memeorandum: Bunning Blockade Leads To 21 Percent Fee Cut For Doctors (Brian Beutler/TPMDC)

10:20 PM ET, March 1, 2010

Top Items:

Dennis Romero / LA Daily:

CORRECTED: Mickey Kaus Takes Out Papers For U.S. Senate Run — Pioneering political blogger Mickey Kaus took out papers [filed] to run for U.S. Senate in California, he told LA Weekly. The Venice resident said he'll run this year against Barbara Boxer for her seat.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, JustOneMinute, Matthew Yglesias, Roger Ailes, Wilshire & Washington and Alas, a blog

Michael Barbaro / City Room:

Ford Decides Not to Run — Under intense pressure from Democratic Party officials, Harold E. Ford Jr., the former Tennessee congressman, has decided not to challenge Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand in the primary this fall, according to two people told of his plans.

Discussion: Politics Daily, Campaign Diaries, Open Left, USA Today, Gawker, MyDD, Talking Points Memo, The Page, New York Magazine, Newshoggers.com, TPM LiveWire, The Daily Caller, Swing State Project, DealBook, The Eye and The New Republic

Harold Ford Jr / New York Times:

Why I'm Not Running for the Senate — WHEN it was reported two months ago that I was thinking seriously about running for the United States Senate from New York, Democratic Party insiders started their own campaign to bully me out of the race — just as they had done with Representatives Carolyn Maloney, Steve Israel and others.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, The Corner on National … and Real Clear Politics

Alex Isenstadt / The Politico:
Ford opts out of N.Y. Senate race

Discussion: CNN

Perry Bacon Jr / Washington Post:
Ford decides not to run for N.Y. Senate seat, source says

Discussion: Top of the Ticket

The World Newser:

Sen. Bunning is Angry: ‘This Is a Senators Only Elevator!’ — ABC's Jonathan Karl and Z. Byron Wolf report from Washington: — An angry Senator Jim Bunning refused to answer questions from ABC News about his decision to block a bill extending unemployment benefits.

Discussion: MiamiHerald.com, The Huffington Post, Crooks and Liars, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, TPMCafe, Taegan Goddard's …, Mediaite, Washington Monthly, The Swamp, The Huffington Post, Think Progress, The Plum Line and Washington Post

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:

Bunning Blockade Leads To 21 Percent Fee Cut For Doctors — Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) is already infamous for blocking a temporary extension of unemployment and COBRA benefits for out of work Americans. But included in that package is legislation to prevent a mandatory pay cut for doctors …

Discussion: Guardian, The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, Top of the Ticket, The Hill, Liberal Values, democracyarsenal.org, The Gavel, Talking Points Memo and Open Left

McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Who really gets hurt when GOP's Bunning blocks this bill?

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Hill and WLKY-TV

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Top Democrats look to shame Bunning on unemployment benefits filibuster

Discussion: The Politico and Wizbang

CNN:
Republican senator gives journalist the middle finger

Discussion: Raw Story

The Huffington Post:
Bunning Objects To Extending Unemployment Insurance AGAIN (VIDEO)

Discussion: Swampland, The Atlantic Online, Wonk Room, The Confluence, Mediaite, The Swamp and AMERICAblog News

Major Garrett / Row 2, Seat 4:

Obama to Unveil New Health Care Bill Wednesday; “Much Smaller” Than House Bill, Says Pelosi; But Not a Retreat — UPDATE: White House and Democratic sources hasten to add late today that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not mean to suggest the new plan would constitute a retreat from comprehensive health care reform.

Discussion: Hot Air, KeithHennessey.com, JustOneMinute, Another Black Conservative, The Lonely Conservative, Ruby Slippers, The New Republic, Dennis the Peasant, The Corner on National … and Weasel Zippers

The Note:

Pelosi Catches a Break: House Magic Number Set to Drop to 216 — ABC News' Rick Klein reports: Democrats may or may not be advancing the ball on health care reform. But the goal line is set to move a little closer. — Rep. Nathan Deal, R-Ga., announced today that he plans to resign his seat …

Discussion: The Politico, Erick's blog, ABCNEWS, Ezra Klein, Political Insider, National Review Online, The Lonely Conservative and USA Today

Charles Babington / Associated Press:
Some House foes eye switch to ‘yes’ on health care

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and USA Today

Michael O'Brien / The Hill: Harkin fears reviving public option could kill whole health bill

Aaron Gould Sheinin / Gold Dome Live:
Breaking: Deal says he'll resign from Congress

Discussion: The Politico, Swampland, Star Bulletin, Peach Pundit, Democratic Strategist, The Caucus, Washington Monthly, Taegan Goddard's …, Prescriptions, Ben Smith's Blog and The Hill

Ann Althouse / Althouse:

How many beers a day would Obama need to be drinking before his doctor would recommend “moderation of [in?] alcohol intake”? — Drudge picks out this bit from Obama's health report: — The link goes to this report — which stresses the advice to “continue smoking cessation efforts” …

Discussion: TBogg, Guardian, Mediaite, Hot Air, Wizbang, The Corner on National …, Fausta's Blog, NewsReal Blog, Weasel Zippers, The washington times Blogs, JustOneMinute and JammieWearingFool

Mark Murray / msnbc.com:

Moderation, please — From NBC's Mark Murray, Chuck Todd and Domenico MontanaroThe Drudge Report has a provocative photo and link to a story on President Obama's recent physical exam. It shows Obama drinking a beer at a basketball game with this headline: “PAPER: Obama doctors recommend 'moderation …

Discussion: AMERICAblog News and Riehl World View

Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit:

Baby Survives 3 Days With Shot in Chest After Parents Commit Global Warming Suicide — A seven-month old baby girl survived a shot to the chest after her parents shot themselves and their two-year-old in a global warming murder-suicide pact. — This is the last public photo of Francisco Lotero …

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere, Moonbattery, theblogprof and Sadly, No!

