Top Items:
David Weigel / Slate:
House Conservatives Introduce Spending Cuts: $2.5 Trillion Over Ten Years — You can stop needling Republicans about what programs they want to cut now. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)'s Republican Study Committee is introducing the Spending Reduction Act of 2011, to cut back …
Discussion:
RSC, Firedoglake, Grist, AmSpecBlog and FrumForum
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
REPUBLICAN STUDY COMMITTEE LAYS DOWN A RADICAL ‘MARKER’ ON SPENDING.... The new House GOP majority suffered some embarrassment a couple of weeks ago when party leaders backed off a promise to cut $100 billion from the budget in their first year. — This week, a leading right-wing contingent within …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Hill, TPMDC, AMERICAblog News and Wonk Room
Washington Examiner:
Can't reduce federal spending? Here's a plan to cut $2.5 trillion by 2021
Can't reduce federal spending? Here's a plan to cut $2.5 trillion by 2021
Discussion:
Cubachi, Whiskey Fire, Liberty Pundits Blog, The Foundry and Big Government
Amanda Carey / The Daily Caller:
First Lady's anti-obesity campaign could be causing more pedestrian deaths — Pedestrian deaths increased sharply during the first half of 2010, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). The reason may be First Lady Michelle Obama and her “Let's Move” campaign.
Discussion:
Booman Tribune, Guardian, Wonkette, The Atlantic Online and FrumForum
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Mark Weaver / 630 WMAL:
Michelle Obama's ‘Get Moving’ Program Linked to Pedestrian Deaths — WASHINGTON — The Governors Highway Safety Association says pedestrian deaths increased in the first half of 2010 and the First Lady's program to get Americans to be more active could be partly responsible.
Scott McCabe / Washington Examiner:
Exercise, iPods could be causing pedestrian deaths
Exercise, iPods could be causing pedestrian deaths
Discussion:
TBD All News, The Atlantic Online, Grist, Gawker, The Incidental Economist and Washington Monthly
Rachel Slajda / TPMMuckraker:
Safety Group Accidentally Touches Off Accusations That Michelle Obama …
Safety Group Accidentally Touches Off Accusations That Michelle Obama …
Discussion:
GHSA, Hullabaloo, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo and Balloon Juice
Kate Sheppard / Mother Jones:
Michelle Obama Doesn't Kill People. Cars Kill People.
Greg Mankiw / Greg Mankiw's Blog:
Give me $1 billion to cut the budget deficit — I have a plan to reduce the budget deficit. The essence of the plan is the federal government writing me a check for $1 billion. The plan will be financed by $3 billion of tax increases. According to my back-of-the envelope calculations …
Discussion:
Modeled Behavior, The Incidental Economist, The New Republic and Ezra Klein
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Ezra Klein:
Greg Mankiw's thinking cap — There's an interesting mixture of callousness and accidental truth lurking within Greg Mankiw's satirical proposal to reduce the budget deficit: … Like health-care reform, Greg Mankiw's plan really would reduce the budget deficit. That's been contested, so I'm glad to see Mankiw admit it.
Discussion:
JustOneMinute and Economist's View
Christian Heinze / GOP 12:
Huckabee points to Rudy and Hillary's failures — On Fox News this afternoon, Mike Huckabee responded to a new Washington Post/ABC News poll, showing him with a slight edge in the 2012 primary race. … Results from the WaPo/ABC poll in question: — 1. Mike Huckabee 21% — 2. Sarah Palin 19%
Discussion:
Daily Kos and The Brody File
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Sabato's Crystal Ball:
Presidential Possibilities
Presidential Possibilities
Discussion:
Public Policy Polling and Taegan Goddard's …
First Read / msnbc.com:
First Thoughts: Are the political winds changing?
First Thoughts: Are the political winds changing?
Discussion:
The Plum Line, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Other McCain
Lbentzterp / CNN:
Huckabee's book tour lavishes attention on Iowa, South Carolina
Huckabee's book tour lavishes attention on Iowa, South Carolina
Discussion:
The Politico, ABCNEWS, GOP 12, Ben Smith's Blog, The Page and Public Policy Polling
David Brody / The Brody File:
Rick Santorum Responds to Brody File on Comment About President Obama's Race and Abortion — EXCLUSIVE UPDATE: RICK SANTORUM HAS JUST SENT THE BRODY FILE A STATEMENT ON THE STORY BELOW: … Abortion is a toxic subject. Race is a toxic subject. And soon to be GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum …
Discussion:
Salon, The Atlantic Online, LifeNews.com, AmSpecBlog, NewsBusters.org, CNN, TPMDC, GOP 12, Daily Kos and Right Wing Watch
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Joe Coscarelli / Runnin' Scared:
The 20 Best Nicknames in the Big Mafia Bust — News came down this morning about the FBI's largest organized crime bust in New York history, in which raids resulted in the arrest of over 100 alleged mobsters from all five crime families including the Gambinos, Genoveses, Luccheses, Bonannos and Colombos.
Discussion:
AOL News, Little Green Footballs, Mediaite and Harry's Place
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William K. Rashbaum / New York Times:
More Than 125 Charged in Sweeping Mob Roundup
More Than 125 Charged in Sweeping Mob Roundup
Discussion:
NBC New York, Gothamist, Law Blog, New York Magazine, AOL News, Left Coast Rebel, Prairie Weather, TPMMuckraker and Eschaton
Eric Schmidt / The Official Google Blog:
An update from the Chairman — When I joined Google in 2001 I never imagined—even in my wildest dreams—that we would get as far, as fast as we have today. Search has quite literally changed people's lives—increasing the collective sum of the world's knowledge and revolutionizing advertising in the process.
