Top Items:
ACLU:
Abuse of Power: The Bush Administration's Secret Legal Memos — On April 16, 2009, the Department of Justice released four secret memos used by the Bush administration to justify torture: — A 18-page memo, dated August 1, 2002, from Jay Bybee, Assistant Attorney General, OLC, to John A. Rizzo, General Counsel CIA.
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Mark Mazzetti / The Caucus:
Obama Releases Interrogation Memos, Says C.I.A. Operatives Won't Be Prosecuted — Updated After a tense internal debate, President Obama officially announced this afternoon that his administration would not prosecute C.I.A. operatives for carrying out controversial interrogations of terrorist suspects …
Discussion:
UN Dispatch, The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, Salon, Wall Street Journal, Hullabaloo, AfterDowningStreet.org and The Plum Line
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Obama to release OLC torture memos; promises no prosecutions for CIA officials — [updated below - Update II -Update III (Interview w/ACLU's Jameel Jaffer - calls for a special prosecutor)] — In a just-released statement, Barack Obama announced that — in response to an ACLU FOIA lawsuit …
Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Obama Explains Memo Release Decision — In sum: he's decided to redact the identities of the CIA officers who conducted the interrogations, but everything else will be released without censorship. The full statement is after the jump; here's the part that reflects, I think, what Obama really thinks:
Discussion:
Political Machine
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Obama's huge test today: do we believe in secret law? — (updated below - Update II) — Today is the most significant test yet determining the sincerity of Barack Obama's commitment to restore the Constitution, transparency and the rule of law. After seeking and obtaining multiple extensions …
US Department of Justice:
Department of Justice Releases Four Office of Legal Counsel Opinions — In connection with ongoing litigation, the Department of Justice today released four previously undisclosed Office of Legal Counsel ("OLC") opinions - one that OLC issued to the Central Intelligence Agency in August 2002 …
MSNBC:
CIA employees won't be tried for waterboarding — Former CIA Director says torture memo release endangers the country — WASHINGTON - Seeking to move beyond what he calls a “a dark and painful chapter in our history,” President Barack Obama said Thursday that CIA officials …
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
The Banality Of Evil — Perhaps you are reading these documents alongside me.
The Banality Of Evil — Perhaps you are reading these documents alongside me.
Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Politics Channel: CIA Officers Granted Immunity From Torture Prosecution *** UPDATE ***
Paul Haven / Associated Press:
Spanish AG says no torture probe of US officials
Spanish AG says no torture probe of US officials
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, Blogs and Stories, Hot Air, RebelReports, The Atlanticist, Washington Monthly, DISSENTING JUSTICE and Jules Crittenden
Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
The Immunity Question: What's Obama's Angle?
The Immunity Question: What's Obama's Angle?
Discussion:
The Washington Independent
Carrie Johnson / Washington Post:
Administration Won't Charge CIA Officers for Approved Interrogations
Administration Won't Charge CIA Officers for Approved Interrogations
Discussion:
Democracy in America, United States Senator …, The Raw Story, Democrats.com and RebelReports
Eric Zimmermann / The Hill's Blog Briefing Room:
Schakowsky: Tea parties ‘despicable’ — Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) blasted “tea party” protests yesterday, labeling the activities “despicable” and shameful. “The ‘tea parties’ being held today by groups of right-wing activists, and fueled by FOX News Channel, are an effort to mislead …
Discussion:
The Market Ticker
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David Neiwert / Crooks and Liars:
Shepard Smith blows the ‘DHS is picking on the Tea Parties’ meme out of the water — You can view this video right here by getting the latest version of Flash Player! — Shepard Smith brought that rarest of things to Fox News yesterday: amid the cacophony over the Tea Parties, he actually committed an act of journalism.
Matt Corley / Think Progress:
Politico's Mike Allen claims that author of DHS report on right …
Politico's Mike Allen claims that author of DHS report on right …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Democrat Who Blasted “Right Wing Extremism” …
Democrat Who Blasted “Right Wing Extremism” …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
“Tea Party” Protests Appear to Draw At Least 250,000 — This is an update and probably the last one. Those of you who are interested in extending the analysis (there are undoubtedly many events missing, although most of the major ones should now be covered) are encouraged to do so at Wikipedia or elsewhere.
