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Daybreak: Back to the Proximity Talks

Plus Madoff suicide, Iran concerns, and more in the news

by
Marc Tracy
December 13, 2010
U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell last month.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell last month.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

• Secretary of State Clinton announced that the United States would still back the peace process but revert to mediating negotiations—essentially a step back to the “proximity talks” of several months ago. [NYT]

• Thomas Friedman approves, and his pox is cast on both their houses. [NYT]

• Bernard Madoff’s elder son, Mark, was found dead of a likely suicide on the two-year anniversary of his father’s arrest. He was 46. [JTA]

• As the White House plans further economic sanctions, it openly fears that new negotiations are simply Iran playing for time. [LAT]

• A year ago, Syrian officials told Iranian counterparts that they would not join a Hezbollah or Iran war with Israel, according to a WikiLeaked cable. [JTA]

• How adoptions are—the literal metaphor cannot be avoided—changing the face of American Judaism. [WP]

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.