Top Items:
The Huffington Post:
Obama Repeatedly Reminds House GOP Of Their Zero Stimulus Votes — In a meeting with House Republicans at the White House Thursday, President Obama reminded the minority that the last time he reached out to them, they reacted with zero votes — twice — for his stimulus package. And then he reminded them again.
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Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Obama Tactic Shields Health Care Bill From a Filibuster — WASHINGTON — At the prodding of the White House, Democratic Congressional leaders have agreed to pursue a plan that would protect major health care legislation from Republican opposition by shielding it from last-minute Senate filibusters.
Ezra Klein / American Prospect:
WAS SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM PART OF THE DEAL FOR RECONCILIATION? — We know a deal was struck on reconciliation. And we know what that looks like on the reconciliation side. But what did it take to get that? Cohn suggests Obama made a firmer commitment to paygo rules.
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Is Social Security on the Chopping Block?
Is Social Security on the Chopping Block?
Discussion:
American Prospect
Josh Kraushaar / Scorecard's Blog:
Tedisco concedes to Murphy — Republican state Assemblyman Jim Tedisco conceded the New York special election this afternoon to Democratic businessman Scott Murphy, giving the Democrats a key off-year victory in a race that both parties aggressively contested.
Discussion:
The Swamp, Townhall.com, Balloon Juice, Politics Nation, On Deadline, The New Ledger and New York Magazine
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Eric Kleefeld / TPMDC:
Democrat Murphy Wins, GOPer Tedisco Concedes NY-20 Special Election — The NY-20 special election is now officially over, with Democrat Scott Murphy the winner. — GOP candidate Jim Tedisco, who trailed by 401 votes as of yesterday's vote count, has called Murphy to concede, according to Murphy spokesman Ryan Rudominer.
Washington Post:
Document: Military Agency Called Harsh Methods ‘Torture,’ Questioned Their Effectiveness — The military agency that helped to devise harsh interrogation techniques for use against terrorism suspects referred to the application of extreme duress as “torture” in a July 2002 document sent …
Gerald Warner / Gerald Warner's blog listings:
Barack Obama and the CIA: why does President Pantywaist hate America so badly? — If al-Qaeda, the Taliban and the rest of the Looney Tunes brigade want to kick America to death, they had better move in quickly and grab a piece of the action before Barack Obama finishes the job himself.
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Justin Lahart / Wall Street Journal:
Berkeley Economist Emmanuel Saez Wins Clark Medal — University of California, Berkeley, economist Emmanuel Saez has won the John Bates Clark Medal, awarded by the American Economic Association to the nation's most promising economist under 40. — Mr. Saez, 36 years old …
Discussion:
Angry Bear
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Paul / Power Line:
Portrait of a dupe — Ben Smith at Politico has posted a video of Samantha Power, during the campaign, assuring the Armenian-American community that of Barack Obama's “willingness as president to commemorate [the Armenian genocide] and certainly to call a spade a spade and to speak truth about it.”
Discussion:
The Other McCain
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Paul Begala / The Huffington Post:
Yes, National Review, We Did Execute Japanese for Waterboarding — In a CNN debate with Ari Fleischer, I said the United States executed Japanese war criminals for waterboarding. My point was that it is disingenuous for Bush Republicans to argue that waterboarding is not torture and thus illegal.
Bill Maher / Los Angeles Times:
The GOP: divorced from reality — The Republican base is behaving like a guy who just got dumped by his wife. — If conservatives don't want to be seen as bitter people who cling to their guns and religion and anti-immigrant sentiments, they should stop being bitter and clinging to their guns, religion and anti-immigrant sentiments.
Karl Vick / Washington Post:
Friends Say Judge Bybee Regrets Interrogation Memo He Signed — Friends Say Judge Wasn't Proud of Outcome — LAS VEGAS — On a Saturday night in May last year, Jay S. Bybee hosted dinner for 35 at a Las Vegas restaurant. The young people seated around him had served as his law clerks …
Discussion:
AfterDowningStreet.org
Mark Silva / The Swamp:
Piper alert: Obama relocated in caution — It happens every once in a while. — A small airplane strays into the restricted air space over Washington, D.C., and the Capitol and White House lock down — people evacuated from the halls of Congress on Capitol Hill, and automatic weaponry coming out of the bags on White House grounds.
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John M. Broder / The Caucus:
Gore, Gingrich and Greenhouse Gases — Former Vice President Al Gore and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich returned to the Capitol on Friday to lecture their onetime colleagues on legislation that would impose limits on the gases blamed for the cooking of the planet.
Kevin Poulsen / Threat Level:
FBI Arrests Oklahoma Teabagger For Twitter Threats — An Oklahoma City man who announced on Twitter that he would turn an April 15 tax protest into a bloodbath was hit with a federal charge of making interstate threats last week, in what appears to be first criminal prosecution to stem from posts on the microblogging site.
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs
Mark Landler / New York Times:
Clinton, in Iraq, Blames ‘Rejectionists’ for Violence — BAGHDAD — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived here Saturday morning for a one-day visit, delivering an American show of support for Iraq as it battles a sudden eruption of violence, in the wake of suicide bombings …
Discussion:
MyDD
Thom Shanker / New York Times:
Army Ends Delay on Lightweight Armor — WASHINGTON — The Army has ordered that $3 million in new, lighter combat gear be sent immediately to two battalions preparing for Afghanistan, officials disclosed Friday. — The decision lifts a hold that the Army had ordered last month on the experimental effort …
Discussion:
PrairiePundit