Pres Obama just called into WGBH. ID'd as "Barack Obama, formerly of Somerville calling in with a few complaints about the neighborhood"
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Matt Viser (@mviser) December 18, 2025President Obama was calling in for Deval Patrick's final appearance on @BosPublicRadio's "Ask the Governor" segment.
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Matt Viser (@mviser) December 18, 2025****
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Congrats to my son Jahvaris on his graduation from FIU! #ProudMom #ProudParents #FIUgrad #FutureLawyer #NoObstacles http://t.co/e8tIx54LoY
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Sybrina Fulton (@SybrinaFulton) December 17, 2025Congratulations to #TrayvonMartin's older brother, Jahvaris Fulton for graduating college: bet.us/1wMbabH http://t.co/OCwkWfBgKr
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(@BET) December 17, 2025****
NEW: U.S. airstrikes killed 3 mid to high-level ISIS leaders in Iraq in recent weeks, senior defense officials confirm - @JimMiklaszewski
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NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) December 18, 2025Breaking: U.S. airstrikes have killed several very senior military leaders of Islamic State forces in Iraq. on.wsj.com/1C3FIKw
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Capital Journal (@WSJPolitics) December 18, 2025****
POLL: 52% of the Cuban-American community in Miami-Dade County OPPOSES continuing the U.S. embargo of #Cuba. buff.ly/1AqsxiX
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Doug Foote (@FooteSteppes) December 18, 2025In the 113th Congress, Senate Democrats were able to confirm 132 judicial nominations. This is the most in 33 years. http://t.co/bBBGOwBk43
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Senator Harry Reid (@SenatorReid) December 17, 2025****
Secretary of State Kerry on Cuba: 'I look forward to being the first Secretary of State in 60 years to visit Cuba.' http://t.co/AirT1DVv9k
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NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) December 17, 2025Full transcript of Cuban President Raul Castro's remarks on U.S.-Cuba relations wapo.st/1ztuU66
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Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 17, 2025****
I support President Obama’s decision for the United States to start a new chapter in our relationship with Cuba.
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Senator Harry Reid (@SenatorReid) December 17, 2025VATICAN STATEMENT: Pope Francis congratulates the U.S. and Cuba on move to re-establish diplomatic relations http://t.co/PmlZN0fYA0
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NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) December 17, 2025****
Marco Rubio is mad as hell. Welp. #Cuba cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/upl…. http://t.co/zZm79uUDas
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April (@ReignOfApril) December 17, 2025Follow our live coverage: Historic shift in US and Cuba ties bbc.in/1vZIQPi http://t.co/ig9F4PCr5P
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BBC News US (@BBCNewsUS) December 17, 2025****
Would Rubio impose an embargo on China? Would that work? (He doesn't seem to understand difference between sanctions & embargos?)
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David Corn (@DavidCornDC) December 17, 2025Just going to leave this here http://t.co/vJJcasc7SD
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Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) December 17, 2025****
“We as a nation have failed": Eric Holder pulls no punches in blistering new interview slnm.us/iUSZu1u http://t.co/WKZzw8Qrkv
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Salon.com (@Salon) December 17, 2025Eric Holder’s parting shot
Police abuse scandals mean the nation has “failed”
salon.com/2014/12/17/eri… #PDMFNB #p2 http://t.co/jmchUhZRj8
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Jackie Craig (@JackieC1989) December 17, 2025****
Even bigger than #AZ02 results: The U.S. plans to open an embassy in Havana and normalize relations with Cuba. Huge. washingtonpost.com/world/national…
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Tim Steller (@senyorreporter) December 17, 2025"Church bells are ringing throughout Havana. I've never seen anything like it." -- CNN's reporter in Cuba.
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Tim Shorrock (@TimothyS) December 17, 2025****
GOP bashing Obama's Cuba deal b/c of their human rights abuses? You guys were just defending the torture and rape of detainees LAST WEEK.
