Top Items:
Washington Post:
Economic anxiety threatens Obama in 2012, but in poll he edges GOP rivals — Deepening economic pessimism has pushed down President Obama's approval rating to a near record low, but he holds an early advantage over prospective 2012 rivals in part because of widespread dissatisfaction …
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, The Politico, msnbc.com, Poll Watch Daily, No More Mister Nice Blog, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, American Power, FrumForum and Daily Kos
RELATED:
Lauraklairmont / CNN:
TRENDING: Poll shows GOP not happy with its prez candidates — Washington (CNN) - As the Republican presidential primary race continues its slow march out of the gate, a new poll suggests likely GOP voters are significantly less satisfied with the potential field of contenders than they were four years ago.
Discussion:
Washington Post and The Political Carnival
Myglesias / Yglesias:
Climate Denialism Promoter Fred Hiatt Hits American Conservatives For Embrace of Climate Denialism — The earth's climate is shifting. Most generally, the planet is getting warmer. And while many factors contribute to the earth's climate, the key factor in the warming trend is human industrial activity.
David Brooks / New York Times:
Why Trump Soars — Very few people have the luxury of being freely obnoxious. Most people have to watch what they say for fear of offending their bosses and colleagues. Others resist saying anything that might make them unpopular. — But, in every society, there are a few rare souls …
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Dylan Smith / TucsonSentinel.com:
Brewer vetoes birther, campus gun bills — Also vetoes health care compact law — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a bill Monday that would have required presidential candidates to provide their birth certificates to appear on the ballot, and another that would have allowed guns to be carried on school grounds.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, MyDD, The Moderate Voice, Towleroad News #gay and The Gateway Pundit
RELATED:
Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Jan Brewer vetoes birther bill, guns bill
Jan Brewer vetoes birther bill, guns bill
Discussion:
Associated Press, Outside the Beltway and TPMDC
Jan Moller / New Orleans Times-Picayune:
Gov. Jindal will sign ‘birther’ bill if it reaches his desk
Gov. Jindal will sign ‘birther’ bill if it reaches his desk
Discussion:
TPMDC
James Fallows / The Atlantic Online:
Today's (Needless) Hysteria: the S&P Panic — I agree with Clive Crook's puzzlement about the S&P downgrade “bombshell” today: … And I like James K. Galbraith's derisive guffaw, as reported by Dave Lindorff: … I know that markets run on fear, greed, instinct, and panic as much as on logic.
Discussion:
Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality …, The Daily Dish, CEPR, Balloon Juice and Truthdig
RELATED:
Dave Lindorff / This Can't Be Happening:
An ‘Oh Please!’ Moment: Is S&P Running Interference for the Right to Help Crush Social Security and Medicare? — by: — Today'sbreathless anxiety-inducing headline was that Standard & Poors, the rating agency, has issued a “negative outlook” warning on US sovereign debt, claiming that the US …
Discussion:
New Deal 2.0, The Atlantic Online, naked capitalism, Suburban Guerrilla and Crooked Timber
Bernie Becker / The Hill:
Wall Street puts the squeeze on Washington with ‘negative’ outlook — Wall Street on Monday sent Washington officials a concrete signal that it's worried about long-term deficits, with Standard & Poor's unveiling a new “negative” outlook on U.S. debt. — The ratings agency's revision …
Discussion:
New York Times
RELATED:
Barry Eichengreen / New York Times:
Is Anyone Listening to the S.&P.? — Stocks fell on Monday …
Is Anyone Listening to the S.&P.? — Stocks fell on Monday …
Discussion:
New Deal 2.0 and The Big Picture
Larry Elliott / Guardian:
Debt blow for American economy
Debt blow for American economy
Discussion:
Unfogged, Pajamas Media and Don Surber
Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Rand Paul files for reelection race five years away — Barely into his first term, Sen. Rand Paul has already filed for reelection, signaling that he won't be running for president in 2012 but does plan to stick it out in Washington. — The Kentucky Republican filed for reelection …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway
RELATED:
Paul Bignell / The Independent:
Secret memos expose link between oil firms and invasion of Iraq — Plans to exploit Iraq's oil reserves were discussed by government ministers and the world's largest oil companies the year before Britain took a leading role in invading Iraq, government documents show.