David Parker / The Awl:
The Most Emailed ‘New York Times’ Article Ever — It's a week before the biggest day of her life, and Anna Williams is multitasking. While waiting to hear back from the Ivy League colleges she's hoping to attend, the seventeen-year-old senior at one of Manhattan's most exclusive private schools …
Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:
How Should Dems Manage the Healthcare Repeal Circus? — It's a slow day, so let's do some political strategizing. Here's what the LA Times has to say about yesterday's vote in the House to repeal healthcare reform: … Here's my take: Democrats are nuts to take this attitude.
Discussion:
Yglesias, A plain blog about politics, Ezra Klein and Prairie Weather
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Dan Friedman / The Atlantic Online:
GOP Can Force a Senate Vote on Repeal
GOP Can Force a Senate Vote on Repeal
Discussion:
NationalJournal.com, Pajamas Media, Salon and AmSpecBlog
Dave Wedge / Boston Herald:
Ted K's son may be eyeing Lieberman's seat in Conn. — The late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's son, Ted Jr., is among the names being floated as potential candidates for Connecticut U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman's seat in 2012. — Kennedy, the middle child of the late senator and his former wife …
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, Weasel Zippers, Weigel and New York Magazine
Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:
Police Seize ‘Large Amount’ Of Weapons From Blogger Who Praised Gifffords Shooting: ‘1 Down And 534 To Go’ — Police in Arlington, MA this week seized a “large amount” of weapons and ammunition from local businessman Travis Corcoran after he wrote a blog post threatening U.S. lawmakers …
Discussion:
Zandar Versus The Stupid, YourArlington.com, Raw Story and Robot 6
Brian Stelter / New York Times:
A Racy Show With Teenagers Steps Back From a Boundary — MTV executives have a new hit drama on their hands, featuring the sexual and drug-fueled exploits of misfit teenagers. They also have something else — a fear that coming episodes of the show may break the law.
Ed Stoddard / Reuters:
Exclusive: Over a million immigrants land U.S. jobs in 2008-10 — (Reuters) - Over the past two years, as U.S. unemployment remained near double-digit levels and the economy shed jobs in the wake of the financial crisis, over a million foreign-born arrivals to America found work, many illegally.
Discussion:
24Ahead, Economist's View, The Gateway Pundit, Fausta's Blog and HotAirPundit
The Note:
SPOTTED: Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan Waiting for Jury Duty — ABC News' Devin Dwyer reports: If you thought Supreme Court justices are exempt from jury duty in their local courts, think again. — Justice Elena Kagan was spotted among a crowd of prospective jurors huddled in a waiting lounge this morning at D.C. Superior Court.
Discussion:
Commentary, National Review, Patterico's Pontifications, Law Blog, Ben Smith's Blog, New York Times and Gawker
Amie Parnes / The Politico:
Walmart joins FLOTUS health push — In an unusual endorsement, Michelle Obama appeared with Walmart executives at a community center on Thursday as the discount giant announced long-term plans to encourage healthy eating, including cutting prices of fresh fruits and vegetables and working …
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Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Social conservatives launch Iowa series, without Romney for now [UPDATED] — The Family Leader, Bob Vander Plaats' Iowa conservative group, announces a speaking series: — The series line-up begins with former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty on Monday, February 7.
Discussion:
The Note, TPMDC, GOP 12 and Right Wing Watch
Dana Blanton / Fox News:
Fox News Poll: Most Say Prayer Helped Save Congresswoman Giffords — Nearly 8 in 10 American voters say they believe prayers helped Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords survive the Tucson shooting, according to a Fox News poll (Reuters). — Nearly 8 in 10 American voters say they believe prayers helped Arizona …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and Runnin' Scared
Spencer Ackerman / Danger Room:
Petraeus Team: Taliban Made Us Wipe Village Out — Expect more Afghan villages to be destroyed by American rockets and bombs — if, that is, the Taliban “saturate” them with homemade explosives and kick out the villagers. But the U.S.-led coalition isn't going to destroy populated areas …
Discussion:
The Daily Dish, Foreign Policy, Salon, Swampland, Registan.net and Gawker
Russell Berman / The Hill:
House Dems vow to improve messaging — CAMBRIDGE, Md. - House Democrats kicked off their annual retreat here with a vow to improve the flawed messaging that contributed to the loss of their majority last fall. — The down-sized Democratic Caucus is meeting for three days …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and JammieWearingFool
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
LIEBERMAN GETS FOREIGN POLICY AND FEMINISM WRONG AT THE SAME TIME.... Gail Collins noted this morning the Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) has “reached a point in his public career when every single thing he does, including talking about his grandparents, is irritating.”
Discussion:
New York Times, The Huffington Post, The New Republic, The Atlantic Online and Hullabaloo
Ezra Klein:
If Obama wants to be bold, he should be bold — Peter Baker has a lot of juicy tidbits about the frequent infighting and petty spats that split the White House economic team over the past two years, but the individual who comes off worst in the article is not Larry Summers or Christina Romer or Peter Orszag or Rahm Emanuel.