The Note’s Must-Reads for Wednesday, December 30, 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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HEALTH CARE:

The Boston Globe’s Political Notebook: “Fla. attorney general challenges health bill” LINK

Time’s Joe Klein: “The Left’s Idiocy on Health Reform” LINK

Politico’s Alex Isenstadt: “Blue state govs. Rip Senate health bill” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Anne Tergesen: “Retirees Snared by Medicare” LINK

Bloomberg’s Jonathan D. Salant: “Trial Lawyers Sidestep Malpractice Curbs With Blitz in Congress” LINK

The New York Times’ Damien Cave: “Florida Republican May File Suit Over Health Bill” LINK

Newsweek’s Mary Carmichael: “What Health-Care Reform Will Mean for you” LINK

PRESIDENT OBAMA:

ABC News’ Jon Garcia: “Obama: Dialing Back the Bush-era Secrets Rules” LINK

The Washington Times’ Kara Rowland: “Tough first year hits Obama’s ratings hard” LINK

Politico’s Josh Gerstein: “President Obama takes the heat President Bush did not” LINK

USA Today’s Susan Page: “Poll: Americans most admire Obama, Clinton, Palin” LINK

USA Today’s Kathy Kiely and Thomas Frank: “Senate fights over nominee for transportation security agency” LINK

The Associated Press’ Anne Flaherty: “Obama moves to curb federal secrets” LINK

Boston Globe Wires: “Security agencies lacked leaders” LINK

AIR SCARE / TERROR PLOT / SECURITY:

ABC News’ Huma Khan: “Obama: ‘Human and Systematic Failures’ to Blame in the Terror Plot” LINK

ABC News’ Brian Ross and Joseph Rhee and Rehab El-Buri: “Two al Qaeda Leaders Behind Northwest Flight 253 Terror Plot Were Released by U.S.” LINK

ABC News’ Huma Khan: “Politics of National Security: Flight 253 Terror Plot Increases Partisan Bickering” LINK

ABC News’ Dan Harris: “What Has Happened to the Billions of Dollars Spent on Aviation Security” LINK

ABC News’ Teddy Davis: “Fmr. Bush Official on TSA Vote: ‘We’ve Got to Move on Beyond the Union Issues’” LINK

Politico’s Josh Gerstein: “President Obama’s options for airline security” LINK

The Washington Times’ Victor Morton: “Airliner suicide mission blessed by imam” <a href=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/dec/30/airliner-suicide-mission-blessed-by-imam/
Politico’s Mike Allen: “CIA also knew about suspect” LINK

USA Today’s On Deadline: “Obama cites ‘human, systemic failures’ on jet terrorist” LINK

The Associated Press’ Jon Gambrell: “Web posts suggest suspected jihadi was lonely, depressed” LINK

The Boston Globe’s Hiawatha Bray: “Information, not gadgets, seen as security solution” LINK

Time’s Michael Duffy and Mark Thompson: “The Lessons of Flight 253″ LINK

The Associated Press’ Philip Elliott: “Obama Orders Review of Airline Safety” LINK

Politico’s Staff: “’Mix of human and systematic failures’” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Evan Perez, Jay Solomon and Siobhan Gorman: “Obama Slams Security Breach” LINK

Bloomberg’s Nicholas Johnston: “Obama Says U.S. Missed ‘Red Flags’ Before Airline Bomb Attempt” LINK

The Hill’s J. Taylor Rushing and Ian Swanson: “Parties spar over blame for failed Christmas Day terrorist attack” LINK

The Hill’s Susan Crabtree: “Sen. Feinstein: Halt transfers to Yemen” LINK

The Hill’s Sam Youngman: “Obama blames ‘systemic failure’ for Detroit incident” LINK

The New York Daily News’ Helen Kennedy and Richard Sisk: “Flight 253 attack by ‘extremist’ Abdulmutallab was a ‘systemic failure,’ says President Obama” LINK

The New York Times’ Charlie Savage: “Obama Curbs Secrecy of Classified Documents” LINK

The New York Times: “U.S. Had Early Signals of a Terror Plot, Officials Say” LINK

The New York Times’ John Burns: “Terror Inquiry Looks at Suspect’s Time in Britain” LINK

The Washington Post’s Carrie Johnson, Karen DeYoung and Anne Kornblut: “Obama vows to repair intelligence gaps behind Detroit airplane incident” LINK

The Washington Post’s Robert O’Harrow Jr. and Spencer Hsu: “Many airport security improvements would require more intrusion, oversight” LINK

The Washington Post’s Michael Shear: “Failed attack on jet renews concerns over lack of TSA chief” LINK

The Washington Post’s Sudarsan Raghaven: “Former Guantanamo detainees fuel growing al-Qaeda cell” LINK

Newsweek’s Tim Fernholz: “Politics Is Just Getting Started At the Water’s Edge” LINK

FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

ABC News’ Kirit Radia: “U.S. Confirms American Detained in North Korea” LINK

The Associated Press’ Ahmed Al-Haj: “Yemen investigates Nigerian’s contact with Al Qaeda militants” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Chip Cummins: “Iran Says West Encouraged Protests” LINK

The Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler: “As standoff with Iran continues, U.S. prepares targeted sanctions” LINK

ECONOMY / BAILOUT / FINANCE:

Bloomberg’s Terrence Dopp and Henry Goldman: “Christie Channels Schwarzenegger as New Jersey Braces for Cuts” LINK

DEMOCRATS/REPUBLICANS:

The Washington Post’s Philip Rucker: “Republicans see political opportunity in Obama response to failed airplane bomb” LINK

SUPREME COURT:

USA Today’s Joan Biskupic: “‘Why the delay’ on Supreme Court’s campaign-finance case?” LINK

GITMO:

USA Today’s Mimi Hall: “Alleged airliner plot raises concerns about Gitmo closing” LINK

Politico’s Carol E. Lee: “Official defends Gitmo plan” LINK

OTHER:

USA Today’s On Deadline: “Karl Rove divorces after 24 years of marriage” LINK

The Wall Street Journal’s Laura Saunders: “Rich Cling to Life to Beat Tax Man” LINK

The Los Angeles Times’ Peter Nicholas and Tom Hamburger: “White House prepares for immigration overhaul battle” LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEOS:

“Obama on Christmas Terror Plot: ‘Unacceptable’” LINK

“Racial Profiling: Is It the Answer?” <a href=http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=9444773
“Obama Gets Tough on Intelligence Gatherers” LINK

“Billions Spent on Security, Still Not Enough?” LINK