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:
The Huffington Post, FiveThirtyEight, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Not Tucker Carlson, Washington Wire, Politics and Critical Thinking, DownWithTyranny!, Wonkette, Crooks and Liars, Talking Points Memo, The Washington Independent, The Atlantic Politics Channel, On Deadline, TPMDC, Salon, JammieWearingFool, Ben Smith's Blog, Comments from Left Field, MSNBC, Air America Media blogs, Stinque and Off the Kuff
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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:
Admission clouds Ensign's future — Sen. John Ensign acknowledged Tuesday that he had an affair with a campaign staffer — an admission that stunned his colleagues, hurt his chances for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination and called into question his future as a leader of the Senate GOP.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Runnin' Scared, The Note, Gawker, Burnt Orange Report, Hot Air, Not Tucker Carlson, Swampland and Roger Ailes
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:
×6675636B, Hot Air, MyDD, rubber hose, Booman Tribune, The Washington Note and Big Brass Blog
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Nazila Fathi / New York Times:
Bracing for New Protests, Iran Issues Media Warning — TEHRAN — Tehran braced for a possible third day of defiance by opposition supporters on Wednesday after Iran's leaders failed to halt huge demonstrations against last week's disputed election results. — Placed on the defensive …
Discussion:
The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Wall Street Journal, The Lede, The Corner, niacINsight, Fausta's Blog and Pajamas Media
Trita Parsi / Time:
Who's Fighting Who in Iran's Struggle?
Who's Fighting Who in Iran's Struggle?
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Associated Press, Agence France Presse, Aljazeera, New York Times, BBC and democracyarsenal.org
Jeff Zeleny / New York Times:
U.S. to Extend Its Job Benefits to Gay Partners — President Obama will sign a presidential memorandum on 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 coverage.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Pam's House Blend, Daily Dose, DISSENTING JUSTICE, Althouse, Truthdig and RedState
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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.
John Aravosis / AMERICAblog News:
BREAKING: HRC official & former top Clinton aide pull out of DNC …
BREAKING: HRC official & former top Clinton aide pull out of DNC …
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:
Fox News, Michelle Malkin, Nice Deb, AmSpecBlog, Flopping Aces, Balloon Juice, Piece of Work In Progress, Daily Pundit, Taylor Marsh and Atlas Shrugs
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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.
Discussion:
KY3 Political Notebook, Piece of Work In Progress, Crooks and Liars and WhiteHouse.gov Blog
The Politico:
Rural Dems have beef with Obama — Angered by White House decisions on everything from greenhouse gases to car dealerships, congressional Democrats from rural districts are threatening to revolt against parts of President Barack Obama's ambitious first-year agenda.
Discussion:
The Jawa Report
CNN:
Letterman protest draws more media than activists — NEW YORK (CNN) — A protest rally against David Letterman over a failed joke about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her daughter attracted more members of the media than protesters Tuesday afternoon. — A crowd of 15 protesters upset …
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Washington Post:
Obama Blueprint Deepens Federal Role in Markets — Plan to Overhaul Financial Regulation Focuses on Consumer Protection, Risk — The Obama administration last night detailed a series of proposals to involve the government more deeply in private markets, from helping to steer borrowers …
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Stephen Labaton / New York Times:
Obama Sought to Enlist a Wide Consensus on Finance Rules — WASHINGTON — President Obama's plan to reshape financial regulation, which he will unveil on Wednesday, is the product of weeks of meetings among government officials, financial experts, lawmakers, industry executives and lobbyists …
Jeffrey Young / The Hill:
Dems reel on healthcare — Congressional Democrats and the White House are scrambling to regain their footing after a series of setbacks has stalled political momentum to reform the nation's healthcare system. — Despite having a popular president in the White House and comfortable majorities in Congress …
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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 …
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:
Obsidian Wings, American Power, Commentary, The Huffington Post, PERRspectives, Balloon Juice and Washington Monthly
Reuters:
Obama frets on debt, sees U.S. unemployment rising — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that worrying about the U.S. government's finances “keeps me awake at night” and the country needed to start planning now to tackle soaring deficits.
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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.