Top Items:
CNN:
Abbas fires government; Hamas controls Gaza … GAZA CITY (CNN) — President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed the Hamas-led unity government and declared a state of emergency Thursday after four days of fighting that has left Hamas in control of much of Gaza. — Hamas has seized control …
Discussion:
Times of London, BBC, Wizbang, Publius Pundit, Harry's Place, Pajamas Media, Michael P.F. van der Galiën and Daimnation!
RELATED:
New York Times:
Palestinian President Dissolves Government — The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, dissolved the unity government today, dismissing the prime minister, Ismail Haniya of Hamas, and announced the establishment of a temporary emergency government until new elections can be held.
Discussion:
Sigmund, Carl and Alfred, Israpundit, Israellycool, A Blog For All, Michael P.F. van der Galiën and Israel Matzav
James Taranto / Opinion Journal:
Best of the Web — Today's Videos on WSJ.com: Dan Henninger on the F—
Best of the Web — Today's Videos on WSJ.com: Dan Henninger on the F—
Pachacutec / Firedoglake:
Libby Loses Liberty — Walton: As a prelude to my ruling, the fact that I've written lengthy decisions does not suggest I think an issue is close. We are expected to give significant consideration to what we do. My effort is to try to get it right, so this is why I tke my time so length does …
Discussion:
Booman Tribune, Comments From Left Field, All Spin Zone, TIME: Swampland and Taylor Marsh
RELATED:
Pachacutec / Firedoglake:
Sentencing Scooter Live Blog Part I — This morning we have the hearing as to whether or not Scooter Libby will be free on bond pending the outcome of his appeal. — For us lay people, here's the essential legal landscape: — Judge Walton has already said he is disinclined to leave Libby free …
Washington Post:
Judge Won't Delay Libby's Prison Term for Appeal — A federal judge today ordered I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby to report to prison within weeks to begin serving a 30-month sentence for lying to federal investigators about his role in disclosing a covert CIA officer's identity to the media.
Discussion:
On Deadline, DownWithTyranny!, Don Singleton, TalkLeft, Wonkette and Watching Those We Chose
John Bresnahan / The Politico:
Reid labels military leader 'incompetent' — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "incompetent" during an interview Tuesday with a group of liberal bloggers, a comment that was never reported.
Discussion:
Senator Bill Frist, Think Progress, BobGeiger.com, New York Times, protein wisdom, Washington Monthly, The Impolitic, BLACKFIVE, Comments From Left Field, Taylor Marsh, Neptunus Lex, Don Surber, Captain's Quarters, Hot Air, ShrinkWrapped, The Carpetbagger Report, Townhall.com, Betsy's Page, Confederate Yankee, Gay Patriot, The Populist, Brian Beutler, National Review, The Jawa Report, The Strata-Sphere, JammieWearingFool and Instapundit.com
RELATED:
Greg Sargent / Election Central:
Politico Story Saying Reid Called Generals "Incompetent" Is Denied — One of the big stories of the day is this front-page piece in The Politico that claims that Harry Reid blasted General Peter Pace as "incompetent" and described General David Petraeus in similar terms on a recent conference call with liberal bloggers.
Fox News:
Majority Leader Reid Close to Reviving Senate Immigration Bill — WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will approve a new deal on immigration on Thursday and move to bring the once-dead legislation back to the Senate floor next week, Democratic sources told FOX News.
Frank Phillips / Boston Globe:
Legislators vote to defeat same-sex marriage ban — A proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was defeated today by a joint session of the Legislature by a vote of 45 to 151, eliminating any chance of getting it on the ballot in November 2008. At least 50 votes were needed to advance the measure.
RELATED:
Ann Scott Tyson / Washington Post:
No Drop in Iraq Violence Seen Since Troop Buildup — Three months into the new U.S. military strategy that has sent tens of thousands of additional troops into Iraq, overall levels of violence in the country have not decreased, as attacks have shifted away from Baghdad and Anbar …
Discussion:
USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, A Chequer-Board of Nights …, DownWithTyranny!, Think Progress, IraqSlogger.com, Outside The Beltway, Informed Comment, Heading Right, Agence France Presse, The Mahablog, Power Line, The Populist, BobGeiger.com, Macsmind, The Democratic Daily, The Atlantic Online, Central Sanity, Right Wing Nut House, Guardian, The American Mind, Angry Bear, PoliBlog (TM), The Carpetbagger Report, The Newshoggers, Jules Crittenden and Captain's Quarters
RELATED:
Roger Friedman / Fox News:
Angelina Jolie's Freedom of Press, on Her Terms — Odds 'n' Ends — Angelina Jolie's Freedom of Press, on Her Terms — Angelina Jolie's true colors came out Wednesday as she promoted a film about freedom of the press and then tried to censor all her interviews.
Dan Eggen / Washington Post:
DOJ Investigates if Gonzales Tried to Influence Aide's Testimony — The Justice Department is investigating whether Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales sought to influence the testimony of a departing senior aide during a March meeting in Gonzales's office, according to correspondence released today.
Ezra Klein / American Prospect:
Let's Get Serious — What do liberal hawks actually want to do regarding Iran? — "Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so," said John Kenneth Galbraith, "almost everyone gets busy on the proof." — Today's liberal hawks are engaged in a slightly subtler game.
Discussion:
Neptunus Lex, Lawyers, Guns and Money, Brian Beutler, Middle Earth Journal, The Atlantic Online and Ezra Klein
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Chris Matthews on Fred Thompson's sexiness and smells — I've written a fair amount recently about the media's obsession with the faux-masculinity of GOP candidates in general, and the tough-guy military persona of Fred Thompson in particular, and don't have all that much to add about that specific topic at the moment.
Discussion:
Unfogged
Ezra Klein:
The Political Brain — I'm genuinely not a big fan of advice books for Democrats. Most of them strike me as very little beyond a complicated rationale for why the author's personal position is the only ideology that could construct a crushing majority in this country.
CNN:
LOU DOBBS TONIGHT — Lebanese Politician Killed in Beirut Bomb Blast; Is Gaza on Brink of Civil War? ; Iraq Mosque Explosion — THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. — LOU DOBBS, HOST: Tonight, the Middle East exploding in violence from Beirut to Gaza to Iraq.
Patricia Cohen / New York Times:
An Unexpected Odd Couple: Free Markets and Freedom — When President Bush declared last week that political openness naturally accompanied economic openness, his counterparts in Beijing and Moscow were not the only ones to object. Liberal and conservative intellectuals, even once ardent supporters …
ABCNEWS:
Edwards to Detail Health Care Plan — Presidential Candidate John Edwards to Announce Details of Health Care Overhaul Plan — Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards wants to reduce the cost of U.S. health care by removing patents for breakthrough drugs and requiring health insurance companies …