The Note’s Must-Reads for Thursday, December 31, 2009

The Note’s Must-Reads are a round-up of today’s political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.com

Compiled by ABC News Desk Assistants PETER MARTINEZ, JAYCE HENDERSON, KRISTEN RED-HORSE, CLAUDIA MORALES and CARRIE HALPERIN

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YEAR IN REVIEW:

USA Today’s Susan Page: “The biggest political winners and losers of 2009″ LINK

HEALTH CARE:

USA Today’s John Fritze: “Common ground seen in gulf between health care bills” LINK

The Boston Globe’s Meg Kinnard: “13 state AGs threaten suit over health care deal” LINK

Politico’s Alex Isenstadt: “13 GOP AGs threaten health bill suit” LINK

The Hill’s Jordan Fabian: “State AGs request Reid, Pelosi drop Nebraska Medicaid funds from health bill” LINK

The New York Times’ Monica Davey: “Senator Nelson Defends His Health Care Vote” LINK

PRESIDENT OBAMA:

ABC News’ Jake Tapper: Just What Did President Obama’s Executive Order regarding INTERPOL do?” LINK

ABC News’ Devin Dwyer: “Cheney Rips Obama: President ‘Trying to Pretend’ U.S. Is Not at War” <a href=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dick-cheney-president-obama-pretending-war/story?id=9449012
Politico’s Mike Allen: “Exclusive: Details from Obama’s probe” LINK

Politico’s Josh Gerstein: “Critics bemoan ‘familiar’ intel issues” LINK

Politico’s Nia-Malika Henderson and Kendra Marr: “W.H. releases more visitor records” LINK

The Associated Press: “Obama vetoes first piece of legislation” LINK

USA Today’s The Oval: “Obama guest list: Welcome to the White House” LINK

USA Today’s The Oval: “Obama-Cheney smackdown, one last time for 2009″ LINK

The Associated Press’ Philip Elliott: “White House hits back at Cheney criticism” LINK

The Hill’s Sam Youngman: “Obama’s first year yields few results in drive for bipartisanship” LINK

The Washington Post’s Michael Shear: “White House visitors log reflects Obama agenda” LINK

The Washington Post’s Ed O’Keefe: “Key positions vacant as nominees await Senate confirmation” LINK

AIR SCARE / TERROR PLOT / SECURITY:

ABC News’ Pierre Thomas and Huma Khan: “U.S. Intelligence Agencies Investigate Possibilities of Broad Terror Plot” LINK

ABC News’ Jon Garcia: “Administration Official in Charge of Terror Review Gets Permission to Do His Job” LINK

Politico’s Carol E. Lee and Laura Rozen: “W.H. stands by watch-list probe pick” LINK

USA Today’s Thomas Frank and Kathy Kiely: “Flurry of proposals targets air security” LINK

USA Today’s Alan Levin: “‘One database failure after another’” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Evan Perez, Margaret Coker, and Siobhan Gorman: “U.S. Probes Cleric’s Tie to Jetliner Bomb Plot” LINK

Bloomberg’s Jonathan D. Salant and Angela Greiling Keane: “Obama Pressured on Terrorism as Bomb Attempt Shows Safety Gaps” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Josh Meyer: “U.S.-born cleric linked to airline bombing plot” LINK

The New York Times’ Mark Mazzetti and Eric Lipton: “Spy Agencies Failed to Collate Clues on Terror” LINK

The New York Times’ Scott Shane: “Shadow of 9/11 Is Cast Again” LINK

The New York Times’ Alissa Rubin and Mark Mazzetti: “Afghan Bomber Killed C.I.A. Operatives” LINK

The Washington Post’s Joby Warrick: “Suicide bomber attacks CIA base in Afghanistan, killing at least 8 Americans” LINK

The Washington Post’s Karen DeYoung: “Obama to get report on intelligence failures in Abdulmutallab” LINK

Newsweek’s David Graham: “It’s Not About Obama, It’s About Maintaining a Viable Opposition” LINK

FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

The Wall Street Journal’s Farnaz Fassihi: “Regime Wages a Quiet War on ‘Star Students’ of Iran” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Anand Gopal: “CIA Officers Are Killed in Afghan Attack” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s News Roundup: “Blasts Hit Anbar as Briton Is Freed” LINK

Bloomberg’s Viola Gienger and Tony Capaccio: “Eight Americans Killed in Attack on Afghanistan Base” LINK

USA Today’s Tom Vanden Brook: “Afghanistan far deadlier than Iraq for U.S. troops in 2009″ LINK

The Boston Globe’s Donovan Slack, Andrea Estes, and Jonathan Saltzman: “Yemen gas shipments to Boston stir worry” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Greg Miller and Laura King: “Afghanistan suicide bombing kills 8 CIA officers” LINK

The New York Daily News’ Stephanie Gaskell: “Suicide bomber kills 8 American CIA agents, 4 Canadian soldiers at U.S. base in Afghanistan” LINK

The New York Times’ James Dao: “Army History Finds Early Missteps in Afghanistan” LINK

ECONOMY / BAILOUT / FINANCE:

USA Today’s Richard Wolf: “U.S. faces fiscal crisis with $12 trillion debt” LINK

The Washington Post’s Binyamin Appelbaum: “U.S. takes majority stake in GMAC, giving lender $3.8 billion more in aid” LINK

DEMOCRATS/REPUBLICANS:

ABC News’ Teddy Davis: “DNC Panel Recommends Stripping Superdelegates of Free Agent Status” LINK

The Washington Times’ S.A. Miller: “Dems tout years of wins but wait for more Obama priorities” LINK

The Washington Times’ Brendan Farrington: “Would-be GOP successor to Crist Keeps his distance” LINK

The Washington Post’s Philip Rucker and Michael Shear: “Political attacks over Christmas Day airline incident heat up” LINK

The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza: “Democrats may take power from superdelegates” LINK

OTHER:

USA Today’s William M. Welch: “New 2010 laws: Cooking to texting” LINK

The Associated Press: “Report: Rush Limbaugh taken to Hawaii hospital” LINK

The New York Daily News’ Dave Goldiner: “Rush Limbaugh, conservative radio host, rushed to Hawaiian hospital with chest pain” ” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Stu Woo: “California Pushes for Federal Help” LINK

The Washington Post’s Eli Saslow, Philip Rucker, William Wan and Mary Pat Flaherty: “In Aftermath of Fort Hood, community haunted by clues that went unheeded” LINK

The Washington Post’s Scott Fontaine: “Blood pressure pill slays nightmares” LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEOS:

“Cheney, GITMO, Terror and Obama National Security” LINK

“Terrorists in Yemen” LINK