Top Items:
Ezra Klein:
Will the Kentucky Derby end the Republican filibuster of FinReg? — Word is that the Democrats might make the Republicans actually filibuster FinReg tonight. That is to say, stand on the floor and talk and talk and talk. And if the Democrats are serious about forcing the Republicans …
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Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Senate Dems plan all-nighter to push GOP on Wall Street reform — Senate Democratic leaders are planning for an all-night session to put more pressure on Republicans to allow a debate on Wall Street reform. — Republican senators voted for the third time in three days on Wednesday to block …
U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell:
Key Agreement Reached on Closing Bailout Loopholes — WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement Wednesday regarding assurances from Chairman Dodd on bailout loopholes in the Wall Street bill: — “I appreciate the efforts of Sen. Shelby …
New York Times:
Republicans Agree to Debate on Financial Overhaul — WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans ended three days of resistance on Wednesday and signalled that they are ready to allow debate of legislation to overhaul regulation of the nation's financial system. — The Republicans …
Kimberly Schwandt / Liveshots:
Crist to Run as Independent in FL Sen Race — Republican Florida Governor Charlie Crist has decided he will run as an independent in the race to fill the Florida U.S. Senate seat, Crist allies tell Fox News. The official announcement is scheduled for Thursday at 5pm ET in St. Petersburg, Florida.
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Adam Smith / The Buzz:
Charlie Crist's declaration of independence coming in St. Petersburg — So the word is out: Crist is telling key financial backers that he's running for senate with no party affiliation. The announcement is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Straub Park in downtown St Petersburg.
Discussion:
TPMDC, HorsesAss.Org, Outside The Beltway, Pollster.com All Content, RedState, The Page, The Atlantic Online, JOSHUAPUNDIT and GOP 12
Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
McCain's numbers plummet — John McCain has had a Charlie Crist like drop in his approval numbers over the last six months, seeing double digit declines in his popularity with Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike. As a result a majority of Arizona voters now disapprove of his job performance.
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Colby Itkowitz / Morning Call:
A year after switching political parties, Sen. Arlen Specter reflects …
A year after switching political parties, Sen. Arlen Specter reflects …
Discussion:
Open Left, Right Now, The Caucus, Philly.com, Hot Air, Ballot Box, TPMDC and Beltway Confidential
Heather / Crooks and Liars:
Palin Accidentally Slams Fox News as ‘Lamestream Media’ — Hats off to our friends at Media Matters for catching this one. By “lamestream media,” did Palin mean Fox News?: … As they noted, unfortunately that “lamestream media” program she was talking about is Fox & Friends.
Discussion:
The Political Carnival
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The Politico:
Why reporters are down on Obama — One of the enduring story lines of Barack Obama's presidency, dating back to the earliest days of his candidacy, is that the press loves him. — “Most of you covered me. All of you voted for me,” Obama joked last year at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.
Discussion:
Hot Air, Beltway Confidential, Don Surber, Liberal Values, Sister Toldjah, Mediaite, Gawker, Ben Smith's Blog, The Anchoress, AmSpecBlog, The Corner on National …, Pundit & Pundette, CNN, Weekly Standard, AMERICAblog News, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Townhall.com, Balloon Juice and Romenesko
Jim Galloway / Political Insider:
Your morning jolt: The woman who beat Sarah Palin in Alaska takes aim at the Georgia House — The woman who beat Sarah Palin for the beauty queen title of Miss Alaska in 1984 is aiming for the Legislature. — Singer and actress Maryline Blackburn of Smyrna, now a 24-year resident of the state …
Discussion:
The Political Carnival
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
It's the (Bush) economy, stupid — Photo by Marvin Joseph of the Washington Post — A new Washington Post/ABC poll suggests that most Americans continue to blame the sluggish economy on former President George W. Bush, a development that could complicate Republican efforts to lay it at President Barack Obama's feet this fall.
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Washington Post:
Poll finds Americans in an anti-incumbent mood as midterm elections near
Poll finds Americans in an anti-incumbent mood as midterm elections near
Discussion:
Behind the Numbers, The Note, The Democratic Daily, The Caucus, Washington Monthly, Hot Air, NewsBusters.org, No More Mister Nice Blog, Think Progress, The Washington Independent, Federal Eye, The Monkey Cage, Beltway Confidential, The Political Carnival, Below The Beltway, Pollster.com All Content and New York Times
Ben Frumin / TPM LiveWire:
GOPer: I Support Deporting American Citizens Whose Parents Are Illegal Immigrants (VIDEO) — Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) wants to start deporting American citizens. — Not all American citizens, mind you. Just the natural-born American citizens that are the children of illegal immigrants.
