Top Items:
Byron York / www.dcexaminer.com:
Why Gregg Bailed — When he took the job, Republicans searched for a diplomatic way to ask: Are you crazy? — After 16 years as a Republican senator from New Hampshire, Judd Gregg has a lot of friends among GOP lawmakers, and in the past two weeks, many of them — perhaps most of them …
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Mark Murray / MSNBC:
FIRST THOUGHTS: THIS JUDD'S (NOT) FOR YOU — From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro — *** This Judd's (not) for you: Just when you thought the news was getting a bit stale — after the deal on the stimulus — came the latest twist and turn on the Obama White House's four-week-old rollercoaster ride.
William Kristol / PostPartisan:
Why Gregg Withdrew — In his statement backing out of the Commerce secretary position, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) said that he had “found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the census, there are irresolvable conflicts for me.” Gregg explained that, “Prior to accepting this post …
Charles Mahtesian / The Politico:
Gregg flip-flop emboldens GOP — Judd Gregg was all but dead to his Republican colleagues just a few days ago, another collaborator drinking the Obama Kool-Aid. — But the New Hampshire senator's surprise decision to remove himself from consideration as President Barack Obama's commerce secretary Thursday …
Discussion:
The Swamp, The New Republic, Matthew Yglesias, Commentary, George's Bottom Line, marbury, Swampland, New York Times, TPMDC, Federal Eye and THE WEEK - Online
Greg Miller / Chicago Tribune:
Predator drones flown from base in Pakistan, U.S. lawmaker says — Sen. Feinstein's surprise disclosure likely to complicate joint campaign against Taliban militants — WASHINGTON, D.C. - A senior U.S. lawmaker said Thursday that unmanned CIA Predator aircraft operating in Pakistan are flown …
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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.
Discussion:
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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 …
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 …
Discussion:
The Politico, New York Times, Hot Air, Wall Street Journal, Kausfiles, Political Machine, The Note and CNN
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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.
Sarah Pulliam / Christianity Today:
Phrase ‘Religious Right’ Misused, Conservatives Say — The term “Religious Right” pops up every election cycle, but leaders often identified with the political movement say that while their constituencies remain strong, the catchphrase deserves a proper burial.
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CNN:
Dems target right-wing talk radio — WASHINGTON (CNN) — More and More Democrats in Congress are calling for action that Republicans warn could muzzle right-wing talk radio. — Representative Maurice Hinchey, a Democrat from New York is the latest to say he wants to bring back the …
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Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
The Audacity of Audaciousness — It takes a certain amount of nerve to have an event at the National Press Club and then ban the press from covering it. — It takes another level of chutzpah entirely to admit members of the general public to your event at the National Press Club …
John B. Judis / The New Republic:
End The Honeymoon — Why the left is to blame for the lackluster stimulus and bank bailout. — There are many good things to say about the stimulus bill. But all in all, it wasn't as good as it could be: It's probably too small and too skewed toward tax cuts, and particularly cuts …
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Matthew Yglesias
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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:
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Tini Tran / Associated Press:
China to create blacklist of local journalists — BEIJING (AP) — China plans to create a blacklist of journalists who break its reporting rules, state media reported Friday, adding to an array of controls used to restrict its domestic media. — According to a report in the China Press …
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 …
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.
CNSNews:
Democratic Senator Predicts None of His Colleagues ‘Will Have the Chance’ to Read Final Stimulus Bill Before Vote — (CNSNews.com) - Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) predicted on Thursday that none of his Senate colleagues would “have the chance” to read the entire final version …
The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Are Dems Secretly Gutting Welfare Reform? — Is this the return of welfare wars? — The final compromise of the economic stimulus bill includes $5 billion for states that anticipate a larger than expected increase in welfare claims. But to give states maximum flexibility …
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Presented by Starbucks — Day 25: A tougher Obama plans huge agenda after stimulus fight — No dialing back, in a town as divided as ever — EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans are banding together once again and leaders now expect to lose at most 8 members on the final stimulus bill, after losing 0 the first time.
Discussion:
Think Progress
ProPublica:
The Stimulus Plan: A Detailed List of Spending — Congress released its compromise of the economic stimulus plan at 11 p.m. Thursday. Debate began in the House at 9 a.m., with voting set for 1 p.m. Want to know what's in it? You could read the 1,071-page gorilla they've posted.