Discussion:
Truthdig
Jeff Poor / The Daily Caller:
Krauthammer doubles down on the 'Trump is the GOP's Al Sharpton' claim — It turns out that George Will isn't the only conservative who isn't impressed with the Donald's effort to pump himself up for the White House. — On last weekend's broadcast of the syndicated weekend public affairs program …
Discussion:
The Politico, TPMDC, Outside the Beltway, No More Mister Nice Blog, Hot Air, NewsBusters.org and Salon
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Obama revives immigration reform — In the face of mounting political pressure, President Obama will focus on the issue at a White House meeting Tuesday. — President Obama is reviving the issue of immigration reform in the face of mounting political pressure as he readies his bid for reelection.
Discussion:
JammieWearingFool, The Political Carnival, The Caucus, National Review and Weasel Zippers
David Jackson / USA Today:
Obama to make Easter Prayer Breakfast an annual event — President Obama hosted what he called the “second annual” Easter Prayer Breakfast today, and said he wants to make it a permanent part of White House life. — “I'm going to make it annual,” Obama told Christian leaders from across the country gathered in the East Room.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, Associated Press, Breitbart.tv, The Lonely Conservative and CNN
Glenn Blain / NY Daily News:
Classic kids games like kickball deemed unsafe by state in effort to increase summer camp regulation — State bureaucrats have created a list of ‘risky activities’ for kids at summer camp. The list includes freeze tag, Wiffle Ball and kickball, among other games and activities.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and JammieWearingFool
Ben Smith / The Politico:
Why P.J. Crowley went rogue — To friends, colleagues and even critics, there are few more unlikely candidates than P.J. Crowley to become a free speech martyr and a darling of the left. A veteran of three decades in the Air Force public affairs division, Crowley was a notoriously tight-lipped spokesman …
Discussion:
The Nation
Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
2011 Pulitzer Prize Winners Announced — The New York Times won Pulitzer Prizes on Monday for its economics commentary and for its reporting on Russia in 2010, while The Los Angeles Times received the coveted public service Pulitzer. — The prizes, which are administered by Columbia University …
Discussion:
Guardian, Phlog, Connecting.the.Dots, The Gateway Pundit and No Left Turns, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Paul Steiger / ProPublica:
A Note on ProPublica's Second Pulitzer Prize
A Note on ProPublica's Second Pulitzer Prize
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Felix Salmon, Concurring Opinions, Guardian and Runnin' Scared, more at Mediagazer »
Dr. Milton R. Wolf / Washington Times:
Molesting kids won't win war on terror — Frisking tots while neglecting the border undercuts seriousness of security — Our government has become a serial groper. There's no part of our lives it won't touch. It insists on putting its insatiable hands on everything from our health care …
Washington Examiner:
If America faces economic crisis, why are our leaders on recess? — It seems impossible to turn on a television set, open up a newspaper, or click through an Internet news site without finding government leaders proclaiming doom if America doesn't get its financial house in order.
Angelique Chrisafis / Guardian:
Andres Serrano's Piss Christ destroyed by Christian protesters — • Intruders vandalise photo day after Christian protest — • Exhibitor blames Sarkozy speech for inflaming issue — When New York artist Andres Serrano plunged a plastic crucifix into a glass of his own urine …
Discussion:
Pharyngula, Outside the Beltway, Harry's Place, Little Green Footballs, The Awl and Towleroad News #gay
John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
There was a time when Paul Ryan thought the Federal Debt was too small — Well, well, well. Paul Ryan is a typical Republican hypocrite. Who could have predicted that? — Remembering When Paul Ryan Worried the Debt Was Too Small
New York Times:
Syria Meets New Defiance With Bullets and a Warning — BEIRUT, Lebanon — The beleaguered government in Syria bluntly warned its people to end more than a month of demonstrations Tuesday, just hours after it marshaled police, army and the other forces of an authoritarian state to crush …
Discussion:
National Review and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog
Matt Bradley / Wall Street Journal:
Egyptians Court U.S. Foes — CAIRO—Iran and Egypt's new government signaled Monday they were moving quickly to thaw decades of frosty relations, worrying the U.S., Israel and Saudi Arabia that the overtures could upset the Mideast's fragile balance of power.
Discussion:
Big Peace, Questions and Observations and FrumForum