Top Items:
New York Times:
Betting on News, AOL Is Buying The Huffington Post — The Huffington Post, which began in 2005 with a meager $1 million investment and has grown into one of the most heavily visited news Web sites in the country, is being acquired by AOL in a deal that creates an unlikely pairing of two online media giants.
Discussion:
BoomTown, AdAge, The Awl, DealBook, TechCrunch, Brilliant at Breakfast, Media Decoder, AmSpecBlog, Hit & Run, Pajamas Media, Don Surber, Outside the Beltway, Guardian, Taylor Marsh, The Daily Beast, The Democratic Daily, The Daily Dish, Indecision Forever, Mother Jones, The BLT, Balloon Juice, Feministing, Washington Monthly, The Next Web, TalkLeft, Althouse, Scared Monkeys, News Desk, Fausta's Blog, Wake up America, Salon, The Other McCain, Mock, Paper, Scissors, The Moderate Voice, The Big Picture and UrbanGrounds, more at Mediagazer »
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Arianna Huffington / The Huffington Post:
When HuffPost Met AOL: “A Merger of Visions” — I've used this space to make all sorts of important HuffPost announcements: new sections, new additions to the HuffPost team, new HuffPost features and new apps. But none of them can hold a candle to what we are announcing today.
Discussion:
Big Journalism, BuzzMachine, DealBook, The Plum Line, Politics Daily, Atlas Shrugs, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, CANNONFIRE, BlogPost, Washington Post, L.A. Times Tech Blog, Guardian, The Daily Beast, Raw Story, TechCrunch, BoomTown, Right Wing News, newsfeed.time.com, YID With LID, The Next Web, JammieWearingFool, Deadline.com and Coffee & Markets, more at Mediagazer »
Felix Salmon:
HuffPo's future — The $315 million that AOL is paying for the Huffington Post is roughly 3X the valuation seen at its last capital raise two years ago, is 10X its 2010 revenues and is roughly 5X estimated forward 2011 revenues. Those are all big numbers, but not insanely so …
Discussion:
Ezra Klein, Outside the Beltway, DealBook and Guardian, more at Mediagazer »
Shira Ovide / Deal Journal:
AOL Buys Huffington Post: Is It Crazy?
AOL Buys Huffington Post: Is It Crazy?
Discussion:
MediaMemo, more at Mediagazer »
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Jane Harman to resign from Congress — California Rep. Jane Harman (D) will resign from Congress, according to two senior Democratic leadership aides, a surprise announcement that will set off a special election in her 36th district. — NBC's Andrea Mitchell, who broke the news of Harman's resignation …
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The Politico:
Rep. Jane Harman to resign from House
Rep. Jane Harman to resign from House
Discussion:
CNN, USA Today and Outside the Beltway
Richard Simon / Los Angeles Times:
Rep. Jane Harman of California to resign
Rep. Jane Harman of California to resign
Discussion:
The Note, USA Today, Daily Kos, Hotline On Call, Sky Dancing, Swampland, Towleroad News #gay and L.A. NOW
Erik Wasson / The Hill:
THE HILL POLL: Voters oppose raising the $14.3T debt ceiling — Only 27 percent of likely voters favor raising the nation's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, while 62 percent oppose it, according to an exclusive poll for The Hill. — The poll found solid opposition from Republicans …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, Outside the Beltway and National Review
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Russell Berman / The Hill:
Now comes hard part for Boehner as run of Republican unity nears end
Now comes hard part for Boehner as run of Republican unity nears end
Discussion:
Prairie Weather
The Politico:
How President Obama plays media like a fiddle — In early November, Barack Obama was one sad sack of a president—his agenda repudiated by midterm voters, his political judgment scorned by commentators, his future darkened by a growing belief he might be a one-time president.
