Top Items:
Wall Street Journal:
Poll Finds Support Lacking for Entitlement Reductions — WASHINGTON— Less than a quarter of Americans support making significant cuts to Social Security or Medicare to tackle the country's mounting deficit, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, illustrating the challenge facing lawmakers …
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Patrick O'Connor / Washington Wire:
WSJ/NBC Poll: Strong Support for Bargaining Rights — Americans strongly oppose efforts to strip unionized government workers of their rights to collectively bargain, even as they want public employees to contribute more money to their retirement and health-care benefits, the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Ben Smith's Blog, Hot Air, The New Republic, Weekly Standard, Riehl World View, The Daily Dish, FrumForum and The Caucus
Mark Murray / msnbc.com:
NBC/WSJ poll: 62% against stripping public employees' bargaining rights
NBC/WSJ poll: 62% against stripping public employees' bargaining rights
Discussion:
The Plum Line, Quinnipiac University and Daily Kos
Justin Elliott / Salon:
Sarah Palin's bizarre view of the First Amendment — Sarah Palin, who has more than once invoked the First Amendment when she or her allies faced criticism, today denounced the Supreme Court's 8-1 ruling allowing the Westboro Baptist Church to protest outside soldiers' funerals with signs reading ""God Hates Fags" and the like.
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Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Justices Rule for Protesters at Military Funerals — WASHINGTON — The First Amendment protects hateful protests at military funerals, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday in an 8-1 decision. — “Speech is powerful,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote for the majority.
Adam Serwer / American Prospect:
Alito's Empathy. — Earlier today, the Supreme Court ruled that the homophobic Westboro Baptist Church has the First Amendment right to protest military funerals. With their boisterous antics and obscene signs, the Westboro protests offered the kind of free speech case that exemplifies the term “textbook.”
Discussion:
Washington Post, A plain blog about politics, The Raw Story and New York Magazine
Devin Dwyer / ABCNEWS:
Westboro Baptist Church to ‘Quadruple’ Funeral Protests After Ruling
Westboro Baptist Church to ‘Quadruple’ Funeral Protests After Ruling
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Runnin' Scared, CNN, The Daily Caller and HotAirPundit
Adam Serwer / The Plum Line:
No, it's not okay to traffic in pure fiction about Obama's heritage — Ben Smith writes that my criticism of Mike Huckabee is unfair: … Right, but Huckabee didn't “look at his personal education.” Huckabee created an entirely fictional one. It's one thing to tie Obama's politics …
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Salon and Ben Smith's Blog
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Kyle / Right Wing Watch:
Huckabee And Fischer Agree That Obama's Childhood Instilled “Fundamentally Anti-American Ideas” In Him — The AFA's Bryan Fischer spent the first hour of his daily radio program doing what he usually does: railing against gays and Muslims. — But today he kicked off hour two with a special guest: Mike Huckabee.
Jillian Rayfield / TPMDC:
Huckabee: Obama Isn't From Kenya, But He's Still Anti-American
Huckabee: Obama Isn't From Kenya, But He's Still Anti-American
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, Salon and Los Angeles Times
Derrick DePledge / Honolulu Star-Advertiser:
AKAKA WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION IN 2012 — U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka announced today that he will not run for re-election in 2012. — Akaka, 86, has served in the Senate since 1990. He previously served 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. — “After months of thinking …
Discussion:
Roll Call, Hot Air, The Political Carnival and National Review
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David Catanese / The Politico:
Akaka retiring — Hawaii Sen. Daniel Akaka announced late Wednesday …
Akaka retiring — Hawaii Sen. Daniel Akaka announced late Wednesday …
Discussion:
Politics Daily, Hotline On Call and Joe. My. God.
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Breaking: Wisconsin Dems throw their weight behind drive to recall GOP Senators — The Wisconsin Democratic Party has decided to throw its weight behind a nascent grassroots drive to recall a number of GOP state senators, a move that will considerably increase the pressure on them to break …
Discussion:
AMERICAblog News, Weasel Zippers, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Hot Air, Firedoglake, Daily Kos and The Maddow Blog
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Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:
BREAKING: Wisconsin Voters Launch Recall Campaign Against Eight GOP State Senators
BREAKING: Wisconsin Voters Launch Recall Campaign Against Eight GOP State Senators
Discussion:
The Political Carnival
Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Wisconsin Democrats Launch Recall Effort Against GOP Senators
Wisconsin Democrats Launch Recall Effort Against GOP Senators
Discussion:
FrumForum and AMERICAblog News
Matea Gold / Los Angeles Times:
Fox News pulls Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum off the air because of their interest in running for president — Fox News suspends the contracts of political contributors Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum because both have demonstrated that they are seriously considering running for president.
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Cubachi, Media Decoder, New York Times, The Caucus, Taylor Marsh, The Note, USA Today, Right Wing Watch, Washington Monthly, Liberty Pundits Blog, The Hill, Swampland, The Moderate Voice, Outside the Beltway, CNN, Taegan Goddard's …, Political Insider, Joe. My. God., National Review, Riehl World View and Connecting.the.Dots, more at Mediagazer »
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Brian Stelter / New York Times:
Fox News Takes Two Potential Candidates Off Air
Fox News Takes Two Potential Candidates Off Air
Discussion:
Donklephant
ABCNEWS:
Gunman Shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ Kills 2 US Airmen in Germany — Obama Says U.S. Will Spare No Efforts in Investigating Killings — A gunman shouting “Allahu Akbar” opened fire on a bus carrying U.S. airmen in Frankfurt, Germany, killing two and wounding two others before his gun jammed and he was subdued, officials said.
