Top Items:
ABCNEWS:
EXCLUSIVE: Senate Strikes Deal on 9/11 First Responders Bill — Oklahoma Senator Will Allow a Vote on Bill to Care for 9/11 First Responders; Bill Cut to $4.2B — Senate Democrats and Republicans have struck a deal to secure passage of a bill to provide health benefits and compensation …
Discussion:
The Note, CNN, Washington Post, Blue Wave News and National Review
RELATED:
Raymond Hernandez / The Caucus:
Senate Passes 9/11 Health Bill — Michael Reynolds/European Pressphoto Agency — Senator Charles E. Schumer outside the Senate chamber on Wednesday. — 5:42 p.m. | Updated The Senate on Wednesday approved a bill to cover the cost of medical care for rescue workers and others …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Washington Wire, Taylor Marsh, Swampland, Indecision Forever, The Page and New York Times
The Huffington Post:
9/11 First Responders Storm Tom Coburn's Office To Protest Block On Their Health Care Bill (VIDEO) — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … UPDATE: The Senate has reached a deal that is expected to allow for the passage of a scaled-down health care package. — Senator Coburn responded in a statement:
Discussion:
Salon, On The Hill, New York Magazine, National Review, The Reaction and DownWithTyranny!
The Politico:
Senate passes Sept. 11 health bill
Senate passes Sept. 11 health bill
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Hill, The Daily Caller and Raw Story
Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:
How Did Republicans End Up Against 9/11 Responders Bill?
How Did Republicans End Up Against 9/11 Responders Bill?
Discussion:
Wonkette and The Maddow Blog
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Senate to hold make or break vote on 9/11 first responders health bill
Senate to hold make or break vote on 9/11 first responders health bill
Discussion:
The Note, Ben Smith's Blog, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, ThinkProgress and Daily Kos
Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:
Coburn: 'We Don't Have' The ‘Extra’ Money Needed For 9/11 First Responders (Updated)
Coburn: 'We Don't Have' The ‘Extra’ Money Needed For 9/11 First Responders (Updated)
Discussion:
Ezra Klein
The Washington / NY Daily News:
Mouth of the Potomac
Mouth of the Potomac
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Plum Line, Crooks and Liars, No More Mister Nice Blog, msnbc.com and Daily Kos
Ezra Klein:
Why has the lame-duck session been so productive? — So far, the lame-duck session has managed to pass an $850 billion tax-cuts-and-stimulus deal, the repeal of DADT, the Defense Authorization bill, a continuing resolution to keep funding the federal government, the START treaty …
Discussion:
Hot Air, neo-neocon, A plain blog about politics, TalkLeft, Right Turn and Mother Jones
RELATED:
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Americans See U.S. as Exceptional; 37% Doubt Obama Does — Majority believe U.S. at risk of losing status as greatest country in the world — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans widely agree that the United States has a unique character because of its history and Constitution that sets it apart …
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, CNN, The Foundry, Firedoglake, Weasel Zippers, Scared Monkeys, Newshoggers.com and Politics Daily
Alexander Mooney / CNN:
CNN Poll: 56 percent give Obama's lame duck a thumbs up — Washington (CNN) - When it comes to public opinion, who's the biggest winner of one of the most productive congressional lame duck sessions in years? — Full results (pdf) — According to a new national poll …
Discussion:
The Politico, Slate, The Moderate Voice, Daniel W. Drezner, Hot Air, The Reaction, Pat Dollard and Indecision Forever
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Democrats take victory lap, claiming a ‘do-something Congress’
Democrats take victory lap, claiming a ‘do-something Congress’
Discussion:
The Politico, Reuters and Questions and Observations
David Neiwert / Crooks and Liars:
Barney Frank completely pwns hapless CNS reporter attempting ‘gotcha’ DADT question — You can tell that all these reporters for right-wing propaganda organs like the Media Research Center spend waaaay too much time watching Fox News and their army of would-be ambush journalists.
RELATED:
Brian Moylan / Gawker:
Barney Frank Makes a Fool Out of Conservative Reporter Over 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' — A conservative reporter from right-leaning CNS News thought he would play gotcha journalist and ask gay Congressman Barney Frank about gay and straight soldiers showering together. Big mistake. Huge.
Discussion:
CNSNews, Mediaite, Towleroad News #gay and FishbowlDC
Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
With Obama's Signature, 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Is Repealed
With Obama's Signature, 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Is Repealed
Discussion:
White House.gov Blog Feed, Indecision Forever, Marbury, nancynall.com, New York Magazine, Balloon Juice and Colorlines
Terry Krepel / Media Matters for America:
Gotcha Fail: Rep. Frank Turns Tables on CNS
Gotcha Fail: Rep. Frank Turns Tables on CNS
Discussion:
Advocate
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Senate Passes Arms Control Treaty With Russia, 71-26 — WASHINGTON — The Senate gave final approval on Wednesday to a new arms control treaty with Russia, scaling back leftover cold war nuclear arsenals and capping a surprisingly successful lame-duck session for President Obama just weeks after his party's electoral debacle.
