Top Items:
Saaret / theroot.com:
‘An Accident of Time and Place’ — Henry Louis Gates Jr. on his meeting with Sgt. Crowley at the White House. — “...I thank God that I live in a country in which police officers put their lives at risk to protect us every day, and, more than ever, I've come to understand and appreciate their daily sacrifices on our behalf.”
Discussion:
Political Punch, Politics Daily, Althouse, Political Byline, Lynn Sweet, Pew Research Center and The Swamp
RELATED:
New York Times:
Over Beers, No Apologies, but Plans to Have Lunch — WASHINGTON — They came, they met, they drank. They did not apologize. — The much-anticipated “beer summit” of President Obama, the Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge Police Department …
Discussion:
TBogg
The Caucus:
What a White House Beer Says About Race and Politics — It's being called the “beer break” or the “suds summit.” But the gathering at the White House on Thursday evening of President Obama, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Harvard scholar, and Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge, Mass. …
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Disaster strikes beer summit: Biden decides to attend; Update: Obama issues statement; Update: “Toast” photo added; Update: Gates issues statement; Update: Obama played only a small part, says Crowley — Video via Greg Hengler. I wonder how long it took Greasy Joe to tell his first “two blacks and an Irishman walk into a bar” joke.
Political Punch:
Notes from the Suds Summit — The media was cordoned off approximately 45 feet away from the patio furniture where the beers were being quaffed, so we have no idea what was being said. — President Obama and Vice President Biden appeared to be doing what they could to keep the mood light …
Ken Thomas / Associated Press:
AP sources: Govt to suspend ‘cash for clunkers’ … WASHINGTON (AP) - Congressional officials say the government plans to suspend the popular “cash for clunkers” program amid concerns it could quickly use up the $1 billion in rebates for new car purchases. — The Transportation Department …
Discussion:
Don Surber, FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog, The Other McCain, Not Tucker Carlson and Cato @ Liberty
RELATED:
Fox News:
Success Threatens to Sink ‘Cash for Clunkers’ Program — The future of the popular program is up in the air as the Transportation Department worries it quickly will run out of the allotted $1 billion — WASHINGTON — The White House said Thursday it was reviewing what has turned out to be a wildly popular …
USA Today:
Government suspends ‘cash for clunkers’ program — The government is suspending the explosively popular ‘cash for clunkers’ program fearing it would go broke before it could parcel out what it still owes dealers for a huge backlog of sales. — The pending suspension was confirmed by Bailey Wood …
CNBC.com:
US Administration Working to Keep ‘Clunkers’ Program — The Obama administration and Capitol Hill sources told NBC News that efforts are underway to protect the auto sales incentive program, also known as “Cash for Clunkers.” — Although key members of Congress were notified by the Secretary …
Carrie Johnson / Washington Post:
Rove Had Heavier Hand in Prosecutor Firings Than Previously Known — Political adviser Karl Rove and other high-ranking figures in the Bush White House played a greater role than previously understood in the firing of federal prosecutors almost three years ago, according to e-mails obtained …
RELATED:
Glenn Thrush / Glenn Thrush's Blog:
57 signatures on anti-Blue Dog letter — About 50 House liberals have signed on to a letter calling the deal struck between the Blue Dogs and House leadership “totally unacceptable” — and have vowed to vote against it on the floor. — The point may be moot: Democratic leadership is spinning the deal …
RELATED:
Scott A. Hodge / Tax Foundation:
Tax Burden of Top 1% Now Exceeds That of Bottom 95% — Newly released data from the IRS clearly debunks the conventional Beltway rhetoric that the “rich” are not paying their fair share of taxes and disproportionately benefited from the Bush tax cuts. — Indeed, the IRS data shows that in 2007 …
J. Taylor Rushing / The Hill:
Baucus: ‘No idea’ how he'll vote on Sotomayor — Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said Thursday he hasn't made up his mind on whether he will vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. — Baucus this summer has infuriated liberals on and off Capitol Hill by working to strike a deal with Republicans on healthcare reform.
