Top Items:
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Gregg suggests Obama may renege on fixing Senate health bill — The White House may renege on passing fixes to the Senate's healthcare bill once the House has passed it, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) claimed Thursday. — Gregg, the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee …
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John McCormack / Weekly Standard:
Obama Now Selling Judgeships for Health Care Votes? — Obama names brother of undecided House Dem to Appeals Court. — Tonight, Barack Obama will host ten House Democrats who voted against the health care bill in November at the White House; he's obviously trying to persuade them to switch their votes to yes.
Discussion:
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The Atlantic Online:
Perfect Storm Nearly Killed Health Reform; Another Storm May Save It — It was a perfect storm that nearly killed health care reform in Congress last year — an elongated process, weak leadership from the White House, strong Republican opposition and the election of Scott Brown.
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
White House sets March 18 goal for House vote on Senate health bill — White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday the White House hopes to see the House approve the healthcare bill by March 18, the first day of the NCAA college basketball tournament and just before President Barack Obama leaves …
The Politico:
W.H. warns Dems: Don't flip-flop
W.H. warns Dems: Don't flip-flop
Discussion:
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Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Stupak: 12 previous health bill supporters could flip over abortion
Stupak: 12 previous health bill supporters could flip over abortion
Discussion:
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Emily Pierce / Roll Call:
Democrats Hope to Finish Writing Health Bill This Week
Democrats Hope to Finish Writing Health Bill This Week
Discussion:
SENATUS
The Politico:
Stark hands off gavel — Rep. Sander Levin will take over as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee after Rep. Pete Stark, who held the gavel for a day, stepped aside. — The dominoes fell after Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) resigned the chairmanship of the powerful tax-writing panel Wednesday …
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Tory Newmyer / Roll Call:
Levin to Succeed Rangel as Ways and Means Chairman — Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.) will take the chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee and Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) will step aside, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told the Democratic Caucus on Thursday morning, sources in attendance said.
Jay Heflin / The Hill:
Second Ways and Means boss ousted; Levin replaces Stark — Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.) will be the acting chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced to her caucus on Thursday. — The startling announcement comes a day after Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) …
Ben Smith / The Politico:
Exclusive: RNC document mocks donors, plays on ‘fear’ — The Republican National Committee plans to raise money this election cycle through an aggressive campaign capitalizing on “fear” of President Barack Obama and a promise to “save the country from trending toward socialism.”
Discussion:
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The Politico:
New York gone wild — Once a source of national leaders of both political parties, New York state has descended into a bizarre, riveting spectacle of corruption and political debasement, with its governor facing calls to resign and new charges of accepting illicit perks and lying under oath …
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Republicans sign on to bill targeting RNC mailers — Two House Republicans have signed on to legislation that would outlaw fundraising mailings that could be confused with official Census documents. — The bill, introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, was inspired by a Republican National Committee mailing …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice
CBS13/CW31:
Anti-Gay Lawmaker At Gay Club Before DUI Arrest — SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ― Sources tell CBS13 a state senator from Southern California was arrested for allegedly driving drunk after leaving Faces, a gay nightclub in midtown Sacramento, early Wednesday morning.
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Erica Werner / Associated Press:
Stupak: 12 Dems ready to oppose health care bill — WASHINGTON - A congressman who has played a key role in the long-running health care debate says he and 11 other Democrats will vote against the overhaul unless a provision subsidizing abortion is removed.
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Leslie Kaufman / New York Times:
Darwin Foes Add Warming to Targets — Critics of the teaching of evolution in the nation's classrooms are gaining ground in some states by linking the issue to global warming, arguing that dissenting views on both scientific subjects should be taught in public schools.
Ellen R. Malcolm / The EMILY's List Blog:
Surprised about Blanche Lincoln's fight for survival? I'm not. — Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln is fighting for her political survival. Republicans are in full attack mode, and polls indicate she's the most vulnerable Senate incumbent in the country. — Frankly, I'm not surprised.
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Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Woman charged with killing husband is lobbyist — A 45-year-old woman, charged with ending a domestic dispute by killing her 26-year-old husband of five days, is a registered lobbyist for a group fighting domestic violence. — Arelisha Bridges was ordered held without bond in the Fulton County Jail.
David S. Broder / Washington Post:
The fable of Emanuel the Great — In the space of 10 days, thanks in no small part to my own newspaper, the president of the United States has been portrayed as a weakling and a chronic screw-up who is wrecking his administration despite everything that his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, can do to make things right.
Sheelah Kolhatkar / Time:
Eliot Spitzer's Mission Impossible — Spitzer has the resources to tackle any challenge — except maybe another campaign — Eliot Spitzer was his usual agitated self. It was a brisk Tuesday evening, and the former governor of New York was bundled in the back of a black sedan …
James Wolcott / Vanity Fair:
Life Is Unfair, Death Even More So (Updated) — Comes the terrible, saddening news that Al Weisel, who blogged under the name Jon Swift (an homage to the author of A Modest Proposal and the tip-off that Swiftian irony was his gambit, though newcomers to his site often missed the joke*) …
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Tom Watson / My Dirty Life & Times:
A Death in the Blogging Family
A Death in the Blogging Family
Discussion:
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Associated Press:
White House Sends Volcker Rule To Congress — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration waded into negotiations over Wall Street regulations Wednesday, calling for limits on the size of financial institutions and insisting that consumer protections remain …
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Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Senator Proposes Deal on Handling of Detainees — WASHINGTON — Senator Lindsey Graham wants to make a deal on detainees with President Obama. If the White House agrees to the bargain, it would be a defining moment for the administration — and could transform how the government deals with terrorism suspects.
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Publius / Big Government:
U.S. Senate Candidate Giannoulias Says Family Bank Likely to Fail — From the Chicago Tribune: — Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias sought to blunt a potentially damaging political issue today about questions regarding his involvement in his family's struggling bank …
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Hot Air
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Newsdesk / Clout St:
Giannoulias seeks to blunt damage, says family bank likely to fail
Giannoulias seeks to blunt damage, says family bank likely to fail
Discussion:
msnbc.com
Nicholas D. Kristof / New York Times:
Divorced Before Puberty — It's hard to imagine that there have been many younger divorcées — or braver ones — than a pint-size third grader named Nujood Ali. — Nujood is a Yemeni girl, and it's no coincidence that Yemen abounds both in child brides and in terrorists (and now …
Jim Bunning / USA Today:
Why I took a stand — ‘If the Senate cannot find $10 billion to pay for a measure we all support, we will never pay for anything.’ — I have been serving the citizens of Kentucky for nearly 24 years in Washington. During that time I have been a member of both the House of Representatives and the United States Senate.