Top Items:
Scott Shane / New York Times:
Security Lapses Let Bomb Suspect Board Plane — WASHINGTON — Why was Faisal Shahzad permitted to board a flight for Dubai some 24 hours after investigators of the Times Square terrorism case learned he might be connected to the attempted bombing? — Though Mr. Shahzad was stopped …
Discussion:
Jules Crittenden, Gothamist, Newsweek Blogs, Balloon Juice, SWJ Blog, Prairie Weather, TalkLeft, New York Magazine, Clusterstock and Ben Smith's Blog
RELATED:
John Christoffersen / Associated Press:
Times Square bombing suspect's life had unraveled — BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Not long ago, Faisal Shahzad had a pretty enviable life: He became an American citizen after emigrating from Pakistan, where he came from a wealthy family. He earned an MBA. He had a well-educated wife …
Political Punch:
Obama administration says Emirates Airlines Dropped the Ball; 9/11 Commission Vice-Chair Says U.S. Govt Is Dropping the Ball — Senior administration officials say that Faisal Shahzad was put on the no fly list on Monday at 12:30 pm ET. — So how was he able to board the Emirates Airlines flight to Dubai?
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Times Sq. Arrest Renews Debate on Suspect Rights — WASHINGTON — The arrest of a suspect in the attempted Times Square car bombing revived the volatile political debate over terrorism policy on Tuesday, as President Obama's supporters and critics squared off over how the nation should handle those plotting against it.
Associated Press:
NY car bomb suspect cooperates, but motive mystery — NEW YORK - A man accused of trying to detonate a car bomb in Times Square had found the stable, suburban life he had spent a decade working toward, then abandoned his house in Connecticut and decided to supplement his business degrees …
New York Times:
Times Sq. Bomb Suspect Was a Suburban Father — They took their places in the wood-paneled courtroom, 58 people from 32 countries. They listened as a federal magistrate banged the gavel and said it was “a wonderful day for the United States”— the day they would become Americans.
miaminewtimes.com:
Christian right leader George Rekers takes vacation with “rent boy” — The pictures on the Rentboy.com profile show a shirtless young man with delicate features, guileless eyes, and sun-kissed, hairless skin. The profile touts his “smooth, sweet, tight ass” and “perfectly built 8 inch cock …
RELATED:
Joe / Joe. My. God.:
Meet Geo, The Male Prostitute Hired By NARTH Member & Family Research Council Co-Founder Dr. George Rekers — I was going to withhold the identity of the male prostitute hired by Dr. George Rekers, the virulently anti-gay NARTH board member and Family Research Council co-founder.
Dan Savage / The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper:
Is Every Right-Wing, Anti-Gay Christian Bigot Sucking Off Rent Boys? — We've got another one, gang, and he's a doozy: … Rekers, as Joe Jervis points out, is the co-founder of the wildly anti-gay Family Research Council and a member of the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality …
James Hohmann / The Politico:
Primaries bruise establishment picks — Tuesday's primaries didn't offer any cause for panic. But the elections in Indiana, North Carolina and Ohio confirmed what both parties suspected going in: it's going to be a very rough year for incumbents and for the Washington establishment.
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Jonathan Weisman / Wall Street Journal:
Disaster Dims Hopes on Energy Bill — The oil slick spreading through the Gulf of Mexico will prompt Congress to establish new regulatory, safety and technological requirements that could impede further off-shore oil drilling, the White House's top energy official said Tuesday.
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Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Lieberman wants to strip citizenship of Americans who join foreign terror orgs. — Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) is planning to introduce a bill that would allow the government to take away citizenship from Americans who join foreign terrorist organizations.
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Charles Murray / New York Times:
Why Charter Schools Fail the Test — THE latest evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the oldest and most extensive system of vouchers and charter schools in America, came out last month, and most advocates of school choice were disheartened by the results.
Associated Press:
3 dead during Greek riots — ATHENS, Greece — Greek fire officials say three people have died in a blaze that broke out at an Athens bank during rioting over government austerity measures. — An estimated 100,000 people took to the streets Wednesday during a nationwide wave of strikes …
RELATED:
Jennifer Steinhauer / New York Times:
Black Hopefuls Pick This Year in G.O.P. Races — Among the many reverberations of President Obama's election, here is one he probably never anticipated: at least 32 African-Americans are running for Congress this year as Republicans, the biggest surge since Reconstruction, according to party officials.
Ben Smith / The Politico:
Wash Post shifts leftward online — The once-cautious Washington Post has begun to invest heavily in the liberal blogosphere, transforming its online presence - a combination of accident and design - into a competitor of the Huffington Post and TalkingPointsMemo as much as the New York Times.
New York Post:
Taliban lackey's twisted mission — It was payback. — The Connecticut man charged yesterday with the botched Times Square car bombing confessed to trying to slaughter innocent people in retaliation for US drone attacks that wiped out the leadership of his beloved Taliban, The Post has learned.
Discussion:
City Room, New York Magazine, Danger Room, Jihad Watch, JammieWearingFool and Ezra Klein
Marc Cooper / Los Angeles Times:
To replace John Paul Stevens, an atheist — It's something Thomas Jefferson might have done: nominate a nonbeliever to the Supreme Court — As President Obama considers nominees to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, a debate bubbles as to whether religion should play a role in his choice.
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway, Riehl World View, Hot Air, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, NPR, New York Times, Washington Post and SCOTUSblog
RELATED:
Ed White / Associated Press:
US takes early lumps in case against Mich. militia — DETROIT (AP) — Federal authorities touted the arrests of nine members of a Michigan militia as a pre-emptive strike against homegrown terrorists, declaring at an initial court hearing that the suspects with “dark hearts and evil intent” wanted to go to war against the government.
Discussion:
Riehl World View
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
GOP could gain by raising Arizona — The new hard-line Arizona immigration law that has sparked talk of boycotts and caused leading Republicans to fret about the party's frayed relationship with Hispanic voters may indeed pose a long-term threat to the GOP's prospects.
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Fox refuses climate ad — Fox News last week refused to carry an advertisement from the liberal group VoteVets on the grounds that it was “too confusing,” a spokesman for the group said. — The ad, above, seeks to make the familiar case that climate legislation would have national security benefits …
Discussion:
AMERICAblog News
Associated Press:
‘Los Suns’ jerseys set for Cinco de Mayo — PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns will wear “Los Suns” on their jerseys in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on Wednesday night, owner Robert Sarver said, “to honor our Latino community and the diversity of our league, the state of Arizona, and our nation.”
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway, Bright Side Of The Sun, Weasel Zippers, PoliBlog, CNN, The Politico, Arizona Republic, The Hill, Think Progress, Hot Air and Sister Toldjah
Washington Post:
Tea party groups battling perceptions of racism — As several states with active “tea party” groups prepare to hold important primary elections this month, the movement is struggling to overcome accusations of racism that are tinting perceptions of this loose network of conservatives.