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Newsdesk / Clout St:
House votes to impeach Blagojevich — Posted by Ray Long and Rick Pearson a 10:25 a.m.; last updated at 10:40 a.m.; (for the live blog, scroll down) — SPRINGFIELD—In a historic vote, the Illinois House has impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich, directing the Senate to put the state's 40th chief executive …
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Chicago Sun Times:
Change in Burris' story? — SPRINGFIELD — A potentially troublesome new detail emerged about Roland Burris' controversial U.S. Senate appointment Thursday after a state House panel voted unanimously to recommend Gov. Blagojevich be impeached. — For the first time, Burris indicated …
Rich Miller / The Capitol Fax Blog:
This just in... Supreme Court rejects Burris case — * 12:52 pm - The Illinois Supreme Court has just rejected Senator-Designate Roland Burris' motion to force Secretary of State Jesse White to co-sign Burris' appointment form... The ball is now in US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's, um, court.
Chicago Breaking News:
House impeaches Blagojevich — SPRINGFIELD—In a historic vote, the Illinois House has impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich, directing the Senate to put the state's 40th chief executive on trial with the goal of removing him from office. — The vote by the House was 114-1 with one member voting “present.”
Discussion:
Progress Illinois
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
The Obama Gap — “I don't believe it's too late to change course, but it will be if we don't take dramatic action as soon as possible. If nothing is done, this recession could linger for years.” — So declared President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday, explaining why the nation needs …
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John B. Judis / The New Republic:
Not Doing Enough — Why I worry that Obama doesn't realize just how bad things are. — Does Barack Obama understand the seriousness of the economic crisis? Yesterday, he laid out his economic agenda, and it was filled with all sorts of important exhortations and proscriptions.
Discussion:
Obsidian Wings, Sadly, No!, Kevin Drum, AMERICAblog News, The Washington Independent and Talking Points Memo
New York Times:
Senate Allies Fault Obama on Stimulus — WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama's economic recovery plan ran into crossfire from his own party in Congress on Thursday, suggesting that quick passage of spending programs and tax cuts could require more time and negotiation than Democrats once hoped.
The Politico:
O-bummer — Congressional Democrats are firing a surprising number of unexpectedly sharp brush-back pitches at President-elect Obama and his staff over policy plans and personnel picks, making him look embattled during what was to be a triumphant debut week in Washington.
Louis Uchitelle / New York Times:
Unemployment Hits 7.2%, a 16-Year High — With the recession in full swing, the nation's employers shed 524,000 jobs in December, the government reported Friday, and a rapidly deteriorating economy promised more big losses in the months ahead. December's job losses brought the total for 2008 …
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Rachel L. Swarns / The Caucus:
Obama's Mother-in-Law to Move Into the White House — (Photo: Ted S. Warren/Associated Press) — It's official: Marian Robinson, the 71-year-old mother-in-law of President-elect Barack Obama, will be moving into the White House, transition officials said on Friday.
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Blue Texan / Firedoglake:
Peggy Noonan Suddenly Decides That Hero-Worshipping Presidents Is “Un-American” — How can you tell a Democrat is about to move into the White House? When Nooners writes something like this: … Yep, presidents are just ordinary, regular schmoes who we hire and fire every 4 years.
Discussion:
Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!
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Becky Nahm / KSTP-TV:
POLL: Coleman should concede — An exclusive Survey USA poll shows nearly half of Minnesotans surveyed say its time for Republican Norm Coleman to concede the U.S. Senate race to Democrat Al Franken. — But the survey does not hold good news for Franken either.
Blogs and Stories:
Iran's Hottest Porn Video — The Farewell Chronicles: Survivors of the Bush Presidency Speak Out — Blogs and Stories — A hidden camera catches an Iranian cleric committing adultery, and the video rockets around the blogosphere, where a new generation can finally skirt state censorship.
Discussion:
Don Surber
Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
Online, Sarah Palin Has Unkind Words for the Press — Sarah Palin, still smarting over coverage of her vice presidential run, calls the media's reporting on her family “very scary” and says there may be “a class issue” that explains the more sympathetic treatment of Caroline Kennedy.
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Mindy Tate / Williamson Herald:
Blackburn says foreclosure notice on Brentwood home bank's mistake — A foreclosure notice published Thursday on 7th District Congressman Marsha Blackburn's Murray Lane home in Brentwood was the result of her bank's failure to make automatic payments to Countrywide Home Loans, according to her staff.
Discussion:
Anne Schroeder's Blogs
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
AN IMPORTANT CAUTION — From TPM Reader LG ... I think we're in a genuine crisis. One that is immediate and an overlapping one that is going to stretch far into the future. But we all, and I don't exclude myself, must be ever wary of the way our own egos and excessive regard …
Marisa Guthrie / Broadcasting & Cable:
Al Sharpton Filling Liberal Seat on ‘Hannity’ Premiere — Rep. Michelle Bachman (R-Minn.) will fill the seat on the right — The new Alan Colmes-less Hannity premieres Monday with frequent Fox News guest Al Sharpton filling the liberal seat on Sean Hannity's newly christened “Great American Panel.”
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, TVNewser, Political Machine, Wonkette, Gawker and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Endgame in Gaza — Israel's leaders have purposely obscured their war aims in Gaza. But there are only two possible endgames: (A) a Lebanon-like cessation of hostilities to be supervised by international observers, or (B) the disintegration of Hamas rule in Gaza.