Top Items:
Daily Kos:
Lieberman, Chafee To Hand Political Gifts To Their Opponents — Senators Joe Lieberman and Lincoln Chafee are poised to hand their political rivals great gifts today. They will be energizing the opposition to their continued presence in the Senate. — CNN's Ed Henry reports …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Loaded Mouth, TalkLeft, Democrat Taylor Marsh … and The American Mind
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ReddHedd / firedoglake:
Down to the Wire — Armando is reporting at DKos that the Gang of 14 (according to Ed Henry at CNN) will be voting as a block to prevent a filibuster due to their decision that extraordinary circumstances do not exist on this nomination. More information in Armando's DKos diary here.
rawstory.com:
Republican senator Lincoln Chafee says he will oppose Alito — RAW STORY — Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee (R-RI) announced this morning in Providence that he will vote against the nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. to the Supreme Court. — In a statement this morning …
Jane Hamsher / firedoglake:
NARAL Drops the Ball — The announcement this morning that Lincoln Chaffee would vote "no" on Alito but "yes" on cloture was a hollow gesture to NARAL and the pro-choice community he pretends to cultivate. A vote for cloture is a vote for Alito. It's that simple.
Discussion:
Democrat Taylor Marsh …
Debra Burlingame / Opinion Journal:
Our Right to Security — Al Qaeda, not the FBI, is the greater threat to America. — One of the most excruciating images of the September 11 attacks is the sight of a man who was trapped in one of the World Trade Center towers. Stripped of his suit jacket and tie and hanging on to what appears …
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Philip Bobbitt / New York Times:
Why We Listen — IN the debate over whether the National Security Agency's eavesdropping violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, we must not lose sight of the fact that the world we entered on 9/11 will require rewriting that statute and other laws.
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, TigerHawk, The Heretik, The Right Coast, Austin Bay Blog, Prometheus 6, Hyscience and Transterrestrial Musings
Associated Press:
Zawahiri, in New Videotape, Says He Survived Airstrike — CAIRO, Egypt — Al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri said in a videotape aired Monday that President Bush was a "butcher" and a "failure" because of a deadly U.S. airstrike in Pakistan targeting the bin Laden deputy, and he threatened a new attack on the United States.
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Steven R. Weisman / New York Times:
Rice Admits U.S. Underestimated Hamas Strength — LONDON, Jan. 29 — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acknowledged Sunday that the United States had failed to understand the depth of hostility among Palestinians toward their longtime leaders. The hostility led to an election victory …
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Shankar Vedantam / Washington Post:
Study Ties Political Leanings to Hidden Biases — Put a group of people together at a party and observe how they behave. Differently than when they are alone? Differently than when they are with family? What if they're in a stadium instead of at a party? What if they're all men?
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Justin Blum / Washington Post:
Exxon Makes U.S. Corporate History With High Profits — Exxon Mobil Corp. reported today that its 2005 earnings totaled $36.13 billion, the largest annual profit ever for a U.S. company. — The company's annual profit was up 43 percent from the year before.
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Arianna Huffington / The Huffington Post:
Russert Watch: Time for Russert to Do an Oprah — As faithful readers of Russert Watch know by now, I like to multitask while watching Meet the Press (you need to diversify your Sunday morning portfolio to lessen your risk of ruining your whole day). Sometimes I'm doing yoga, sometimes I'm talking with friends.
Ezra Klein:
Katrina Throws Down — Yeah, I guess I deserved that. You know what? Never mind. Katrina Vanden Huevel's slap at me for knocking Tim Kaine's appearance while not looking like Brad Pitt purposefully misses my point. In politics, looks matter. That's why the cover of Katrina's new book features her in a leather miniskirt.
Discussion:
TalkLeft, Hullabaloo, Crooks and Liars, Shakespeare's Sister, The Huffington Post, firedoglake and Brainster's Blog
Rob Stein / Washington Post:
Health Workers' Choice Debated — More than a dozen states are considering new laws to protect health workers who do not want to provide care that conflicts with their personal beliefs, a surge of legislation that reflects the intensifying tension between asserting individual religious values and defending patients' rights.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, The Carpetbagger Report, Andrew Sullivan, Street Prophets and Simianbrain
Robert Pear / New York Times:
Budget to Hurt Poor People on Medicaid, Report Says — WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 — Millions of low-income people would have to pay more for health care under a bill worked out by Congress, and some of them would forgo care or drop out of Medicaid because of the higher co-payments and premiums …
Discussion:
Happy Furry Puppy Story …, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Daily Kos, Amygdala, IntoxiNation-News …, Sirotablog, Don Surber, Eschaton and AMERICAblog
Bruce Kesler / Democracy Project:
Potty-Mouth Politics II — John Kerry and Ted Kennedy's posts grace DailyKos, leading far-left blog and home to repeated slurs and vulgar language, John Dean fulminates like a drunken Blue redneck, Nancy Pelosi channels Haight-Ashbury, and their Hollywood contributors echo their onscreen filth.
Discussion:
PoliPundit.com
BBC:
EU 'to keep funding Palestinians' — The European Union says it will continue funding the Palestinian Authority so long as its new government is committed to peace with Israel. — EU ministers renewed their call for Hamas to renounce violence and recognise the Jewish state following the militant group's election victory.
Scott Shiloh / Arutz Sheva:
Mofaz: Hamas Acting Responsibly; Hamas: Israel Must Change Flag — Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told the Israeli cabinet on Sunday that since the election Hamas was acting responsibly. Shortly afterwards, a senior Hamas official called on Israel to change its flag.
Agence France Presse:
Clinton warns of rising anti-Islamic feeling — DOHA (AFP) - Former US president Bill Clinton warned of rising anti-Islamic prejudice, comparing it to historic anti-Semitism as he condemned the publishing of cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper. — "So now what are we going to do? ...
Craig Whitlock / Washington Post:
Al Qaeda Detainee's Mysterious Release — Moroccan Spoke Of Aiding Bin Laden During 2001 Escape — RABAT, Morocco — For more than a decade, Osama bin Laden had few soldiers more devoted than Abdallah Tabarak. A former Moroccan transit worker, Tabarak served as a bodyguard for the al Qaeda leader …
Discussion:
The Counterterrorism Blog, the talking dog, Booman Tribune, Body and Soul, Brilliant at Breakfast and Daily Kos
Jeff Zeleny / Mercury News:
Democrats didn't make their case on Alito, Obama says — WASHINGTON - Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said he would vote Monday to filibuster Judge Samuel Alito's confirmation to the Supreme Court, but he conceded the effort would be futile and criticized Democrats for failing to persuade Americans …
Mark Mackinnon / Globe and Mail:
THE STERN FACE OF THE NEW PALESTINE — Hamas: Separate classes for girls and boys — JERUSALEM — The incoming Hamas government will move quickly to make Islamic sharia "a source" of law in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and will overhaul the Palestinian education system to separate boys …
Reuters:
Hamas appeals to foreign donors to keep funding PA — GAZA (Reuters) - Hamas appealed on Monday to foreign donors to lift threats to cut vital aid to a Palestinian government which the Islamic militant group is expected to form but rejected their calls to renounce violence against Israel.
David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:
In Alito, G.O.P. Reaps Harvest Planted in '82 — Last February, as rumors swirled about the failing health of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, a team of conservative grass-roots organizers, public relations specialists and legal strategists met to prepare a battle plan to ensure any vacancies were filled by like-minded jurists.
