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Mark S. Smith / Associated Press:
Rodent scurries by as Obama lauds Wall Street vote — WASHINGTON - In his battle with the titans of Wall Street, President Barack Obama almost got upstaged by a rat. — But he didn't even seem to notice. Assuming that's what it was, scurrying in front of his podium Thursday in a sun-drenched Rose Garden.
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Taylor Marsh, Fausta's Blog, No More Mister Nice Blog, No Sheeples Here, Gateway Pundit and Gawker
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Silla Brush / The Hill:
Wall Street bill nearing finish line as Senate passes legislation 59-39 — President Barack Obama on Thursday moved to the cusp of winning a major overhaul of Wall Street, following the worst financial crisis since the 1930s. — The Senate on Thursday voted 59-39 to support …
Brady Dennis / Washington Post:
Senate passes financial regulation bill — The Senate approved far-reaching new financial rules on Thursday aimed at preventing the risky behavior and regulatory failures that brought the economy to the brink of collapse two years ago and cost millions of Americans their jobs and savings.
Meredith Shiner / The Politico:
Brown key to Wall St. bill passage — In January, he broke the Democrats' lock on the Senate. — On Thursday, he gave it back. — Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) effectively became the 60th vote to cut off debate on Wall Street reform Thursday - a far cry from when Republicans were hailing …
Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Dems: Wall St. reform in homestretch
David M. Herszenhorn / New York Times:
Bill to Overhaul Financial Rules Clears Hurdle in Senate Vote
Bill to Overhaul Financial Rules Clears Hurdle in Senate Vote
Political Punch:
Exclusive: President Obama To Replace Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair* — ABC News has learned that President Obama will replace the Director of National Intelligence, Admiral Dennis Blair (ret.) His resignation will come as soon as tomorrow, sources tell ABC News.
Discussion:
The Note, The Atlantic Online, Federal Eye, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, The Corner on National …, Firedoglake, NO QUARTER, Raw Story, The Foundry, Laura Rozen's Blog, Politics Daily, Power Line, Emptywheel, Newsweek Blogs, Hot Air, Outside The Beltway, Israel Matzav, CNN, Daily Kos, The Political Carnival, TPMDC and The Washington Independent
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Mark Mazzetti / New York Times:
Facing a Rift, U.S. Spy Chief to Step Down — WASHINGTON — Dennis C. Blair, whose often tumultuous tenure as director of national intelligence was marked by frequent clashes with White House officials and other spy chiefs in America's still fractured intelligence apparatus, announced Thursday that he was resigning.
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The Swamp, New York Post, Pajamas Media, PostPartisan, Questions and Observations, Christian Science Monitor, Swampland, TalkLeft, Mediaite and The Page
Washington Post:
Rand Paul comments about civil rights stir controversy — Two days after becoming the newest symbol of “tea party” politics, Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul of Kentucky thrust himself, his party and the movement into an uncomfortable conversation about the federal government's role …
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David Weigel / Right Now:
Rand Paul in '02: I may not like it, but ‘a free society’ …
Rand Paul in '02: I may not like it, but ‘a free society’ …
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Mother Jones, Yahoo! News, Page One, The Nation, The Plum Line, CNN, Ben Smith's Blog, Think Progress, Real Clear Politics, Hot Air, The Hill, Romenesko, MyDD, Washington Monthly, TPMDC and Daily Kos
Ezra Klein:
Rand Paul may not be a racist, but he is an extremist
Rand Paul may not be a racist, but he is an extremist
Discussion:
TalkLeft, The Rachel Maddow Show, Left Coast Rebel, American Power, TPMDC, The Moderate Voice, First Draft, Gawker, Barefoot and Progressive, Liberal Values, Newsweek Blogs, Hit & Run, The Atlantic Online, Politics Daily, Mediaite, The Fix, United States of Jamerica, NPR Topics, Townhall.com, The Impolitic and Mother Jones
reason-contest.s3.amazonaws.com:
And The Winner of The Everybody Draw Mohammad Contest is... To remind readers of the stakes: In recent months, a Swedish cartoonist that sketched Mohammed as a “roundabout dog” as part of a planned street installation was assaulted during a lecture and, the following week, two extremists attempted to burn his house down.
Discussion:
iowahawk, Washington Post, Balloon Juice, Grim's Hall, Dean's World, Outside The Beltway, Hot Air and Townhall.com
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Oscar Avila / Chicago Tribune:
Immigration crackdown for Illinois — Feds to step up enforcement — In the midst of an outcry over illegal immigration and Arizona's new crackdown, a top Department of Homeland Security official visiting Chicago on Wednesday said his agency intended to step up enforcement in places such as Illinois.
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The Huffington Post:
Little Girl Who Challenged First Lady Is Right: Obama Is Deporting More Immigrants Than Ever — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — A little girl became the face of the nation's immigration debate on Wednesday, when she told First Lady Michelle Obama about her mother's fear.
CNN:
THE SITUATION ROOM — Interview with Mexican President Felipe Calderon; Analysis of Special Election Results — THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. — WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Thanks very much, guys. — Happening now, the presidents …
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Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Online:
The New Term for the War on Terror — If you blinked, you might have missed it. The Obama administration has unofficially rebranded “war on terror” phrase that dominated public discourse throughout the Bush administration. The replacement phrase, carefully chosen, is “CVE” — Countering Violent Extremism.
Discussion:
Hotline On Call, Outside The Beltway, Freedom's Lighthouse, Weasel Zippers, Gothamist and USS Neverdock
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Lost Decade Looming? — Despite a chorus of voices claiming otherwise, we aren't Greece. We are, however, looking more and more like Japan. — For the past few months, much commentary on the economy — some of it posing as reporting — has had one central theme: policy makers are doing too much.
Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times:
Chuck DeVore has a staunch conservative record — The Senate candidate is a veteran of politics who portrays himself as an outsider. — Chuck DeVore argues that his military experience gives him an edge over his primary rivals. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
Peter Nicholas / Los Angeles Times:
Democrats point the finger at Obama's chief of staff for immigration reform's poor progress — Rahm Emanuel, who in the past referred to the issue as the ‘third rail of American politics,’ has argued privately that it's a bad time to push an immigration bill.
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
House Panel Rejects a Plan to Shift Detainees to Illinois — WASHINGTON — The House Armed Services Committee has dealt a blow to President Obama's hopes to shutter the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, by unanimously approving legislation that would prohibit creating a detention center inside the United States.
Charles Krauthammer / Real Clear Politics:
The Fruits of Weakness — WASHINGTON — It is perfectly obvious that Iran's latest uranium maneuver, brokered by Brazil and Turkey, is a ruse. Iran retains more than enough enriched uranium to make a bomb. And it continues enriching at an accelerated pace and to a greater purity (20 percent).
Dana Blanton / Fox News:
Fox News Poll: States Should Have Right To Make Immigration Laws — Amid the ongoing controversy over Arizona's new immigration law, voters by a 2-to-1 margin think individual states should have the right to make their own immigration laws. And a majority of voters would like their own state to follow Arizona's lead.
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