Top Items:
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Ensign Acknowledges Extramarital Affair — UPDATE, 6:55 p.m.: In a press conference moments ago, Ensign admitted the affair but seemed resolved to remain in political life. “Last year I had an affair,” said Ensign. “I violated the vows of my marriage.” Ensign did not name the woman …
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Ncarlile / Think Progress:
FLASHBACK: Ensign Called On Clinton To Resign After Admitting Affair — ‘He Has No Credibility Left’ — The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza reports that Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), a member of GOP leadership and a potential candidate for president in 2012, will hold a press conference later today …
The Politico:
Ensign admits affair; sources say blackmail involved — Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign said Tuesday evening he is “truly sorry” about an affair he had last year with a campaign staffer, going public with an embarrassing admission about his marital infidelity.
Washington Post:
Nevada Sen. John Ensign Acknowledges Extramarital Affair — UPDATE, 5:55 p.m.: Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) has acknowledged an extramarital affair with a campaign staffer in a statement released by his office. “I deeply regret and am very sorry for my actions,” said Ensign.
Drudge Report:
ABC TURNS PROGRAMMING OVER TO OBAMA; NEWS TO BE ANCHORED FROM INSIDE WHITE HOUSE — On the night of June 24, the media and government become one, when ABC turns its programming over to President Obama and White House officials to push government run health care — a move that has ignited an ethical firestorm!
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Weekly Standard, Riehl World View, TVNewser, Doug Ross, Michelle Malkin, Crooks and Liars, Hot Air, The Other McCain, Macsmind, The Live Feed, The Sundries Shack, The Mahablog, Paco Enterprises, The Market Ticker, Blue Crab Boulevard, Politics and Critical Thinking, Flopping Aces, Patterico's Pontifications, Right Wing Nut House, Townhall.com, Right Wing News, No More Mister Nice Blog, This ain't Hell …, Classical Values and Babalú Blog
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Bill Dedman / MSNBC:
Obama blocks access to White House visitor list — Taking Bush's position, administration denies msnbc.com request for logs — The Obama White House has denied requests by msnbc.com and a nonpartisan watchdog group for the names of White House visitors. The watchdog group …
Kathryn Cheng / ABC News' Press Room:
ABC News Responds to RNC Letter — Dear Mr. McKay: — I am in receipt of your letter of June 15, 2009 and wanted to respond to a number of false premises you raise regarding our ongoing and upcoming coverage of health care. — I hope we can all agree that a robust debate of health care issues and potential policies is in order.
Sue Pleming / Reuters:
U.S. State Department speaks to Twitter over Iran — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department contacted the social networking service Twitter over the weekend to urge it to delay a planned upgrade that could have cut daytime service to Iranians, a U.S. official said on Tuesday.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Twitter Blog, Telegraph, TechCrunch, Indecision Forever, Taylor Marsh, Gawker, BayNewser, Outside The Beltway and techPresident
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Robert Mackey / The Lede:
Latest Updates on Iran's Disputed Election — To supplement reporting from New York Times correspondents inside Iran, The Lede will continue to track the aftermath of Iran's disputed presidential election online, as we have for the last several days. Please refresh this page throughout …
Discussion:
Open Left, Associated Press, Weekly Standard, Guardian, niacINsight, New York Times and News: News blog
Bernard-Henri Levy / The New Republic:
What We Can Do In Iran — Massive cheating or not? — RELATED CONTENT
What We Can Do In Iran — Massive cheating or not? — RELATED CONTENT
Walter Alarkon / The Hill:
In reversal, GOP balks at war funding — House Republicans are preparing to vote en bloc against the $106 billion war-spending bill, a position once unthinkable for the party that characterized the money as support for the troops. — For years, Republicans portrayed the bills funding …
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Perry Bacon Jr / Capitol Briefing:
House Approves $106B Bill to Fund Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan
House Approves $106B Bill to Fund Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan
Discussion:
Democrats.com
Joe Klein / Swampland:
McCain Unhinged — For two years now, John McCain has been entirely consistent on Iran: every last statement he's made—at least, those that I've seen—has been (a) fabulously uninformed and (b) dangerously bellicose. He's still at it, apparently. There is no question that President Obama's …
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Lindsey Ellerson / Political Punch:
Key Obama Ally Says President Obama Did Not Follow the Law in IG Firing — After being briefed today on President Obama's firing last week of Gerald Walpin, Inspector General of the Corporation for National and Community Service, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said the president did not abide …
Discussion:
YID With LID
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Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Breaking: First Democrat questions Obama over AmeriCorps IG firing
Breaking: First Democrat questions Obama over AmeriCorps IG firing
Discussion:
Power Line
Irving Dejohn / NY Daily News:
‘Fire Dave!’: Crowd lines up to protest Letterman's ‘Late Show’ Palin joke … An apology from David Letterman was good enough for Sarah Palin - but not for protesters who demanded the late night host's dismissal Tuesday at a Broadway demonstration. — “Fire Dave!