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Greg Saunders (@waltisfrozen) December 17, 2025Dept. of Justice: Transfer of 3 Cuban intel agents from US to Cuba is complete, "carried out without incident" by US Marshals - @PierreTABC
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ABC News (@ABC) December 17, 2025****
There was a time when conservatives might be impressed by a POTUS taking Cuba off the chess board of a Russian leader embroiled in a crisis.
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Adam Weinstein (@AdamWeinstein) December 17, 2025US announcement on #Cuba:
- New US embassy
- Fewer travel limits
- Better communications
- Easier to import goods
bbc.in/1wFHJcu
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BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) December 17, 2025****
Welcome home, Alan! http://t.co/rO7G6EHlPs
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Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) December 17, 2025Cuban Americans also support lifting travel restrictions and more people-to-people travel: http://t.co/vYaCY1TuLa
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(@igorvolsky) December 17, 2025****
Watch Bill Nye explain evolution using emoji vox.com/e/7170780?utm_… http://t.co/JALjug6A8G
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Vox (@voxdotcom) December 17, 2025If George Bush Sr. was a drama and Jr. was a tragedy, then Jeb Bush is a farce slnm.us/L0pT9tW http://t.co/24rY83ddKO
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Salon.com (@Salon) December 17, 2025****
Reproductive Rights Groups Sue Wisconsin For Throwing Pregnant Women In Jail thkpr.gs/3604494
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Foxxi Christmas Name (@Foxxi_Love) December 17, 2025President Obama's Call to Australia PM Tony Abbott http://t.co/KjKVdQcWuT
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Jon-Christopher Bua (@JCBua) December 17, 2025****
PA cop fatally shot his ex-girlfriend and wounded her daughter rawstory.com/rs/2014/12/phi… #MomsDemand #GunSense http://t.co/5CjJUB1ZLH
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KHARY PENEBAKER (@kharyp) December 17, 2025Does tear gas not work on white rioters? #AskACop http://t.co/rJagjjeDuk
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Khaled Bey (@KhaledBeydoun) December 17, 2025****
BREAKING: Justice Department Announces Reversal On Litigating Transgender Discrimination Claims - buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/j…
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Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) December 18, 2025Alan Gross's release paves the way for a potential thaw in decades of tense relations between the U.S. & Cuba nyti.ms/16t3SRF
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New York Times World (@nytimesworld) December 17, 2025****
Honored to be America’s Doctor and the 19th #SurgeonGeneral. -VM http://t.co/6jdBAUYN6I
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U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) December 18, 2025Pres Obama on phone w/ Alan Gross, who was en route to US from Cuba- Dec. 17, 2014. ~WH Photo by Pete Souza http://t.co/fQKtXKm4bf
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Sarah Reese Jones (@srjones66) December 18, 2025****
As Stephen Colbert says goodbye to one chapter tonight, we remember that beautiful moment he shed a tear on November 4, 2025 when Senator Obama became President Obama.
After nine years, the best source of "truthiness" is coming to an end. Congratulations @StephenAtHome. http://t.co/JXAj5ATaxz
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Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 18, 2025****
Nobody. Not one viable candidate or POTUS of either party in my lifetime had the courage to do what this President just did.
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Dessalines (@Kyrondo) December 17, 2025What a successful president looks like! http://t.co/nqqjBIYokt
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Eric Darcman (@Darcman) December 17, 2025
White House.gov
Good evening, TOD!
Congrats Alycee :)
Excellent roundup, NW. Thank you!!
Thanks, Bob.
Amazing Nerdy!
Thanks, Vetivera24!
Nerdy, been away most of the day; thanks for the great information round-up!
Thank you, Alycee.
Those wimps at Sony really need a spinal transplant ….
sony is a billion dollar company. If it was stupid enough to allow its servers get hacked, it is their problem. So why is WH concerned about this as a security issue? I mean it’s not a DoD, NSC or such defence computer systems that were hacked.
