The Pakistani Taliban tried to justify their horrendous school massacre — in which they killed more than 100 children — as an act of revenge. A Daily Beast reporter reached a Taliban commander, Jihad Yar Wazir, who said, “The parents of the army school are army soldiers and they are behind the massive killing of our kids and indiscriminate bombing in North and South Waziristan,” which are the Taliban strongholds. “To hurt them at their safe haven and homes — such an attack is perfect revenge.”
Vox tries to explain why the Taliban would attack a school and line up children to kill.
Who is trying to kill Net Neutrality for the benefit of telecom corporations? Who else, the oil billionaire “free marketer” Koch brothers. How are they doing it? How else, with a fake grassroots campaign spearheaded by another of their front groups, “American Commitment,” which has orchestrated a flood of comments to the FCC. Via the Sunlight Foundation.
Hillary Clinton gives a speech in which she praises Obama for ending torture and calls for Congress to pass laws to make it illegal. It was probably only a coincidence that Jeb Bush took major step in run for presidency on the same day. Via Politico.
Can Jeb Bush really win the nomination by dismissing the GOP base? Via the National Journal.
Looking for something new? If not, you’ve got the Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney nostalgia ballot. Via The Atlantic.
It was a political miracle that Dr. Vivek Murthy was approved by the Senate as surgeon general. You can credit — or blame — Ted Cruz. Via David Gergen and Jimmy Biblarz at CNN.
Jeffrey Toobin makes his top five picks for the Supreme Court rulings in 2015, but you can stop after the top two: 1. Court makes same-sex marriage legal. 2. Court slashes Obamacare. Via the New Yorker.
Margaret Carlson says we’re in the end-of-secrets era, which may not be an altogether bad thing. Think how much better people would behave if they knew all their secrets would become public. Via Bloomberg.
Julianne Moore may well win an Oscar for portraying a woman with early-onset Alzheimer’s. But when will our nation actually confront the disease? Via Frank Bruni at the New York Times.
