Top Items:
Ezra Klein:
Was what Scott Walker did legal? — Assuming Scott Walker's procedural maneuvering last night was legal — and, as I'll explain in a moment, there are some questions about that — then it was also legitimate. Certainly as legitimate as the Democrats fleeing the state to deny the Republicans quorum.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Indecision Forever, Barry Pump's Blog and Althouse
RELATED:
JSOnline:
Senate advances collective bargaining changes; Democrats to return after Assembly action — Republicans advance bill curbing most collective bargaining; Maneuver ignites furious protests — By Patrick Marley and Lee Bergquist of the Journal Sentinel — Madison — With Democrats still in Illinois …
Discussion:
Cubachi, The Hill, Ben Smith's Blog, The Note, Questions and Observations, msnbc.com, Left Coast Rebel, Reuters, The Foundry, Outside the Beltway, Right Turn, JustOneMinute, Hot Air, Right Wing News, NPR Topics, The Gateway Pundit, TBogg, Fox Nation, The Plum Line, Examiner, RedState, WISC-TV, New York Magazine, iOwnTheWorld.com, Taylor Marsh, Power Line, Scared Monkeys, Michelle Malkin, Tennessee Guerilla Women, Pundit & Pundette, Sister Toldjah, The Daily Caller and Patterico's Pontifications
Scott Walker / Wall Street Journal:
Why I'm Fighting in Wisconsin — We can avoid mass teacher layoffs and reward our best performers. But we have to act now. — In 2010, Megan Sampson was named an Outstanding First Year Teacher in Wisconsin. A week later, she got a layoff notice from the Milwaukee Public Schools.
Discussion:
Washington Wire, The Politico, NewsReal Blog, JSOnline, RedState, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Betsy's Page, Bloomberg and FrumForum
Ezra Klein:
What happened in Wisconsin tonight — Here's what just happened in Wisconsin: The rules of the state's Senate require a quorum for any measures that spend money. That's how the absence of the Senate's Democrats could stymie Gov. Scott Walker's proposed budget law — it spent money, and thus it needed a quorum.
Andy Kroll / Mother Jones:
Wisconsin GOP Bill Allows State to Fire Employees for Strikes, Walk-Outs
Wisconsin GOP Bill Allows State to Fire Employees for Strikes, Walk-Outs
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online and Daily Kos
David Dayen / Firedoglake:
Anti-Public Employee Bill Passes Senate in Wisconsin; Only the Beginning of the Fight
Anti-Public Employee Bill Passes Senate in Wisconsin; Only the Beginning of the Fight
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Ezra Klein, msnbc.com, BizTimes Daily, Examiner, Rortybomb, naked capitalism, National Review, AFL-CIO NOW BLOG, Angry Bear and Bloomberg
Christian Schneider / National Review:
How the Wisconsin Senate Passed Walker's Bill
How the Wisconsin Senate Passed Walker's Bill
Discussion:
Right Wing News and Moe Lane
Monica Davey / New York Times:
Wisconsin Senate Limits Bargaining by Public Workers
Wisconsin Senate Limits Bargaining by Public Workers
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Washington Monthly, FiveThirtyEight, CNN, Feministing, ThinkProgress, The Impolitic, Talking Points Memo, JSOnline and FrumForum
E.J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:
What Wisconsin Democrats can teach Washington Democrats
What Wisconsin Democrats can teach Washington Democrats
Discussion:
Firedoglake, TalkLeft, Dow Jones Newswires and Ezra Klein
David Weigel / Weigel:
Wisconsin Senate GOP Tries Nuclear Option for Passing Anti-Union Bill [UPDATE: It Worked]
Wisconsin Senate GOP Tries Nuclear Option for Passing Anti-Union Bill [UPDATE: It Worked]
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Fox News, Weekly Standard, Mediaite and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
Michael A. Fletcher / Washington Post:
Republican Wisconsin senators bypass Democrats in vote on collective bargaining
Republican Wisconsin senators bypass Democrats in vote on collective bargaining
Discussion:
The Fix, The Politico, TPMDC and Fox News
The Hill:
First Muslim in Congress breaks into tears during radicalization hearing — The first Muslim elected to Congress broke into tears Thursday as he delivered his opening remarks at a hearing on radicalization in the Muslim American community. — Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) …
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog
RELATED:
Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
As hearings begin, Peter King reveals threat against him — ‘If we know a threat is there ... how can we not investigate it?’ King said Thursday. AP Photo — Ahead of his controversial hearing Thursday on the “radicalization” of American Muslims, Rep. Peter King is revealing …
Discussion:
CNN, Gothamist, Taylor Marsh, Wonkette and 2chambers
Josh Gerstein / The Politico:
Peter King's Muslim hearings are not the first — ‘It has nothing to do with internment camps.’ | When Representative Peter King (R-N.Y.) picks up the chairman's gavel Thursday for hearings into extremism among American Muslims, he'll launch what critics have condemned for months as an insensitive …
Discussion:
Reuters, CNN, Rasmussen Reports, Weigel, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Daily Dish, FrumForum, The Note, The Hill and Weasel Zippers
Zaid Jilani / ThinkProgress:
Rep. Ellison Breaks Into Tears Explaining Story Of Muslim First Responder Who Died To Save Americans On 9/11 — Today, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) is holding hearings in the House Homeland Security Committee singling out the Muslim American community for supposedly aiding and abetting terrorism.
Discussion:
Swampland, New York Magazine, NPR Topics and Daily Kos
Congressman Keith Ellison:
Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-05) Testimony Before The House Homeland Security Committee — The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and that Community's Response — Thank you Chairman King for allowing me to testify today. Though the Chairman and I sometimes disagree …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, American Prospect, Emptywheel, AOL News, Daily Kos, George's Bottom Line, Shakesville and The Impolitic
Frank Newport / Gallup:
Republicans and Democrats Disagree on Muslim Hearings
Republicans and Democrats Disagree on Muslim Hearings
Discussion:
The Raw Story and The Hill
Patricia Murphy / Politics Daily:
Rep. Peter King's Hearing on American Muslims: How Radical? How Dangerous?
Rep. Peter King's Hearing on American Muslims: How Radical? How Dangerous?
Discussion:
New York Times and The Huffington Post
Richard Pérez-Peña / New York Times:
Christie's Talk Is Blunt, but Not Always Straight — New Jersey's public-sector unions routinely pressure the State Legislature to give them what they fail to win in contract talks. Most government workers pay nothing for health insurance. Concessions by school employees would have prevented any cuts in school programs last year.
Discussion:
Gothamist, Oliver Willis, Mediaite, PoliPundit.com, Don Surber, New York Magazine, Balloon Juice and Prairie Weather
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
GOP: Full speed ahead on defunding NPR — TAGS: - Corporation for Public Broadcasting - House Republicans - National Public Radio - npr - vivian schiller — Chief Political Correspondent Follow Him @ByronYork — After the release of the James O'Keefe sting video Tuesday …
Discussion:
Hot Air, FrumForum and National Review
RELATED:
Charlie Sykes / 620wtmj.com:
DEATH THREATS — Since the MSM appears intent on downplaying the growing intimidation and escalating threats of violence around the union power issue, I am reprinting verbatim an email that was sent to Republican senators. The email was signed, but I have deleted the name pending what I hope will be a thorough police investigation.
Discussion:
Big Government, protein wisdom, The Daily Caller and The Jawa Report
RELATED:
Jon Byman / 620WTMJ:
Capitol Chaos: Lawmakers Get Death Threats
Capitol Chaos: Lawmakers Get Death Threats
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin and JammieWearingFool
Linda Greenhouse / Opinionator:
Justice Scalia Objects — One rough measure of how any Supreme Court term is going is to track the decibel level of Justice Antonin Scalia's dissenting opinions. In a case last week, the question was whether statements made to the police by a shooting victim as he lay bleeding to death …
Discussion:
Law Blog, The Volokh Conspiracy and Mirror of Justice
Ann Althouse / Althouse:
Protesters are locking the Capitol doors shut from the inside using metal handcuffs, Meade reports from the scene. — He told me that just now, by phone. He got out, and is warning others not to go in. Obviously, it's a terrible fire hazard to make it so people cannot get out of the building easily.