The US govt. reports that a system administrator of Sony got his credentials stolen allowing the North Korean hackers to gain full entry. No excuse for that.
for all the west’s mocking and derision thrown at NK and their ‘supreme leader’, they seem to have had the last laugh.
Just bring it forward from the last post. The state of Oregon now has 95% insurance coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act.
This is SUPERBLY wonderful :)
Fantastic. Great work all around in Oregon. Would that other states were half so effective in adopting ACA and making it work.
Wonderful news! I think your state, along with Washington state, has some of the smartest and most caring people in the whole country.
OUTSTANDING, Bill.
And, thank you for all your efforts to make it be so!
#TrustBarack
Thanks again NW for a fine, fine collection of tweets and updates. :)
You’re welcome, HF.
Bringing this over.
Good evening TOD.
Meta, I add my condolences to the loss of your brother. I lost a brother in December, and last year I had to put down my companion of 18 yrs. (my Gypsy Manteca, a sweet, gorgeous, charismatic Maine Coon), so my sympathies and prayers also to those who have all lost loved ones.
On another note: I voted for Bill Clinton the first time because he promised to normalize relations with Cuba. That to me was the first sign of a common sense approach to foreign policy. I did not vote for him the second time because I thought he was weak and a liar. And his wife sharpened her political chops at his side. They surround themselves with professional liars, and schemers; that is why they triangulate and are reactionary; they cannot trust that they won’t be sabotaged by leaks or backstabbing.
The fact that the Obama admin. is tight, and virtually leak proof, is one of their biggest assets, and what drives their opponents and the press corps., (I know, same thing!), crazy.
Appreciate the tweets Nerdy. I commented a few days ago that you and Chips deserve the Medal of Freedom for what you do here. :)
Reply
<3
:)
Thanks, Paulita.
NW, thanks for these.great tweets!
Thanks, GGail.
There is a goldmine of information in these tweets, Nerdy. And watching Stephen Colbert hear the news about the president’s 2008 win made me tear up all over again. What a night that was!!!!!
Thanks, Jackie.
Thank you as always NW - a veritable round up of events. Browsing the net today I notice, as usual, the GOP and their BFF the US media were for communications with Cuba - then they suddenly decided a day or two ago this was a bad idea - still trying to work out why that would be.
A nutcase in our Senate thinks the US 2nd amendment should be followed in Australia - fortunately he can find no-one to agree with him.
The PM probably earned himself a few points for staying out of the Sydney crisis and allowing those who can, to do what they did. He will, no doubt return to foot-in-mouth in the new year.
I cannot believe Jeb Bush thinks he is a foot in for President. If another Bush is ever elected, it will generate 4 years of the world in mourning.
You’re welcome, 99ts.
Glad that the nutcase in your Senate lost support for his insane proposal.
Meta, I just read that you lost your brother; my condolences and prayers are with you. May you be comforted by loving memories.
Who in the world is the editor of NBC news online? This is the SECOND time, in one week, that there has been an obvious spelling error in the copy!!
Nebraka and Oklahoma Sue Over Colorado Pot Legalization
They’re just emulating the slugs they parade as ‘real Americans’ ….
Posted this earlier today:
I wonder if they have autocorrect?
Jeff’s on a roll …
… don’t miss it ….
Well, at least he won’t have to pay for a boob job. His are real, hers are already installed ! 😳
IN_DEED, Paulita. And, now she can afford to have her roots, repaired :D :D :D :D
Oh no!! We’re sliding down that slippery slope….. :O
:D :D
Booyah! :lol:
I count 3 pairs of boobs!! (Is this advanced mathematics, or are my eyes just ruined by this pic?)
I would love him too…not!
#TruthAndReconciliation
#BlackLivesMatter
“YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH…”!
Congratulations to Trayvon’s brother, Jahvaris on his graduation from college. I am glad he is going into law to one day be attorney general or supreme court justice.
