Top Items:
New York Times:
As Confrontation Deepens, Iran's Leader to Speak — TEHRAN — As another day of defiance and uncertainty loomed in Iran's capital on Friday, it was increasingly apparent that there was no clear path out of a deepening confrontation that has posed the most serious challenge to the Islamic republic in its 30-year history.
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Ella Flaye / Times of London:
Khamenei tells Mousavi to toe the line over election or be cast out — The moderate Iranian leader who says that he was robbed of victory in last week's presidential election faces a fateful choice today: support the regime or be cast out. — Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader …
News: News blog:
Iran protests: live — A week after the disputed poll, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will lead Friday prayers today in an attempt to quell continuing anger at the re-election of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Follow live updates — 1.45pm:
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, Guardian, NPR Blogs, Right Wing Nut House, Taylor Marsh, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Harry's Place
BBC:
Ayatollah demands end to protests — Iran's Supreme Leader has issued a stern warning that protests against the country's disputed presidential election results must end. — In his first public remarks after days of demonstrations, Ayatollah Khamenei said the outcome must be decided at the ballot box, not on the street.
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The Washington Post fires its best columnist. Why? — (updated below - Update II - Update III - Update IV) — One of the rarest commodities in the establishment media is someone who was a vehement critic of George Bush and who now, applying their principles consistently …
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Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Obama Misses the Point With Iran Response — Millions of Iranians take to the streets to defy a theocratic dictatorship that, among its other finer qualities, is a self-declared enemy of America and the tolerance and liberties it represents. The demonstrators are fighting on their own …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Plank, Wolf Howling, New York Times, Macsmind, Betsy's Page, Commentary, Blue Crab Boulevard, Hot Air and MoJo Blog Posts
Patrick Gavin / Michael Calderone's Blog:
Froomkin out at Washington Post (UPDATED) — POLITICO learned today that the Washington Post has terminated its relationship with liberal columnist/blogger Dan Froomkin. Froomkin authored the “White House Watch” blog and was told today that the blog had essentially run its course.
The Politico:
Obama health plan imperiled — President Obama's campaign for health care reform by this fall, once considered highly likely to succeed, suddenly appears in real jeopardy. — Top White House advisers, especially Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, are still privately predicting massive changes to the health care system in 2009.
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Ezra Klein:
EXCLUSIVE: The Finance Committee's Health Reform Outline — A Senate source just passed me the latest outline of the Senate Finance Committee's health reform proposal. This is the post-CBO revision. Apparently, after the committee staff received the scores, they dug deep and quickly developed …
Discussion:
Think Progress, Washington Post, The Confluence, MoJo Blog Posts, Hullabaloo, Donklephant, DownWithTyranny!, The Treatment and FiveThirtyEight
Washington Post:
Senate's Health-Care Draft Calls for Most to Buy Insurance …
Senate's Health-Care Draft Calls for Most to Buy Insurance …
Discussion:
The Note, Washington Monthly, Wizbang, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Open Left
Rep. Jim Cooper / The Huffington Post:
Reconciliation Rules - Not Bipartisanship - Will Kill Health Care Reform
Reconciliation Rules - Not Bipartisanship - Will Kill Health Care Reform
Franz Och / The Official Google Blog:
Google translates Persian — Today, we added Persian (Farsi) to Google Translate. This means you can now translate any text from Persian into English and from English into Persian — whether it's a news story, a website, a blog, an email, a tweet or a Facebook message.
Chicago Sun Times:
Legendary CBS journalist Walter Cronkite reportedly gravely ill — FROM STAFF REPORTS — Legendary CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite, 92, long known as the “Most Trusted Man in America,” is gravely ill, according to multiple CBS News sources and published reports.
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Jimmy Orr / Christian Science Monitor:
Boxer scolds Army General for not calling her “Senator” — Ever wonder what Eric Cartman might sound like if he was in Congress? Wonder no more... California Senator Barbara Boxer is a Senator. And if you don't acknowledge it, she'll demand you acknowledge it. Even if you're a General in the United States Army.
Discussion:
Top of the Ticket, Scared Monkeys, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Don Surber and NewsBusters.org
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Elianne Friend / CNN:
Mom fined to tune of $1.9M for 24 illegal songs — (CNN) — A federal jury Thursday found a 32-year-old Minnesota woman guilty of illegally downloading music from the Internet and fined her $80,000 each — a total of $1.9 million — for 24 songs. — Jammie Thomas-Rasset's case …
Discussion:
Comments from Left Field
Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard:
Mousavi Spokesman Smacks Obama — In an interview with the Washington Post's Foreign Policy blog, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, described as Mir Hussein Mousavi's “external spokesman,” had some sharp words for President Barack Obama's recent comments about the demonstrations in Tehran.
Discussion:
Think Progress, Gateway Pundit, American Thinker, Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, The Washington Note and The Washington Independent
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Paul Wolfowitz / Washington Post:
Obama Needs to Change Stance on Iran — President Obama's first response to the protests in Iran was silence, followed by a cautious, almost neutral stance designed to avoid “meddling” in Iranian affairs. I am reminded of Ronald Reagan's initially neutral response to the crisis following …
Daily Mail:
Japan warns that North Korea may fire missile at U.S. on Independence Day — North Korea may launch a long-range ballistic missile towards Hawaii on American Independence Day, according to Japanese intelligence officials. — The missile, believed to be a Taepodong-2 with a range of up to 4,000 miles …
Discussion:
Fox News, Wizbang, Fausta's Blog, Gawker, The Gun Toting Liberal, digg.com and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS
Jake Sherman / Wall Street Journal:
White House Looks to Include Same-Sex Unions in Census Count — WASHINGTON — The White House said Thursday it was seeking ways to include same-sex marriages, unions and partnerships in 2010 Census data, the second time in a week the administration has signaled a policy change of interest to the gay community.
Alison Leigh Cowan / New York Times:
Pick for Protocol Post Corrects Failure to File Taxes in 2 Years — President Obama's choice as chief of protocol for the State Department, a position that carries the status of an ambassadorship, did not file tax returns for 2005 and 2006, errors she corrected last November.
Chris / AMERICAblog News:
Spitzer may have been on to something at AIG — What a stunning disclosure of arrogance. I remember having a healthy discussion with a former employee of that company who was defending him against Eliot Spitzers charges when he was the NY AG. The AIG spinmeister gave a great story …
Discussion:
American Street
ABCNEWS:
CONSERVATIVE LADIES PRETTY IN MINK — Pretty in Mink: Conservative Leading Ladies — Playwright turned U.S. Ambassador Clare Boothe Luce (1903 - 1987) — the namesake of the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute — was the editor of Vanity Fair, as well as a U.S. congresswoman from Connecticut.
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The Huffington Post