- “France and Iran traded tough words on Thursday as major powers struggled to finalize an interim deal to curb Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, with Paris urging the West to remain firm and Tehran deploring a loss of trust.” [Reuters]
- A diatribe against Israel and the U.S. stokes fears about whether Iran can be trusted [TIME]
- “Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Wednesday that the United States and Afghanistan had finalized the wording of a bilateral security agreement that would allow for a lasting American troop presence through 2024 and set the stage for billions of dollars of international assistance to keep flowing to the government in Kabul.” [NYT]
- White House has confirmed President Obama’s Afghanistan Pledges: “I know you have been concerned for some time to limit the impact of the conflict in Afghanistan on the Afghan people, with particular attention to the sensitive issue of the safety and privacy of people in their homes,” Obama wrote in the letter dated Wednesday and released by Karzai’s office. “Over time, and especially in the recent past, we have redoubled our efforts to ensure that Afghan homes are respected by our forces and that our operations are conducted consistent with your law. We will continue to make every effort to respect the sanctity and dignity of Afghans in their homes and in their daily lives, just as we do for our own citizens.” [Politico]
- Terrible Polls for Obamacare, But Some Good News on Policy [New Republic]
- Insurers Restricting Choice of Doctors and Hospitals to Keep Costs Down [Washington Post]
- Once Again, Darrell Issa is Blowing It [National Journal]
- Poll: Amid Obamacare Skepticism, Confidence in Obama Wanes: “Just 32 percent approve of how Mr. Obama is handling the issue of health care, down eight points from September, and the lowest since CBS News began asking the question in 2009.” [CBS News]
- Farm Bill Talks Intensify [Politico]
- The Republican War on Competence [The New Yorker]
- What Wendy Davis Gets Wrong [Salon]
What’s Prettier in Print: This Week’s TIME
- COVER: Obama’s Race for the Cure by Nancy Gibbs
- Cheney Family Values by Alex Altman
- Is Your Health Insurance Plan Safe? by Kate Pickert
- Yellen for America by Rana Foroohar
- Why China Needs More Children by Hannah Beech
- What Boys Want by Rosalind Wiseman