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December 10, 2013 | | TARGET The Tea Party has its eyes on the second-most powerful Republican in the Senate, Texas's John Cornyn. Rep. Steve Stockman, a Tea Party darling, has filed for a March primary run against Cornyn, who Stockman blames for "making sure Obamacare became law." Stockman wasted no time attacking his opponent, issuing a statement Monday night calling Cornyn "liberal." "You and I are in a foxhole fighting to save this constitutional Republic, but liberal John Cornyn is bayoneting us in the back," Stockman said. The Daily Beast's Ben Jacobs on Texas's latest wild race. Plus, Ben Jacobs on Stockman, who announced his candidacy in a World Net Daily interview. FAREWELL President Obama led tributes to the "great soul" of Nelson Mandela Tuesday before a cheering crowd of tens of thousands of South Africans and a host of world leaders who gathered at a soccer stadium in Soweto. Using tribal phrases that delighted the crowd, Obama said the world would never again see a man like Mandela, the "last great liberator of the 20th century." He drew a standing ovation after describing the transformative power of a single great leader. "It took a man like Madiba to free not just the prisoner, but the jailor as well," he said. Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raúl Castro and kissed Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff as an unprecedented collection of leaders celebrated the life of Mandela. The dancing crowd, diminished by torrential rain, cheered most of the leaders but booed when George W. Bush and their current president Jacob Zuma appeared on giant screens. Meanwhile, it seems almost unthinkable now, but U.S. Senate Republicans banded together with Democrats in 1986 to overturn a Ronald Reagan veto of South Africa sanctions, writes The Daily Beast's Eleanor Clift. Plus, Sam Youngman talks to Mitch McConnell about his vote defying Reagan on apartheid ,and Michael Tomasky on how conservatives were on the wrong side of history about Mandela. AFRICA Two French soldiers were killed in combat overnight in the Central African Republic, Paris confirmed Tuesday. They are the first French deaths since the country deployed 1,600 soldiers in the United Nations-backed operation in CAR, which has been in chaos since March, when Michel Djotodia ousted President Francois Bozize. French President Francois Hollande, who is in South Africa attending Nelson Mandela's memorial, issued a statement saying the soldiers "lost their lives to save many others." The Red Cross said 394 people had been killed in three days of fighting in Bangui, CAR's capital, although the French army said it had restored some order to the region. The U.S. has also agreed to help transport African Union peacekeeping troops to the region. THERAPY Vice President Joe Biden will announce $100 million in funding for mental-health services Tuesday in Newtown, Connecticut. He will be speaking at an event for the families of the victims of last December's shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. According to the White House, the funds will be used to create community-health centers or to expand services for those living with mental illness. The Obama administration will offer $50 million through the Affordable Care Act, and the other $50 million will likely come from the Department of Agriculture's push to fund rural health clinics. STEP BACK Congress reached a deal Monday to pass the annual National Defense Authorization Act—but without New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's proposed amendment that would attempt to curb sexual assaults. Monday's deal called for no additional amendments to the bill, which has been passed every year for the past 50 years to fund the military. Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin said Gillibrand's amendment was left off because the bill has to pass before Friday, when the House of Representatives adjourns. "There is no way to get a defense bill passed this year except the way we are proposing," Levin said. Gillibrand's spokeswoman said the senator will work on making her amendment a standalone proposal. | | 
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