Top Items:
Washington Post:
House, Senate Negotiators Reach Agreement on Stimulus — Final Bill Scales Down Total Package to About $789 Billion — House and Senate negotiators reached agreement today on a stimulus plan with a cost of about $789 billion after scaling down the versions passed by both houses, congressional leaders announced.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Plum Line, Wonkette, The Atlantic Business Channel, TalkLeft, The RBC and The Reaction
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New York Times:
Senators Announce Stimulus Agreement — WASHINGTON — Senate negotiators announced on Wednesday an agreement on a $789 billion economic stimulus bill, apparently clearing the way for final Congressional action and President Obama's signature. But House conferees were not so quick to endorse the package.
David Espo / Associated Press:
Key lawmakers reach deal on $789B stimulus bill — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — WASHINGTON - Moving with lightning speed, key members of the Senate announced agreement Wednesday on a $790 billion stimulus bill to create millions of jobs, and said President Barack Obama could sign the bill within days.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Politico, Washington Monthly, Political Machine, D-Day, MyDD, Reuters and Hullabaloo
CNN:
Agreement reached on proposed stimulus bill — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Negotiators have resolved the differences between the House and Senate versions of the stimulus bill, lawmakers said Wednesday. — “The bills were really quite similar, and I'm pleased to announce that we've been able …
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.
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Obama on Sweden — In response to a very good question for ABC News' Terry Moran, President Barack Obama specifically addressed why he's rejected a “Swedish” approach to the financial crisis: … Obama makes two arguments here, one about scale and one about national tradition.
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
Discussion:
Open Left, The Moderate Voice, Real Clear Politics, MoJoBlog, New York Times, Oliver Willis and Dean's World
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.
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CNN:
Peanut butter officials spurn Congress' questions — WASHINGTON (CNN) — The president of a peanut company and a plant manager accused of knowingly distributing contaminated food refused to answer questions posed by members of Congress on Wednesday, citing their Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination.
Discussion:
Indecision
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Michael Calderone / The Politico:
Harkin: ‘We need the Fairness Doctrine’ — Just this morning, I reported that Sen. Debbie Stabenow has backed off on the idea of holding hearings for radio accountability, something she discussed last week with liberal radio host Bill Press (leading to an uproar on conservative talk radio over the Fairness Doctrine).
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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:
Brave New Films blog, TPMMuckraker, Pam's House Blend, Think Progress, Christy Hardin Smith and The Impolitic
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 …
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 …
Newt Gingrich / Washington Times:
Where does the conservative movement go from here? — ANALYSIS/OPINION: — The conservative movement has a simple and almost certainly successful future if it does three things: — 1. Advocate first principles with courage, clarity, persistence and cheerfulness.
Discussion:
The New Republic, Washington Monthly, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Reaction, QandO, Shakesville and Riehl World View
Brian Riedl / The Foundry:
President Obama Set to Exceed President Bush's Deficits — “First of all, when I hear that from folks who presided over a doubling of the national debt, then, you know, I just want them to not engage in some revisionist history.” - President Barack Obama, February 9, 2009
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog
Geoff Earle / New York Post:
CONGRESS $HOPPING CARTS — WASHINGTON - “Fore!” — The federal government is preparing to spend millions to purchase a fleet of small electric vehicles that critics compare to golf carts. — The $838 billion economic stimulus bill that passed the Senate yesterday contains $300 million …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Patterico's Pontifications, Commentary, Gateway Pundit, RedState, The Strata-Sphere and Riehl World View
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.
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
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 …
Discussion:
RedState
Walter Griffin / Bangor Daily News:
Report: ‘Dirty bomb’ parts found in slain man's home — Agency says radioactive materials recovered in home of man allegedly slain by his wife — BELFAST, Maine — James G. Cummings, who police say was shot to death by his wife two months ago, allegedly had a cache of radioactive materials …
Discussion:
Riehl World View
Justin Miller / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Behind The Palin Pull Out — Sarah Palin is pulling back from her post-election media spree by withdrawing from CPAC, a move that can only help her if she wants a national political role. — Palin's pull out CPAC is striking because it represents a break in her media modus operandi …
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Ari Fleischer on “the grid in front of” the President — (updated below) — Daily Kos' Meteor Blades points to a rare moment of television candor last night, as Ari Fleischer explained to Bill O'Reilly how and why the White House determined which reporters were allowed to ask questions …
Discussion:
BuzzFlash.org
Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Sarah Palin turns 45 today. How are you celebrating? — Well, today is the Big 4-5 Sarah Louise Palin, the lipstick-wearing, pit-bull hockey mom whom some folks still can't get enough of — and others long ago did. (But, look, you're still here reading!)
Tom Baldwin / Times of London:
Show ‘torture’ evidence, US politician Bill Delahunt demands — A senior Democrat on Capitol Hill has mounted a fresh challenge to Britain's insistence that its relations with US intelligence agencies would be threatened by disclosing evidence of torture. — Bill Delahunt said that the …
Discussion:
Brian Beutler
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Marc Ambinder grants anonymity to “officials” to defend the Obama DOJ — (updated below - Update II - Update III) — From The New York Times Editorial Page today ("Continuity of the Wrong Kind"): … Last night, Rachel Maddow interviewed the torture victims' attorney, Ben Wizner of the ACLU …
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