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Amanda Lee Myers / Associated Press:
Illegal immigrants plan to leave over Ariz. law — PHOENIX (AP) — Many of the cars that once stopped in the Home Depot parking lot to pick up day laborers to hang drywall or do landscaping now just drive on by. — Arizona's sweeping immigration bill allows police to arrest illegal immigrant …
Gawker:
The Washington Post Cannot Tell Obama From Malcolm X — Violent black radical Barack Hussein Obama X is learning about wind energy in Iowa, The Washington Post reports in a most unfortunate photo caption error. — It appears Obama and Malcolm X were actually slated for separate stories.
Helen Kennedy / NY Daily News:
Opponents of immigration law call for boycott of Arizona Iced Tea - but it is brewed in New York! — Opponents of Arizona's new anti-immigrant law are calling for a boycott of the state's products - including the popular Arizona Iced Tea. — The problem: Arizona Iced Tea is actually brewed in New York.
Discussion:
The Lede, Hot Air, Gothamist, JammieWearingFool, Moonbattery, Cassy Fiano, Sister Toldjah and Swampland
Rasmussen Reports:
Election 2010: Arkansas Senate — Arkansas Senate: Lincoln's Support Continues to Slide — Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln has fallen to her lowest levels of support yet in her bid for reelection, while her five top Republican challengers now pull over 50% support from Likely Voters in the state.
Anahad O'Connor / New York Times:
Laura Bush Opens Up About Crash — Laura Bush has finally opened up publicly about the mysterious car accident she had when she was 17, a crash that claimed the life of a high school friend on a dark country road in Midland, Tex. — In her new book, “Spoken From the Heart,” …
Discussion:
Politics Daily, USA Today, Guardian, Beltway Confidential, Top of the Ticket, NPR Topics, Don Surber, LewRockwell.com Blog and Prairie Weather
Katharine Q. Seelye / New York Times:
Regulators Approve First Offshore Wind Farm in U.S. — BOSTON — After nine years of regulatory review, the federal government gave the green light Wednesday to the nation's first offshore wind farm, a highly contested project off the coast of Cape Cod. — The approval of the 130-turbine farm gives …
Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit:
OBAMA & BIG SIS Call In Riot Police on Quincy Tea Party Patriots (Video) — TEAM OBAMA CALLS IN SWAT TEAM ON TEA PARTY PATRIOTS! — The SWAT Team was called in today at the Quincy Tea Party Rally. Obama was speaking at the Oakley-Lindsey/Quincy Community Center this afternoon. — Unreal.
Discussion:
Freedom's Lighthouse
Dennis Kneale / CNBC:
Obama is a Bully: Kneale — Will someone please rein in our relentlessly hectoring President? Barrack Hussein Obama has taken his gift for inspirational oratory—one of the traits that got him elected—and turned it into something darker and more insidious. — Bam is a bully.
Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:
Why Palin's Biggest Presidential Hurdle May Be Her Staff Issues — Texas Governor Rick Perry Jogs With a Laser-Sighted .380 Ruger and Hollow-Point Bullets — Sarah Palin has not made a decision as to whether she'll run for president next year — a run is still definitely on the table among her closest advisers.
Discussion:
Conservatives4Palin.com
cyber.law.harvard.edu:
A Tale of Two Blogospheres: Discursive Practices on the Left and Right — Authored by Yochai Benkler, Aaron Shaw, Victoria Stodden — Abstract — Discussions of the political effects of the Internet and networked discourse tend to presume consistent patterns of technological adoption and use within a given society.
Daily Mail:
'When we understand that slide, we'll have won the war:' US generals given baffling PowerPoint presentation to try to explain Afghanistan mess — Its coloured charts, graphs and bullet-points are supposed to make the most incomprehensible data crystal clear.
Mustafa Barghouthi / The Huffington Post:
An Open Letter to UC Berkeley Students — Passing the Israel Divestment Bill — Dear Berkeley students and the ASUC Senate: — I commend the effort of the wide coalition at Berkeley to pass the Bill in Support of UC Divestment from War Crimes. American students can play a powerful role …
Matt Finkelstein / Media Matters Action Network:
Rep. King: The U.S. Has “Already Ceded” Rep. Grijalva's District To Mexico — Last week, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) called for a boycott of Arizona over the state's draconian, possibly unconstitutional immigration law. “Do not do business with a state that is propagating the idea separate …
Discussion:
The Poor Man Institute, TPM LiveWire, Feathered Bastard, Think Progress, Washington Monthly and Iowa Independent
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
George Will On Hispanics — We've seen, repeatedly, that Fred Hiatt thinks it's not a problem if George Will wants to use his Washington Post column to mislead people about facts. But Will's decided to enter a new kind of loathesomeness with this characterization of where one might meet a Hispanic:
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System:
For immediate release — Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in March suggests that economic activity has continued to strengthen and that the labor market is beginning to improve. Growth in household spending has picked up recently but remains constrained by high unemployment …
Julian Pecquet / The Hill:
Republicans want CMS actuary to testify — Energy and Commerce Republicans on Wednesday requested that the committee invite CMS Actuary Rick Foster to testify about his April 22 report on the new health care law, which found that national spending on health would increase by about 1 percent over the next 10 years.