. teen pregnancy rate which, while declining over the past two
decades, still surpasses that of other developed countries."
BECAUSE IT'S GOOD TO BE PREPARED: If Every U.S. State Declared War Against the Others, Which Would Win?
GET USED TO IT: Reuters:
"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Tuesday that he is
disappointed that there has been 'little progress' among Democratic and
Republican lawmakers as they try to reach a deal to avoid the year-end
'fiscal cliff.' Reid, a Democrat, told reporters that not much headway
has been made since congressional leaders met with President Barack
Obama on Nov. 16."
TAHRIR SQUARE: Washington Post:
"Egyptian opposition forces rallied across the country Tuesday in the
biggest show of dissent against the country’s first democratically
elected leader since he precipitated a political crisis last week with
an apparent bid to assume near-absolute power. A loose coalition of
rights groups, liberals and secularists poured into Cairo’s Tahrir
Square and other public spaces, urging President Mohamed Morsi to
rescind a decree he issued Thursday that granted him the authority to
legislate without judicial oversight. But many also used Tuesday’s mass
protests as an opportunity to call for the downfall of Morsi and his
Muslim Brotherhood backers, underscoring a complex political conflict in
the newly democratic country that runs far deeper than the move that
Morsi’s opponents have labeled a power grab."
APPLE MAPS: Bloomberg:
"Apple Inc. (AAPL) has fired the manager responsible for its troubled
mapping software, seeking to win back the trust of users disappointed
after the program debuted in September, according to people familiar
with the move. Richard Williamson, who oversaw the mapping team, was
pushed out by Senior Vice President Eddy Cue, said the people....
Critics have faulted Apple’s new map software for unreliable landmark
searches, routes that get users lost and lack of public transit
directions."
WOMEN IN COMBAT: Christian Science Monitor:
The American Civil Liberties Union sued on Tuesday on behalf of four
U.S. servicewomen to challenge a longstanding policy barring women from
thousands of ground combat positions, citing the changing nature of
warfare and fairness for career soldiers. The civil rights group argued
in a legal complaint filed in federal court in Northern California that a
military policy to bar women from combat roles on the basis of gender
was unconstitutional."
MORE SLATE QUICK HITS—
XX Factor: In Defense of Naming Your Kid Hashtag
Brow Beat: Can Moonrise Kingdom Get a Best Picture Nod?
Bad Astronomy: Mayan Notpocalypse
See you back here tomorrow. But, until then, tell your friends to subscribe, or simply forward the newsletter on and let them make up their own minds.
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