Top Items:
Aaron Beard / Associated Press:
Rape Charges Dropped in Duke Case — DURHAM, N.C. — Prosecutors dropped rape charges Friday against three Duke University lacrosse players accused of attacking a stripper at a team party, but the three still face kidnapping and sexual offense charges. — According to court papers filed Friday …
Discussion:
Daily Pundit
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New York Times:
Rape Charges Dropped in Duke Case — The district attorney today dropped rape charges against three former Duke University lacrosse players, but plans to go forward with sexual assault and kidnapping charges, his office said. — Michael B. Nifong, the Durham district attorney …
WRAL-TV:
Rape Charges Dropped in Duke Lacrosse Case — DURHAM — Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong moved Friday to drop rape charges against three Duke University lacrosse players. — Nifong said he plans to proceed with kidnapping and sexual assault charges against the three players.
Discussion:
TalkLeft
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Breaking: Durham D.A. drops rape charges against Duke lacrosse players
Breaking: Durham D.A. drops rape charges against Duke lacrosse players
Discussion:
Redstate, Durham-in-Wonderland, A Blog For All, QandO, Slublog, Don Surber and Ace of Spades HQ
KCCI-TV:
KCCI Poll Shows Vilsack 3rd Among Democratic Hopefuls — DES MOINES, Iowa — The Tom Vilsack campaign said it will get out the message that he is the best nominee for the party. But an exclusive new poll by KCCI-TV shows he has some work to do in his own state.
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Michael Barone / US News:
Polls for the Republican Nomination — Pollster.com has an interesting summary of the poll standings for the Republican nomination in 2008. It makes the point, largely overlooked by political writers of all stripes, that Rudy Giuliani has been leading John McCain in the large majority of polls, albeit usually by narrow margins.
Sue Lindsey / Associated Press:
Lawmaker stands firm on Quran criticism — ROCKY MOUNT, Va. - A congressman said Thursday that he will not retract a letter warning that unless immigration is tightened, "many more Muslims will be elected" and use the Quran to take the oath of office. — Republican Rep. Virgil Goode …
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Washington Post:
A Bigot in Congress — BIGOTRY COMES in various guises — some coded, some closeted, some colossally stupid. The bigotry displayed recently by Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr., a Republican who represents a patch of south-central Virginia, falls squarely in the third category.
The Blotter:
Al Qaeda Sends a Message to Democrats — Brian Ross and Hoda Osman Report: — Al Qaeda has sent a message to leaders of the Democratic party that credit for the defeat of congressional Republicans belongs to the terrorists. — In a portion of the tape from al Qaeda No. 2 man …
Bob Geiger / BobGeiger.com:
On Snowe-Landrieu Bipartisan Initiative: Kiss My Democratic Ass — Nausea alert: Do not read this on a full stomach if you're a Progressive, who has had it up to your eyeballs with some elected Democrats regularly accepting prison shower-room, Ned-Beatty-in-'Deliverance' treatment from Republicans …
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Rick Hasen / Election Law:
COURT ADOPTS "SEE NO EVIL" APPROACH IN CAMPAIGN FINANCE CASE; MAJOR CHANGES COULD BE ON THE HORIZON — Following up on this post, the 2-1 decision of the federal district court issued today in Wisconsin Right to Life v. FEC, if upheld by the Supreme Court, could bring us back to the days …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Associated Press, The Caucus, Captain's Quarters, Bill Hobbs, SCOTUSblog, Outside The Beltway and ACSBlog
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Rich Miller / Chicago Sun Times:
Pundits lose grip on reality when dealing with the Internet — What is it about the Internet that makes some political pundits, columnists and reporters so goofy? It seems like almost every time I read a mainstream media story about political Web sites and bloggers, the pieces are full of ill-informed junk.
Wall Street Journal:
Media-Sourcing Debate on Deck at Capitol — Congress Is Likely to Revisit — Calls for Federal Shield Law — As Baseball Case Culminates — WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is increasingly at odds with some Republicans over its efforts to make journalists reveal confidential sources.
Discussion:
CBS News
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The Blotter:
Exclusive: Al Qaeda U.K. on the Prowl for Targets; Encouraged to Strike During the Holidays — Brian Ross and Richard Esposito Report: — ABC News has learned that al Qaeda operatives in the greater London area are being encouraged to "strike during the Christian holidays," according to intelligence and law enforcement sources.
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Edmund L. Andrews / New York Times:
Study Suggests Incentives on Oil Barely Help U.S. — The United States offers some of the most lucrative incentives in the world to companies that drill for oil in publicly owned coastal waters, but a newly released study suggests that the government is getting very little for its money.
Washington Post:
Iraqi Prime Minister Tells Gates He'll Let U.S. Decide on Troop 'Surge' — Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told visiting Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates that he would let U.S. generals decide whether there is a need for a "surge" in U.S. troops deployed in Iraq, according to Iraqi officials with knowledge of the meeting.
Hassan M. Fattah / New York Times:
Bickering Saudis Struggle for an Answer to Iran's Rising Influence in the Middle East — At a late-night reading this week, a self-styled poet raised his hand for silence and began a riff on neighboring Iraq, in the old style of Bedouin storytellers. — "Saddam Hussein was a real leader …
Talking Points Memo:
Lovely. — According to Network World's Paul McNamara, the communications director for U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT), Todd Shriber, hired two 'hackers' to break into the computer of his alma mater, Texas Christian University, and change his college grades.