Discussion:
DownWithTyranny!, MyDD, The Politico, Left in the West, Think Progress and Lincoln Journal Star
New York Times:
Text of Colonel Reese's Memo — Text of memo from Col. Timothy R. Reese, Chief, Baghdad Operations Command Advisory Team, MND-B, Baghdad, Iraq. — It's Time for the US to Declare Victory and Go Home — As the old saying goes, “guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.”
RELATED:
The Hill:
Pelosi lashes out at private health insurance ‘villains’ — A day after formally delaying a vote on a healthcare bill and having to accept a further weakening of a public option to compete with private insurers, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) lashed out at the health insurance industry …
Discussion:
About.com US Liberal Politics, Flopping Aces, Reuters, Glenn Thrush's Blog, Hot Air and Raw Story
RELATED:
Stephen L. Carter / Washington Post:
The Quest for Profit Can Benefit Health Care
The Quest for Profit Can Benefit Health Care
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, Ezra Klein, Democracy in America, The Baseline Scenario, Betsy's Page and Reason
Doug Powers / Michelle Malkin:
Pelosi: The meltdown — It's happening — opposition to Hope …
Pelosi: The meltdown — It's happening — opposition to Hope …
Discussion:
Pajamas Media, NewsMax.com, Whiskey Fire, GayPatriot, Weekly Standard and And So it Goes in Shreveport
WhiteHouse.gov Blog:
President Obama Names Medal of Freedom Recipients 16 Agents of Change to Receive Top Civilian Honor — WASHINGTON - President Obama today named 16 recipients of the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom. America's highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom is awarded to individuals …
Discussion:
Buffalo News, Weekly Standard, NewsBusters.org, MoJo Blog Posts, Zandar Versus The Stupid and AMERICAblog News
RELATED:
BBC:
Detained Nigeria sect leader dies — The leader of an Islamic sect blamed for days of deadly violence in Nigeria has been killed in police custody, police officials have said. — Officials said Mohammed Yusuf was shot while trying to escape. They had announced his capture hours earlier.
RELATED:
Njadvara Musa / Associated Press:
Nigerian Troops Attack Islamist Mosque, Kill 100
Nigerian Troops Attack Islamist Mosque, Kill 100
Discussion:
BLACKFIVE
Rajiv Chandrasekaran / Washington Post:
In Afghanistan, U.S. May Shift Strategy — Request for Big Boost in Afghan Troops Could Also Require More Americans — The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is preparing a new strategy that calls for major changes in the way U.S. and other NATO troops there operate, a vast increase …
Discussion:
MoJo Blog Posts
Mark Joseph / The Huffington Post:
The only thing weirder than the Birthers are the anti-Birthers, who blame the Birthers for being conspiracy theorists yet actively feed the conspiracy by refusing to call for President Obama to release his birth certificate. — The state official in Hawaii who manages such things has reiterated …
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Encore: Master thespian reads Palin's Twitter free verse — Back by popular demand. These bits are actually less a testament to her goofiness than to the ability of Shatner's sublime hamminess to make anything funny. Set it to bass and bongos and add a few patented melodramatic pauses and even …
Christopher Toothaker / Associated Press:
Venezuela: ‘Freedom of expression must be limited’ — CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuela's top prosecutor insisted Thursday that freedom of expression in Venezuela “must be limited” and proposed legislation that would slap additional restrictions on the country's news media.
The Politico:
No Senate Finance bill before recess — That didn't last long. — A day after some unexpectedly positive signs for health care reform in Congress, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said Thursday that his committee would be unable to complete work on a bill before the August recess.
The Huffington Post:
Disorderly Conduct: Conversation About Gates Arrest Precedes Arrest — A lawyer who moments earlier had been complaining to friends about police overreaction in the arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., got a taste of the Gates treatment himself after loudly chanting …