Discussion:
“Badger 14”, Left Coast Rebel, Pajamas Media, NewsBusters.org, Instapundit, The Gateway Pundit and Weasel Zippers
RELATED:
Ann Althouse / Althouse:
Chaos at the Wisconsin Capitol tonight.
Chaos at the Wisconsin Capitol tonight.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, The Jawa Report and Pajamas Media
JSOnline:
The quiet after the Capitol storm — Madison - After a wild and raucous night at the State Capitol, the scene inside the building Thursday morning looks just like it was a few weeks ago when protesters camped out overnight. — At 6:30 a.m., there were dozens of people who stayed the night …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Fausta's Blog, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Pundit & Pundette, Riehl World View and The Gateway Pundit
RELATED:
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Spending plan vote backfires as Democrats suffer defections — Senate Democrats suffered a wave of defections Wednesday as their proposal to cut just over $6 billion from federal spending this year went down to defeat. — The Democratic bill attracted two fewer votes than the rival GOP measure …
Discussion:
The Hill, Liberty Pundits Blog, Booman Tribune and Right Turn
Nicholas D. Kristof / New York Times:
The Case for a No-Fly Zone — “This is a pretty easy problem, for crying out loud.” — For all the hand-wringing in Washington about a no-fly zone over Libya, that's the verdict of Gen. Merrill McPeak, a former Air Force chief of staff. He flew more than 6,000 hours, half in fighter aircraft …
Discussion:
Eunomia, Booman Tribune, RealClearWorld and FrumForum
Expressen:
Interrogator in the Assange case friend with woman accusing Wikileaks founder — The police interrogator in the Julian Assange-investigation is a friend of one of the two women who is accusing the Wikileaks founder och sexual assault, Expressen can now reveal.
Discussion:
Guardian, Blogcritics and The Wire
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
The Chorus for War — I sit at my desk every morning listening to the sounds of cable television in the air. Now a lot of it is about Libya. And I'm just blown away by the constant, almost unanimous chorus in favor of some sort of active, military involvement in the country.
Discussion:
Oliver Willis
BBC:
Gaddafi forces beat up BBC team — Goktay Koraltan and Feras Killani said other detainees had been badly beaten — Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi's security forces detained and beat up a BBC news team who were trying to reach the strife-torn western city of Zawiya.
Discussion:
AOL News, New York Times, Prairie Weather, War in Context, Patterico's Pontifications and FrumForum, more at Mediagazer »
Susanne Walker / Bloomberg:
Pimco's Gross Eliminates Government Debt From Total Return Fund — Bill Gross, who runs the world's biggest bond fund at Pacific Investment Management Co., eliminated government-related debt from his flagship fund last month as the U.S. projected record budget deficits.
Discussion:
Right Turn and The Daily Caller
Julian Pecquet / The Hill:
Two Dems break with White House on Medicare board — Two House Democrats have signed onto a Republican bill to repeal a health reform provision that the Obama administration has touted as a central tool to keep health costs under control. — Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) …
Discussion:
Hot Air
Amanda Terkel / The Huffington Post:
Labor Vows To Step Up Recall Effort Against Wisconsin GOP, Challenge Anti-Union Bill In Court … WASHINGTON — Dealt a major setback Wednesday night in a high-stakes battle over union rights in Wisconsin, labor leaders nevertheless insisted that they would emerge from the three-week long saga energized and eager to continue fighting.
Discussion:
New Deal 2.0, DownWithTyranny!, Weigel, FrumForum and JSOnline