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Fox News:
Exclusive: Sarah Palin Accepts David Letterman's Apology for ‘Coarse’ Jokes — Sarah Palin has accepted comedian David Letterman's apology made during Monday night's broadcast of “The Late Show” for crude jokes made about her and her teen daughters last week.
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Grand Ayatollah Montazeri Takes A Stand — The reformist cleric in Qom, and once the designated successor to Khomeini, issues this statement. It may buttress the resistance's claim that they represent the Islamic revoltuion and the regime represents a coup:
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The New Republic:
Khamenei on the Ropes? — Robert Baer served in the CIA as a field operative from 1976 to 1997. His latest book is The Devil We Know: Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower (Crown Publishers, 2008). — In Iran nothing is ever as it seems, including presidential elections.
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Emma Ruby-Sachs / The Huffington Post:
Obama Offers Gays a Consolation Prize of Extended Benefits — Obama didn't have to defend DOMA. — Howard Dean protested on The Rachel Maddow Show that he doubts Obama himself was aware of the recently filed brief in defense of the Defense of Marriage Act.
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Dana Goldstein / American Prospect:
IRANIANS ARE PROTESTING AN ELECTION, NOT THE ISLAMIC STATE. — Among Mousavi supporters, a ritual is emerging: Each night, folks open their windows or step out on balconies at a coordinated time, shouting “Allah-o-akbar!” The phrase means, “God is Great,” and as Ali Gharib writes at Mondoweiss …
Discussion:
ATTACKERMAN
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Adam Horowitz / Mondoweiss:
Protesters aren't about ending the Islamic Revolution, they're …
Protesters aren't about ending the Islamic Revolution, they're …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
The GOP would have more credibility ... ... if its staffers would quit sending out e-mails like this: … ... and if the staffers in question would quit offering excuses like this: … You can see the image at the link; I'll skip reproducing it here. It's well described by Nashville Is Talking …
Washington Post:
Calif. Aid Request Spurned By U.S. — The Obama administration has turned back pleas for emergency aid from one of the biggest remaining threats to the economy — the state of California. — Top state officials have gone hat in hand to the administration, armed with dire warnings of a fast-approaching …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Calitics, Hot Air, Ezra Klein, GayPatriot, Reason, Wonk Room, Hullabaloo, Daily Kos and FOX Forum
CNN:
Oops! President Obama confuses right, left — (CNN) — President Obama is so busy these days dealing with pressing foreign policy issues like Iran and North Korea, that he can't seem to tell his right from his left. — After holding a bilateral meeting in the Oval office …
New York Times:
Extent of E-Mail Surveillance Renews Concerns in Congress — WASHINGTON — The National Security Agency is facing renewed scrutiny over the extent of its domestic surveillance program, with critics in Congress saying its recent intercepts of the private telephone calls and e-mail messages …
Discussion:
Emptywheel
Matthew Benjamin / Bloomberg:
Obama Says U.S. Jobless Rate to Reach 10% This Year — President Barack Obama said the U.S. unemployment rate will reach 10 percent this year, even as the economy begins to emerge from the recession. — “You're starting to see the engines of the economy turn,” Obama said today in an interview …
Discussion:
Not Tucker Carlson