Top Items:
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Chris Dodd to step aside — Embattled Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd (D) has scheduled a press conference at his home in Connecticut Wednesday at which he is expected to announce he will not seek re-election, according to sources familiar with his plans. — Dodd's retirement comes after months …
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The Note:
Democrats are Dropping Like Flies — ABC News' David Chalian Reports: Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter of Colorado, who was in for a tough reelection fight this year, canceled a scheduled fundraiser this evening and has decided not to seek reelection, according to Democratic sources familiar with the governor's plans.
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:
Ritter Dropping Out in Colorado — A source tells Political Wire that Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) is ending his re-election campaign. A fundraiser scheduled for tonight was canceled and all campaign staff was sent home in the middle of the day. — The decision does not appear …
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Colorado Governor Ritter to retire — Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) will not seek a second term this fall, according to Democratic sources briefed on his decision. — Ritter, elected in a landslide in 2006, had seen his political fate dip considerably in the intervening years …
Justin Kitsch / Byron L. Dorgan:
STATEMENT BY U.S. SENATOR BYRON DORGAN — “Representing North Dakota in the U.S. Congress for nearly 30 years has been one of the great privileges of my life. — “The work I have been able to do to expand our economy, create new opportunities in energy and water development …
Discussion:
TPMDC, Real Clear Politics, Politics Nation, Think Progress, Stop The ACLU, Washington Wire, Politics Daily, Michelle Malkin, NPR Blogs, Scared Monkeys, Emptywheel, Swing State Project, Open Congress, Power Line, Wizbang, Hot Air, Weekly Standard, GayPatriot, PoliBlog, The Lonely Conservative and Moe_Lane's blog
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Josh Kraushaar / Scorecard's Blog:
In shocker, Dorgan announces retirement — Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) announced this evening that he's retiring at the end of his term, a shocking development that threatens Democratic control of his Senate seat next year. — Dorgan was up for re-election in 2010, but the third-term senator …
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Dorgan to retire — North Dakota Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan will not run for re-election later this year, creating a major pickup opportunity for Republicans. — “After a lot of thought I have made the very difficult decision that I will not be seeking reelection in 2010, ” …
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
OH SNAP! Pelosi On Obama: ‘There Were A Number Of Things He Was For On The Campaign Trail’ — Speaker Nancy Pelosi had little to say this afternoon at a press conference following a meeting between House leaders and health care principals. She and other members acknowledged that a number …
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The Hill:
Pelosi tells C-SPAN: ‘There has never been a more open process’
Pelosi tells C-SPAN: ‘There has never been a more open process’
Discussion:
The Politico, Michelle Malkin, GayPatriot, The Lonely Conservative, Hot Air, Sister Toldjah, Stop The ACLU, Wizbang and Betsy's Page
Publius / Big Government:
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Military Blogger Michael Yon Detained, Handcuffed by TSA in Seattle Airport — Award winning war correspondent Michael Yon was detained and handcuffed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Yesterday by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel.
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Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Breaking: Michael Yon arrested at Seattle airport — Thank goodness our Homeland Security people are on the job after the EunuchBomber botched attack on Christmas Day. We certainly don't want to have independent war correspondents passing through our airports without revealing their annual income:
Michelle Malkin:
Airline security idiocy of the day: Milblogger Michael Yon …
Airline security idiocy of the day: Milblogger Michael Yon …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Newshoggers.com, QandO, The Lonely Conservative, Outside The Beltway and Pajamas Media
Nancy Dillon / NY Daily News:
Joan Rivers bumped off flight in Costa Rica when Continental gate …
Joan Rivers bumped off flight in Costa Rica when Continental gate …
Discussion:
Bookworm Room, Liberal Values, Atlas Shrugs, The Moderate Voice, The Jawa Report, Gothamist, QandO, Moonbattery and JammieWearingFool
Telegraph:
Pressure on Barack Obama to reveal what Britain said about Detroit bomber — Barack Obama is under pressure to disclose what information MI5 passed to the American authorities about the Detroit bomber after Downing Street disclosed that a file had been “shared” with the CIA in 2008.
