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 …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Politics and Critical Thinking, The Gun Toting Liberal, Talking Points Memo, Washington Wire, Wonkette, FiveThirtyEight, TPMDC, Salon, Indecision Forever, The Washington Independent, Ben Smith's Blog, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, JammieWearingFool, Not Tucker Carlson, The Atlantic Politics Channel and On Deadline
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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.
David M. Herszenhorn / New York Times:
Senator Says He Had Affair With an Aide
Senator Says He Had Affair With an Aide
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog
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:
Washington Monthly, The Business & …, Riehl World View, Weekly Standard, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, TVNewser, Crooks and Liars, Michelle Malkin, Brutally Honest, The Sundries Shack, The Mahablog, Doug Ross, Paco Enterprises, Politics and Critical Thinking, Blue Crab Boulevard, Hot Air, Macsmind, The Other McCain, The Live Feed, Flopping Aces, The Market Ticker, Don Surber, Patterico's Pontifications, Townhall.com, Right Wing Nut House and Right Wing News
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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.
McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Iran's senior ayatollah slams election, confirming split — Mousavi supporters streaming down Vali Asr Street in Tehran Tuesday. — TEHRAN, Iran — Supporters of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his main rival in the disputed presidential election, Mir Hossein Mousavi …
Discussion:
The Washington Note
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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.
Discussion:
The Daily Dish
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 …
RELATED:
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Neocon Egomania on Iran
Neocon Egomania on Iran
Discussion:
Political Punch, Salon, Washington Times, The Atlanticist, The New Republic and Democratic Strategist
Scott Butterworth / Washington Post:
Obama Intends to Extend Federal Benefits to Unmarried Partners — President Obama will announce tomorrow that he is extending federal benefits to include unmarried domestic partners of federal workers, including same-sex partners, White House officials said tonight.
Discussion:
Real Clear Politics
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Emma Ruby-Sachs / The Huffington Post:
Obama Offers Gays a Consolation Prize of Extended Benefits
Obama Offers Gays a Consolation Prize of Extended Benefits
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog
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
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 …
RELATED:
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
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:
Mere Rhetoric, Weekly Standard, Twitter Blog, Telegraph, TechCrunch, Indecision Forever, BayNewser, Outside The Beltway, Taylor Marsh, Gawker, techPresident and Althouse
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Anderson Cooper 360:
State Department to Twitter: Keep Iranian tweets coming
State Department to Twitter: Keep Iranian tweets coming
Discussion:
Agence France Presse, The Daily Beast, Webware.com, Berman Post, The Anchoress, Digits, TechCrunch, Mashable!, ReadWriteWeb, FP Passport and Wake up America
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!
Discussion:
Salon, Runnin' Scared, Gateway Pundit, FOX Forum, Liberal Values, No More Mister Nice Blog and Conservatives4Palin.com
RELATED:
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:
RELATED:
John Aravosis / AMERICAblog News:
BREAKING: HRC official & former top Clinton aide pull out of DNC gay fundraiser; Blade plans to photograph and video gay donors who attend — UPDATE: Show Obama you mean business, donate to AMERICAblog. — It's over, folks. A lot of us have been saying that if Marty Rouse …
RELATED:
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Gay figures pull out of Biden fundraiser
Gay figures pull out of Biden fundraiser
Discussion:
AMERICAblog News, Pam's House Blend, Gawker, Political Punch, #gay, DavidMixner.com and SquareState.net
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:
The Atlantic Politics Channel
Mark Halperin / The Page:
HALPERIN'S TAKE: 10 True Things About President Obama His Opponents Are Wrong About — 1. He will not pressure Israel into some deal that will undermine its security. — 2. He will not push for a health care plan without regard for cost savings. — 3. He is not captive to his party's liberal interest groups.
Howard A. Rodman / The Huffington Post:
Pardon Me, Sir, But is My Eye Hurting Your Elbow? … Sorry to say, the world can be divided into two kinds of people—those who apologize, and those who don't. Among the former is David Letterman, a man so sorry he apologized to Sarah Palin twice; and Harry Whittington, above …
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 …