Top Items:
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
McCain attempts to fan the flames — There are massive wildfires sweeping Arizona, causing considerable damage in recent weeks to over 500,000 acres. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) toured some of the most affected areas over the weekend, and decided it's time to start pointing fingers.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Reuters
RELATED:
The Huffington Post:
John McCain: Illegal Immigrants Caused Arizona Wildfires
John McCain: Illegal Immigrants Caused Arizona Wildfires
Discussion:
The Reaction
Olivia Katrandjian / ABCNEWS:
John McCain's Illegal Immigrants Started Arizona Wildfires Disputed by Forest Service
John McCain's Illegal Immigrants Started Arizona Wildfires Disputed by Forest Service
Discussion:
Salon, ThinkProgress and New York Magazine
Nina Mandell / NY Daily News:
John McCain accuses illegal immigrants of starting wildfires; is slammed by Latino activists
John McCain accuses illegal immigrants of starting wildfires; is slammed by Latino activists
Discussion:
msnbc.com
E.J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:
How states are rigging the 2012 election — An attack on the right to vote is underway across the country through laws designed to make it more difficult to cast a ballot. If this were happening in an emerging democracy, we'd condemn it as election-rigging. But it's happening here, so there's barely a whimper.
Matthew Yglesias / ThinkProgress:
Yet Another Conservative Economist Thinks Barack Obama Can Travel Through Time — Gary Becker explains that the left-wing policies of Barack Obama and the 111th Congress slowed business investment: … Admittedly, I don't have a Nobel Prize. But I can look up the trajectory of private investment in the United States:
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money
RELATED:
Gary Becker / The Becker-Posner Blog:
The Slow Economic Recovery-Becker — The financial crisis produced the most severe recession since the end of World War II in all the important measures of economic performance, aside from unemployment rates. Unemployment peaked at 10.2% in 2009, whereas it peaked at 10.8% in December 1982 …
Discussion:
Grasping Reality …
Matt Bai / New York Times:
‘Is It Always Like This?’ — 'I'm not sure there's any way to be prepared for something like this," Jon Huntsman told me last month. He was reflecting on his debut a few days earlier as a prospective presidential candidate: a gorgeous Thursday evening in New Hampshire when his chartered plane touched …
Discussion:
The Note, ThinkProgress and New York Times
New York Post:
OK for gay marriage is ‘rite’ around the corner — ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo and Senate Republican boss Dean Skelos could say, “I do” as soon as today on a historic gay-marriage bill that includes strengthened exemptions for religious groups. — Negotiators for the Republican-run Senate privately admitted …
Discussion:
CNN, Towleroad News #gay, Reuters, Talking Points Memo, TPMDC, AMERICAblog Gay, AMERICAblog News and New York Magazine
Fox News:
NBC Apologizes for Omitting ‘Under God’ From Pledge During U.S. Open Broadcast — BETHESDA, Md. — NBC issued an on-air apology Sunday for omitting the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance during its coverage of golf's U.S. Open. — The words were edited out of a clip …
RELATED:
Noel Sheppard / NewsBusters.org blogs:
NBC Cuts ‘Under God’ From Pledge of Allegiance
NBC Cuts ‘Under God’ From Pledge of Allegiance
Discussion:
Scared Monkeys, The Mahablog, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, Michelle Malkin and Big Journalism
Wall Street Journal:
Texan Perry Sizes Up Roadblocks to GOP Bid — Aides to Texas Gov. Rick Perry said they are scrambling to determine the logistical challenges he would face in making a late entry to the fight for the Republican presidential nomination, the latest sign he is serious about joining the contest.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, USA Today, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Politico
New York Post:
Hold it! Weiner not gone — By S.A. MILLER in DC and ALEXIS JEFFRIES in NY — Congress waited for Anthony Weiner to say he's leaving — and now it's waiting for him to clean out his desk. — Although the randy rep. announced Thursday that he was quitting after seven terms …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Gabrielle Giffords's Tucson homecoming — Rep. Gabrielle Giffords visited Tucson over the weekend, touring her hometown for the first time since being shot in the head outside a supermarket there in January. — Throughout her rehabilitation at a Houston hospital, the Arizona Democrat …
RELATED:
Lisa Riley Roche / Deseret News:
Poll: Time for Senator Orrin Hatch to go — SALT LAKE CITY — A majority of Utah voters believe Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, has been in office too long and should be replaced, a new Deseret News/KSL-TV poll shows. — The poll by Dan Jones & Associates found only 38 percent of registered voters agree …
Discussion:
msnbc.com, The Hill, Washington Post, Taegan Goddard's … and americanthinker.com
Michelle Miller / CBS News:
African-American unemployment at 16 percent — PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO — The economy and jobs will be big issues in Washington again this coming week. — While unemployment among the general population is about 9.1 percent, it's at 16.2 percent African Americans, and a bit higher still for African American males.