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

Kent Conrad Rips Media: Yes, We Can Do Reform Via Reconciliation — In an interview with me just now, Senator Kent Conrad tore into the media for repeatedly botching its reporting on reconciliation, and confirmed that in his view, the current plan being entertained by Obama and Dems …

Discussion: Ezra Klein, The Page and Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Tancredo: Palin not fit for the presidency — The decision by Sarah Palin to campaign for John McCain has opened up a Tea Party tiff between two of its firebrand conservatives. Former Congressman Tom Tancredo, who has campaigned among Tea Party activists for his long-standing fight …

Discussion: The Spot, Dr. Melissa Clouthier and The Corner on National …

Tom-Jan Meeus / NRC Handelsblad:
Tea Party prominent: Palin not presidential

Discussion: The Hill, The Moderate Voice, Raw Story, Ben Smith's Blog and The Washington Independent

Mark B. Evans / Tucson Citizen:
Arizona Tea Party Leaders Decline to Endorse in AZ Senate Race

Discussion: Townhall.com, Hot Air, The Eye, Ben Smith's Blog and Washington Post

Associated Press:

Official: Substance at IRS building not a hazard — FBI says those with medical emergencies were unrelated to the incident — OGDEN, Utah - An official with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service says a suspicious substance found at an IRS building in Ogden, Utah, is not hazardous.

Discussion: TPM LiveWire

New York Times:

Paterson Said to Direct Aides to Influence Abuse Case — ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson personally directed two state officials to contact the woman who had accused his close aide of assaulting her, according to two people with direct knowledge of the governor's actions.

Discussion: City Room, The Daily Politics and New York Magazine

Andy Barr / The Politico:

Buffett would scrap health bill — Billionaire investor Warren Buffett advised President Barack Obama on Monday to scrap the health care bill and start over. — In an interview with CNBC, Buffett said the current bill does not focus on controlling costs, which he sees as the central problem …

Discussion: Left Coast Rebel, JustOneMinute, The Foundry, The Plum Line, The Page and DISSENTING JUSTICE

Reuters:

Winter storms to distort US jobless figures-Summers — White House economic adviser Larry Summers said on Monday winter blizzards were likely to distort U.S. February jobless figures, which are due to be released on Friday. — “The blizzards that affected much of the country during …

Discussion: Don Surber, Pajamas Media, Hot Air, EconomicPolicyJournal.com and JammieWearingFool

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Obama's Drop — Barack Obama now has a negative approval rating in every state he flipped from the Bush column to his in 2008. In each of those places his level of support is now in the 44-46% range. It's probably a good thing he doesn't have to run for reelection this year.

Discussion: Hot Air, Taylor Marsh and Pundit & Pundette

Associated Press:

Analysis: Republicans Setting Filibuster Record — WASHINGTON (AP) — The filibuster — tool of obstruction in the U.S. Senate — is alternately blamed and praised for wilting President Barack Obama's ambitious agenda. Some even say it's made the nation ungovernable. — Maybe, maybe not.

Discussion: AMERICAblog News, Baltimore Sun, Don Surber, Daily Kos, PERRspectives, MyDD, Ezra Klein, Washington Monthly and ACS Blog

Stan Isaacs / Philly.com:

Obama should expand court — writes a weekly column on www.thecolumnists.com — This may come as a surprise to some people, but the U.S. Constitution does not specify the size of the Supreme Court. — The original Judiciary Act of 1789 set the number of justices at six. It shrank to five in 1801.

Discussion: Hot Air, The American Conservative, Hit & Run, Stop The ACLU and Liberal Values

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

A Republican Surprise — Set a group of plugged-in conservatives to talking presidential politics, and you'll get the same complaints about the 2012 field. — Mitt Romney? He couldn't make the voters like him last time ... Sarah Palin? She'd lose 47 states ... Mike Huckabee?

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, News Desk, The Lonely Conservative, The Corner on National … and GOP 12

John Yoo / Philly.com:

Closing Arguments: Finally, an end to Justice Dept. investigation — I've been under investigation for more than five years for legal advice that I gave in the immediate wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. This month, the Justice Department's top career lawyer finally put an end to the farce.

Discussion: Main Justice, The Hill and TPMMuckraker

Peter Beinart / The Daily Beast:

The Photo That Could Doom the Democrats — Blogs and Stories — Nancy Pelosi is protecting Rep. Charles Rangel, who failed to pay taxes on his Caribbean villa, among other miscues. But the ethically challenged congressional baron is endangering the Democrats' control of Congress.

Discussion: Pajamas Media, The Politico, Taylor Marsh and The Hill

Scott Shifrel / NY Daily News:

B'klyn ACORN cleared over giving illegal advice on how to hide money from prostitution — Brooklyn prosecutors on Monday cleared ACORN of criminal wrongdoing after a four-month probe that began when undercover conservative activists filmed workers giving what appeared to be illegal advice on how to hide money.

Discussion: The BRAD BLOG, Ben Smith's Blog, The Lonely Conservative and JammieWearingFool