Top Items:
New York Times:
Congress Reaches Deal on Stimulus Plan — WASHINGTON — Senate and House leaders announced Wednesday evening that they had reached agreement on a $789 billion economic stimulus bill, clearing the way for final Congressional action and President Obama's signature, perhaps by the end of the week.
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Glenn Thrush / The Politico:
Did Reid roll Pelosi? — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid played a little high-stakes chicken with each other at the tail end of Wednesday's shotgun stimulus talks. — It's not clear who won - or who blinked. — According to a half dozen Congressional aides and members …
Jeff Poor / The Business & Media Institute:
Congressman Gives Speech in Front of Pelosi's Office: ‘There Are More Shady Deals Going on Behind Closed Doors’ — Chairman of Republican Study Committee Rep. Tom Price blasts congressional leaders for not making the stimulus bill negotiations open to the public. — Business & Media Institute
Kate Phillips / The Caucus:
It's a Deal. Uh, Maybe Not. Maybe a Little Premature — The much-anticipated conference session — where a $789 billion deal on the economic stimulus package was about to become formal — has just been postponed. It was quite a spectacle, with several veteran senators and chairmen waiting …
Connie Hair / Human Events:
Republicans Shut Out of Stimulus Conference Negotiations — Republicans have caught the Democrats in a midnight “stimulus” power play that seeks to cut Republican conferees out of the House-Senate negotiations to resolve a final version of the Obama “stimulus” package.
David Espo / Associated Press:
Congress, White House agree on $790B stimulus bill — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — WASHINGTON - Moving with lightning speed, Congress and the White House agreed Wednesday on a compromise $790 billion economic stimulus bill designed to create million jobs in a nation reeling from recession.
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:Will Any Other Republicans Support the Stimulus Deal?
Discussion:
DownWithTyranny!
Washington Post:House, Senate Negotiators Reach Agreement on Stimulus
Discussion:
The Fix, JustOneMinute, Washington Monthly, The Plum Line, The RBC, Wonkette, Democratic Strategist, TalkLeft and Open Congress
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Cantor's Office Responds: Video Depicting AFSCME Members As Goons — Updated below with call on Cantor to apologize. — This isn't going to make the big unions very happy. GOP House leader Eric Cantor's office has come up with an intriguing response to the AFSCME ad bllitz targeting GOP leaders …
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Bobby Jindal / The Huffington Post:
GOP Rep. Cantor Attacked For Profanity-Laced Web Video — UPDATE: Rep. Eric Cantor has apologized, via a spokseperson: … As first reported by The Plum Line, Virginia Republican Eric Cantor is in hot water after responding to critics with a profane web video.
New York Times:
Continuity of the Wrong Kind — The Obama administration failed — miserably — the first test of its commitment to ditching the extravagant legal claims used by the Bush administration to try to impose blanket secrecy on anti-terrorism policies and avoid accountability for serial abuses of the law.
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, Salon, The Unreligious Right, The Gist, Firedoglake and The Atlantic Politics Channel
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Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Politics Channel:On State Secrets, Why Didn't The Administration Seek A Continuance?
Discussion:
The Daily Dish
Jeffrey Goldberg:
A Stunning Israeli Election — As I noted, I'm pretty far from Israel (geographically, that is), but my cell phone works in the western desert, and I've been talking to friends in Tel Aviv. A number of quick observations: — 1. The stunner, for me at least: The Labor Party is dead.
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, The American Scene, Informed Comment, Weekly Standard, Israel Matzav, FP Passport and Peace Pulse Blog
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight.com:
Give Geithner a Break — I don't think he did well yesterday. I don't know that he's the right guy for the job. But what I do know is the following: — 1. Nobody, absolutely nobody, has more incentive to get this right than the Obama Administration. If the economy collapses — well …
Mike Hall / AFL-CIO NOW BLOG:
Senate Committee Approves Solis as Labor Secretary — One week after postponing a confirmation vote on Hilda Soli as secretary of labor, the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today approved on a voice vote President's Obama's choice to lead the Labor Department and sent …
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Rasmussen Reports:
67% Say They Could Do A Better Job On The Economy Than Congress — When it comes to the nation's economic issues, 67% of U.S. voters have more confidence in their own judgment than they do in the average member of Congress. — Nineteen percent (19%) trust members of Congress more …
News Press:
Opportunites pour in for Cape teen who captured Obama's attention — Julio Osegueda's 15 minutes of fame is starting to bring in opportunity. — Since the 19-year-old Cape Coral resident had the opportunity to ask the president about receiving better benefits at his McDonald's job Tuesday during …
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Steve Austria (R-OH) Doesn't Know When the Depression Happened — Austrian economics (pardon the pun) continues to take over the Republican Party: … Probabilities indicate that this is not the stupidest conservative in congress.