Rich Lowry / National Review:
Bush 2012 — John J. Miller has a cover story in the new issue of National Review that's a compelling portrait of the accomplishments of Jeb Bush. Four years after leaving the Florida governor's mansion, he remains one of the most impressive Republican politicians in the country …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, No More Mister Nice Blog, Democracy in America, AmSpecBlog, Commentary, CNN, The Atlantic Online, JOSHUAPUNDIT and GOP 12
Zaid Jilani / ThinkProgress:
U.S. Envoy To Egypt Frank Wisner's Law Firm Has Represented The Mubarak Regime In The Past — Over the weekend, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's hand-picked envoy to Egypt, former U.S. diplomat Frank Wisner, caused a diplomatic row when he suggested at the Munich Security Conference …
Discussion:
Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Taylor Marsh and The Politico
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Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Blue Dogs have ‘no communication’ with Pelosi, Dem leadership, says Shuler — There's been “no communication” this Congress between House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and members of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition, one of its top members said Monday.
Discussion:
The Politico, Weasel Zippers, USA Today and National Review
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Mitch Daniels / Wall Street Journal:
An ObamaCare Appeal From the States — Twenty-one governors representing more than 115 million Americans have written to Kathleen Sebelius asking for more flexibility on health-care reform. — Unless you're in favor of a fully nationalized health-care system, the president's health-care reform law is a massive mistake.
Discussion:
protein wisdom, The Politico, Wonk Room, CNN, The Hill, Althouse, Right Turn, A Chequer-Board of Nights …, National Review, Betsy's Page, GOP 12 and The Gateway Pundit
RealClearPolitics Video Log:
Obama: Corporate Profits “Have To Be Shared By American Workers” — “If we're fighting to reform the tax code and increase exports, the benefits cannot just translate into greater profits and bonuses for those at the top. They have to be shared by American workers, who need …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Michelle Malkin, UrbanGrounds, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit and The Mahablog
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Droughts, Floods and Food — We're in the midst of a global food crisis — the second in three years. World food prices hit a record in January, driven by huge increases in the prices of wheat, corn, sugar and oils. These soaring prices have had only a modest effect on U.S. inflation …
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Beck blasts Kristol: ‘Do anything to keep their little fiefdom together’ — Fox News's Glenn Beck lashed out at Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol on his radio show this morning, accusing Kristol of betraying conservatism and missing the significance of what Beck sees as an alliance between Islamism and socialism.
Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Senators look for immigration deal — Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have rekindled their alliance on immigration reform, taking some early steps to test the political will for addressing the contentious issue this year. — Their call list hasn't focused …
Stephanie Simon / Wall Street Journal:
A License to Shampoo: Jobs Needing State Approval Rise — Amid calls for shrinking government, lawmakers across the country are vowing to cut regulations that crimp economic growth. President Barack Obama recently said it's time to root out laws that “are just plain dumb.”
Discussion:
Yglesias, Hot Air, Modeled Behavior, Marginal Revolution and Hit & Run
Rick Klein / ABCNEWS:
Donald Rumsfeld to Diane Sawyer: 'It's Possible' Troop Decisions Were a Mistake in Iraq — ‘Not the Case’ That Iraq Is Like Vietnam; Denies Turning Bush's Attention to Iraq Post-9/11 — More than four years after leaving public life, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld continues …
Richard Fausset / Los Angeles Times:
Conservative Democrats switch to GOP across the Deep South — Defections reflect the Democrats' drubbing in the midterm election and Republicans' consolidation of power in the South. — Reporting from Atlanta — For Democrats, Ashley Bell was the kind of comer that a party builds a future on …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Ben Smith's Blog, National Review and The Maddow Blog
Andy Barr / The Politico:
McDonnell: GOP not ready for Obama — Acknowledging that his party is “not yet” ready to take on President Barack Obama, Republican Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell says he wants to play an expanded role in the national debate as the GOP crafts its message to take back the White House in 2012.
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …
Evan Halper / Los Angeles Times:
Texas' finances not as rosy as they seemed — The state prides itself as a model of conservative spending and responsible budgeting. But a new $27-billion budget gap undercuts its image as a business-seducing, fiscally adaptive state. — Reporting from Austin, Texas …
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Trail Blazers Blog and The Agonist