Top Items:
Anna Holmes / New York Times:
The Disposable Woman — FORTY-THREE minutes into his “special live edition” with Charlie Sheen on Monday night, Piers Morgan finally got around to asking his guest a real question. Before that, Mr. Morgan and Mr. Sheen had mostly traded chuckles and anecdotes about multiday benders …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, The New Republic, The Wire, ECHIDNE of the snakes, The Awl and Runnin' Scared
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James Wolcott / Vanity Fair:
It's Morgan In America — Where did Piers Morgan come from? And is there any way to send him back? Reviewing the debut “gets”—Oprah! Rudy! Condoleezza!—of Larry King's blustery British heir, the author examines the failures behind Morgan's success. — If you're going to go in, go in big.
Discussion:
Mediaite and New York Magazine, more at Mediagazer »
Kevinliptak / CNN:
Huckabee clarifies Portman criticism — (CNN) - Mike Huckabee is explaining comments he made earlier this week criticizing Oscar winner Natalie Portman for being pregnant and unmarried. — “In a recent media interview about my new book, A Simple Government, I discussed the first chapter …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Us Weekly, The Politico, Hot Air, Pajamas Media, E! Online and Indecision Forever
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Rachel Weiner / The Fix:
Why is Mike Huckabee criticizing Natalie Portman? (Poll)
Why is Mike Huckabee criticizing Natalie Portman? (Poll)
Discussion:
Politics Daily, The Plum Line, Guardian, Behind the Numbers and Daily Kos
Mike Huckabee / Huck PAC:
The Most Important Form of Government Is A Father, Mother and Children
The Most Important Form of Government Is A Father, Mother and Children
Discussion:
The Note, Firedoglake, AmSpecBlog, Mediaite, National Review, The Wire, GOP 12 and Media Matters for America
Catherine Rampell / New York Times:
U.S. Added 192,000 Jobs in February; Rate at 8.9% — America's job engine picked up some steam last month. — The nation's employers added 192,000 jobs in February, after having added just 63,000 the previous month, the Labor Department reported on Friday. — The February number was about what economists had been forecasting.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Calculated Risk, Brookings Institute, Ezra Klein, The Atlantic Online, Above the Law, The Lonely Conservative, Economix, Online NewsHour, Firedoglake, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, Politics Daily, Corrente, AmSpecBlog, Colorlines, The Daily Dish, Booman Tribune, TalkLeft, The Big Picture and Balloon Juice
RELATED:
David Leonhardt / Economix:
Understated Progress on Jobs?
Understated Progress on Jobs?
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Daily Kos, The New Republic, Washington Monthly and LA Observed
Chris Isidore / CNNMoney.com:
February jobs report: Unemployment falls again
February jobs report: Unemployment falls again
Discussion:
msnbc.com, The Maddow Blog, The Note, Grist, The Moderate Voice, The Political Carnival and FrumForum
David Leonhardt / Economix:
The Struggles of Men — 11:35 a.m. | Updated to correct percentage decline in median wages since 1969. — The Hamilton Project has produced a fairly stunning chart, suggesting that median real wages for men have dropped significantly more than is commonly understood:
Discussion:
Yglesias, EconLog and Grasping Reality …
RELATED:
Michael Greenstone / Brookings Institute:
Have Earnings Actually Declined?
Have Earnings Actually Declined?
Discussion:
Felix Salmon, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/* and The Atlantic Online
Stephen Moore / Wall Street Journal:
The Wisconsin Wobblies — Conservatives in Wisconsin are getting nervous that three Republican state senators may defect on the collective-bargaining reform vote. — Conservatives in Wisconsin are getting nervous that three Republican state senators may defect on the collective-bargaining reform vote.
Discussion:
The Plum Line, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, The New Republic and First Draft
Grist:
Before George Will was against high-speed rail, he was for it — Remember how we told you the other day that Newsweek columnist George Will thinks high-speed rail is a sinister progressive plot to undermine American individualism? — Well, big thanks to reader Ed D'Amato …
Discussion:
Yglesias and A plain blog about politics
RELATED:
Sam Arora, Maryland Delegate:
Statement on SB 116 (Same-Sex Marriage Bill) — I have heard from constituents, friends, and advocates from across the spectrum of views and have thought about the issue of same-sex marriage extensively. I understand their concern—this is a very serious issue, and one that many people feel passionately about.
Discussion:
Wonk Room, AMERICAblog Gay, PostPartisan, Maryland Politics and Joe. My. God.
RELATED:
John Aravosis / AMERICAblog Gay:
Sam Arora speaks: I'm now against same-sex marriage but I'll vote for the bill anyway
Sam Arora speaks: I'm now against same-sex marriage but I'll vote for the bill anyway
Discussion:
News at Metro Weekly, Taylor Marsh and Balloon Juice
Rasmussen Reports:
Wisconsin Governor Walker: 43% Approval Rating — Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker won his job last November with 52% of the vote, but his popularity has slipped since then. — A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Wisconsin Voters finds that just 34% Strongly Approve of the job he is doing …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Crooks and Liars, Hot Air, TPMDC, Outside the Beltway, JSOnline, WisPolitics Budget Blog, Another Black Conservative and Weigel
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
How to Kill a Recovery — The economic news has been better lately. New claims for unemployment insurance are down; business and consumer surveys suggest solid growth. We're still near the bottom of a very deep hole, but at least we're climbing. — It's too bad that so many people …
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
McConnell: White House offer to cut $6.5B is ‘unserious’ — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Friday rejected the White House's opening offer to cut an additional $6.5 billion in spending as “unserious.” — Speaking on the Senate floor, the GOP leader said that Republicans …
Discussion:
CNN, The Note, The Politico and The Page
RELATED:
Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Jared Lee Loughner indicted on 49 charges in Tucson shooting — A federal grand jury has charged Jared Lee Loughner with dozens of new counts for his alleged role in the Tucson shooting that injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and a dozen others, and killed six, including a federal judge and a congressional aide.
