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CNN:
Former Sen. Jesse Helms dies — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, a North Carolina Republican who became an icon to conservatives, died Friday at the age of 86, a senior congressional source said. — The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank …
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Steven A. Holmes / New York Times:
Jesse Helms, Conservative Force in the Senate, Dies at 86 — Jesse Helms, the former North Carolina Senator whose courtly manner and mossy drawl barely masked a hard-edged conservatism that opposed civil rights, gay rights, foreign aid and modern art, died early Friday. He was 86.
Faiz / Think Progress:
Former Sen. Jesse Helms passes away. — Jesse Helms, a North Carolina Republican known as “Senator No,” died today at the age of 86. Helms left the Senate in 2003 after serving five terms. The Heritage Foundation credits Helms with establishing “the conservative movement and became …
Associated Press:
Former Republican N.C. Sen. Jesse Helms dies at 86 — RALEIGH, N.C. - Former Sen. Jesse Helms, who built a career along the fault lines of racial politics and battled liberals, Communists and the occasional fellow Republican during 30 conservative years in Congress, died on the Fourth of July.
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Rove's Third Term — Al Gore never claimed that he invented the Internet. Howard Dean didn't scream. Hillary Clinton didn't say she was staying in the race because Barack Obama might be assassinated. And Wesley Clark didn't impugn John McCain's military service.
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Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
A Man of Seasonal Principles — You'll notice Barack Obama is now wearing a flag pin. Again. During the primary campaign, he refused to, explaining that he'd worn one after Sept. 11 but then stopped because it “became a substitute for, I think, true patriotism.”
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, Matthew Yglesias, NewsBusters.org, TalkLeft, democracyarsenal.org, Soccer Dad, Pajamas Media and Los Angeles Times
New York Times:
New and Not Improved — Senator Barack Obama stirred his legions of supporters, and raised our hopes, promising to change the old order of things. He spoke with passion about breaking out of the partisan mold of bickering and catering to special pleaders, promised to end President Bush's abuses …
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
PLEASE, PLEASE, REPORTERS WITH BRAINS — I spent most of today in bed with some kind of nasty cold. So I only caught up on any news this evening. And I must confess to being little short of astounded by the avalanche of press BS I'm reading on Barack Obama's position on Iraq.
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
The Economy? Words Fail Me. — Think you're worried about the economy? Phillip Swagel is a wreck. — The assistant Treasury secretary for economic policy, Swagel came out for his monthly economic briefing yesterday, 90 minutes after the Labor Department reported that the country …
Chuck Plunkett / Politics West:
Mile-high Obama? Invesco Field may be venue — Barack Obama's campaign is considering moving his nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention from the Pepsi Center to Invesco Field at Mile High to allow tens of thousands to witness the historic moment, sources say.
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Deb Riechmann / Associated Press:
White House says ruling could free detainees in US — WASHINGTON - The White House said Thursday that dangerous detainees at Guantanamo Bay could end up walking Main Street U.S.A. as a result of last month's Supreme Court ruling about detainees' legal rights.
Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
Celebrity Passport Records Popular — State Dept. Audit Finds Snooping Was Frequent — Government workers repeatedly snooped without authorization inside the electronic passport records of entertainers, athletes and other high-profile Americans, a State Department audit has found.
Aditya Chakrabortty / Guardian:
Biofuels are prime cause of food crisis - leaked report — Biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75% — far more than previously estimated — according to a confidential World Bank report obtained by the Guardian. The damning unpublished assessment is based on the most detailed analysis …
Sarah Wheaton / The Caucus:
Obama Responds to FISA Protest on His Web Site — After a protest group gained prominence on Senator Barack Obama's own campaign Web site, the candidate has written a response to those who object to his support for the current compromise legislation in the Senate on immunity for telecoms.
Discussion:
The Carpetbagger Report, TIME.com, Liminal states, The Huffington Post, The Trail, Shakesville, MyDD and The Political Carnival
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