Top Items:
Washington Post:
Anger Over Firm Depletes Obama's Political Capital — President Obama's apparent inability to block executive bonuses at insurance giant AIG has dealt a sharp blow to his young administration and is threatening to derail both public and congressional support for his ambitious political agenda.
Discussion:
The Atlantic Politics Channel, MSNBC, The Note, Boston Globe, The Fix, Right Wing News, Time, TIME.com, Right Wing Nut House, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Outside The Beltway, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Politico, The Strata-Sphere, PostPartisan, marbury, The Remmers Report, Boing Boing, Needlenose and The Mahablog
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Andrew Ross Sorkin / New York Times:
The Case for Paying Out Bonuses at A.I.G. — Do we really have to foot the bill for those bonuses at the American International Group? — It sure does sting. A staggering $165 million — for employees of a company that nearly took down the financial system. And heck, we, the taxpayers, own nearly 80 percent of A.I.G.
Nigel Duara / Associated Press:
Senator suggests AIG execs should kill themselves — IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley suggested that AIG executives should take a Japanese approach toward accepting responsibility for the collapse of the insurance giant by resigning or killing themselves.
Washington Post:
Rage at AIG Swells As Bonuses Go Out — Fed Decided Payouts Couldn't Be Stopped — A tidal wave of public outrage over bonus payments swamped American International Group yesterday. Hired guards stood watch outside the suburban Connecticut offices of AIG Financial Products …
Martin Kady II / The Politico:
Grassley on AIG execs: Quit or suicide
Grassley on AIG execs: Quit or suicide
Discussion:
Townhall.com, Political Machine, Open Left, Althouse, Cafe Hayek, Fox News, Fausta's Blog, Blogs and Stories and the talking dog
Michael Virtanen / Associated Press:
Cuomo to probe AIG bonuses for possible fraud
Cuomo to probe AIG bonuses for possible fraud
Discussion:
Think Progress
Michael Calderone / The Politico:
JournoList: Inside the echo chamber — For the past two years, several hundred left-leaning bloggers, political reporters, magazine writers, policy wonks and academics have talked stories and compared notes in an off-the-record online meeting space called JournoList. — Proof of a vast liberal media conspiracy?
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, The Corner, Michael Calderone's Blog, Patterico's Pontifications, RedState, NewsBusters.org, Hot Air, Moe Lane and Vox Popoli
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Majority Receptive to Law Making Union Organizing Easier — But most Americans not closely following news about union bill in Congress — PRINCETON, NJ — A new Gallup Poll finds just over half of Americans, 53%, favoring a new law that would make it easier for labor unions to organize workers; 39% oppose it.
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Richard Cohen / Washington Post:
Don't Blame Jim Cramer — What Jon Stewart needs is Jon Stewart. He could use a droll comedian to temper his ferocity and correct him when he's wrong, as he was about the financial media, particularly CNBC and its excitable analyst Jim Cramer. They didn't cover up the story of financial shenanigans.
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Jamison Foser / Media Matters for America:
Richard Cohen defends financial execs & business media; blasts Stewart
Richard Cohen defends financial execs & business media; blasts Stewart
Discussion:
Balloon Juice
Cyra Master / The Atlantic Business Channel:
Members Looking For Relief For Madoff Fraud Victims — Senate Finance Committee members will be looking for answers today from IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman as to whether investors defrauded by financier Bernard Madoff and other Ponzi schemes will be entitled to tax relief.
Discussion:
The Corner
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Byron York / www.dcexaminer.com:
Why tax problems have plagued Team Obama — Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner speaks at the Treasury Department in Washington, detailing the Obama Administrations plans for the economic recovery. It's been a recurring question about the young Obama administration: Why have so many of its nominees come down with tax problems?
Neil A. Lewis / New York Times:
Moderate Is Said to Be Pick for Court — WASHINGTON — President Obama is expected to name his first candidate to an appeals court seat this week, officials said, choosing David F. Hamilton, a highly regarded federal trial court judge from Indiana, for the appeals court in Chicago.
Eli Lake / Washington Times:
EXCLUSIVE: Israel's national security aide barred from U.S. — Former Israeli spy linked to Pentagon leak — Uzi Arad, who is expected to serve as national security adviser in the next Israeli government, has been barred from entering the United States for nearly two years on the grounds that he is an intelligence risk.
Ariana Eunjung Cha / Washington Post:
Aided by Financial Crisis, China Snaps Up Natural Resources Worldwide — Oil, Minerals Are Among Acquisitions Worldwide — SHANGHAI — Chinese companies have been on a shopping spree in the past month, snapping up tens of billions of dollars' worth of key assets in Iran, Brazil, Russia …
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Jeffrey Goldberg:
The Lieberman Disaster — Not this Lieberman, this Lieberman. It's not a disaster for the reasons some people think; I know Avigdor Lieberman a little bit, and he's actually a person interested in a cold compromise with the Palestinians. It's a disaster because he's made himself into a racist.
David Brooks / New York Times:
The Commercial Republic — Over the centuries, the United States has been most conspicuous for one trait: manic energy. Americans work longer hours than any other people. We switch jobs more frequently, move more often, earn more and consume more. — This energy was first aroused by abundance …
Jim Lindgren / The Volokh Conspiracy:
Illinois's special shame continues: Governor Confuses Democracy with Socialism. Pat Quinn, our new governor - who seems to be a decent enough guy though of modest talents - on Monday seems to have confused one of Karl Marx's and Joseph Stalin's most famous slogans with a democratic principle.
Discussion:
MSNBC
Christopher Beam / Slate:
Ron Paul's insane cameo in the upcoming Bruno movie. — Note: This article contains spoilers about Sacha Baron Cohen's upcoming movie, Bruno. — Presidential candidates will do almost anything for publicity. But Ron Paul's appearance in Sacha Baron Cohen's upcoming Bruno movie suggests …