Top Items:
Abby Goodnough / New York Times:
In Massachusetts, Anxiety for Favored Democrats — BOSTON — Martha M. Coakley, the Democrat running for Senator Edward M. Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts, had seemed so certain of winning the special election on Jan. 19 that she barely campaigned last month. — But the dynamic has changed in recent days.
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Andy Barr / The Politico:
Palin rebuffs CPAC, Keene — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Pain is turning down an invitation to speak at one high-profile conservative gathering while accepting another. — Palin is declining an invitation to address the Conservative Political Action Conference next month because, a source said …
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Sarah Palin and the first 2012 Republican proving ground — 1. Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's decision to attend — and speak at — the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans in April transforms that event into the first legitimate cattle-call of the 2012 Republican presidential sweepstakes.
Hotline On Call:
GOP Insiders Sour On Palin — A poll of GOP insiders suggests that ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R) has little support among the party's professional class — and maybe that's just how she wants it. — In a survey of 109 party leaders, political professionals and pundits, Palin finished 5th …
New York Times:
U.S. Job Losses in December Dim Hopes for Quick Upswing — The United States economy lost more jobs than expected in December, tempering hopes for a swift and sustained recovery from the Great Recession. — The Labor Department said on Friday that the economy shed another 85,000 jobs last month …
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Christopher S. Rugaber / Associated Press:
Economy loses 85K jobs, unemployment rate steady — Employers cut more jobs than expected in December, unemployment rate holds at 10 percent — WASHINGTON (AP) — The economy lost more jobs than expected in December while the unemployment rate held steady at 10 percent …
Daniel Indiviglio / The Atlantic Business Channel:
National Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 10.0% in December
National Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 10.0% in December
Brian Ross / ABCNEWS:
Shock: Obama Forced to ‘Order’ Follow-Ups of Terrorist Tips — President Pledges ‘Accountability’ But No One Fired for Systemic Intel Failures — In a revealing admission, President Barack Obama said today he was directing U.S. intelligence agencies to begin to do something many had assumed …
Discussion:
Washington Post
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Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit:
Janet Napolitano Says She's Most Surprised By “Al-Qaeda's Determination” (Video) — Janet Napolitano told reporters today that she was most surprised by Al-Qaeda's determination. — Where has she been for the last 9 years? — They're terrorists, Janet. It's what they do.
Discussion:
Founding Bloggers, Scared Monkeys, Lynn Sweet, Sister Toldjah and The Lonely Conservative
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D.B. Grady / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Why Heads Should Roll — How courageous is Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, the father of terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab? If, as it is argued, the Islamic world sees the War on Terror as a War on Islam, it must have been quite intimidating to walk into the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria.
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Mike Allen / The Politico:
Palin aide warned of ‘epic debacle’ — Sarah Palin's charming opening debate line for now-Vice President Joe Biden — “Hey, can I call you Joe?” — was scripted after she repeatedly referred to him as “O'Biden” in preparation sessions, former McCain campaign senior adviser Steve Schmidt told “60 Minutes.”
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Robert Costa / The Corner on National Review Online:
Palin Scoops Politico — By: Robert Costa — Did Politico's Mike Allen read Going Rogue? If he did, he'd know that his scoop on Sarah Palin is actually quite old. Here's how Allen opens his story on Politico's homepage: … O, please. Palin detailed all of this months ago on page 289 of her book:
Discussion:
Top of the Ticket
Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
Steele comments have GOP aides pleading, ‘Get him to stop’ — Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele, under fire this week for a string of controversial statements he has made while promoting his new book, has so angered the party's congressional leaders that their aides …
Discussion:
Right Pundits, Top of the Ticket, The Caucus, Raw Story, Washington Times, Yahoo! News and Crooks and Liars
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Roger Lowenstein / New York Times:
Walk Away From Your Mortgage! — John Courson, president and C.E.O. of the Mortgage Bankers Association, recently told The Wall Street Journal that homeowners who default on their mortgages should think about the “message” they will send to “their family and their kids and their friends.”
Discussion:
The Business Insider, Felix Salmon, Grasping Reality …, Financial Times, Calculated Risk and The Awl
David Kocieniewski / New York Times:
New Jersey Senate Defeats Gay Marriage Bill — TRENTON — The State Senate on Thursday rejected a proposal that would have made New Jersey the sixth state in the nation to allow marriages involving same-sex couples. The vote was the latest in a succession of setbacks for advocates of gay marriage across the country.
Discussion:
The Corner on National …, LGBT POV, Politics Daily, Associated Press and AMERICAblog Gay
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Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
CBO estimates $390 billion budget deficit for first quarter of FY 2010 — The Congressional Budget Office late Thursday released a report estimating that the federal budget deficit was $390 billion for the first quarter of fiscal year 2010. — During the same quarter in 2009 …
Discussion:
The Page
Golnaz Esfandiari / Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:
Iran State TV Suggests Neda's Iconic Death Was ‘Faked’ — Iranian state television has made a documentary about the death of Neda Agha Soltan, a young Iranian woman who was shot dead during the June postelection protests in Tehran, suggesting she was an agent of the United States and Britain who staged her own death.
Discussion:
Enduring America, The Moderate Voice, Perfunction, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Hit & Run and FP Passport
Eric Zimmermann / The Hill:
Giuliani says Obama ‘turned the corner’ on terror — Rudy Giuliani had some rare words of praise for President Obama today, saying the commander in chief had “turned the corner” in efforts to fight terrorism,. — In an appearance on Good Morning America, Giuliani praised Obama for stating …
Elizabeth Mendes / Gallup:
More Americans Went Uninsured in 2009 Than in 2008 — Increase in number without health insurance spans across demographic groups — WASHINGTON, D.C. — While President Obama works with House and Senate leaders to hammer out a final healthcare bill before the State of the Union address …
Discussion:
The Hill
New York Times:
Potential Ford Senate Bid Sets Off Scramble — The New York political world reacted swiftly and strongly to the possibility of Harold Ford Jr.'s candidacy for the United States Senate, with top Senate leaders trying to squash the bid and close advisers to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg meeting …
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Obama pivots to jobs as key theme — President Barack Obama on Friday is making his promised hard pivot to jobs, following up the morning's release of December unemployment figures with an East Room announcement at 2:40 p.m. ET about stimulus dollars going to clean-tech jobs.