Discussion:
Commentary, FrumForum, Gawker and Truthdig
RELATED:
Los Angeles Times:
Senate passes New START treaty
Senate passes New START treaty
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
Patricia Murphy / Politics Daily:
Senate Ratifies START Treaty 71 to 26; A Win for Obama, a Loss for Jon Kyl
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
The rise of the Petulant Party
The rise of the Petulant Party
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Moderate Voice and Prairie Weather
Washington Post:
Obama signs DADT repeal before big, emotional crowd — President Obama signed the landmark repeal of the military's “don't ask, don't tell” policy Wednesday morning, handing a major victory to advocates of gay rights and fulfilling a campaign promise to do away with a practice that he has called discriminatory.
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Sky Dancing, Towleroad News #gay, The Atlantic Online, Althouse and The BLT
RELATED:
Kerry Eleveld / Advocate:
Obama: “Prepared to Implement” — ADVOCATE EXCLUSIVE OBAMA INTERVIEW: President Obama tells The Advocate the Pentagon is “prepared to implement” repeal of “don't ask, don't tell” and it will take months not years. He also says he's “wrestling” with the issue of marriage equality.
Discussion:
TPMDC, The Hill, Washington Post, Guardian, Ben Smith's Blog, AMERICAblog Gay, AOL News, New York Magazine, Towleroad News #gay and The Maddow Blog
Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Huck: Palin wrong, FLOTUS right — Potential GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says Sarah Palin's wrong and Michelle Obama's right, at least when it comes to the first lady's push to combat childhood obesity. — “With all due respect to my colleague and friend Sarah Palin …
Discussion:
Althouse, The Note, Weasel Zippers, Outside the Beltway, FrumForum and USA Today
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Byron Tau / Ben Smith's Blog:
On fat, Huckabee vs. Palin vs. Palin
On fat, Huckabee vs. Palin vs. Palin
Discussion:
Cubachi, The Right Scoop, theblogprof, The Radio Equalizer, NY Daily News, JustOneMinute and Israpundit
Jon Bershad / Mediaite:
Oops! Fox & Friends Accidentally Identifies Elie Wiesel As “Holocaust Winner” — Wow. We all make mistakes and typos. There will probably be at least one in this post alone. However, some typos are worse than others. This is one of those typos. Last week, Fox & Friends …
Discussion:
PopEater
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John Fund / Wall Street Journal:
The Net Neutrality Coup — The campaign to regulate the Internet was funded by a who's who of left-liberal foundations. — The Federal Communications Commission's new “net neutrality” rules, passed on a partisan 3-2 vote yesterday, represent a huge win for a slick lobbying campaign run by liberal activist groups and foundations.
RELATED:
Michelle Malkin:
Internet access is not a “civil right” — When bureaucrats talk about increasing your “access” to X, Y, or Z, what they're really talking about is increasing their control over your lives exponentially. As it is with the government health care takeover, so it is with the newly-approved government plan to “increase” Internet “access.”
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Outside the Beltway, protein wisdom, POWIP and Cubachi
The Politico:
GOP unveils strict new House rules — The new House Republican majority will force lawmakers to vote when they want to raise the nation's debt ceiling, publish committee attendance records, ban former members from lobbying in the House gym and require new mandatory spending to be offset by cuts to other programs.
Discussion:
USA Today, Outside the Beltway, Wake up America, Sunlight Foundation Blog, CNN and The Hill
RELATED:
Jackie Kucinich / Roll Call:
GOP Wants Constitution Read on House Floor
GOP Wants Constitution Read on House Floor
Discussion:
A plain blog about politics, Ezra Klein, TPMDC and Gawker
Andrew Martin / New York Times:
In a Sign of Foreclosure Flaws, Suits Claim Break-Ins by Banks — TRUCKEE, Calif. — When Mimi Ash arrived at her mountain chalet here for a weekend ski trip, she discovered that someone had broken into the home and changed the locks. — When she finally got into the house, it was empty.
RELATED:
David Dayen / Firedoglake:
Banks Breaking into Occupied Homes, Stealing Items (Really)
Banks Breaking into Occupied Homes, Stealing Items (Really)
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Rortybomb, Daily Kos and Hullabaloo
Matt Lewis / Politics Daily:
When 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal Meets Religious Liberty … I've recently authored several posts discussing how social conservatives seem to have lost the gay issue but have won on the life issue. There are many reasons for this, but one, I think, has to do with who the perceived “victim” is.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice and Outside the Beltway
The Huffington Post:
At Kaplan University, ‘Guerilla Registration’ Leaves Students Deep In Debt — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … Arlen Castillo had just begun an online associate's degree program at Kaplan University when a family emergency forced a change of plans. Her mother in Florida learned she needed extensive surgery …