Top Items:
New York Times:
House Votes to Allow Repeal of Ban on Gays in Military — WASHINGTON — The House voted on Thursday to let the Defense Department repeal the ban on gay and bisexual people from serving openly in the military, a major step toward dismantling the 1993 law widely known as “don't ask, don't tell.”
Discussion:
TalkLeft, Hot Air, The Note, Towleroad News #gay, ABCNEWS, The Hill, Taylor Marsh, Human Rights Campaign, Joe. My. God., The Daily Dish, MyDD, Mediaite and The Volokh Conspiracy
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Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Senate Panel Votes To End Don't Ask, Don't Tell — Equal rights activists scored a major victory today, as the Senate Armed Services committee voted 16-12 to give the Pentagon the power to overturn Don't Ask, Don't Tell—a policy that bans openly gay people from serving in the military.
New York Times:
‘Top Kill’ Effort Seems to Be Working, U.S. Says Cautiously — HOUSTON — The latest effort to plug a gushing underwater oil well in the Gulf of Mexico appeared to be working, officials and engineers said on Thursday morning, though definitive word on its success was still hours away.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Oil Drum, Time, Associated Press, LA Times Environment Blog, USA Today, The Confluence, Guardian, NPR, Daily Kos, Crooks and Liars, RaceWire, CNN, The Daily Caller, New Orleans Times-Picayune, New York Magazine, Mish's Global Economic …, Mashable!, newsfeed.time.com, Vanity Fair and Fausta's Blog
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Jim Tankersley / Los Angeles Times:
‘Top kill’ effort succeeds in blocking oil leak, Coast Guard admiral says — Thad Allen, who is coordinating the government response, says the well still has low pressure, but cement will be used to cap the well permanently as soon as the pressure hits zero.
Discussion:
WWL, Hot Air, Instapundit, Wall Street Journal, Mother Jones, TPM LiveWire, Firedoglake, Outside the Beltway, The Consumerist, United States of Jamerica, Taylor Marsh, Ezra Klein, Mediaite, ProPublica, newsfeed.time.com, Townhall.com, Matthew Yglesias, The Mahablog, The Faster Times, New Orleans Times-Picayune, Corrente, The Oil Drum, Michelle Malkin, The Corner on National …, The Moderate Voice, The Political Carnival, Weasel Zippers, Washington Post, Another Black Conservative, Left Coast Rebel, Sense of Events, MyFox Philadelphia, Raw Story and Guardian
Erick Erickson / RedState:
BREAKING: We Know Who Did It — Who paid Will Folks? He was allegedly offered money. A LOT of money. In fact, RedState now confirms through a whole heap of sources that he's been trying to sell this story for a year. — We know who bit. — We know who didn't bite.
Discussion:
Liberty Pundits Blog, Charleston City Paper, Hot Air, TPMMuckraker, The Daily Caller, Right Now and The Other McCain
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Raymond Rivera / WCIV:
ABC NEWS 4 Exclusive Interview with Nikki Haley — Columbia, SC - An exclusive one on one interview with Nikki Haley who is vowing to make a final primary push. The GOP Hopeful talks about the claims, her family and the race to the finish line. — It's been a roller coaster ride on the campaign trail.
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
DEFINE ‘SUFFICIENTLY ENRAGED’.... The New York Times's Jeff Zeleny live-blogged President Obama's press conference this afternoon, and wrapped things up asking whether the president demonstrated to the country that he's “in control of the crisis on the Gulf.” … At least he resisted the urge to compare Obama to Spock.
Discussion:
Mother Jones, The Caucus, Wonkette, No More Mister Nice Blog, New York Times and Balloon Juice
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Gene Fynes / Ezra Klein:
Here comes impeachment — What's at stake in the elections this fall? Energy/climate? Tax cuts? Management of the economy? — Well, sure, all those things. It's worth pointing out, however, that what's also at stake is the impeachment of Barack Obama.
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Daniel Indiviglio / The Atlantic Online:
Kenneth Starr Charged With Running $30 Million Ponzi Scheme — [Somewhere, Bill Clinton is smiling. One-time special prosecutor who uncovered the dirty details of the former President's affair with intern Monica Lewinsky has been engaged in some bad behavior of his own …
Discussion:
U.S. Securities …, FT Alphaville, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Daily Beast and Pajamas Media
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Clinton: ‘The rich are not paying their fair share’ — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a rare foray into domestic politics today, offering her view that — given America's high unemployment — wealthy Americans don't pay enough taxes. — “The rich are not paying their fair share …
Discussion:
Laura Rozen's Blog, The Confluence, Weasel Zippers, Don Surber and The Washington Independent
Stephanie Chen / CNN:
Pediatricians now reject all female genital cutting — On Thursday the AAP withdrew a policy statement on female genital cutting released in April. The statement suggested genital “pricking.” — (CNN) — The American Academy of Pediatrics has rescinded a controversial policy statement raising …
Discussion:
The Jawa Report
Jake / Page One:
Rand Paul's Strange Ties To Big Oil — Fresh off the heels of our story about Rand Paul's new campaign manager and the Campaign for Liberty, come questions raised after additional research. — Just a few days ago Rand Paul criticized President Barack Obama for suggesting BP be held accountable …
Boston Globe:
Mass. Senate passes crackdown on illegal immigrants — With one lawmaker citing President Lincoln's respect for the rule of law, the Massachusetts Senate passed a far-reaching crackdown this afternoon on illegal immigrants and those who would hire them, going further, senators said …
Reid Wilson / Hotline On Call:
DNC Pushes Sex Scandal Story — The DNC, the political wing of a president who launched his campaign decrying slash-and-burn campaign tactics, is highlighting new stories about a sex scandal rocking a GOP primary. — Earlier today, the DNC sent around a report from WSPA, the Spartanburg …
Discussion:
RedState
Yuval Levin / The Corner on National Review Online:
'Obama's Katrina' — By: Yuval Levin — I think it's actually right to say that the BP oil spill is something like Obama's Katrina, but not in the sense in which most critics seem to mean it. — It's like Katrina in that many people's attitudes regarding the response to it reveal completely unreasonable expectations of government.
Molly K. Hooper / The Hill:
GOP moves to repeal healthcare law — House Republican leaders introduced a bill Thursday to repeal and replace the sweeping healthcare law adopted in late March. — According to Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the measure would repeal the current law and replace it with the alternative …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Oil Spill Alters Views on Environmental Protection — Majority now favors protecting environment over developing energy supplies — PRINCETON, NJ — Between March and today, with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill intervening, Americans' preferences for prioritizing between environmental protection …