I couldn’t sleep last night and today at work was… well… I could use some levity and am somewhat slaphappy. That’s where Flight of the Conchords lives! The ladies may have their milkshakes, but FOTC has their sugar lumps:
I think we all need to do whatever we can, lockwasright, to make sure you are never sleep deprived, again ….. :D :D :D :D :D
Beautiful post, NW, thank you so much. Feeling very far behind, so much to do at this time of year. It’s a wrap for MP - am ‘supposed’ to ‘take things easy’ for about 48 hours after the injections, but for the past 4 weeks, that hasn’t happened! Tonight, I think I had better just give it up and get some rest. Goodnight, Blessings all around. The Solstice is approaching quickly, very happy to think the First Family will all be in the sacred and beautifully scented peace of Hawaii for the occasion! Sweet dreams all around! <3 :bear: :)
So grateful, MP, that you have #Obamacare!!! Yes, do get some much needed rest.
This is on @nytimes home page now:
The article begins:
“President Obama will move as soon as next month to defang the 54-year-old American trade embargo against Cuba, administration officials said Thursday, using broad executive power to defy critics in Congress and lift restrictions on travel, commerce and financial activities.
The moves are only the beginning of what White House officials and foreign policy experts describe as a sweeping set of changes that Mr. Obama can make on his own to re-establish commercial and diplomatic ties with Cuba even in the face of angry congressional opposition.”
Reminder from last night:
#PBOunplugged
Also posted this earlier today, but since tonight is @StephenAtHome’s swan song, bears repeating:
OMG… http://www.abc15.com/news/national/police-say-8-children-have-been-killed-in-a-northern-australian-city
This came across as a news alert on my PC — I have no idea how these things work — bells and whistles that are part of Windows 8, most of which befuddle me. I still like XP — there’s so many things on Windows 8 that a non-techie like me can’t change because Windows 8 no longer has a way to easily change.
Scant details, sounds like it might have an isolated domestic tragedy.
MERCY!!!…
A Sunday school teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?”
Little Johnny replied, “Because people are sleeping.”
/
What do you get when you cross a lawyer with a demon from hell?
Another lawyer.
/
Why are men like popcorn?
They satisfy you, but only for a little while.
In Jerusalem, a female CNN journalist heard about a very old Jewish man who had been going to the Wailing Wall to pray, twice a day, everyday, for a long, long time. So she went to check it out. She went to the Wailing Wall and there he was!
She watched him pray and after about 45 minutes, when he turned to leave, she approached him for an interview.
“I’m Rebecca Smith from CNN. Sir, how long have you been coming to the Wall and praying?”
“For about 60 years.”
“60 years! That’s amazing! What do you pray for?”
“I pray for peace between the Christians, Jews and the Muslims. I pray for all the hatred to stop and I pray for all our children to grow up in safety and friendship.”
“How do you feel after doing this for 60 years?”
“Like I’m talking to a fuckin’ wall.”
:D :D
Absolutely priceless, AMK!
Totally agree!
To be happy with a man, you must understand him a lot and love him a little.
To be happy with a woman, you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.
and I am outta here.
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ Lots of these to our beautiful MightyPamela}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} Get some rest and take it easy my love. HZ
Nerdy W., thank you so much for all that you do for the beautiful space here. You give some much love to all of us in your hard work with our beautiful Chips. I love you both so dearly. My eyes are extremely painful when I read so much, and that is why I am late checking in but I love you all so much. This is such a wonderful place to come to, Chips and lots of love to you for having such brilliant and loving contributors who give us so much.
Chips, give my Danny a huge hug from me. I hope he is all ready for all of his new toys to enjoy rather than take charge of your socks. May this be a wonderful holiday for him and all of my TOD family. I love you all.HZ
Thanks so much, HZ.
Wishing you more rest, better health, and a joyous week.
