Top Items:
New York Times:
A Certificate of Embarrassment — With sardonic resignation, President Obama, an eminently rational man, stared directly into political irrationality on Wednesday and released his birth certificate to history. More than halfway through his term, the president felt obliged to prove that he was a legitimate occupant of the Oval Office.
Discussion:
Washington Post, AmSpecBlog, The White House, BuzzFlash.org, New York Times, Daily Kos and Althouse, more at Mediagazer »
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Ryan J. Reilly / tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com:
Orly Taitz: Obama's Long-Form Birth Certificate Should Say ‘Negro’ Not ‘African’ — In a development that will surprise no one, it turns out that President Barack Obama's decision to release his long-form birth certificate hasn't quieted members of the “birther” movement who promote …
Discussion:
Washington Post, WorldNetDaily, Taylor Marsh, Pam's House Blend, Mediaite, Sky Dancing, TPMDC, Weigel, Washington Wire, Salon, Alas, a Blog, Mother Jones, Jack & Jill Politics, Fox News, National Review, Talking Points Memo, The Raw Story, Wonkette, Comments from Left Field, Outside the Beltway, Raw Replay, rubber hose, American Power and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*
Jake Tapper / Political Punch:
President Obama Tells Untruth in Birth Certificate Press Briefing
President Obama Tells Untruth in Birth Certificate Press Briefing
Discussion:
Hyscience, Washington Monthly, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, Betsy's Page, Scared Monkeys, The Smoking Gun, Washington Post, TPMDC, Weigel, National Review, Instapundit, The Daily Caller, 24Ahead, US News, Mother Jones, The Lonely Conservative, Outside the Beltway, Pajamas Media, ThinkProgress and White House.gov Blog
Emily Ramshaw / The Texas Tribune:
Texas Pol Still Isn't Satisfied on Obama Birthplace
Texas Pol Still Isn't Satisfied on Obama Birthplace
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Washington Post, ABCNEWS, The Scoop and Ben Smith's Blog
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Robert Gibbs to Donald Trump: Where are the tax returns?
Robert Gibbs to Donald Trump: Where are the tax returns?
Discussion:
George's Bottom Line, New York Times, Hot Air, Mediaite, Washington Wire, News One, Indecision Forever, National Review, Taylor Marsh and WorldNetDaily
Melissa Clouthier / RedState:
President Obama's Birth Certificate: Why Now?
President Obama's Birth Certificate: Why Now?
Discussion:
Associated Press, Top of the Ticket, Mediaite, Ben Smith's Blog, The Gateway Pundit, alicublog and TPMDC
Baratunde Thurston / Jack & Jill Politics:
(video) With President Obama's Birth Certificate, Klansman Trump Reminds Blacks They Will Never Be American
(video) With President Obama's Birth Certificate, Klansman Trump Reminds Blacks They Will Never Be American
Jamie Klatell / The Hill:
Obama jokes about ‘birther’ controversy at fundraisers
Obama jokes about ‘birther’ controversy at fundraisers
Discussion:
The Politico
E.D. Kain / Balloon Juice:
Why Obama Waited — The answer to the many questions surrounding …
Why Obama Waited — The answer to the many questions surrounding …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice
David Frum / FrumForum:
The Birther Disgrace — Even for the small band that sustained the phony controversy until now, the birth certificate so-called issue ends today. — Any last lingering doubts that maybe, perhaps, a pregnant Stanley Anne Dunham in the summer of 1961 boarded a propeller plane from Honolulu to Los Angeles …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, American Spectator, Salon, Booman Tribune, The Atlantic Online and The Democratic Daily
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Laura Hudson / ComicsAlliance.com:
Superman Renounces [SPOILER] in ‘Action Comics’ #900 — After recently undertaking a journey to walk — not fly — across the United States in the “Grounded” storyline and reconnect with the country and everyday Americans, Superman appears to be taking another step that could have major implications …
Discussion:
Don Surber, Weasel Zippers and Boing Boing
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Great news: Superman to renounce his U.S. citizenship — The bad news: He's supposed to be an immortal symbol of truth, justice, and the American way. Or at least he was before that line got written out of the script in order not to offend foreign audiences. The good news: Isn't he ... an illegal alien?
Discussion:
Underwire and Right Wing News
Associated Press:
Dozens of tornadoes kill 194 in 5 Southern states — PLEASANT GROVE, Ala. (AP) — Dozens of tornadoes spawned by a powerful storm system wiped out entire towns across a wide swath of the South, killing at least 194 people, and officials said Thursday they expect the death toll to rise.
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, Reuters, Scared Monkeys, The Gateway Pundit, New York Times and RedState
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CNN:
Mayor: Parts of Tuscaloosa ‘obliterated’ — Read more about this story from CNN affiliates WBMA-TV and WIAT-TV. Is severe weather affecting you? Share stories, photos and video with iReport. — (CNN) — Daylight illuminated a scene of utter devastation across many areas of the South on Thursday …
Discussion:
The Jawa Report, Poynter, Mediaite, New York Magazine and Raw Replay
Kim Seversonand Anahad O'Connor / New York Times:
Tornado Ravages Alabama City; Storm Toll Grows
Tornado Ravages Alabama City; Storm Toll Grows
Discussion:
The Lede, The Page and newsfeed.time.com
Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Obama to Oprah on birthplace: ‘I was there’ — President Obama joked to Oprah Winfrey on Wednesday that he knows he was born in the U.S. and is eligible to serve as president. — “Can I just say? I was there, so I knew that — I knew I had been born,” Obama said while taping an interview with Winfrey on her talk show in Chicago.
