Top Items:
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.
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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:
The Moderate Voice, democracyarsenal.org, Liberal Values, The Gavel, Top of the Ticket, Talking Points Memo and Open Left
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Top Democrats look to shame Bunning on unemployment benefits filibuster — Top Democrats sought to shame Republican Sen. Jim Bunning (Ky.) for holding up a 30-day extension in unemployment benefits before the Senate. — Democrats took Bunning to task for what they said was an “abuse” …
The Huffington Post:
Bunning Objects To Extending Unemployment Insurance AGAIN (VIDEO) — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — Sen. Jim Bunning continues to object to extending unemployment benefits. On Monday, the Kentucky Republican once again prevented a vote on a bill that would extend eligibility …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Wonk Room, The Confluence, Mediaite, AMERICAblog News, SpeakEasy and Washington Monthly
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.
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Charles Babington / Associated Press:
Some House foes eye switch to ‘yes’ on health care — WASHINGTON — Ten House Democrats indicated in an Associated Press survey Monday they have not ruled out switching their “no” votes to “yes” on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, brightening the party's hopes in the face of unyielding Republican opposition.
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online
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:
Erick's blog, ABCNEWS, Ezra Klein, Political Insider, National Review Online and The Lonely Conservative
The Politico:Pelosi's brutal reality check
Discussion:
Fox News, Roll Call, Wake up America, Ruby Slippers, Hit & Run, Don Surber, Commentary, The Lonely Conservative, The Daily Caller, The Foundry, msnbc.com, The Caucus, Washington Post, Left Coast Rebel, Raw Story, Jules Crittenden, The Note, Pundit & Pundette, The Corner on National …, Riehl World View and American Power
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.
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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.
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” …
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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 …
Tom-Jan Meeus / NRC Handelsblad:
Tea Party prominent: Palin not presidential — Former Republican congressman Tom Tancredo was the opening speaker at the recent Tea Party conference with Sarah Palin. In an interview with NRC Handelsblad, he spoke his mind about Palin. “I really don't have this feeling about her as being presidential.”
Discussion:
The Hill, The Moderate Voice, Raw Story, Ben Smith's Blog and The Washington Independent
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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 …
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Chris Frates / The Politico:Buffett says scrap reform bills and focus on cost
Discussion:
The Plum Line
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
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Gerard Couzens / Daily Mail:
Baby girl survives after being shot in the chest in parents' ‘global warming suicide pact’ — A seven-month-old baby girl survived three days alone with a bullet in her chest beside the bodies of her parents and toddler brother. — Argentines Francisco Lotero, 56, and Miriam Coletti, 23 …
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Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Harkin fears reviving public option could kill whole health bill — Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said Monday he's unlikely to support reintroducing the public option into healthcare legislation out of fear it could kill the entire bill. — Harkin, the chairman of the Senate Health, Education …
RELATED:
Adam Green / The Huffington Post:Public Option Garners Avalanche of Support in Senate
Discussion:
TPMDC, Firedoglake, Daily Kos, The Plum Line, SpeakEasy, TPM LiveWire and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
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.
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.
Ezra Klein:
A reconciliation primer — It is amazing how few reporters understand what the budget reconciliation process is: Either how it works, or what it's traditionally been used for, or what Democrats are proposing to use it for. That confusion creates comical exchanges like this one …
Discussion:
The New Republic, PERRspectives, Politico Live's Blog, Washington Monthly, Open Congress and Washington Post
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 Corner on National …, The Lonely Conservative and GOP 12
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.
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.
Taniel / Campaign Diaries:
Where the House stands on health-care — A lot of attention has been devoted to the Senate in recent months, but as we approach make-or-break time in the health-care debate it has become clear that the suspense lies in the House. — The approach Democrats are now openly pursuing …
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.
Ezra Klein:
Paul Ryan and the true cost of health-care reform — After the Blair House Summit, a bunch of you e-mailed to ask what I thought of Rep. Paul Ryan's argument that the bill “does not control costs” and it “does not reduce deficits.” There's a lot going on in Ryan's remarks (which you can read here), so this might take awhile.
James Blitz / Financial Times:
Five European states back burka ban — More than half of voters in four other major European states back a push by France's Nicolas Sarkozy to ban women from wearing the burka, according to an opinion poll for the Financial Times. — As Mr Sarkozy presses ahead with plans to ban the wearing …
Discussion:
The Atlanticist
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Obama's No F.D.R. — Nor Does He Have F.D.R.'s Majority — Every time I read an article like this from the Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes: … ...I wonder why there's no mention of this: — When F.D.R. took over the Presidency in 1933, the Democrats controlled 64 percent of the Senate seats …
The Note:
Sen. Bunning Single-handedly Causes 2,000 Federal Worker Furloughs — ABC News' Lisa Stark reports: Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., didn't just stop extensions of unemployment and health insurance benefits with his “hold' on these funding measures last week, he also stopped an extension of the Highway Trust Fund for 30 days.
Discussion:
CNN, Daily Kos, Open Congress, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, AMERICAblog News 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 …
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