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Sam Youngman / The Hill:
The FBI got ‘usable, actionable’ intel from terrorism suspect
The FBI got ‘usable, actionable’ intel from terrorism suspect
Discussion:
Weekly Standard
Adam Nagourney / New York Times:
Senator Dodd Will Not Seek Re-election, Democrats Say — WASHINGTON — Senator Christopher J. Dodd, the embattled Connecticut Democrat who was facing an increasingly tough bid for a sixth term in the Senate, has decided to step aside and not seek re-election, Democrats familiar with his plans said Wednesday.
Discussion:
The Atlantic Politics Channel, The Moderate Voice, Raw Story, Outside The Beltway and YID With LID
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Mark McKinnon / The Daily Beast:
The GOP's Tea Party Challenge — Blogs and Stories — Jim DeMint is just the latest conservative flirting with the far right's growing insurgency. Mark McKinnon on who's who in the bid to lead the movement—and what Republicans can do to capitalize on it. — Tea is the new Kool-Aid for Republicans.
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David Brooks / New York Times:
The Tea Party Teens
The Tea Party Teens
Discussion:
24Ahead, Another Black Conservative, No More Mister Nice Blog, Connecting.the.Dots, WillCollier.com, The Huffington Post, The Politico, Glenn Beck, protein wisdom, The TrogloPundit, Pundit & Pundette, The Corner on National …, New Mexico Independent, PERRspectives, Conservatives4Palin.com, Hit & Run, Commentary, The Reaction, Prairie Weather, The Moderate Voice and EconLog
Michael Goldfarb / Weekly Standard:
Palin: It's War, not a Crime Spree — A strong statement from the People's Governor:
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Why Didn't He Just Blow Himself Up In The Toilet? — A reader asks a very interesting question about the undie-bomber - why did he get back into his seat to detonate a bomb that had a ramshackle detonator and where he could be overcome by fellow travelers? Read the whole email:
Discussion:
Liberal Values, Winds of Change.NET, Jay Bookman, Riehl World View, PrairiePundit and marbury
Michael Barbaro / New York Times:
Harold Ford Jr. Weighs a Challenge to Gillibrand — Encouraged by a group of influential New York Democrats, Harold Ford Jr., the former congressman from Tennessee, is weighing a bid to unseat Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand in this fall's Democratic primary, according to three people who have spoken with him.
Michael Kinsley / The Atlantic Online:
Cut This Story! — ONE REASON SEEKERS of news are abandoning print newspapers for the Internet has nothing directly to do with technology. It's that newspaper articles are too long. On the Internet, news articles get to the point. Newspaper writing, by contrast, is encrusted with conventions …
Discussion:
ATTACKERMAN, Guardian, Felix Salmon, Outside The Beltway, Riehl World View, Hullabaloo and Ezra Klein
Peter Allen / Daily Mail:
France to introduce new law banning ‘psychological violence’ in marriages — France will become the first country in the world to ban ‘psychological violence’ within marriage later this year. — The new law, which would also apply to co-habiting couples, would see people getting criminal records …
Los Angeles Times:
Yemen's coming disaster — Its oil is expected to run out in 2017, but Yemen hasn't planned for its young, poverty-ridden population's post-oil future. — The Nigerian Islamist who allegedly attempted to detonate a bomb on a Christmas Day flight to Detroit, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab …
UnionLeader.com:
Granite Status: Newt set for NH return; Kuster raises big bucks — GINGRICH IN NH. With his profile and penchant for controversy as high as ever, Newt Gingrich will return to New Hampshire for the first time in nearly three years at the end of the month. — The Granite Status has learned …
Abby Goodnough / New York Times:
For Cape Cod Wind Farm, New Hurdle Is Spiritual — BOSTON — In a new setback for a controversial wind farm proposed off Cape Cod, the National Park Service announced Monday that Nantucket Sound was eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, guaranteeing further delays for the project.
Wall Street Journal:
Toyota, Ford Show Year-End Sales Gain — The auto industry closed one of its worst years in history on a positive note, with U.S. sales rising about 15% in December and many executives predicting a gradual recovery in 2010. — Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co …