Top Items:
Rebecca Carr / Palm Beach Post:
STEVENS IS SMOKED OUT — After much speculation, a staffer to Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, admitted to Cox Newspapers today that the senator is the lawmaker who placed a "secret hold" on legislation that would open up the obscure world of government contracting to public scrutiny.
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CNN:
Sen. Stevens is 'the secret senator' — From Andrea Koppel, Ted Barrett and Abbi Tatton — Adjust font size: — WASHINGTON (CNN) — The identity of the blogosphere's "secret senator" has been revealed. — CNN has confirmed that Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska …
Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:
"MASKED" BILL-BLOCKER REVEALS SELF — A spokesman for Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) just confirmed his boss was the man behind the secret hold on the Coburn/Obama spending database bill, which has captivated a segment of the political blogging community in recent days.
Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:
Bill's Cost Troubled Me, Pork King Says — Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) held up a bill that would create a free, searchable database of government contracts and grants because he was worried about the proposal's price tag, his spokesman told me this afternoon. Its cost has been estimated at $15 million.
Associated Press:
Frist Failed to Fulfill a State Requirement for Medical License — The Senate majority leader, Bill Frist of Tennessee, did not meet all the requirements needed to keep his medical license active even though he gave paperwork to Tennessee officials indicating that he had, his office acknowledged Tuesday.
Mark Tapscott / Tapscott's Copy Desk:
As Predicted - It's Ted Stevens; And He Wants a "Cost-Benefit Analysis;" Why Coburn Knew but Didn't Tell; A Democrat Has Also Placed An Anonymous Hold — Congrats to TPMuckraker's Paul Keil who got a spokesman for Sen. Ted. Stevens, R-AK, to confirm that the Alaska Republican is the senator …
Associated Press:
CBS magazine slims down Couric in photo — NEW YORK - No, Katie Couric didn't suddenly lose 20 pounds. The incoming "CBS Evening News" anchor appears significantly thinner in a network promotional magazine photo thanks to digital airbrushing. — The touched-up photo of Couric dressed …
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Don Kaplan / New York Post:
WEIGHING ANCHOR — CBS PHOTO TRICKERY TAKES A LOAD OFF — 'SLIMMER' COURIC — Talk about a miracle diet - Katie Couric has become the Incredible Shrinking Anchorwoman. — Thanks to a computer "slight" of hand, the Tiffany network has made the new face of "CBS Evening News" instantly drop about 20 pounds.
Jamie Holly / Crooks and Liars:
Keith Olbermann Delivers One Hell Of a Commentary on Rumsfeld — Keith had some very choice words about Rumsfeld's "fascism" comments tonight. Watch it, save it and share it. — Olbermann delivered this commentary with fire and passion while highlighting how Rumsfeld's comments echoes …
Brian Williams / MSNBC:
President Bush talks to Brian Williams — An exclusive conversation on the one-year anniversary of Katrina landfall … BRIAN WILLIAMS: You have apologized for the damage, but what about the damage to your presidency? And Mr. President, here's what I mean, most call it your low point.
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USA Today:
Gasoline prices could keep falling — Gasoline prices are falling fast and could keep dropping for months. — "The only place they have to go is down," says Fred Rozell, gasoline analyst at the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS). "We'll be closer to $2 than $3 come Thanksgiving."
Discussion:
Redstate, Scared Monkeys, The Moderate Voice, Six Meat Buffet, Don Surber and Outside The Beltway
Washington Post:
For Congress in Maryland — Our choices: two worthy incumbents and one fresh face — REP. ALBERT R. WYNN has represented Maryland's 4th Congressional District since 1993, and in that time he has never faced a serious challenger. This year, in Donna Edwards , he does.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, MyDD, DownWithTyranny!, Andrew Sullivan, Daily Kos, The News Blog and AMERICAblog
Robin Wright / Washington Post:
Carter Agrees to Hold Talks With Khatami — Ex-President of Iran to Visit U.S. Amid Tensions Over Tehran's Nuclear Program — For an event that would turn a page in American history, former president Jimmy Carter has agreed in principle to host former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami …
Engram / Back Talk:
Americans Hate their Fabulous Economy — Polls consistently show that Americans are rather negative about the economy, and many have wondered why that might be considering that our economy is the envy of the world (as well it should be). The source of our pessimism is a bit of a mystery, and it is one that I am going to pursue.
Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
Tomlinson Cited For Abuses at Broadcast Board — CPB Ex-Chief Put Friend On Payroll, State Dept. Says — A year-long State Department investigation has found that the chairman of the agency that oversees Voice of America and other government broadcasting operations improperly used his office …
Barney Frank / Boston Globe:
Afghanistan ignored — A WAR is missing. Sadly, it is not missing from the physical location in which it is taking place, and people continue to die as it is waged. But it has largely disappeared from our national debate, and that debate has been sorely distorted as a consequence.
Discussion:
Security Watchtower, Liberty and Justice, The Huffington Post, Amygdala and The Democratic Daily
Confederate Yankee:
Armored Vehicle Experts: Reuters News Vehicle Not Hit By Israeli Missile — There has been quite a bit of debate in the blogosphere surrounding this story (note: link has been deactivated) of several days ago: … Despite the Israeli acknowledgement that they did fire on a "suspicious vehicle …
Amit R. Paley / Washington Post:
Iraqi hospitals are war's new 'killing fields' — Medical sites targeted by Shiite militiamen — Baghdad resident Abu Nasr, holding photographs and death certificates of relatives killed after going to the hospital, said that he would "prefer now to die instead of going to the hospitals."
Mark Steyn / macleans.ca:
Call me crazy. I blame terrorists. — Who is A. K. Dewdney? He's an adjunct professor of biology at the University of Western Ontario, and he has pieced together the truth about what happened on 9/11. You may be familiar with the official version: "To account for the events of Sept. 11 …