Top Items:
Charles Babington / Associated Press:
Obama suggests value-added tax may be an option — WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama suggested Wednesday that a new value-added tax on Americans is still on the table, seeming to show more openness to the idea than his aides have expressed in recent days.
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Wall Street Journal:
Israel Rebuffs U.S. on Building — Prime Minister Netanyahu Says He Won't Freeze Home Construction in East Jerusalem — By JAY SOLOMON in Washington and CHARLES LEVINSON in Jerusalem — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conveyed to the White House this weekend his rejection …
Discussion:
Laura Rozen's Blog, Jerusalem Post, Israel Matzav, Yourish.com, Power Line, Commentary and Israpundit
Kerry Eleveld / Advocate:
White House Sends Mixed Messages on DADT
White House Sends Mixed Messages on DADT
Discussion:
AMERICAblog Gay, Pam's House Blend, Joe. My. God., AMERICAblog News and Towleroad News #gay
Byron York / Beltway Confidential:
In WH meeting, ‘Only two of the elected officials in the room had never filibustered a Supreme Court nominee’ — When Senate leaders went to the White House Wednesday morning to discuss the Supreme Court opening, the meeting was attended by President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden …
Discussion:
Hot Air
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Washington Post:
Senators close to a deal on financial regulation bill
Senators close to a deal on financial regulation bill
Discussion:
Roll Call, Wall Street Journal, Crooks and Liars, The Politico, msnbc.com, Associated Press, New York Times and The Note
Ben Geman / The Hill:
Pelosi tells Reid: Immigration bill before climate change is ‘fine’
Pelosi tells Reid: Immigration bill before climate change is ‘fine’
Discussion:
Think Progress, Los Angeles Times, Gateway Pundit, The Politico, Wonk Room and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*
Gail Collins / New York Times:
Dance of the Derivatives — The United States Senate. Feel the love.
Dance of the Derivatives — The United States Senate. Feel the love.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post
Russell Berman / The Hill:
Pelosi: House won't object to moving immigration first
Pelosi: House won't object to moving immigration first
Discussion:
The Politico
TPMDC:
Why The GOP Suddenly Let Up On Financial Reform — Within 48 hours, the Republican line on financial regulatory reform went from “filibuster” to “we're very close to a deal.” Why the shift? Republicans and Democrats will offer up spin all day, chalking up the progress to their own doggedness …
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E.J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:
Obama pulls out his boxing gloves in Calif.
Obama pulls out his boxing gloves in Calif.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Big Think, National Review Online, USA Today, Democracy in America and Guardian
Rep. John Boehner / Investor's Business Daily:
President Obama's ‘TARP Forever’ Act
President Obama's ‘TARP Forever’ Act
Discussion:
The Note, Economix, Bloomberg, NY Daily News, Los Angeles Times, Newshoggers.com and The Reaction
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Michael Steele Acknowledges GOP Had “Southern Strategy” For Decades — A lot of people are pointing to a new set of remarks Michael Steele made about the Republican Party and race, in which Steele acknowledged that the GOP hasn't given African Americans a reason to support the party.
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Ralph Z. Hallow / Washington Times:
Internal RNC probe finds financial controls in disarray — Barely 6 1/2 months before the midterm elections, an internal investigation by the Republican National Committee has revealed that the organization is beset with questionable financial management and oversight and is spending …
Abdon M. Pallasch / Chicago Sun Times:
GOP chairman: African-Americans not given good reason to vote for party
GOP chairman: African-Americans not given good reason to vote for party
Reuters:
The tea party's exaggerated importance — 2009 was the year when many journalists concluded they were slow to recognize the anti-government, anti-Obama rage that gave birth to the tea party movement. — 2010 is the year when news organizations have decided to prove they get it. — And get it.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, Taylor Marsh, Boston Globe, Newshoggers.com, LewRockwell.com Blog, Right Now, Left Coast Rebel, Mediaite and Washington Wire
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Reuters:
Exclusive: WellPoint routinely targets breast cancer patients — (Reuters) - One after another, shortly after a diagnosis of breast cancer, each of the women learned that her health insurance had been canceled. First there was Yenny Hsu, who lived and worked in Los Angeles.
Discussion:
Swampland
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Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
WellPoint Targets Breast Cancer Patients for Recision
WellPoint Targets Breast Cancer Patients for Recision
Discussion:
RHRealityCheck.org
Tim Shipman / Daily Mail:
'I've gone from being Churchill to a Nazi in a week': Clegg defends attack on Britain's ‘delusions of grandeur’ over WWII — A rattled Nick Clegg today sought to defend himself over his claim that the British people have a ‘more insidious cross to bear’ than Germany over World War II.
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, Weekly Standard, Guardian, Telegraph, Iain Dale's Diary, Swampland, MyDD and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS
Dave Itzkoff / ArtsBeat:
‘South Park’ Episode Is Altered After Muslim Group's Warning — A message posted on SouthParkStudios.com, the Web site of Trey Parker and Matt Stone's production company. — 8:56 a.m. | Updated — An episode of “South Park” that continued a story line involving the Prophet Muhammad …
realtor.org:
Existing-Home Sales Rise on Home Buyer Tax Credit and Favorable Market Conditions — Buyers responding to the homebuyer tax credit and favorable affordability conditions boosted existing-home sales in March, marking the beginning of an expected spring surge, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
ChickenCare Goes Viral — Perhaps inevitably, as you can see in the picture at the left, a progressive group has now created a special ChickenCare dance remix of senate candidate Sue Lowden's proposal to bring down health care costs by adopting a barter economy in medical care.
Andrew Taylor / Associated Press:
Millions face tax increases under Dems budget plan — WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's Democratic allies in the Senate promise to cut the deficit by almost two-thirds over the next five years, but their budget plan could threaten about 30 million people with tax increases averaging $3,700 …
George F. Will / Press Association:
Bringing Thunder-ous change to New Jersey — The bridge spanning the Delaware River connects New Jersey's capital with this town where the nation's most interesting governor occasionally eats lunch at Cafe Antonio. It also connects New Jersey's government with reality.
Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
In Judicial Bouts, Diane Wood Shows a Persuasive Punch — WASHINGTON — There were few liberals and just one woman on the federal appeals court in Chicago when Diane P. Wood, an antitrust expert with a flair for foreign language and an ear for playing the oboe, showed up in the summer of 1995.
David Brody / The Brody File:
Jim DeMint Talks to Brody File About Whether He Wants to Run for President — Senator Jim DeMint, a favorite of the Tea party movement and an influential conservative in the country tells The Brody File that while he won't rule out running for President in 2012 he says, “It's not something I desire”.
Associated Press:
US military jury clears SEAL in Iraq abuse case — BAGHDAD (AP) — A U.S. military jury cleared a Navy SEAL Thursday of failing to prevent the beating of an Iraqi prisoner suspected of masterminding a 2004 attack that killed four American securit...
George Russell / Fox News:
U.N.'s Ballooning $732 Million Haiti Peacekeeping Budget Goes Mostly to Its Own Personnel — The United Nations has quietly upped this year's peacekeeping budget for earthquake-shattered Haiti to $732.4 million, with two-thirds of that amount going for the salary, perks and upkeep of its own personnel …
Time:
BANKS: Deposits Guaranteed … Through the great banking houses of Manhattan last week ran wild-eyed alarm. Big bankers stared at one another in anger and astonishment. A bill just passed by both houses of Congress would rivet upon their institutions what they considered a monstrous system of guaranteeing bank deposits.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog