Top Items:
Edward M. Liddy / Washington Post:
Repairing AIG and Repaying the Public — The government rescue of American International Group (AIG) and other financial firms has produced a palpable wave of anger on the part of Americans and a rising public demand for accountability from corporate and government leaders.
Discussion:
The Caucus, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, DealBook, The Atlantic Business Channel, DownWithTyranny!, Michelle Malkin and The BLT
RELATED:
CNN:
Dodd: I was responsible for bonus loophole — (CNN) — Senate Banking committee Chairman Christopher Dodd told CNN Wednesday that he was responsible for language added to the federal stimulus bill to make sure that already-existing contracts for bonuses at companies receiving federal bailout money were honored.
Ian Swanson / The Hill:
AIG staff: We deserve this money — AIG's new management team last year proposed that its employees give up their “retention” bonuses, or at least reduce them. The response from the 370 or so employees set to rake in $450 million in bonuses through 2010? — Take a hike.
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, The Swamp, CNNMoney.com, New York Times, The Politico and Political Punch
Glenn Thrush / Glenn Thrush's Blog:
Mack calls Geithner “disaster,” demands resignation
Mack calls Geithner “disaster,” demands resignation
Discussion:
The Note, Reuters, Weekly Standard, TIME.com, Democracy in America, The Plum Line and Swampland
Newt Gingrich / Human Events:
BREAKING: Gingrich Calls on Obama to End Bailouts
BREAKING: Gingrich Calls on Obama to End Bailouts
Discussion:
Think Progress
Julie Hirschfeld Davis / Associated Press:
Washington knew AIG was preparing to pay bonuses
Washington knew AIG was preparing to pay bonuses
Discussion:
The Politico, CNN, Associated Press, The Huffington Post, Bloomberg, The Fix, Washington Post, Time, QandO, Wake up America and Power Line
Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
No Boiled Carrots — Barack Obama even needs a teleprompter to get mad.
No Boiled Carrots — Barack Obama even needs a teleprompter to get mad.
Tucker Carlson / Blogs and Stories:
How Jon Stewart Went Bad — Inside Fritzl's Dungeon by Barbie Latza Nadeau — Blogs and Stories — There is a virtual ban on criticism of him in the press. Uncritical praise corrupts absolutely. — Jon Stewart's recent attack on CNBC's Jim Cramer was so brilliantly performed …
Discussion:
Will Wilkinson
RELATED:
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System:
For immediate release — Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in January indicates that the economy continues to contract. Job losses, declining equity and housing wealth, and tight credit conditions have weighed on consumer sentiment and spending.
RELATED:
Edmund L. Andrews / New York Times:
Fed to Buy $1 Trillion in Securities to Aid Economy — WASHINGTON — Saying that the recession continues to deepen, the Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it would pump an extra $1 trillion into the mortgage market and longer-term Treasury securities in order to revive the economy.
Noemie Emery / www.dcexaminer.com:
Palinphobes and the audacity of type — Now that the Obama presidency is nearing the 60-day mark, it's time to thank those fastidious scribes on the left and the right who worked so hard to warn us against Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, and the dire things that would surely occur if she ever got close to executive power.
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …
RELATED:
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
In Bid To Grab Control Of Story, Obama Takes Responsibility For AIG Mess — This morning I noted that Rahm Emanuel had sounded a bit of a false note, saying that Obama viewed the AIG mess as a “big distraction” from his efforts to fix the financial system overall. — Maybe not so much.
RELATED:
Roxana Tiron / The Hill:
Obama backs off plan to alter vets' healthcare — The White House on Wednesday backed off a controversial plan that would have dramatically altered the way the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) handles insurance claims, after veterans groups staged an all-out fight against such a proposal.
Discussion:
The Politico, Hot Air, Washington Monthly, FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog, This ain't Hell …, Wonk Room, BLACKFIVE and Neptunus Lex
Pete Winn / CNSNews:
Army Investigating How and Why Troops Were Sent Into Alabama Town After Murder Spree — (CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Army has launched an inquiry into how and why active duty troops from Fort Rucker, Ala., came to be placed on the streets of Samson, Ala., during last week's murder spree in that tiny South Alabama community.
Matt Lira / Office of the Republican Whip:
House Democrats Vote to Let AIG Keep Bonuses — Moments ago on the House floor, Democrats did something truly remarkable - they voted to let AIG executives keep their taxpayer-financed bonuses. As you know, this week, $165 million was awarded to 73 AIG employees primarily …
Andy Katz / ESPN:
Presidential pick 'em at the White House — ESPN.com takes an exclusive look at President Obama's bracket — WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Barack Obama has studied Lincoln and FDR to help guide him through the early stages of his presidency. — But he is very much a modern man …
Tom Gross Mideast Media Analysis:
Exclusive: This is CNN (& BBC-UNRWA connection revealed) — * CNN Jerusalem producer's shocking public outburst against Israel (see video below) — * Revealed: UNRWA spokesman who lied about Israel's shelling of a school previously worked at the BBC with Jeremy Bowen
Matt Corley / Think Progress:
The Husband Of Fox News' Greta Van Susteren Is A ‘Protector Of The Palin Brand’ — During the presidential campaign, Fox News's Greta Van Susteren had perhaps the best access to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin of any journalist. In September, she hosted a one-hour “documentary” …
Magazine Publishers of America:
ASME Announces 44th Annual National Magazine Award Finalists — The New Yorker, GQ, New York, Esquire and National Geographic Capture Most Ellie Nominations — Magazine Industry Celebrates Finalists on April 30 at Jazz at Lincoln Center — Sid Holt, Chief Executive of the American Society …
Alan Zibel / Associated Press:
Fannie plans bonuses of up to $611K for 4 execs — Fannie Mae plans bonuses of up to $611,000 for 4 executives; Freddie Mac has similar plans — WASHINGTON (AP) — Fannie Mae is planning to pay retention bonuses of as much as $611,000 each to several top executives of the government-controlled mortgage finance titan.
Alec MacGillis / Washington Post:
Union Engages in Labor Dispute With Its Own Employees — As it helps push for legislation that would make it easier for workers to organize, the country's fastest-growing union is engaged in its own labor dispute with employees it is seeking to lay off. — The Service Employees International Union …
Ben Katcher / The Washington Note:
Guest Post by Lawrence Wilkerson: Some Truths About Guantanamo Bay — Lawrence B. Wilkerson was chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell and is chairman of the New America Foundation/U.S.-Cuba 21st Century Policy Initiative. — There are several dimensions to the debate …
Josef Adalian / TVWeek.com:
Networks Grumbling About Another Obama Primetime Speech — President Obama's decision to hold another primetime news conference is playing havoc with the networks' sweeps schedules—and causing some in the industry to grumble about the financial impact. — The president has slated …
Richard Florida / Creative Class:
Are Bailouts Saving the U.S. from a New Great Depression? — Citing Justin Fox's terrific chart of unemployment then and Kevin Drum's comments, the always-insightful Matt Yglesias writes: … Yglesias is right: It's hard to say exactly what might have happened without the bailouts and stimulus.
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias
The Huffington Post:
Officials Disagree Over F.B.I. and U.S. Attorney Involvement in Nevada ACORN Investigation — Spokespeople for Nevada's top federal and state law enforcement authorities have staked out different positions when asked whether federal officials are involved with a voter registration fraud investigation …