Goliath Opens His Wallet
Yoani Sánchez: A New Era for Cuba and the United States
By YOANI SÁNCHEZDEC. 18, 2014
HAVANA — IN one of my earliest memories, I am in a schoolyard before a campfire. The kids are screaming and jumping around it while the teacher stokes the flames, where a ridiculous Uncle Sam puppet is burning. This image came to mind on Wednesday, as I listened to the speeches of Raúl Castro and Barack Obama about the re-establishment of relations between Cuba and the United States.
Generations of Cubans have grown up under the barrage of official propaganda against the United States. As the words directed against our neighbor to the north became more aggressive, our curiosity only grew. Overwhelmed by material precariousness, disillusioned because the so-called Raúl reforms have failed to fill their wallets or their plates, Cubans now dream of the material respite that might arrive from the other side of the Florida Straits. Without a fight, David, smiling, walks toward Goliath, who is about to open his bag of coins. The myth of the enemy is over; the difficult reality of coexistence has begun.
clip
On Thursday, the party newspaper, Granma, was slow to reach the newsstands. Sometimes it is delayed when Fidel Castro publishes one of his delirious articles about the immensity of the galaxy or the memory of Hugo Chávez. In the long minutes of waiting, many speculated that Granma would arrive with some reflection from the comandante, but there was nothing. No evidence that would let us know whether he is for or against the risky step just taken by his brother. Many have read this silence as a sign of his delicate state of health, but by saying nothing, he has confirmed his political death, which is even more revealing and symbolic than his physical death will be.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/19/opinion/yoani-sanchez-a-new-era-for-cuba-and-the-united-states.html
#GWBTortureClan
#TortureReport
bbl …
oh what a wonderful line up of tweets, Nerdy, thank YOU :) Love POTUS’ call in for Gov Patrick ~ he has such a tremendous sense of humor.
Thanks, Sherijr.
Meta, I just read about the loss of your dear Brother ~ I am so very sorry for you and your family. We lost my brother just before his 21st birthday long ago, but there is not a day goes by that he’s not in my heart and sorely missed. Please know I am thinking of you (((((((((meta & family)))))))))
allow me to add my condolences here. meta, i’m sending aloha to you and your family, that you will find peace in each other’s presence.
thanks for the amazing collection of tweets, nerdy. it’s a pithy summary of current events.
and now, if you’re still awake out there in todville :) , imagine out first family relaxing in these rooms. what a wonderful vacation they’re about to enjoy together!
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/27666628/obamas-heading-to-hawaii-friday
Thanks, Susanne! Our wealth of Hawaii information. :)
First I’ve read in over a year about Benton Harbor, MI. Back in 2010 -2012, Rachel, Ed and several others regularly did segments on the town; now — crickets…
I really cannot believe what I read there - where is the US media - do they support such activities? I am aghast
What a wonderful collection of tweets! Thank you Nerdy Wonka!
Just got home. Hopelessly not caught up since several days ago. But I’ve been checking in once in the a.m. and once in the p.m.
Just want to say how overcome with reverence, admiration and emotion I am for this President, now more than ever.
I am simply in awe.
About to go watch Stephen Colbert do his last show. Thank you for posting the clip of Stephen shedding tears on election night. I missed that when it happened because I was driving in my car when PBO’s victory was announced. I remember looking around at the cars next to me and at the people on the street and wanting to celebrate with someone, with anyone, with everyone. When I pulled into my driveway I could hear my neighbors whooping and hollering with joy :-) The next day I took them a big piece of the celebratory cake that I had made.
I knew this man would be a world-uplifting, life-altering president; I knew he would bring change, but I had no idea the changes would be this profound, this powerful and this many.
What a Christmas!
Thanks, MadameSoph.
What joyous memories!
good night TOD
Yuck. (Them, not you, Bob!)
Would someone be able to point me to meta’s comment about her brother? Wasn’t here much today and cannot find it anywhere. Wanted to send her my love and many O’hugs. Thanks.
Moooooooorning!
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/12/19/early-bird-chat-and-rise-and-shine-3/