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New York Times:
Shooting at Germany Airport Kills 2 U.S. Airmen
Shooting at Germany Airport Kills 2 U.S. Airmen
Discussion:
Sky News, CNN, BBC, Hot Air, Pajamas Media, Weasel Zippers, UNCOVERAGE.net, AOL News, The Hill, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, Jihad Watch and Gates of Vienna
Matt Negrin / The Politico:
Inquiry promised on airmen attack
Inquiry promised on airmen attack
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers and Fox Nation
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Buddy Roemer sees glimmer of White House hope — The GOP's white-bread presidential primary is about to get a dash of Tabasco. — Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer will announce Thursday in Baton Rouge that he is forming an exploratory committee, he told POLITICO.
Discussion:
Salon, CNN, New York Magazine, Gawker and Outside the Beltway
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Reid Wilson / Hotline On Call:
Former Louisiana Governor To Announce White House Bid
Former Louisiana Governor To Announce White House Bid
Discussion:
Politics Daily, Reuters, The Lonely Conservative, The Daily Caller, The Page and The Caucus
Shariah 4 America:
The Islamic Demolition of the Statue of Liberty — One of the founding principles of the Islamic constitution is to ensure that all sovereignty and supremacy belongs solely to God; the Shari'ah is a practical manifestation of this sovereignty and supremacy because it seeks to establish His command in society.
Discussion:
Pajamas Media and Moonbattery
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Jon Bershad / Mediaite:
No, Fox News Did Not Lie With “Wisconsin Palm Tree” Violent Protest Video — The Internet is abuzz this morning with a story that Fox News has “lied” in showing a video of an angry union protester from California while claiming its from Wisconsin. The “Palm Tree lie” (described …
Discussion:
FOK News Channel, The Raw Story, The UpTake, Washington Monthly and TPMDC
msnbc.com:
Manning faces new charges, possible death penalty — ‘Aiding the enemy’ is most serious of 22 new counts filed against private in WikiLeaks case — Below: — WASHINGTON — Following an intensive seven-month investigation, the Army on Wednesday filed 22 additional charges against Pfc. Bradley Manning …
Discussion:
TalkLeft, BBC, USA Today, McClatchy Washington Bureau, Guardian, AOL News and Truthdig, more at Techmeme »
Jcraig / Politics Extra:
Niehaus ripped for removing Seitz — Cincinnnati Fire Department Lt. Mark Sanders, president of the Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters, ripped Senate President Tom Niehaus of New Richmond today for abruptly removing Sen. Bill Seitz of Green Township from a committee …
Discussion:
TPMDC, Plunderbund, The Columbus Dispatch, Firedoglake, The Maddow Blog and First Draft
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David Ariosto / CNN:
Ohio state Senate passes bill to curtail collective bargaining
Ohio state Senate passes bill to curtail collective bargaining
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and The Gateway Pundit
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Just Balancing The Budget — In Ohio's legislation to curtail public sector union collective bargaining rights - just passed by the Senate - the following passage exists: … So a blanket and total ban on any form of legal protections for gay couples, including any semblance …
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620WTMJ:
Capitol Chaos: Resolution Passed To Fine ‘Wisconsin 14’ — MADISON - The 14 Wisconsin state Senate Democrats who left the state two weeks ago will now face fines of $100 for each day they miss, if they miss two or more days. — Republicans remaining in the Senate approved the daily fine …
Discussion:
The Hill, Cubachi, Riehl World View, Weasel Zippers, UrbanGrounds, The Gateway Pundit, Examiner, Liberty Pundits Blog and Fire Andrea Mitchell!
Farhad Manjoo / Slate:
The tedious, annoying complaints of public radio listeners. — On Valentine's Day, NPR's All Things Considered ran a two-and-a-half-minute segment about Justin Bieber fans gone wild. When the teen star lost at the Grammys to Esperanza Spalding, a few of Bieber's aggrieved minions defaced …
New York Times:
Nine Afghan Boys Collecting Firewood Killed by NATO Helicopters — KABUL, Afghanistan — Nine boys collecting firewood to heat their homes in the eastern Afghanistan mountains were killed by NATO helicopter gunners who mistook them for insurgents, according to a statement on Wednesday by NATO, which apologized for the mistake.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, New York Magazine, The Nation, News Desk, The Daily Dish and New Atlanticist
Joe Sudbay / AMERICAblog Gay:
Raging question in Annapolis: What happened to Sam Arora's support for marriage? — NOTE FROM JOHN: Please take action via the contact info we post below. This man is on the verge of killing marriage in Maryland. — Last year, when Sam Arora was a candidate for delegate in Maryland, he wanted the endorsement of Equality Maryland.
Discussion:
AMERICAblog News
John McCormack / Weekly Standard:
Paul Ryan: Romneycare ‘Not that Dissimilar to Obamacare’ — Budget chairman and GOP star talks 2012. — This morning at a breakfast meeting sponsored by the American Spectator, Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan talked about what he's looking for in a Republican presidential candidate …
Discussion:
The Politico, The Lonely Conservative and FrumForum
Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
Bachmann: Let there be (incandescent) light — Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) this week introduced legislation that would eliminate federal light bulb standards passed in 2007 that are expected to have the effect of phasing out some incandescent bulbs in the next few years.