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5:30 PM ET, January 21, 2010

Top Items:

Justices Block Key Part of Campaign Law — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has ruled that corporations may spend freely to support or oppose candidates for president and Congress, easing decades-old limits on their participation in federal campaigns. — By a 5-4 vote …

Discussion: Politics Daily, Cato @ Liberty, theblogprof, YID With LID, SCOTUSblog, Crooks and Liars, Outside The Beltway, Washington Post, Another Black Conservative, The Fix, The Confluence, PostPartisan, Left Coast Rebel, Sunlight Foundation, Ezra Klein, The Lonely Conservative, Washington Monthly and JustOneMinute

Adam Liptak / New York Times:

Justices Overturn Key Campaign Limits — WASHINGTON — Sweeping aside a century-old understanding and overruling two important precedents, a bitterly divided Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections.

Kenneth P. Vogel / The Politico:

Court decision opens floodgates for corporate political spending — The Supreme Court on Thursday opened wide new avenues for big-moneyed interests to pour money into politics in a decision that could have a major influence on the 2010 midterm elections and President Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Note, Guardian and The Swamp

The Hill:

Democrats plan bill to limit impact of campaign finance decision — Democratic leaders will push legislation to limit the impact of Thursday's Supreme Court decision that lifted restrictions on corporate spending in politics. — Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Senate Rules Committee …

Discussion: The White House, Think Progress, The Hill, Ben Smith's Blog and Shakesville

Eric Zimmermann / The Hill: Obama blasts court decision

Dahlia Lithwick / Slate:
Watching as the Supreme Court turns a corporation into a real live boy.

Discussion: Daily Kos, ACS Blog, Feministe, Emptywheel and Newsweek Blogs

Richard L. Hasen / Slate:
The Supreme Court kills campaign finance reform.

Discussion: The Atlantic Politics Channel, The Huffington Post, Washington Monthly, Sunlight Foundation, JammieWearingFool and The Politico

Jeff Zeleny / The Caucus:
Political Fallout From the Supreme Court Ruling

Discussion: Big Brass Blog, Commentary and The Daily Caller

Frank Ross / Big Journalism:
Supreme Court Drop-Kicks McCain/Feingold, Scores Victory for 1st Amendment.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Associated Press, Ben Smith's Blog and Truthdig

Erin Miller / SCOTUSblog:
Citizens United round-up: morning edition

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Democratic Strategist

Rachel Slajda / TPMDC:

Pelosi: There Aren't Enough Votes To Pass The Senate Bill — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just told reporters that she does not believe she has enough votes in the House to pass the Senate health care reform bill as-is — at least not yet. — “I don't see the votes for it at this time,” Pelosi said.

Discussion: The Plum Line, Talking Points Memo, Newsweek Blogs, Daily Kos, The Politico, Firedoglake, Open Congress, washingtonalert.org, Ezra Klein, The New Republic, The Mahablog, Left Coast Rebel, QandO and AmSpecBlog

Washington Post:

Pelosi says House cannot pass Senate's health-care bill without changes — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that the Senate will have to amend its version of a health-care reform bill before her chamber can pass it. — “I don't think it's possible to pass the Senate bill in the House …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Outside The Beltway, The Hill, Verum Serum, Newsweek Blogs, Raw Story, Mother Jones, RedState and TalkLeft

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:

Raul Grijalva Flirting With History's Greatest Monster Status — There are a variety of impediments to the House simply taking the available Senate health care text and passing it. There's Bart Stupak's anti-abortion block. There's fainthearted moderate types. And then, apparently, there's angry liberal Raul Grijalva:

Discussion: The Raw Story, The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, The New Republic and Open Left

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Breaking: Pelosi announces that she can't pass Senate ObamaCare bill — The dream of cramming down the Senate version of ObamaCare died as Scott Brown arrived in Washington DC to prepare to enter the Senate as the first Republican from Massachusetts in 38 years, which was both coincidental and providential.

Discussion: Associated Press, theblogprof, Nice Deb and Maggie's Farm

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Two Options: Something Or Nothing

Discussion: Dennis the Peasant, Mother Jones and The New Republic

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Pelosi Pulls The Plug

Discussion: Newsweek Blogs

Mark Silva / The Swamp: Health-care: ‘Cool Hand Luke problem?’

The Politico:
Pelosi: 'I don't see the votes' — As top Democrats cast doubt …

Discussion: Swampland and Commentary

Jonathan Chait / The New Republic:
Can You Pass A Smaller Bill?

