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Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Senate Democrats still have extended unemployment benefits very much on their minds: “Democrats and liberal groups are still not giving up. They are planning a concerted, multi-faceted push over the break designed to pressure Republicans — not Congress; Republicans — to agree to renew the benefits. This comes after Harry Reid announced that a vote on extending UI — which Republicans continue to resist — will take place when the Senate reconvenes in January.”
* Sigh: “Senate Republicans will let their rank-and-file members leave town for the Christmas break, leaving Democrats to vote around the clock to confirm the latest batch of President Obama’s nominees.”
* Virginia: “Federal prosecutors told Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell last week that he and his wife would be charged in connection with a gift scandal, but senior Justice Department officials delayed the decision after the McDonnells’ attorneys made a face-to-face appeal in Washington, according to people familiar with the case.”
* Progress: “The United States has released two prisoners who had been held at Guantanamo Bay back to their native Sudan, the Pentagon said Wednesday.”
* Imagine the GOP reaction if this happened to healthcare.gov: “It looks like hackers hit the bulls-eye with the recent unprecedented hack of Target credit and debit card information. Not only was the digital heist huge — up to 40 million consumers might have had their data stolen — but the degree of difficulty indicates another step in the security arms race between criminals and merchants.”
* Tick tock: “Congress will need to raise the debt limit no later than early March, according to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.”
* This position seems unsustainable: “Florida GOP Rep. Trey Radel, who exited drug rehabilitation Thursday, is not expected to resign during an evening news conference, according to multiple sources with knowledge of his plans.”
* So much for compassionate conservatism: “Dana Perino’s crime deterrent proposal: take welfare benefits away from criminals’ families.”
* Apparently, there’s someone known as “pajama boy,” and conservative media has spent much of the last 24 hours freaking out about him. Why? I honestly haven’t the foggiest idea.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."