Top Items:
Paul D. Ryan / Wall Street Journal:
The GOP's Alternative Budget — President Obama offers us the option of European big government. — Today, the House of Representatives will consider two budget plans that represent dramatically different visions for our nation's future. — We will first consider President Barack Obama's plan.
Discussion:
CNN, The Atlantic Business Channel, CBS News, Wonk Room, Salon, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Shakesville, Crooks and Liars, AMERICAblog News, The Plum Line, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, DownWithTyranny!, Comments from Left Field, TIME.com, Think Progress, The American Scene, Fox News, Matthew Yglesias, On Deadline and Washington Wire
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Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
REASSURINGLY THE SAME — I realize that it doesn't afford me a lot of opportunities for personal or spiritual growth. But I'm nonetheless comforted by the fact that the Republicans running things in the House GOP caucus are still as clinically insane as in years past.
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
A BUDGET PERFECT FOR APRIL FOOLS' DAY.... Rumor has it that Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee, is one of the House GOP Caucus' sharper members. He has a reputation for knowing what he's talking about, and doing his homework.
The Huffington Post:
GOP Budget Plan Assumes Americans Would Choose Higher Tax Rate — House Republicans set themselves a high bar last week when they promised to deliver an alternative budget that drastically slashed taxes while also cutting the deficit further than the White House has proposed.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Washington Monthly, Matthew Yglesias, MoJo Blog Posts, TPMDC and Wonk Room
The Huffington Post:
White House: House GOP Budget A “Joke” — House and Senate Republicans emerged from an early morning meeting in a closed House chamber Wednesday morning to unveil their much-awaited budget alternative. — Roughly a hundred GOP men and women descended the East Capitol steps in a light drizzle …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo
Toby Harnden's blog listings:
Barack Obama's gift for the Queen: an iPod, your Majesty — Barack Obama met the Queen at Buckingham Palace today and gave her a gift of an iPod loaded with video footage and photographs of her 2007 United States visit to Richmond, Jamestown and Williamsburg in Virginia.
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Jonah Goldberg / The Corner:
Obama's Gift to the Queen — This just in: Diplomatic jaws dropped across the continent yesterday when it was revealed that U.S. President Barack Obama had, once again, fumbled a routine protocal of international statecraft: finding the right gift for a foreign leader or head of state.
Discussion:
Political Punch
Alistair MacDonald / Real Time Economics:
Obama Wades Into Murky Waters of Diplomatic Protocol — The goods news out of London is that Barack Obama has reaffirmed America's “special relationship” with the U.K. The bad news is that the “affinity and kinship” that the U.S. president spoke of apparently only extends to England.
Nina Totenberg / NPR:
Sources: Sen. Stevens Conviction To Be Voided — Audio for this story will be available at approx. 9:00 a.m. ET — · NPR's has learned that the Justice Department will drop all charges against former Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska. — A jury convicted Stevens last fall of seven counts …
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Carrie Johnson / Washington Post:
Some in Justice Department See D.C. Vote in House as Unconstitutional
Some in Justice Department See D.C. Vote in House as Unconstitutional
Discussion:
Power Line, The Corner, The Volokh Conspiracy, Law Blog, Hot Air, The Foundry and The Hill's Pundits Blog
Neil A. Lewis / New York Times:
U.S. to Drop Case Against Ex-Senator From Alaska
U.S. to Drop Case Against Ex-Senator From Alaska
Discussion:
The Swamp, Talking Points Memo, Room for Debate, AlterNet.org, Colorado Independent, Washington Monthly and Reason
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Joe The Plumber Admits He Knows “Little” About EFCA, Gets Jeered By Workers — Oof. Looks like Joe the Plumber's campaigning against the Employee Free Choice Act in Pennsylvania didn't go so well. — Mr. Plumber, whose appearances were organized by the anti-EFCA group Americans for Prosperity …
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Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:
Joe the Plumber stumped on Employee Free Choice Act: 'I don't know everything about everything.' — Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, better known as “Joe the Plumber,” is currently in Pennsylvania shilling against the Employee Free Choice Act on behalf of the anti-labor group Americans for Prosperity.
