Top Stories: Blizzard, North Korea, Payroll Tax Dispute

By Mark Memmott

Published December 20, 2011 at 8:20 AM CST

Good morning.

Our early headlines:

-- Blizzard Pounds Great Plains, Northeast May See White Christmas.

-- Kim Jong Un's Ascension Is 'Being Cemented For Him'.

-- 'Yes' Means 'No' Today For House Vote On Payroll Tax Cut Plan

-- Home Construction Rose In November; 2011 Still A Weak Year.

Other top stories:

-- "Philippines Floods: 'We Were Praying God Should Stop The Rise Of The Water.' " (The Guardian)

-- "Dawn Raid In Tahrir Square" As Clashes Continue In Cairo. (Al-Jazeera English)

-- "Syria Vows To Execute 'Terrorists' After Worst Day Of Violence." (The Christian Science Monitor)

-- Gingrich, Romney Tied In Latest ABC News/Washington Post Poll. (ABC News)

Mark Memmott

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.

See stories by Mark Memmott