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:
Not Tucker Carlson, The Washington Independent, DownWithTyranny!, Politics and Critical Thinking, Crooks and Liars, Washington Wire, The Gun Toting Liberal, FiveThirtyEight, TPMDC, Salon, Indecision Forever, Wonkette, Talking Points Memo, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, JammieWearingFool, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Ben Smith's Blog 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.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Gawker, Runnin' Scared, The Note, Not Tucker Carlson, Hot Air and Burnt Orange Report
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 — WASHINGTON — Senator John Ensign, Republican of Nevada, admitted Tuesday that he had an extramarital affair with a member of his campaign staff. — Mr. Ensign led the Republicans' campaign efforts in 2008 and had recently visited Iowa, apparently contemplating a run for president in 2012.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog
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
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:
Riehl World View, The Business & …, Washington Monthly, Wizbang, Crooks and Liars, TVNewser, Bookworm Room, Weekly Standard, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Mahablog, Doug Ross, Paco Enterprises, The Sundries Shack, Michelle Malkin, Politics and Critical Thinking, Brutally Honest, Blue Crab Boulevard, Macsmind, Hot Air, The Live Feed, Flopping Aces, The Other McCain, Don Surber and Confederate Yankee
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Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:
Reid Clarifies His Position On DADT: 'We Would Welcome A Legislative …
Reid Clarifies His Position On DADT: 'We Would Welcome A Legislative …
Discussion:
Advocate, Firedoglake, Outside The Beltway, Matthew Yglesias, BuggBlog, MichiganLiberal and DownWithTyranny!
Jeff Zeleny / New York Times:
U.S. to Extend Its Job Benefits to Gay Partners — President Obama will sign a presidential memorandum Wednesday to extend benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees, administration officials said Tuesday evening, but he will stop short of pledging full health insurance benefits.
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Scott Butterworth / Washington Post:
Obama Intends to Extend Federal Benefits to Unmarried Partners
Obama Intends to Extend Federal Benefits to Unmarried Partners
Discussion:
Real Clear Politics
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 …
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Josh Gerstein / The Politico:
W.H.: Fired IG ‘confused, disoriented’ — President Barack Obama removed a government agency's internal watchdog last week and plans to fire him in part because he was “confused” and “disoriented” at a meeting last month, the White House said in a letter to Congress Tuesday night.
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 …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, American Power, Obsidian Wings, PERRspectives and Wall Street Journal
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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, Twitter Blog, Telegraph, TechCrunch, Indecision Forever, Weekly Standard, BayNewser, Outside The Beltway, Taylor Marsh and Gawker
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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, Webware.com, The Daily Beast, Digits, Berman Post, The Anchoress, TechCrunch, Mashable!, ReadWriteWeb, FP Passport and Wake up America
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
Sara / Raye Man Kojast? Where Is My Vote?:
Grand Ayatollah Montazeri Issues Statement On Protests Against Poll Result — In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful — The noble and oppressed Iranian nation, — Greetings and salutation. In the recent days, I witnessed the exuberant and devoted endeavour and presence …
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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 …
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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, #gay, Political Punch, DavidMixner.com and SquareState.net
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:
Gateway Pundit, Salon, Runnin' Scared, FOX Forum, Liberal Values, Conservatives4Palin.com and No More Mister Nice Blog
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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.
New York Times:
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 of Americans …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Politics Channel
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 …