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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McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Who really gets hurt when GOP's Bunning blocks this bill? — WASHINGTON — The Department of Transportation furloughed nearly 2,000 employees without pay Monday as the government began to feel the impact of Republican Sen. Jim Bunning's one-man blockage of legislation that would keep a host of federal programs operating.
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:
Washington Post, Guardian, Top of the Ticket, The Moderate Voice, Liberal Values, democracyarsenal.org, The Gavel, The Hill and Open Left
The Huffington Post:Bunning Objects To Extending Unemployment Insurance AGAIN (VIDEO)
Discussion:
Swampland, Wonk Room, The Confluence, Mediaite, The Atlantic Online, The Swamp and AMERICAblog News
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.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Washington Post, Ben Smith's Blog, The Corner on National … and Real Clear Politics
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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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:
Another Black Conservative, Left Coast Rebel, The Foundry, The Plum Line, The Page, JustOneMinute and DISSENTING JUSTICE
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:
JustOneMinute, Ben Smith's Blog, Wilshire & Washington, Matthew Yglesias, Roger Ailes and Alas, a blog
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 …
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 …
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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 …
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 …
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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.
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:
Taylor Marsh
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David Derbyshire / Daily Mail:
Head of ‘Climategate’ research unit admits sending ‘pretty awful emails’ to hide data — Scientists at the heart of the Climategate row were yesterday accused by a leading academic body of undermining science's credibility. — The Institute of Physics said 'worrying implications …
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:
Firedoglake, NRC Handelsblad, The Moderate Voice, The Spot, The Hill, Dr. Melissa Clouthier and The Corner on National …
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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 …
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Walter Alarkon / The Hill:
Hoyer: Raising taxes a realistic option for cutting $12 trillion debt — Tax increases may be necessary to rein in $12 trillion in federal debt, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Monday. — Hoyer emphasized the need to reform Social Security and Medicare …
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 …
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
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 …
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.
CNN:
Brown to announce gubernatorial bid Tuesday — (CNN) - California Attorney General Jerry Brown plans to announce Tuesday that he's entering the race to be his state's next governor, three sources confirm to CNN. — If elected, this would be the second time around for Brown, who served two terms as California Governor from 1975-1983.
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