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Trump Not Running for President: ‘Decision Does Not Come Easily Or Without Regret’ — ABC News' Michael Falcone, Jennifer Wlach, Sara Just and Devin Dwyer report: — After a roller-coaster flirtation with a presidential bid, Donald Trump bowed out of the 2012 contest in true Trump fashion on Monday …
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The Politico, The Caucus, msnbc.com, Speakeasy, Weigel, Politics, NBC New York, Washington Post, TPMDC, Donklephant, Salon, The Daily Beast, Crooks and Liars, The Huffington Post, CNN, Wonkette, Scared Monkeys, Runnin' Scared, Cubachi, ABCNEWS, Indecision Forever, Balkinization, HotAirPundit, The Gateway Pundit, Taylor Marsh, Jack & Jill Politics, The Moderate Voice, Firedoglake, Verum Serum, Washington Monthly, BuzzFeed, GOP 12, FrumForum, The Lonely Conservative, The Democratic Daily, Big Government, Gawker, The Daily Caller, The Page, The Atlantic Wire, Left Coast Rebel and Michelle Malkin
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What Trump can teach the GOP field — Wealthy businessman Donald Trump's Icarus-like rise and fall in the 2012 presidential race is likely to wind up as no more than a footnote in the story of this election. — But, that doesn't mean the Trump saga — and, it was a saga …
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Ben Smith's Blog, The Huffington Post and Dean's World

Why Trump Wimped Out — Per ABC News, Donald Trump has just put out a statement announcing he will not run for president. At this point, the news is hardly shocking. It's hard to recall anyone in the recent history of American politics who managed to humiliate himself as quickly …
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The Note, The Reaction, Washington Post and Show Tracker

Donald Trump: I'm fired
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Media Decoder, The Huffington Post and The Nation

FULL TEXT: Donald Trump Releases Statement Saying He Will Not Run for President
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Libertarian Leanings, Don Surber, Mediaite, The Superficial, Ben Smith's Blog and Sister Toldjah

The Donald ducks
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Philly.com, The Reality-Based Community, Daily Kos and CNN

French Shocked by I.M.F. Chief's ‘Perp Walk’ — As our colleagues Steven Erlanger and Katrin Bennhold report, “The arrest in New York of one of France's leading global figures and a possible next president, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, on charges of attempted rape produced an earthquake of shock …
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The Front Row, Crooked Timber, Philly.com, The Reality-Based Community and Wall Street Journal
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IMF chief to remain jailed, defense says alleged sex assault ‘not consistent with a forcible encounter’
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ProPublica, Above the Law, Law Blog, Gothamist and EconomicPolicyJournal.com

Filing Details Alleged Attack By IMF Chief
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Hit & Run, Reuters, Pajamas Media, The Gateway Pundit, Guardian and Patterico's Pontifications


Medicare Revamp Exposes Divisions Within the GOP — Newt Gingrich's dismissal of the House Republican plan to overhaul Medicare provoked a rebuttal from the proposal's author, Rep. Paul Ryan, highlighting a split in the party over how hard to push a priority for the House GOP majority.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and Hot Air
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Iowan to Gingrich: Get out now before you make a bigger fool of yourself
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Libertarian Leanings, Michelle Malkin, TPMDC, Verum Serum and Washington Examiner

Iowan to Gingrich: “Get out now before you make a bigger fool of yourself”
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The Daily Caller, The Blaze, Mediaite, Washington Examiner, Conservatives4Palin, Pajamas Media, Commentary Magazine and Daily Pundit

Gingrich Seeks to Clarify Comments on Individual Mandate
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Daily Kos, Ballot Box, RealClearPolitics Video Log, The Lonely Conservative, Hot Air, Hit & Run and The Page


Schwarzenegger fathered a child with longtime member of household staff — His wife, Maria Shriver, moved out of their Brentwood mansion earlier this year after the former governor acknowledged the child was his. The staff member worked for the family for 20 years, retiring in January.
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The Politico, The Hill, Guardian, Jezebel, newsfeed.time.com, The Moderate Voice, Gawker, Towleroad News #gay and Fox Nation