Discussion:
Keystone Progress Blog, Wearecentralpa.com, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, Pam's House Blend and Shakesville
Calvin Woodward / Associated Press:
PROMISES, PROMISES: Obama tax pledge up in smoke — Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition — WASHINGTON - One of President Barack Obama's campaign pledges on taxes went up in puffs of smoke Wednesday. — The largest increase in tobacco taxes took effect despite Obama's promise …
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Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
New Obama tax outrage: Nominee leaves IRS refunds unclaimed!
New Obama tax outrage: Nominee leaves IRS refunds unclaimed!
Discussion:
Christian Science Monitor
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Democrats Predict 210-Vote Victory in NY-20 — Venture capitalist Scott Murphy (D) will win the special election in New York's 20th district by 210 votes after all outstanding absentee and military ballots are counted, according to projections made by Democratic Party officials and obtained by the Fix.
Discussion:
The Politico, TPMDC, New York Times, Politicker NY, Hotline On Call, Swing State Project and Salon
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Helene Cooper / The Caucus:
We're Not Keeping Score, but... LONDON — Is President Obama trying to muzzle his press corps? — The standard form during “joint press availabilities” — bureaucratic lingo for press conferences where leaders from two different countries stand next to each other and take questions from reporters …
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Michael Calderone / Michael Calderone's Blog:
NYT asks: ‘Obama trying to muzzle press?’
NYT asks: ‘Obama trying to muzzle press?’
Discussion:
The Swamp
P.J. Gladnick / NewsBusters.org:
David Letterman Calls Bill O'Reilly a ‘Goon’ During Heated Interview — Whenever Bill O'Reilly appears on the David Letterman show you just know sparks are going to fly due to Letterman's inability to keep his anger managed and last night's show did not disappoint although it seems that Letterman …
Brad Plumer / The New Republic:
Light-Switch Fever! — John Boehner and other House Republicans have been going around saying that Obama's cap-and-trade proposal to reduce carbon emissions will cost each U.S. household $3,128 per year. Where'd they get that figure from? Apparently from this MIT analysis of a similar plan.
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Eric Kleefeld / TPMDC:
Bachmann Talks Up Anti-Global Money Amendment, Gets 30 Cosponsors — Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) appeared on Glenn Beck's TV show yesterday, to talk up her proposed constitutional amendment to stop the Obama administration from replacing the dollar with a global currency:
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
RELATED:
David Crary / Associated Press:
Retired military officers: keep ban on gays — NEW YORK - More than 1,000 retired military officers, including several who were top commanders, are urging President Barack Obama and Congress to maintain the law that bars gays from serving openly in the armed forces.
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Andrew Walden / Front Page Magazine:
Barack Obama: Born in Hawaii — A fairly impressive internet industry has sprung up claiming that Obama was born in either Kenya or Indonesia. This is nonsense which distracts from the broadly unexplored story of Obama's upbringing. This kind of nonsense has emerged because the McCain campaign chose …
Discussion:
pw
Moe Tkacik / TPMMuckraker:
Harvard Derivatives Whiz Fired For Emailing Larry Summers About “Frightening” Trades? — A former quantitative analyst at Harvard Management Company, the university's once-vaunted endowment manager, tells the Harvard Crimson she was fired for voicing concern to then-university president Larry Summers' chief …
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Andy McCarthy's Tax “Knowledge” — Andy McCarthy writes, in what I understand is not an April Fool's Day post, that: … Every time I read this kind of thing I wonder: Why on earth does McCarthy think that Obama is stubbornly refusing to cut taxes when doing so would raise revenues?
Discussion:
The Corner
Fox News:
Koh, No? Critics Decry Obama Nominee for State Department Legal Adviser — Harold Koh, President Obama's pick to become one of the State Department's top lawyers, has ignited fury among critics who say his legal views are a threat to American democracy. — FOXNews.com
Discussion:
The Washington Independent
New York Post:
MASTHEAD MASSACRE — FORBES AXES AT LEAST 20 FROM MAG AND WEB — RIGHT about now, U2 front man Bono is probably wondering what he's gotten himself into by buying such a big stake in Forbes Media. — Yesterday, the company cut at least 20 editorial positions in the latest move to stay ahead …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post
Wall Street Journal:
GM Bankruptcy? Tell Me Another — The president isn't serious about reform for Detroit. — President Obama rightly says “sacrifices” must be made if GM is to emerge as a viable company. But there's one sacrifice he won't make: his re-election chances, by leaving the fate of the UAW truly up to a bankruptcy judge.