Morning Must Reads: December 4

In the News: Paul Ryan's budget, what's next for Syria's chemical weapons, U.S. added more private sector jobs than projected, and what the Detroit bankruptcy filing can mean for California

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Mark Wilson / Getty Images

The early morning sun rises behind the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC.

  • Paul Ryan’s Tea Party Nightmare: The Perils of Delivering a Mini Budget Deal [Salon]
  • “The U.S. narrowly avoided military action in Syria after Bashar al-Assad pledged to rid his country of chemical weapons. But now it appears that Washington, barring any better options, will have to destroy the most lethal elements of Syria’s stockpiles. That process will be dangerous—and potentially very expensive.As the U.S. awaits a formal international request to help destroy the Syrian material, which includes mustard gas, sarin, and VX, here’s a detailed look at what that operation could involve.” [National Journal]
  • New Obamacare Weapon for GOP: Doctors [Politico]
  • Why $7/gallon milk Looms Again [NPR]
  • “The ruling by Judge Steven W. Rhodes, who is presiding in Detroit’s bankruptcy case, that public pensions are not protected from cuts could alter the course of bankrupt cities like Stockton and San Bernardino, Calif., that had been operating under the assumption that pensions were untouchable.” [NYT]
  • Private Sector Added 215,000 jobs in November [CNBC]
  • Peggy Noonan: “The president’s problem right now is that people think he’s smart. They think he’s in command, aware of pitfalls and complexities. That’s his reputation: He’s risen far on his brains. They think he is sophisticated. That is his problem in the health insurance debacle.” [WSJ]
  • ICYMI: “A longtime labor leader and two other advocates of an immigration overhaul ended their water-only fasts on Tuesday in a tent on the National Mall, the 22nd day of an effort to press the House to take up legislation on the issue. In a ceremony choreographed to evoke the civil rights and farmworker movements of the 1960s, the labor leader, Eliseo Medina, 67, took a bite of bread and a sip of apple juice. Looking tired, Mr. Medina did not speak during the event. Afterward, he rose and walked away, leaning on the arm of another advocate.” [NYT]
  • U.S. Halts Shipments from Afghanistan via Pakistan [BBC]