Discussion:
The Atlantic Politics Channel, www.washingtonexaminer.com, Ross Douthat, Wall Street Journal, The Next Right, Democratic Strategist, Pajamas Media, The Corner, Firedoglake, Donklephant, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Outside The Beltway, The Mahablog, Infinite Monkeys, Newshoggers.com, The Liberty Papers, D-Day, MyDD and Denver Post
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Fox News:
Cable Anchors, Guests Use Tea Parties as Platform for Frat House Humor — Cable anchors and guests covered the anti-tax tea party protests by cracking a litany of barely concealed sexual references. — FOXNews.com — For thousands of Americans, Tax Day was a moment to protest …
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, Gateway Pundit, Sister Toldjah, Atlas Shrugs, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Political Machine and Don Surber
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Fox News Anchor: We Did Public Relations For Tea Parties
Fox News Anchor: We Did Public Relations For Tea Parties
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
Brian Faughnan / Weekly Standard:
House Democrat Leaders: Tea Partiers Are Racist, Nazi, Gun Nuts — If the Obama administration has taken flak for suggesting that conservative groups might be home to domestic terrorists, it looks like some House Democrat leaders are willing to go even further:
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Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Awesome: Chicago tea partiers confront CNN hack after hit piece …
Awesome: Chicago tea partiers confront CNN hack after hit piece …
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, AmSpecBlog, RedState, Founding Bloggers, The New Editor and Scared Monkeys
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Go Rick! — MSNBC is now picking up on the story of Gov. Perry of Texas hinting that the Stimulus Bill may be such a blow to the constitution that Texas may have to secede from the Union. But according to MSNBC, while Perry was making the comments, the crowd started chanting, “Secede …
Discussion:
Open Left
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Jay Bookman:
Georgia Senate threatens dismantling of USA — It wasn't quite the firing on Fort Sumter that launched the Civil War. But on April 1, your Georgia Senate did threaten by a vote of 43-1 to secede from and even disband the United States. — It was not an April Fool's joke.
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fra.dot.gov:
High-Speed Rail — Vision of High-Speed Rail in America — President Obama proposes to help address the nation's transportation challenges by launching new an efficient, high-speed passenger rail network in 100-600 mile corridors that connect communities across America.
Discussion:
CNN, Matthew Yglesias, Talking Points Memo, Taylor Marsh, Calitics, The Foundry and D-Day
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New York Post:
CNBC SWEATS ‘OBAMA-BASHING’ — THE top suits and some of the on-air talent at CNBC were recently ordered to a top-secret meeting with General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt and NBC Universal President Jeff Zucker to discuss whether they've turned into the President Obama-bashing network, Page Six has learned.
Newsdesk / Clout St:
Burris fundraising total: $845 — U.S. Senator Roland Burris, the controversial appointee to the seat once held by President Barack Obama, is holding his first campaign fundraiser since he took office this weekend—and the financial report he filed this week shows he could use some political donations.
George F. Will / Washington Post:
America's Bad Jeans — On any American street, or in any airport or mall, you see the same sad tableau: A 10-year-old boy is walking with his father, whose development was evidently arrested when he was that age, judging by his clothes. Father and son are dressed identically — running shoes, T-shirts.
Peter Urban / ConnPost.com:
Only 5 state residents donated to Dodd — WASHINGTON — Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd appears to have looked everywhere but his home state to fuel what pundits anticipate will be one of the most hotly contested races in the nation in 2010. — The five-term incumbent reported raising just $4,250 …
Discussion:
Scorecard's Blog
Forbes:
The Dangers Of The Drinking Age — The government pressured states to raise it to 21. So why didn't the move save lives? — For the past 20 years, the U.S. has maintained a Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21 (MLDA21), with little public debate about the wisdom of this policy.
Discussion:
Reason
Rasmussen Reports:
Election 2009: Virginia Governor Election — GOP's McDonnell Pulls Further Ahead in Virginia Governor's Race — Republican Bob McDonnell has lengthened his lead on all three Democratic hopefuls in the race to be Virginia's next governor, but it's a long way to Election Day.
Discussion:
Hotline On Call