Morning Media Summary

Tech:

FCC chairman to propose plan for net neutrality:

“The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission plans to announce Wednesday a controversial proposal that would prohibit Internet providers from favoring or discriminating against any traffic that goes over their networks.”

FCC Sets Net-Neutrality Vote:
“The Federal Communications Commission chairman announced plans to vote this month on rules to prevent Internet providers from interfering with traffic, a move likely to spark pushback from House Republicans and last-minute lobbying by industry and consumer groups.”

Government gives thumbs down to PDF format:
“The advice follows a study which found that while accessibility of the Portable Document Format (PDF) has improved over time and remains a popular format for many organisations, it was less accessible to visually-impaired users.”

Google Earth now features 3-D trees:
“With world leaders meeting at climate talks in Cancun to discuss the future of forests, Google has added 3D trees to the latest version of Google Earth.”

Global Warming / Environment / Energy:

Battle brewing over corn ethanol subsidies:
“When former Vice President Al Gore, who was recently dubbed a “modern day patron saint” – ”St. Al of Green” — by the Wall Street Journal, reversed his position on corn ethanol subsidies last week, not many thought it would foreshadow a contentious debate in Congress’ lame duck session.”

Insurance / Gambling:

Cyprus Hopes Domestic Crime Claim Keeps Them from EU Gambling Laws:
“The US has been the most publicized country to ignore European Union trade agreements involving gambling, but other countries have taken a similar stand. Cyprus is hoping to become the latest to circumvent the trade agreements.”

Health / Safety:

The Littlest Victims of Obamacare:
“It’s time for America’s youth to buckle up and take a rough ride on Reality Highway. For the past two years, President Obama has promised our children the moon, stars, rainbows, unicorns and universal health care for all. But the White House Santa’s cradle-to-grave entitlement mandates are a spectacularly predictable bust.”

House May Block Food Safety Bill Over Senate Error:
“A food safety bill that has burned up precious days of the Senate’s lame-duck session appears headed back to the chamber because Democrats violated a constitutional provision requiring that tax provisions originate in the House.”

Health Care Union Drops Coverage For Children:
“Perhaps you have to be familiar with New York politics to understand how truly bizarre this story is: 1199 is dropping its health care coverage for children. 1199 is the extraordinarily powerful local health care workers’ union which has pushed New York State’s Medicaid reimbursements into the stratosphere.”

Economics:

Fed to Release Details on Lending Programs Wednesday:
“The U.S. Federal Reserve is expected Wednesday to release data on financial institutions and foreign central banks to which it made more than $2 trillion in emergency loans during the financial crisis, according to a U.S. senator who has long been pushing the Fed to be more transparent in its actions.”

Citigroup Said in Talks to Hire Obama’s Ex-Budget Chief Orszag:
“Citigroup Inc., recovering from its $45 billion bailout in 2008, is in advanced talks to hire former White House Budget Director Peter Orszag, people with knowledge of the matter said.”

Legal:

Va. Judge dismisses challenge to Obama health care:
“A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed Liberty University’s lawsuit challenging the Obama administration’s new federal health care law, declaring that a provision requiring most individuals to obtain insurance is constitutional.”

Krauthammer: Prosecute Journalists That Reported Wikileaks Info:
“Charles Krauthammer sounds off on reporters and media outlets that distributed classified information.”

WikiLeaks: Interpol issues wanted notice for Julian Assange:
“The WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, is tonight facing growing legal problems around the world, with the US announcing that it was investigating whether he had violated its espionage laws.”

New East Palo Alto license plate readers will run plates through crime databases:
“By the new year, the East Palo Alto Police Department will be using automatic license plate readers to identify law breakers.”

Labor:

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie blasts teachers’ unions (again) in Washington, D.C. speech:
“New Jersey Governor Chris Christie gave the keynote speech at the Jeb Bush Excel in Education Annual Summit in Washington, D.C. Tuesday night. In his 50-minute speech on education reform – one of Christie’s most passionate topics – the governor left no room to question how he feels about teachers’ unions, most specifically the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA).”

Transportation/ Land Use:

Column: UC Merced could aid high-speed rail:
“An ambitious, visionary, forward-thinking project requires an ambitious, visionary, forward-thinking support system. California’s high-speed railway is just such a project. And UC Merced is ideally positioned to be a hub of that support system.”