Discussion:
The Hill and Runnin' Scared
RELATED:
Sari Horwitz / Washington Post:
Federal grand jury indicts Loughner in Ariz. shootings
Federal grand jury indicts Loughner in Ariz. shootings
Discussion:
National Review, New York Magazine, TPMMuckraker, Talking Points Memo, The Page and FrumForum
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Boehner makes step toward defending DOMA in court — House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) took a step Friday toward formally defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court. — House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) took a step Friday toward formally defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court.
Discussion:
The Note, The Politico and FrumForum
RELATED:
WKOW 27:
Rep. Nick Milroy tackled while trying to enter Capitol — MADISON (WKOW) — Representative Nick Milroy (D-South Range) had a confrontation with Capitol police as he tried to enter the building Thursday night. — Milroy was trying to get clothes from his office but police would not let him into the building.
Discussion:
TPMDC, TPMMuckraker, Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine and MoveOn.Org
Associated Press:
NASA satellite rocket launch fails, lands in ocean — WASHINGTON (AP) — A rocket carrying an Earth-observation satellite plummeted into the Pacific Ocean after a failed launch attempt Friday, the second-straight blow to NASA's weakened environmental monitoring program.
Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:
EXCLUSIVE: GOP Senator Yanked Off Committee Speaks Out, Was Informed 30 Minutes Before Anti-Union Vote — On Wednesday, just moments before a key committee in the Ohio State Senate was to vote on a GOP bill that would effectively dismantle public employees' right to collectively bargain …
Discussion:
The Political Carnival, NEWS JUNKIE POST and Wonk Room
Jim Demint / Wall Street Journal:
Public Broadcasting Should Go Private — If these outfits can afford to pay lavish salaries to their heads, they don't need taxpayer help. — When presidents of government-funded broadcasting are making more than the president of the United States, it's time to get the government out of public broadcasting.
George Russell / Fox News:
U.K. Pulls Plug on United Nations Spending, in Move That is Bound to Hearten U.S. Critics — Critics of U.S. spending on the United Nations got a huge boost—and supporters of that spending, especially the Obama Administration, took a body blow—from an unlikely source this week …
Discussion:
Cubachi, Weasel Zippers and Riehl World View
Michael F. Cannon / National Review:
Mitch Daniels's Obamacare Problem — Mitt Romney isn't the only Republican presidential hopeful with an Obamacare problem: Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, were he to become the GOP's nominee, could also undermine the repeal campaign that has united the party's base and independent voters.
Discussion:
GOP 12 and Ezra Klein
Army Court-Martial Defense Specialist / The Law Office …:
PFC Manning Stripped Naked Again — PFC Manning was forced to strip naked in his cell again last night. As with the previous evening, Quantico Brig guards required him to surrender all of his clothing. PFC Manning then walked back to his bed, and spent the next seven hours in humiliation.
Discussion:
Salon, Firedoglake, New York Times, The Atlantic Online, Outside the Beltway and Emptywheel
Ann Althouse / Althouse:
Who started the restriction of access to the Wisconsin Capitol, which the state court judge has ruled unconstitutional? — If you were critical of Meade and me for refusing to wait in line and insisting on walking right into the Capitol building, then you need to read the judge's order …
Discussion:
American Power and JSOnline
Lisa W. Foderaro / New York Times:
James Franco Straddles Two Roles at Yale — On Sunday night he was in Hollywood, as co-host of the Oscar telecast in black tie. At 9 the next morning, he was in a Starbucks in New Haven, hunched over a book and barely recognizable in a gray sweatshirt, but still wearing his tuxedo pants.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Outside the Beltway, Prairie Weather, Gothamist, PopEater, Shakesville, ArtsBeat and The Reality-Based Community
Ezra Klein:
Washington is bad at scheming — As far as I can tell, “The Adjustment Bureau” is about a group of superplanners who've mapped out every right turn, McDonald's combo meal and life decision we'll face. I say “as far as I can tell” because I won't see it. I can't bear it.
Discussion:
A plain blog about politics, Mother Jones and The Daily Dish
Rick Pearson / Los Angeles Times:
Daley: U.S. a ‘country of whiners’ — Retiring Mayor Richard Daley on Thursday contended America is a “country of whiners” that's spent the last four decades fearing the impact of foreign governments on the nation's economy instead of showing the confidence and sacrifice to lead on a global stage.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog and Swampland
Jason Horowitz / Washington Post:
Presidential hopefuls Huntsman, Romney share Mormonism and belief in themselves — IN SALT LAKE CITY — Jon Huntsman Jr. and Mitt Romney go way back. — In the Huntsman Corp. headquarters below Red Butte Canyon, Peter Huntsman, the younger brother of Jon Huntsman Jr. …
Discussion:
GOP 12, Ben Smith's Blog and msnbc.com
Jon Ralston / Las Vegas Sun Blogs:
Rory Reid's gubernatorial campaign circumvented contribution limits, created 91 shell PACs to infuse $750,000 into campaign — Who funded Rory Reid's PAC — California bigwig, Vegas cab magnate, unions, gamers — PAC names were designed to cover true purpose
Discussion:
The Fix
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
That Time Has Arrived — In our main editorial chat here at TPM I was just saying that with the new evidence of Gov. Walker going into the bunker-bound, ranting at his lackeys stage of this drama I figured that it could only be a few days before the first Gov. Walker “Hitler Downfall Parody Video” appeared on Youtube.