Top Items:
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
The GOP Has Declared War On Obama — This much is now clear. Their clear and open intent is to do all they can, however they can, to sabotage the new administration (and the economy to boot). They want failure. Even now. Even after the last eight years. Even in a recession as steeply dangerous as this one.
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Jeff Zeleny / New York Times:
Gregg Ends Bid for Commerce Job — WASHINGTON — Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire abruptly withdrew Thursday as the nominee for commerce secretary, saying he had “irresolvable conflicts” with President Obama over his economic stimulus plan and a concern over what many fellow Republicans believe …
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CNN:
BREAKING: Gregg withdraws — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire released a statement Thursday withdrawing from consideration to be President Obama's Commerce Secretary. — Full statement follows: — “I want to thank the President for nominating me to serve in his Cabinet as Secretary of Commerce.
David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:TIMING — According to our Matt Cooper, Gregg called New Hampshire …
The Politico:'I couldn't be Judd Gregg' — Sen. Judd Gregg abruptly withdrew …
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Buffalo News:
49 KILLED AS PLANE CRASHES INTO HOME IN CLARENCE CENTER — Forty-nine people died when a Continental Connection airplane crashed into a house in Clarence Center shortly after 10:15 p.m. Thursday, setting off a huge fire that could be seen miles away. — The dead included 44 passengers, four crew members and a person on the ground.
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CNN:
Police: 50 killed in Buffalo-area plane crash — CLARENCE CENTER, New York (CNN) — A Continental Airlines plane crashed into a home near Buffalo, New York, late Thursday, killing all 49 passengers and crew members and a person in the home, authorities said.
Buffalo News:
Beverly Eckert, widow of 9/11 victim, was aboard Flight 3407 — The usually joyful meet-and-greet area of the Buffalo Niagara International Airport was a corridor of tears and sorrow early this morning as family and friends of those aboard Continental Express Flight 3407 filed in to get official word of their loved ones' fates.
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Failure to Rise — By any normal political standards, this week's Congressional agreement on an economic stimulus package was a great victory for President Obama. He got more or less what he asked for: almost $800 billion to rescue the economy, with most of the money allocated to spending rather than tax cuts.
Jared Allen / The Hill:
Conference tactics leave deep House resentment — Leading House Democrats were smiling on Thursday, but some of them are furious with the Senate on its handling of the economic stimulus bill. — Even though House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid …
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New York Times:
Judges Plead Guilty in Payoffs for Jailing Youths — At worst, Hillary Transue thought she might get a stern lecture when she appeared before a judge for building a spoof MySpace page mocking the assistant principal at her high school in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. She was a stellar student who had never …
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Steve Lohr / New York Times:
Large Banks on the Edge of Insolvency — Some of the nation's large banks, according to economists and other finance experts, are like dead men walking. — A sober assessment of the growing mountain of losses from bad bets, measured in today's marketplace, would overwhelm the value of the banks' assets, they say.
Discussion:
The Corner, The Takeaway …, MyDD, Talking Points Memo, The Democratic Daily and American Street
Washington Whispers:
Congressional Offices Don't Have the Stimulus Bill, Lobbyists Do — We're receiving E-mails from Capitol Hill staffers expressing frustration that they can't get a copy of the stimulus bill agreed to last night at a price of $789 billion. What's more, staffers are complaining about who does have a copy: K Street lobbyists.
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Tahman Bradley / Political Punch:
D'oh! Caterpillar CEO Contradicts President on Whether Stimulus Will Allow Him to Re-Hire Laid Off Workers — EAST PEORIA, ILL. — President Obama today repeated the claim we asked about yesterday at the press briefing that Jim Owens, the CEO of Caterpillar, Inc., “said that if Congress passes our plan …
Discussion:
Power Line, The Caucus, Political Machine, Top of the Ticket, Betsy's Page, Don Surber, Wizbang, Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, Macsmind and The Other McCain
Timothy J. Burger / Bloomberg:
California's Napolitano Makes $220,000 From 1998 Campaign Loan — Feb. 13 (Bloomberg) — During a decade in Congress, California Representative Grace Napolitano has pocketed more than $200,000 of political contributions by charging as much as 18 percent interest on money she loaned to her own campaign.
Discussion:
The Swamp
Ashby Jones / Law Blog:
2.12.09: The Darkest Day Ever for Big Law Firms? — We don't know if we're quite ready to answer the above question in the affirmative, but we're getting close. What a day. The folks over at Above the Law have done yeoman's work tallying up the damage. (That is, so far. The day ain't even over.)
Wall Street Journal:
Obama's Enablers in Chief — Three Republicans voted for stimulus. — “I have worked with my colleagues — Republicans and Democrats — to cut wasteful spending in this bill and focus taxpayer dollars where they will do the most good.” — Sen. Kent Conrad, one extremely relieved man.
Discussion:
Betsy's Page
Mark Mazzetti / New York Times:
Global Economy Top Threat to U.S., Spy Chief Says — WASHINGTON — The new director of national intelligence told Congress on Thursday that global economic turmoil and the instability it could ignite had outpaced terrorism as the most urgent threat facing the United States.
Kevin G. Hall / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Will the stimulus actually stimulate? Economists say no — WASHINGTON — The compromise economic stimulus plan agreed to by negotiators from the House of Representatives and the Senate is short on incentives to get consumers spending again and long on social goals that won't stimulate economic activity …
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