In for Nasty Weather — Maybe it's because tenured professors are so disproportionately white male baby boomers that classic rock seems like a natural way to capture the sense that tenured faculty existence is vanishing. — First, summon the image of a tweed-clad, gray-haired professor exiting …

Romney: One-day money haul brings in over $10 million — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) announced a one-day haul of over $10 million to support his presidential campaign. — Romney's team said the former governor had brought in $10.25 million in a daylong event …
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The Politico, The Note and Wonkette
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In effort to let money show his might, Team Romney raises $10.25 million in a single day
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Hot Air and The Daily Caller

Ryan telling GOPers he's unlikely to run — Rep. Paul Ryan is reaching out to potential Senate candidates in Wisconsin, informing them he's unlikely to run for Herb Kohl's seat next year, according to two sources familiar with the conversations. — The House Budget Committee chairman …
Discussion:
The Reaction, Hot Air, National Review and The Raw Story
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Ryan Defends Medicare Privatization As Strengthening ‘Welfare For Those Who Need It’
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DownWithTyranny!, Crooks and Liars, The Monkey Cage, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, Hullabaloo, The Hill, Salon and Outside the Beltway

Scott Brown: ‘Thank God’ Paul Ryan Laid Down Medicare Privatizing Budget (VIDEO)
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Washington Monthly, DownWithTyranny!, The Democratic Daily, Blue Mass Group, Wonk Room, The Hill and Daily Kos


OOPS! Historic ‘Spending Cut’ Bill Increased Spending By $3 Billion — Republicans stormed Capitol Hill in January vowing to slash discretionary spending by $100 billion right off the bat. In their pledge to America, they promised that, “[w]ith common-sense exceptions for seniors …
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Firedoglake, Balloon Juice, AMERICAblog News and Talking Points Memo


LED bulbs hit 100 watts as federal ban looms — NEW YORK - Two leading makers of lighting products are showcasing LED bulbs that are bright enough to replace energy-guzzling 100-watt light bulbs set to disappear from stores in January. — Their demonstrations at the LightFair trade show …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway and The Lonely Conservative


Obama's Post-Bin Laden Bounce Disappears In Gallup Poll — The bump President Obama received after the killing of Osama bin Laden more than two weeks ago in Pakistan has vanished completely, according to the latest Gallup Tracking poll released Monday. — At National Journal:
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Runnin' Scared, Hot Air, HotAirPundit and Patterico's Pontifications
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Why do one-in-five American voters now believe Osama bin Laden is still alive?
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The TrogloPundit, The Daily Caller and Right Wing News


Dems' thuggery knows no bounds — Orrin Hatch, the senior senator from Utah, didn't mince words the other day on Hugh Hewitt's national radio show. The Democrats, he said, “play politics very, very tough, they play it well, and they don't give a damn about what's right and what's wrong.”
Discussion:
Cold Fury and National Review

Confidential Federal Audits Accuse Five Biggest Mortgage Firms Of Defrauding Taxpayers [EXCLUSIVE] … WASHINGTON — A set of confidential federal audits accuse the nation's five largest mortgage companies of defrauding taxpayers in their handling of foreclosures on homes purchased …
Discussion:
Credit Slips, naked capitalism, DownWithTyranny! and RADAMISTO

New York Investigates Banks' Role in Fiscal Crisis — Eric T. Schneiderman, the New York attorney general, has requested information and documents in recent weeks from three major Wall Street banks about their mortgage securities operations during the credit boom, indicating the existence …
Discussion:
Prairie Weather and naked capitalism

Why recounts are a vital part of election process — The Journal Sentinel Editorial Board is entitled to its own opinions but it is not entitled to its own facts. The board's speculation about my motives regarding the recount of the vote in the Supreme Court election is inaccurate.
Discussion:
No Runny Eggs, The BRAD BLOG and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion


Irony Meter Explodes As Jewish Voice For Peace et al. Stage Al-Nakba Day Protest Against The Museum of Tolerance — Sunday was Al-Nakba ("The Catastrophe") Day, and it's not just Arabs who are upset. Al-Nakba Day commemorates the defeat of the Arab armies in the 1948 Israeli War of Independence …
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