Discussion:
Booman Tribune
Paul Singer / Roll Call:
Bachmann Playing With House Money — Bachmann's Congressional Spending Shows Close Links to Political Activity — On Nov. 5, 2009, at the behest of Rep. Michele Bachmann, thousands of tea party activists descended on the Capitol to vent their rage over the health care overhaul bill pending before Congress.
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Daily Kos and Taegan Goddard's …
BBC:
Singapore urges China to clarify South China Seas claim — The Haixun-31 is one of China's most advanced maritime patrol vessels — Singapore has called on China to clarify its claims in the South China Sea following recent confrontations with Vietnam and the Philippines.
Discussion:
The Agonist
Boris Johnson / Telegraph:
The greatest gift to the Greeks might be to let them go it alone — Bail-outs and austerity measures are only making the country's burden harder to bear, writes Boris Johnson. — The Parthenon. The EU's continued actions over Greece's financial woes have all the makings of a tragedy, says Boris Johnson.
Discussion:
blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Guardian and Samizdata.net
Feifei Sun / The Page:
The Bush Brand — First on The Page: Blue-chip C. Boyden Gray backs Utahan's bid, poised to become chair of policy team. — HALPERIN'S TAKE — This is the first, but by no means the last, of eye-catching endorsements Huntsman will get from the GOP Establishment, including many with ties to Ronald Reagan and Bushes 41 and 43.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog
Jennifer Steinhauer / New York Times:
House May Vote This Week on Money for Libya Strikes — WASHINGTON — The House appears likely to vote this week on a measure that would limit financing for the American military efforts in Libya, using the chamber's appropriations power to push back against the White House …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Emptywheel, American Spectator, neo-neocon, Sister Toldjah and The Other McCain
Michael O'Brien / Ballot Box:
RNC announces $6.2 million haul in May — The Republican National Committee (RNC) raised $6.2 million in May, allowing it to further relieve its debt, the committee announced Monday. — The RNC said it had raised $6.2 million last month and had stockpiled $6.1 million in cash on hand.
Discussion:
CNN
David Kocieniewski / New York Times:
Companies Push for Tax Break on Foreign Cash — Some of the nation's largest corporations have amassed vast profits outside the country and are pressing Congress and the Obama administration for a tax break to bring the money home. — Apple has $12 billion waiting offshore, Google has $17 billion and Microsoft, $29 billion.
Discussion:
Questions and Observations
Ian Swanson / The Hill:
The Hill Poll: Majority says military involved in too many places — An overwhelming number of voters believe the United States is involved in too many foreign conflicts and should pull back its troops, according to a new poll conducted for The Hill. — Seventy-two percent of those polled …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland and New York Magazine
Jason Clayworth / Iowa Caucuses:
Gingrich campaign has yet to replace Iowa staff — Prominent Iowa Republicans say they have seen no evidence that Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign has made efforts to hire a new Iowa staff since its entire paid crew abruptly resigned almost two weeks ago.
Discussion:
GOP 12