Top Items:
Mike Lillis / The Hill:
McConnell: Medicare recess appointment is ‘truly outrageous’ — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday blasted the White House for its plan to sidestep Congress in appointing Donald Berwick to lead Medicare. — “As if shoving a trillion-dollar government takeover …
Discussion:
Right Wing News, The New Ledger, Liberty Pundits Blog, CNN, theblogprof, The Politico, Matthew Yglesias, Pat Dollard, Wonk Room and Daily Kos
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Ezra Klein:
The conservative case for Don Berwick — Let's get the obvious out of the way: If not for health-care reform, Don Berwick's nomination to head the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services would not be so controversial. As Thomas Scully, who headed CMS under George W. Bush, says …
Robert Pear / New York Times:
Obama Bypassing Congress to Appoint Chief of Medicare and Medicaid
Obama Bypassing Congress to Appoint Chief of Medicare and Medicaid
Discussion:
Swampland, Mediaite, RedState, The Foundry, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Verum Serum, PERRspectives, Mother Jones, Right Wing News, Moe Lane, Hot Air, Washington Monthly, NewsBusters.org, Jules Crittenden, The Volokh Conspiracy, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Reality-Based Community, Hit & Run, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Think Progress, Sister Toldjah, Open Congress, NewsReal Blog, Adrienne's Corner, New York Magazine and White House.gov Blog Feed
Joseph Rago / Wall Street Journal:
The Massachusetts Health-Care ‘Train Wreck’
The Massachusetts Health-Care ‘Train Wreck’
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Wizbang, Questions and Observations, Betsy's Page, Grim's Hall, Moonbattery, Wake up America, Newsalert and Right Wing News
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Obama Job Approval Rating Down to 38% Among Independents — Overall job ratings for the president continue to be below majority level — PRINCETON, NJ — Thirty-eight percent of independents approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as president, the first time independent approval of Obama …
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Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Democrats, Republicans Still Tied on 2010 Generic Ballot
Democrats, Republicans Still Tied on 2010 Generic Ballot
Discussion:
Politics Daily
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Republicans And Democrats Lining Up Behind Major Changes To Social Security — Is there a new, bipartisan consensus forming on Capitol Hill about whether (and how) to scale back Social Security benefits? A surprising number of signs point to “yes” — and that has many progressives looking ahead …
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Louis Uchitelle / New York Times:
A New Generation, an Elusive American Dream — GRAFTON, Mass. — After breakfast, his parents left for their jobs, and Scott Nicholson, alone in the house in this comfortable suburb west of Boston, went to his laptop in the living room. He had placed it on a small table that his mother …
Discussion:
Gawker, Liberty Pundits Blog, Villainous Company, New York Magazine, alicublog, Commentary, The Confluence and The Atlantic Online
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Steve Krakauer / Mediaite:
CNN's Octavia Nasr Leaving Network After Controversial Hezbollah Tweet — In the latest case of new media (or oversharing) gone wrong, CNN's Senior Editor of Mideast Affairs Octavia Nasr is leaving the company following the controversy caused by her tweet in praise of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah
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Ed Pilkington / Guardian:
America's most unlikely politician — Last month, an unknown, unemployed former soldier astonished America by becoming the Democratic nominee for South Carolina's upcoming senate election. How on earth did he do it? — The journey to the home of one of the most enigmatic figures to emerge …
Kos / Daily Kos:
Why I am blacklisted by MSNBC — In case you were wondering why you haven't seen me on MSNBC recently, it seems that Joe Scarborough, he of the lowest rated morning show in cableland, has blackballed me. And Phil Griffin, the alleged president of MSNBC, is going along with it.
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
The year of ‘no comment’ — Nevada Republican Sharron Angle was in no mood for conversation last month as she darted to her car at the end of a campaign event. When a Las Vegas reporter tried to ask the Senate candidate a question anyway, an Angle supporter called him an “idiot.”
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Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Sharron Angle: We're going to “pursue” …
Sharron Angle: We're going to “pursue” …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Mediaite, Crooks and Liars, TPMDC, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos and Think Progress
Sandra Sobieraj Westfall / People.com:
Tipper Gore Isn't Buying Masseuse's Story — According to the tabloids, the last straw in Al and Tipper Gore's 40-year marriage was massage therapist Molly Hagerty's claim the former Vice President demanded sexual favors during a 2006 massage in his Portland, Ore. hotel room.
