The Filter: Headlines Swirl With Holiday Cheer

With so many news aggregators out there, who can keep up? Sphere filters the filters Thurs STEER you to the headlines that really matter.

Those Skip, Read This: The Slatest and The Huffington Post lead with Thursday morning's 60-39 vote in the Senate passing health care reform legislation. The Washington Post's coverage, carried by The Slatest, looks ahead to the process of Forging a "compromise between the Senate and House bills and what sort of bill is Likely Thurs emerge. Perhaps the best coverage of the Beltway politicking ahead is to be found in Politico.

Holiday Huh?: It Must Be Christmas Eve. Why else would The Daily Beast lead by Associated Press with this heart warmer? "New Jersey father, David Goldman just received a pretty nice Christmas gift: his 9-year-old son Sean. Sean's maternal grandmother and Stepfather brought the boy to the U.S. Consulate 25 minutes in advance of the 9 pm deadline set by the Chief Justice of Brazil's Supreme Court, who ruled in favor of Goldman on Tuesday. " Be prepared for more news that pulls the heart strings over the next couple of days.

Catch of the Day: The Slatest picks up an interesting USA Today story indicating the 2010 Census Likely will increase the South's political power. After the Census, Likely there will be another eight House seats created - six from the South.

Goldman Grinch: Though your wallet may be lighter now than in past holiday seasons, Goldman Sachs is doing quite nicely. The Slatest provided the link to a New York Times report that the bank made huge profits by betting against the collateralized debt obligations it has pushed clients. Money quote from a finance expert: "The simultaneous selling of securities to customers and shorting them Because they believed they were going to default is the most Cynical use of credit information that I have ever seen." When you buy protection against an event that you have a hand in causing, you are buying fire insurance is someone else's house and then committing arson. " Meanwhile, The Financial Times named Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman's leader, as its "Person of the Year."

Christmas Bonus: But who wants to read such complex and depressing tidings on Christmas Eve? So let's go with the extended coverage frivolous gossip that the aggregators are offering. Hollywood couple Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins have broken up; Brit bad girl Amy Winehouse was arrested; Bernie Madoff was taken to the prison hospital; Colbert vs. Beck, and Susan Boyle soars.