Discussion:
CNN
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The Politico:
A new era of accusation and innuendo
A new era of accusation and innuendo
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Pirate's Cove, Guardian, Climate Progress and CNN
Ralph Nader / Bloomberg:
Why Obama Will Get Second Term in White House: Ralph Nader
Why Obama Will Get Second Term in White House: Ralph Nader
Discussion:
TBogg, Ballot Box, The Politico, Top of the Ticket and Truthdig
Joshua Green / The Atlantic Online:
Trump's Birther Antics Are Driving Away His Liberal Audience — He may be dumber than you think: Exclusive research reveals “Celebrity Apprentice” viewers are the most Democratic in primetime TV. — Click to expand — He may have gotten President Obama's attention …
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The Daily Caller:
The demand threatened to open another yawning abyss, the debate over affirmative action and race, and black leaders sharply rebuked Trump. — “Trump and the rest have played a very divisive card from the fact of his birth to now implying that he got into two Ivy League schools …
Shane D'Aprile / Ballot Box:
Daniels faces difficult decision on Planned Parenthood funding — Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who irked many conservatives last year with his call for a “truce” on social issues, has been thrust into the debate over federal funding for Planned Parenthood. — The state's Republican-led legislature …
Allan Hall / The Sun:
Fanatics' fury at Muslim Playgirl — A MUSLIM actress has caused a storm by posing naked for Playboy. — Sila Sahin has been branded a “whore” and a “western slut” after appearing topless on the cover of the German edition of the men's magazine. — And Islamic fanatics have posted threatening internet messages.
Discussion:
Hyscience, theblogprof, Power Line, The Jawa Report, Pirate's Cove, PoliPundit.com and Jihad Watch
Mireya Navarro / New York Times:
Solar Panels Rise Pole by Pole, Followed by Gasps of ‘Eyesore’ — ORADELL, N.J. — Nancy and Eric Olsen could not pinpoint exactly when it happened or how. All they knew was one moment they had a pastoral view of a soccer field and the woods from their 1920s colonial-style house; the next all they could see were three solar panels.
Discussion:
City Room, Booman Tribune and Balloon Juice
Bob Sullivan / msnbc.com:
Advocates: Consumers ‘betrayed’ by high court ruling on class-action suits — Fine print in everyday consumer contracts can include provisions that require Americans to surrender their rights to file class-action lawsuits, the U.S Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, overturning a lower court ruling.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice
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Jeff Zeleny / The Caucus:
Rand Paul Questions Trump's Republican Credentials — CONCORD, N.H. - Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, opened a breakfast speech here Thursday at the Merrimack County Republican Committee with a new demand for proof - not of President Obama's citizenship, but of Donald Trump's Republican credentials.
Discussion:
Ballot Box, Washington Post and The Huffington Post
Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic Online:
The Civil Liberties Primary: What Issues Matter Most? — Voters should prioritize executive power and privacy in 2012, a high-ranking staffer at the ACLU says — Which issues should civil libertarians prioritize as Election 2012 approaches? In order to find out, I spoke with Michael W. Macleod-Ball …
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Obama at record low approval in Pa.; tied with generic opponent — A new poll released Thursday showed President Obama statistically tied with a generic Republican challenger among Pennsylvania voters, despite having his lowest approval rating ever in the Keystone State.
Discussion:
GOP 12, CNN and PoliticsPA
Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Army invites press to Manning prison — Looking to quash complaints of Pfc. Bradley Manning's mistreatment, Army officials are inviting reporters to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., to visit the military prison where the man accused of sharing classified documents with WikiLeaks is being held.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post
Walter Russell Mead / Via Meadia:
Falling Between Two Stools — President Obama is now passing through what one must hope for both his sake and ours are the worst moments of a presidency no longer young. Abroad, the intervention in Libya has not had the quick and clear results he had hoped.
Discussion:
The Glittering Eye
Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:
CNBC's Burnett Is Said Ready to Jump to CNN — The CNBC anchor Erin Burnett is poised to sign a long-term contract with CNN, according to three people with knowledge of her plans. — The signing will represent a shift to general news anchoring for Ms. Burnett, who has shown interest …
Discussion:
Dealbreaker, TVNewser and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »
New York Times:
Honoring Those Who Said No — IN January 2004, Spec. Joseph M. Darby, a 24-year-old Army reservist in Iraq, discovered a set of photographs showing other members of his company torturing prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison. The discovery anguished him, and he struggled over how to respond.
Discussion:
Lawfare and Balloon Juice
Evan Axelbank / WPTV:
Rep. West says Medicare spells end of United States — Several booted from Boca town hall — BOCA RATON, Fla. - If those opposed to Rep. Allen West have their way, the 2012 election will be fought on his recent vote to privatize Medicare starting in 2023.
Discussion:
Wonk Room and South Florida Daily Blog