Discussion:
Think Progress, The Huffington Post, Washington Monthly, Democracy in America, The Daily Briefing, OhioDaily and MoJoBlog
Kathleen Parker / Washington Post:
So Far, Amateur Hour — The first however-many days of Barack Obama's presidency have been a study in amateurism. — Many suspected that Obama wasn't quite ready, but kept their fingers crossed. Optimistic disappointment is the new holding pattern. — What's missing from Obama's performance …
The Age:
Angry survivors blame council ‘green’ policy — ANGRY residents last night accused local authorities of contributing to the bushfire toll by failing to let residents chop down trees and clear up bushland that posed a fire risk. — During question time at a packed community meeting …
Patrick O'Connor / The Politico:
House Dems work to reinstate cuts — Some House Democrats are working furiously to reinstate funds the Senate cut from an $789 billion economic stimulus package speeding to the floor this week. — In particular, progressive Democrats and members of the Congressional Black Caucus …
Nick Gillespie / Reason:
Remember This Catchphrase: “Maybe Too Little, Always Too Late” — Now that the stimulus package is about to become law (likely signed by Barack Obama on President's Day next Monday no less!), here's something to keep in mind. And on file. — And if this chart is correct …
Discussion:
Dean's World
Pamela Geller / Atlas Shrugs:
RIGHT BEFORE THE ELECTION OF PRESIDENT HUSSEIN: “A $550 Billion Electronic Run on the Banks” … This is un-frickin-believable. The financial crisis was deliberate, planned, staged. Who made the run? … Electronic Run On Banks - $550 Billion Withdrawn In 1 Hour, Federal Reserve Halts Withdrawals …
Discussion:
Theo Spark
Veronique de Rugy / Reason:
800 Billion Reasons To Be Worried — The Senate stimulus bill should only stimulate taxpayer anger — How bad is the stimulus bill just passed by the Senate? Well, at least as bad as the one passed last week by the House of Representatives, but probably not as bad as the final bill …
David G. Savage / Los Angeles Times:
Solicitor general nominee says ‘enemy combatants’ can be held without trial — Elena Kagan tells a senator she agrees with Attorney General Holder that the U.S. is at war and therefore may detain suspected terrorists indefinitely. — Reporting from Washington — Harvard Law Dean Elena Kagan …
Frank Newport / Gallup:
On Darwin's Birthday, Only 4 in 10 Believe in Evolution — Belief drops to 24% among frequent church attenders — USA - Evolution - Intelligent Design - Religion and Social Trends - Americas - Northern America — PRINCETON, NJ — On the eve of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth …
Brody Mullins / Wall Street Journal:
Big Business Loses Out on Tax Break — WASHINGTON — From auto dealers to the home-building industry, big business appears to be the biggest loser in the final economic stimulus plan being pieced together Wednesday on Capitol Hill. — Negotiators from the House and Senate sliced billions …
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Jared Bernstein Explains the Connection Between Stimulus and Banking Rescue — Politically speaking, both the idea of a fiscal stimulus package in general and the specific stimulus plan working its way through the legislative process are quite possible. Rescuing—or “bailing out”—the financial system is another matter.
Discussion:
Wonk Room
The Huffington Post:
Bailed-Out Firms Distributing Cash Rewards: “Please Do Not Call It A Bonus” — Two Wall Street firms that received at least $60 billion in government bailout funds will be rewarding their financial advisers with controversial retention payments, the terms of which one senior executive described as …
Discussion:
TPMMuckraker, Brave New Films blog, Pam's House Blend, Christy Hardin Smith and The Impolitic
Congress Matters:
Banking CEOs: We didn't think the bailout was necessary — by David Waldman aka Kagro X — Hey, who knew? — At the House Financial Services Committee hearing minutes ago, Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA-43) asked the following question: … I thought that was just about the biggest softball I'd ever heard.
Robert Farley / Lawyers, Guns and Money:
Why Tom Zarek Was Right — The following is a Letter to the Editor from “Concerned Colonial Citizen”, regarding the prospects of a permanent alliance between the Colonial government and the rebel Cylon. It is titled “Why Tom Zarek Was Right”. The letter is spoileriffic.
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias
Megan McArdle:
Maxine Waters brings the crazy — Her questions to the bankers are so bizarre that they don't know what to do. Ken Lewis looks like a deer in the headlights as Waters asks her about offshore loss mitigation efforts. He can't even figure out what she's talking about …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Business Channel
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