Discussion: Ezra Klein, Ross Douthat, Brendan Nyhan and Mother Jones

Glenn Thrush / Glenn Thrush's Blog:

Specter tells Bachmann to “act like a lady” — The deeply odd couple of Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Penn.) and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) appeared together on a Philly radio station yesterday — and things got ugly in short order. — Audio link. courtesy RCP.

Discussion: Left Coast Rebel, NewsReal Blog, Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, Townhall.com, American Conservative … and Minnesota Independent

D Malloy / Early Returns:
Specter spars with Bachmann on radio

Discussion: RedState

Eric Roper / Hot Dish Politics:
AUDIO: Sen. Arlen Specter tells Bachmann to “act like a lady”

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, The Note and Michelle Malkin

The White House:

President Obama Calls for New Restrictions on Size and Scope of Financial Institutions to Rein in Excesses and Protect Taxpayers — WASHINGTON, DC- President Obama joined Paul Volcker, former chairman of the Federal Reserve; Bill Donaldson, former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Felix Salmon, Paul Krugman, Telegraph, Blog entry, The Baseline Scenario, Capital Gains and Games blogs and White House.gov Blog Feed

New York Times:
Obama to Propose Limits on Risks Taken by Banks

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
OBAMA PUSHES NEW LIMITS ON BANKS.... Now, there's a good soundbite …

Discussion: Open Left

Sewell Chan / New York Times:
Obama Moves to Limit ‘Reckless Risks’ of Big Banks

Discussion: AmSpecBlog, DealBook and Daily Kos

Rasmussen Reports:

Election 2010: Missouri Senate — 2010 Missouri Senate: Blunt (R) 49%, Carnahan (D) 43% — Republican Roy Blunt now holds a six-point lead over Democrat Robin Carnahan in Missouri's race for the U.S. Senate. — A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in the state finds Blunt ahead of Carnahan 49% to 43%.

Discussion: Real Clear Politics and Hot Air

Rasmussen Reports:

Election 2010: Pennsylvania Senate — Pennsylvania Senate: Toomey Leads Specter and Sestak — Republican Pat Toomey now leads incumbent Senator Arlen Specter 49% to 40% in Pennsylvania's race for the U.S. Senate. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Pennsylvania voters …

Discussion: Politics Daily and pa2010.com

msnbc.com:

Edwards admits fathering child with mistress — Former presidential candidate promises to support his 2-year-old daughter — John Edwards' attorneys say he's been providing financial support for 2-year-old Quinn for about a year, and just signed a child support agreement with Rielle Hunter.

Discussion: The Politico, The Caucus, Michelle Malkin, JustOneMinute, Politics Daily, Washington Post, The Fix, Gothamist, Mediaite, New York Magazine, RedState, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Gateway Pundit

ABCNEWS:
John Edwards Admits He Fathered Rielle Hunter's Child

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, The Politico, CBS News, Taylor Marsh, The Swamp, Hot Air and AmSpecBlog

Scott / Power Line:

Courting Disaster with Christiane Amanpour — Marc Thiessen is the author of Courting Disaster: How the CIA Kept America Safe and How Barack Obama Is Inviting the Next Attack , about which he wrote for us here. As White House speechwriter for George Bush, Thiessen was locked in a secure room …

Discussion: RedState

Human Events:
Sparks Fly as ‘Courting Disaster’ Author Clashes with CNN's Amanpour

Discussion: Erick's blog, YID With LID, Raw Story and Hot Air

Eric Zimmermann / The Hill:

Brown camp won't say whether controversial endorsement is legitimate — Scott Brown's campaign will not say whether their candidate has endorsed Bill Hudak, a Republican Congressional candidate in Massachusetts who posted flyers portraying Barack Obama as Osama bin Laden.

Discussion: The Hill, Media Nation and Blue Mass. Group

Dan Kennedy / Media Nation:
Did Brown endorse a birther for Congress? (revised)

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Washington Independent, Think Progress, Boston Globe, TPM LiveWire, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Plum Line

The Hill:

Schumer calls for hearings on ‘un-American’ court decision — The Supreme Court's ruling Thursday striking down limits on corporate and union spending in elections is “un-American,” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Thursday. — Schumer, a top Senate Democrat who formerly ran their campaign committee …

Discussion: washingtonalert.org

The Hugh Hewitt Show:

Christopher Hitchens reacting to Massachusetts, and non-believer relief to Haiti — HH: But we begin as we do when we are lucky on Wednesdays with columnist for Vanity Fair, Christopher Hitchens. Mr. Hitchens, do you remember an election as surprising as last night's? — CH: I'm sure I could if I tried.

Discussion: Think Progress