Top Items:
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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Ezra Klein:
Rand Paul may not be a racist, but he is an extremist — Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy — It's safe to say Rand Paul's first few days as the Republican nominee for the open Senate seat in Kentucky are not going well.
Discussion:
TPMDC, Newsweek Blogs, Left Coast Rebel, Hit & Run, Right Now, Liberal Values, Gawker, The Moderate Voice, First Draft, Politics Daily, The Atlantic Online, The Fix, Barefoot and Progressive, TalkLeft, Mediaite, United States of Jamerica, American Power, pandagon.net, NPR Topics, Townhall.com, The Impolitic, Mother Jones and The Awl
The Huffington Post:
Rand Paul On Civil Rights Controversy: I Shouldn't Have Talked …
Rand Paul On Civil Rights Controversy: I Shouldn't Have Talked …
Discussion:
Politics Daily, Ben Smith's Blog, Newsweek Blogs, Capital Gains and Games blogs, The Corner on National …, Page One, TPMDC, The Nation, Beltway Confidential, Little Green Footballs, Gothamist, Balkinization, The Politico, Raw Story, The Moderate Voice, Cato @ Liberty, alicublog, Pam's House Blend, Swampland and Vanity Fair
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’ …
Discussion:
Yahoo! News, The Plum Line, American Prospect, Page One, Washington Monthly, Ben Smith's Blog, New York Times, Romenesko, TPMDC and MyDD
Mike Memoli / Real Clear Politics:
Paul: I Support the Civil Rights Act
Paul: I Support the Civil Rights Act
Discussion:
TPMMuckraker, TPMDC, The Plum Line, The Reaction, Think Progress, Daily Kos, The Caucus, The Corner on National …, New York Times, The Politico, Crooks and Liars, MyDD, No More Mister Nice Blog, Below The Beltway, The Rachel Maddow Show, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Wonkette, Matthew Yglesias, The Awl, FrumForum, Outside The Beltway and AMERICAblog News
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:
Washington Post, The Corner on National …, Raw Story, The Atlantic Online, Hot Air, Firedoglake, NO QUARTER, Newsweek Blogs, Laura Rozen's Blog, The Foundry, Emptywheel, Politics Daily, Power Line, CNN, Israel Matzav, The Political Carnival, TPMDC, Daily Kos 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.
Eileen Sullivan / Associated Press:
National intelligence director resigning
National intelligence director resigning
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway
Brady Dennis / Washington Post:
Senate clears way to vote on financial reform — The Senate voted Thursday afternoon to end its three-week debate on a bill to rewrite the nation's financial regulations, paving the way for a final vote on the landmark legislation. — The 60-to-40 vote — the minimum required to end debate …
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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 …
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
Discussion:
Firedoglake, DealBook, Truthdig, Swampland, Gawker, Washington Monthly, Ezra Klein and Washington Post
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, Instapundit, Washington Post, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, Dean's World, Balloon Juice and Grim's Hall
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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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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 …
The Huffington Post:
Wall Street Power Play: Bankers In Bizarre Showdown With Auto Dealers — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — Wall Street has found itself battling auto dealers in a last-ditch effort to block an amendment opposed by big banks from coming to the Senate floor. The bank lobbyists are working to persuade …
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.
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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.
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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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 …
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.
Zev Chafets / New York Times:
Op-Ed Contributor: The Rush Limbaugh Victory — THERE are many theories for why very conservative Republicans seem to be doing so well lately, taking their party's Senate nominations in Florida, Kentucky and Utah, and beating Democrats head-to-head in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Virginia.
Victoria Gill / BBC:
Scientists make ‘artificial life’ — The synthetic cell looks identical to the “wild type” — Scientists in the US have succeeded in developing the first synthetic living cell. — The researchers constructed a bacterium's “genetic software” and transplanted it into a host cell.