Top Items:
Carol D. Leonnig / Washington Post:
Massa under investigation for allegedly groping male staffers — Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) has been under investigation for allegations that he groped multiple male staffers working in his office, according to three sources familiar with the probe. — The allegations surrounding …
Discussion:
The Fix, Mediaite, FiveThirtyEight, Marbury, The Wisdom of Soloman, Associated Press, Gothamist, Mother Jones, Politics Daily, Hullabaloo, Prairie Weather, News Desk, Crooks and Liars, The Moderate Voice, Taylor Marsh, USA Today, Washington Wire, The Atlantic Online, Political Byline, Daily Kos, TPM LiveWire, NPR Blogs, The Confluence, Althouse, Swampland, Washington Monthly, DownWithTyranny!, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, RHRealityCheck.org, YID With LID, Newsweek Blogs, Joe. My. God., DISSENTING JUSTICE, TPMMuckraker, New York Times, The Corner on National …, Real Clear Politics, ABCNEWS, CNN, Raw Story and The Daily Politics
RELATED:
The Politico:
Massa: ‘I did nothing sexual’ — A week after announcing he was retiring from Congress for health reasons, New York Democrat Eric Massa finds himself in the midst of a fast-growing sex scandal involving allegations that he had improper physical contact with several men who worked for him — including at least one intern.
Discussion:
The Note, PostPartisan, CNN, msnbc.com, Pundit & Pundette, RocNow.com, GayPatriot, Michelle Malkin, The Hill, Townhall.com, Glenn Thrush's Blog, Lynn Sweet and Swampland
Raymond Hernandez / City Room:
I Tickled Aide, but That Was All, Massa Says — Representative Eric J. Massa, who resigned from Congress amid allegations of sexual misconduct, vehemently denied any wrongdoing during a television appearance late on Tuesday even as he described having tickle fights with staffers in a house they shared.
Jonathan D. Salant / Bloomberg:
Pelosi Says Democrats Didn't Push Massa to Give Up House Seat — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed claims by former Democratic Representative Eric Massa that he was pressured to leave Congress because of his opposition to health-care legislation. — Pelosi, interviewed on “Charlie Rose …
CNN:
Hoyer: Dems not on board with White House deadline — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer spoke to reporters Tuesday about the latest deadline for passing health care reform set recently by the White House. — Washington (CNN) - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is pushing …
Terry McDermott / CJR:
Dumb Like a Fox — Fox News isn't part of the GOP; it has simply (and shamelessly) mastered the confines of cable — Last December 10 was a big news day. U.S. Senate negotiators announced they had agreed to a compromise on health care reform, final preparations were being made for a global conference …
RELATED:
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
The Cable News Problem — If you live in Washington and work in politics, it's always almost shocking to read the truth about how low the ratings are for cable news. Especially when you're talking about daytime cable news in a non-election year. As Kevin Drum says “Take away the echo chamber …
Discussion:
Eschaton
Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:
The Cable News Bubble — Terry McDermott takes a look at Fox News and notes the obvious: they don't tend to have a lot of Democratic guests: … I think McDermott's suggestion that this might not be politically motivated is a little silly, something that he pretty much concedes in the rest of his piece.
Discussion:
Newshoggers.com
Andy Alexander / Ombudsman Blog:
Readers react to photo of two men kissing — Powerful photographs can have lasting impact, and a Post photo of two men kissing is an image that many readers can neither forget nor accept. — The photo, which ran on the newspaper's front page and online last week, captured Jeremy Ames …
Discussion:
DISSENTING JUSTICE, Wonkette, Mediaite, American Power, GayPolitics.com, First Draft, Romenesko and Joe. My. God.
Jay Reeves / Associated Press:
Roberts: Scene at State of Union ‘very troubling’ — TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said Tuesday the scene at President Obama's State of the Union address was “very troubling” and the annual speech has “degenerated to a political pep rally.”
Discussion:
Political Punch, Top of the Ticket, Hot Air, Sister Toldjah, AMERICAblog News and Above the Law
John McCormack / Weekly Standard:
Stupak: There's No Deal, And I Won't Agree to a Promise to Fix the Bill in the Future — Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak said yesterday at a townhall in his home state, “I'm more optimistic than I was a week ago” that a deal could be reached to pass a health care bill that bans public funding of abortion.
RELATED:
Fox News:
Senate Staffers Warned to Stay Clear of Drudge Report — The Senate's official gatekeeper, said the Drudge Report, a conservative news aggregator, and whitepages.com “are responsible for the many viruses popping up throughout the Senate,” according to an e-mail to the Environment and Public Works Committee.