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Something Is Happening In Palinland — From Mercede Johnston's blog: … That's a very good question. So is the question of how Palin finally put the screws on Levi. In Palinland, no one knows what's really going on. But I wonder if this is a somewhat panicked response …
Fred Kaplan / Slate:
Mitt Romney's dumb critique of Obama's New START nuke treaty. — In 35 years of following debates over nuclear arms control, I have never seen anything quite as shabby, misleading and—let's not mince words—thoroughly ignorant as Mitt Romney's attack on the New START treaty in the July 6 Washington Post.
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Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
Democrats digging harder than ever for dirt on Republicans — The Democratic Party is moving faster and more aggressively than in previous election years to dig up unflattering details about Republican challengers. In House races from New Jersey to Ohio to California …
Discussion:
Townhall.com, Commentary, Liberal Values, Wonkette, Pat Dollard, Weasel Zippers, NewsBusters.org, National Review, The Hill, Pundit & Pundette and The Eye
ABCNEWS:
Sen. David Vitter: Case of Violent Aide Old News — Louisiana Senator Brushes Off Questions About His Decision to Retain Staffer After Arrest — Louisiana Sen. David Vitter today offered his first public response to questions about the behavior of his longtime aide, who resigned last month …
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Terry Savage / Chicago Sun Times:
There is no ‘free’ lemonade — In giving drink away, girls ignore rules of economics — and sum up what's wrong with U.S. — This column is a true story — every word of it. And I think it very appropriate to consider around the Fourth of July, Independence Day spirit.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, The Moderate Voice, Wonkette, Stop The ACLU, First Draft, Gawker, Indecision Forever and AMERICAblog News
Stephanie Vallejo / Boston Globe:
CBO report: Kerry's climate bill would cut deficit by $19b — WASHINGTON - Senator John F. Kerry's signature energy and climate change legislation would cut the deficit by $19 billion, according to a new estimate released today by the Congressional Budget Office.
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Michael W. Savage / Washington Post:
Okla., S.C., Utah could pass Ariz.-style anti-immigration laws — Which state is the next Arizona? — Attention is focused on the federal government's decision to challenge Arizona's strict anti-immigration law, but three other states could pass similar legislation next year.
Andy McCarthy / The Corner on National Review Online:
United States v. Arizona — How 'Bout United States v. Rhode Island? — By: Andy McCarthy — Well whaddya know? It turns out that Rhode Island has long been carrying out the procedures at issue in the Arizona immigration statute: As a matter of routine, RI state police check immigration status …
Hamilton Nolan / Gawker:
Former Fox News Producer Committed Suicide, Investigators Say (Updated) — Julianna Rolle, a 39 year-old former Fox News producer, was found dead at the bottom of a 100-foot cliff last weekend in her hometown of Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Authorities now say she jumped to her death.
Discussion:
Big Journalism
Paul Krugman:
Why Isn't Investment Higher? — Truly, we live in a time of mass delusion — or maybe make that elite delusion — where there are lots of things that everyone believes, without a shred of evidence to back that belief. Here's one more: everywhere you go, you encounter the claim that businesses …
Colorado Pols:
Colorado Pols Responds to Newspaper Legal Threats — UPDATE: Check out this note we received from David Mastio, Deputy Editorial Page Editor at The Washington Times: … You might have noticed that the principal authors of Colorado Pols have not cited The Denver Post, or several other newspapers in the state, for some weeks.
Andy Barr / The Politico:
Jindal signs guns in church law — Louisiana GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal has signed a law allowing holders of concealed-weapons permits to carry guns into houses of worship. — The bill, signed Tuesday night, allows permit holders who take an additional eight hours of tactical training each year …
Discussion:
PostPartisan
Jackson West / NBC Bay Area:
San Francisco's Rules for Making Pot Brownies — Department of Public Health has guidelines for edible marijuana treats — You know you're a Californian when you have to ask if the brownies someone brought to a potluck are “special” or not. — But while the casual peddler of edible marijuana …