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.
Discussion:
BBC, Weekly Standard, Telegraph, MoJo Blog Posts, Wall Street Journal, The Lede, Wake up America, The Cable, Maggie's Farm, Democracy in America, Hot Air, Jihad Watch, Michelle Malkin, democracyarsenal.org, Washington Post, New York Magazine, Wonk Room, Outside The Beltway, Wolf Howling, The BLT, A Blog For All, Salon, On Deadline, The Daily Dish, The Washington Independent, ATTACKERMAN, Gateway Pundit, FP Passport and Danger Room
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Shane M. / New York Times:
A Different Iranian Revolution — WE look over this wall of marching people to see what our friends in the United States are saying about us. We cannot help it — 30 years of struggle against the Enemy has had the curious effect of making us intrigued. To our great dismay …
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 protests, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the outcome had to be decided at the ballot box, not on the street.
News: News blog:
Iran protests: live
Iran protests: live
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, Guardian, NPR Blogs, Right Wing Nut House, Taylor Marsh and Harry's Place
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Khamenei's Threat: “Who would be responsible if something happened?”
Khamenei's Threat: “Who would be responsible if something happened?”
Ella Flaye / Times of London:
Khamenei tells Mousavi to toe the line over election or be cast out
Khamenei tells Mousavi to toe the line over election or be cast out
Discussion:
presstv.ir, Foreign Policy, Guardian, Time, YID With LID, QandO, RealClearWorld and Hot Air
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 …
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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 …
The New Republic:
Will the Conservatives Please Attempt An Argument? — President Obama has taken a cautious tone toward the demonstrators in Iran, with his stated reason being that more open support would discredit their cause. This strikes me as a sensible position. The revealed preferences of both sides suggest …
Las Vegas Sun:
Text of Doug Hampton's letter to Fox News — Editor's note: Doug Hampton, the husband of Cynthia Hampton, who had an affair with Sen. John Ensign, explains in a letter to a Fox News Channel anchorwoman, Megyn Kelly, how the senator's affair with his wife has"completely ruined" the couple's lives.
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Jeff German / Las Vegas Sun:
Spouse of Ensign's mistress sought help in letter to Fox News — Husband's account of how wife's affair with Ensign ‘ruined our lives and careers’ comes to light — Doug Hampton, husband of Sen. John Ensign's affair partner, Cynthia Hampton, appears in this KLAS-TV video Wednesday.
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …, Wonkette, Don Surber, TPMMuckraker, News Hounds and Real Clear Politics
Chris Stanford / Capitol Briefing:
Ensign Defends Payments to Woman He Had Affair With
Ensign Defends Payments to Woman He Had Affair With
Discussion:
DownWithTyranny!
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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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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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 …
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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
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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.
Eric Kwan Yesterday / Facebook Blog:
Launching Facebook in Persian — Since the Iranian election last week, people around the world have increasingly been sharing news and information on Facebook about the results and its aftermath. Much of the content created and shared has been in Persian—the native language of Iran …
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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.
Sam Youngman / The Hill:
At fundraiser, Obama laughs at critics — As he looks to expand Democratic majorities in Congress, President Obama on Thursday night also used a fundraiser for his congressional allies to target his critics. — The president, speaking at a joint fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee …
CNN:
House expected to vote on Iranian resolution — WASHINGTON (CNN) - The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Friday on a resolution that supports “all Iranians who embrace the values of freedom, human rights, civil liberties and the rule of law.”
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David Weigel / The Washington Independent:
Republicans Nudge Democrats Over Iran Resolution
Republicans Nudge Democrats Over Iran Resolution
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Glenn Thrush's Blog, Think Progress, msnbc.com, ATTACKERMAN and Congress Matters
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, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and digg.com
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Xuan Thai / CNN:
Obama press secretary chronically tardy — WASHINGTON (CNN) — White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs delayed the start of his daily briefing Thursday — which is only remarkable for the fact it's so unremarkable. — The Bush White House briefings were only rarely delayed.
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
DEPT. OF ELECTIONS, CONSEQUENCES.... In light of George W. Bush's …
DEPT. OF ELECTIONS, CONSEQUENCES.... In light of George W. Bush's …
Discussion:
The Hill
Ali Frick / Think Progress:
Steele fearmongers on health care reform, warns of ‘health police’ who will enforce yearly physicals. — This morning, RNC Chairman Michael Steele hosted Bill Bennett's radio show. When a caller, who identified himself as a doctor, asked how President Obama would “mandate” preventive care …
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Washington Monthly
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Kate Barrett / The Note:
Obama Allies Target Insurance Companies in New TV Ad
Obama Allies Target Insurance Companies in New TV Ad
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Out of the Shadows — Would the Obama administration's plan for financial reform do what has to be done? Yes and no. — Yes, the plan would plug some big holes in regulation. But as described, it wouldn't end the skewed incentives that made the current crisis inevitable. — Let's start with the good news.
Discussion:
Ezra Klein, Latest Open Salon Blog, The Baseline Scenario, Angry Bear and Los Angeles Times