RELATED:
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
US ‘condemns’ Israeli construction — Strong language from Robert Gibbs, which comes just as U.S.-led, indirect talks seemed set to move about a quarter of an inch forward: — Gibbs: — The United States condemns the decision today by the Government of Israel on advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem. ....
RELATED:
Haaretz:
U.S. slams new East Jerusalem construction plan
U.S. slams new East Jerusalem construction plan
Discussion:
Israel Matzav, The Majlis, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Laura Rozen's Blog, TPMCafe, NPR Blogs, BBC and Gawker
Ethan Bronner / New York Times:
As Biden Visits, Israel Unveils Plan for New Settlements
As Biden Visits, Israel Unveils Plan for New Settlements
Discussion:
The White House, The Daily Dish, RealClearWorld, Eunomia, The Lede, The Huffington Post, Daniel W. Drezner, Washington Post and BBC
The United States Department of Justice:
Pennsylvania Woman Indicted in Plot to Recruit Violent Jihadist Fighters and to Commit Murder Overseas — David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and Michael L. Levy, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, together with Janice K. Fedarcyk …
RELATED:
Howie / The Jawa Report:
Youtuber “Jihad Jane” …
Youtuber “Jihad Jane” …
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, Fox News, New York Times, Maggie's Notebook, Verum Serum and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS
BBC:
US apology for Gaddafi comments — The US State Department has apologised for comments made about Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's call for jihad, or holy war, against Switzerland. — Department spokesman PJ Crowley, who made the dismissive comments, said they did not reflect US policy and were not intended to offend.
Alex Seitz-Wald / Think Progress:
Limbaugh vows to flee the country if health care passes. — Hate radio host Rush Limbaugh has been one of health care reform's most vociferous opponents, warning that “[h]uman beings will die earlier than normal” under the “freedom killing” and “life threatening” plan, and calling for it to be “aborted.”
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Wonk Room, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, The Huffington Post, Examiner, The Reaction, Feministe, AMERICAblog News, Raw Story, Indecision Forever, Left in the West, unbossed.com, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos, Ben Smith's Blog, Outside The Beltway, Jack & Jill Politics and Joe. My. God.
Ian Traynor / Guardian:
Brussels considers derivatives ban — José Manuel Barroso says European commission considering ban on credit default swaps to ease market pressure on Greece — The European commission announced moves today to shore up the euro and ward off market pressure on Greece by considering …
John / Power Line:
Psycho D-Rahm-a — Michael Ramirez imagines a shower encounter with Rahm Emanuel, inspired by a classic of American culture. Note that his vision has the virtue of allowing Rahm to remain fully clothed (not to say, costumed). Does anyone know whether Rahm has a collection of stuffed birds?
Discussion:
Investor's Business Daily
Alice Gomstyn / ABCNEWS:
Black Barbie Sold for Less Than White Barbie? — Walmart Says Lower Sales of Ballerina Theresa Barbie Prompted the Price Cut — Walmart is raising eyebrows after cutting the price of a black Barbie doll to nearly half of that of the doll's white counterpart at one store and possibly others.
Lisa Russ Spaar / Opinionator:
Seeing in the Dark — For me, sleep has never come easy — perhaps because I've never let it. — I can trace my reluctance to succumb to unconsciousness as far back as kindergarten, when Mrs. Casterol inked a firm “X” in the box marked “NO” next to “Sleeps at Naptime.”
John / Power Line:
Where do the Lobbyists End, and the Obama Administration Begin? — The Competitive Enterprise Institute has uncovered, via a Freedom of Information Act request, a fascinating instance of the symbiotic relationship among 1) left-wing advocacy groups, 2) left-wing Obama administration officials …
Discussion:
Pajamas Media
CNN:
New senator bucks party to end filibusters — Washington (CNN) - Barely a month in office, Sen. Scott Brown, R-Massachusetts, is putting some muscle behind his independent image by twice voting against his own party and questioning the use of the filibuster.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
Pelosi Remarks at the 2010 Legislative Conference for National Association of Counties — Washington, D.C. - Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered a speech this morning at the 2010 Legislative Conference for the National Association of Counties (NACo). This year marks the 75th anniversary of the organization.
Garance Franke-Ruta / Washington Post:
Todd Palin has surprising tie to Venezuela-owned oil company — Mystik Lubricants was a sponsor of the Davis-Palin team — As a vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin condemned Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez as a “dictator” and called for “energy independence …