Top Items:
Political Punch:
Another Name on President Obama's Supreme Court Short List — Last Friday we told you that President Obama's short list of possible nominees to replace Justice John Paul Stevens on the US Supreme Court contains fewer than 10 names. — We told you that 7th circuit Court of Appeals Judge Diane Wood …
RELATED:
Matthew DeLong / Washington Post:
Republicans say Obama's Supreme Court pick must be mainstream — Senate Republican leaders declined to rule out a filibuster of President Obama's nominee to succeed retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, if they think the pick falls outside the judicial mainstream.
J. Taylor Rushing / The Hill:
Senate Dems plan a busy schedule as SCOTUS debate looms
Ezra Klein:
The political case for immigration reform — I'd say it's pretty unlikely that comprehensive immigration reform happens this year. But then, who cares what I think? Harry Reid is in charge of the Senate, and he says he's got 56 votes, and it's gonna happen.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, AMERICAblog News, Think Progress, RaceWire, Jay Bookman and Scared Monkeys
RELATED:
Ben Pershing / Washington Post:
Bill to extend jobless benefits faces Senate showdown — Congress is poised for another partisan showdown over extending unemployment insurance, as concerns about the growing budget deficit have complicated the path forward for an otherwise popular program.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Daily Kos, Newsweek Blogs, Wonk Room, Beltway Confidential, MLive.com, SENATUS and Las Vegas Review-Journal
New York Times:
1994 Republican Rout Is Casting Shadow in 2010 — WASHINGTON — The year was 1994. Congressional Democrats were battered after a failed fight to pass a health care bill. It was the first midterm election for a new Democratic president, Bill Clinton. By overwhelming numbers …
RELATED:
John Harwood / The Caucus:
Conflicting Signs for Midterm Elections
Conflicting Signs for Midterm Elections
Discussion:
Democratic Strategist
Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
Political pendulum in Michigan swings away from the Democrats
Political pendulum in Michigan swings away from the Democrats
Discussion:
The Page
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
DAVID GREGORY'S SENSE OF FACT-CHECKING.... The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz noted this morning that NBC's “Meet the Press,” still the most watched Sunday public affair show, is poised to undergo some cosmetic changes. It will not, however, follow ABC's lead on the fact-checking front.
RELATED:
John Tierney / New York Times:
Hallucinogens Have Doctors Tuning In Again — As a retired clinical psychologist, Clark Martin was well acquainted with traditional treatments for depression, but his own case seemed untreatable as he struggled through chemotherapy and other grueling regimens for kidney cancer. Counseling seemed futile to him.
Jamie Guzzardo / CNN:
Conn. bishops fight sex abuse bill — Hartford, Connecticut (CNN) — A bill in Connecticut's legislature that would remove the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse cases has sparked a fervent response from the state's Roman Catholic bishops, who released a letter to parishioners Saturday imploring them to oppose the measure.
RELATED:
Tom Kington / Guardian:
Bishop ‘blames Jews’ for abuse row — A furious transatlantic row has erupted over quotes that were attributed to a retired Italian bishop, which suggested that Jews were behind the current criticism of the Catholic church's record on tackling clerical sex abuse.
John Marzulli / NY Daily News:
Zazi, Al Qaeda pals planned rush-hour attack on Grand Central, Times Square subway stations — Chilling new details about the foiled Al Qaeda plot to blow up the city's busiest subways have emerged as a fourth suspect was quietly arrested in Pakistan, the Daily News has learned.
Michael Graham / The Natural Truth:
An Angry Progressive's Picture Is Worth A Thousand “Angry, Right-Wing” Words — I want to commend Boston's progressive Left for the outstanding job they're doing fighting the hate-mongering of Sarah Palin and the Tea Partiers in advance of Wednesday's rally on Boston Common.
Ross Douthat / New York Times:
The Better Pope — The world didn't always agree with Pope John Paul II, but it always seemed to love him. Handsome and charismatic, with an actor's flair and a statesman's confidence, he transformed the papacy from an Italian anachronism into a globe-trotting phenomenon.
Javier Manjarres / The Shark Tank:
Sarah Palin- “I Love Marco Rubio!” — The 2010 Southern Republican Leadership Convention (SRLC) in New Orleans featured a star-studded line up of prominent Republican politcos, headlined by former Governor Sarah Palin. — Palin's speech was well received, but it was what she said immediately afterwards that was most newsworthy.
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Op-Ed Columnist: Bank Failures: Why Georgia? — As we look for ways to prevent future financial crises, many questions should be asked. Here's one you may not have heard: What's the matter with Georgia? — I'm not sure how many people know that Georgia leads the nation in bank failures …
Discussion:
Economist's View
Ed O'Keefe / Federal Eye:
GAO: Postal Service business ‘not viable’ — Happy Monday! The U.S. Postal Service's current business model “is not viable” and the mail agency should make deeper job and wage cuts, hire more part-time staff and consider outsourcing operations, according to a draft of a government audit acquired by The Federal Eye.
Reid Wilson / Hotline On Call:
AFL-CIO For Hanabusa In HI — National Dems may be quietly backing ex-Rep. Ed Case (D), but their allies in labor are behind state Sen. Colleen Hanabusa (D), giving the party more headaches as it races to keep a vulnerable open House seat in a May special election.
Cristina Corbin / Fox News:
Tea Party Rallies Remain a Cauldron for Conspiracy Theories — The Tea Party Express has toured state after state trying to kick up a debate about constitutional rights and cast doubt on the legality of the recently passed health care overhaul, all with an eye toward the 2010 elections.
New York Times:
U.S. Troops Fire on Bus in Afghanistan, Killing Civilians — KABUL, Afghanistan — American troops raked a large passenger bus with gunfire near the southern city of Kandahar on Monday morning, killing as many as five civilians and wounding 18, Afghan authorities and survivors said.
Josh Rogin / Foreign Policy:
Obama: We're still working on our democracy — President Obama said Sunday that the United States is still “working on” democracy and a top aide said he has taken “historic steps” to improve democracy in the United States during his time in office. — The remarks came as Obama met …
Jerry Phillips / Breitbart.tv:
UNIONS: LET'S TEACH SOCIAL JUSTICE TO MIDDLE SCHOOLERS — BUT DON'T TELL GLENN BECK — “Union thugs going into high schools — I can hear it now.”
Richard Pérez-Peña / New York Times:
Poll Finds Pessimism Among Print and Broadcast Journalists — Most newspaper and broadcast news editors think American journalism is in decline, and about half believe that their employers will go out of business if they do not find new sources of revenue, according to a survey to be released on Monday.
New York Times:
Leaders Gather for Nuclear Talks as New Threat Is Seen — WASHINGTON — Three months ago, American intelligence officials examining satellite photographs of Pakistani nuclear facilities saw the first wisps of steam from the cooling towers of a new nuclear reactor.
Discussion:
Politics Daily, Washington Post, FrumForum, Associated Press, Guardian, Los Angeles Times and The Caucus