Top Items:
New York Times:
Obama Opts for Faster Afghan Pullout — WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to announce Wednesday evening that he will order the withdrawal of 10,000 American troops from Afghanistan this year, and another 20,000 troops, the remainder of the 2009 “surge,” by the end of next summer …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Caucus, The Politico, Reuters, ThinkProgress, The Note, Fox Nation, Guardian, The Democratic Daily, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, Sky Dancing, JustOneMinute, Daily Kos, Top of the Ticket, Proof Positive, Political Punch, The Enterprise Blog, New York Magazine, AmSpecBlog, Gothamist and The Right Scoop
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Text of Obama's speech on Afghanistan — By The Associated Press - 25 minutes ago — The text of President Barack Obama's speech Wednesday night on Afghanistan, as provided by the White House: — ___ — Good evening. Nearly 10 years ago, America suffered the worst attack on our shores since Pearl Harbor.
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, The Enterprise Blog, Guardian, RedState and Pew Global Attitudes Project
The Politico:
Obama to draw down surge troops
Obama to draw down surge troops
Discussion:
Mudville Gazette, Ben Smith's Blog and Outside the Beltway
Zaid Jilani / ThinkProgress:
GRAPH: Obama ‘Withdrawal’ Plan Would Leave More Troops In Afghanistan Than When He Began His Presidency
GRAPH: Obama ‘Withdrawal’ Plan Would Leave More Troops In Afghanistan Than When He Began His Presidency
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, ABCNEWS, Center for American Progress, Newshoggers.com and New York Times
Sam Youngman / The Hill:
President Obama lays out exit strategy for the Afghanistan war
President Obama lays out exit strategy for the Afghanistan war
Discussion:
The Hill, The Politico, CNN and The Nation
Scott Wilson / Washington Post:
Obama to order home 10,000 troops from Afghanistan, officials say
Obama to order home 10,000 troops from Afghanistan, officials say
Discussion:
Mediaite, Firedoglake and msnbc.com
Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Obama's speech on the Afghanistan war: Draining a political mess of his own making
Obama's speech on the Afghanistan war: Draining a political mess of his own making
Discussion:
Pajamas Media, USA Today and The Moderate Voice
Jose Antonio Vargas / New York Times:
My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant — One August morning nearly two decades ago, my mother woke me and put me in a cab. She handed me a jacket. “Baka malamig doon” were among the few words she said. ("It might be cold there.") When I arrived at the Philippines' Ninoy Aquino International Airport …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Runnin' Scared, Salon, Washington Post, The Sideshow, The Huffington Post, Rooted Cosmopolitan, The Impolitic, Daily Kos, New York Magazine, Swampland, EconLog, Guardian, Towleroad News #gay, Feministing, Pajamas Media, The Wire, The Colorado Independent, ThinkProgress, National Review, America's Voice Blog, Don Surber, Gothamist, Hullabaloo, Eschaton and Fox Nation, more at Mediagazer »
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Chris Suellentrop / The 6th Floor:
My (Legal) Editor's Dream — Last week, at 11:54 p.m. on Monday night, June 13, an e-mail from Jose Antonio Vargas landed in my inbox. “Hi Chris,” Jose wrote. “Hope you are well. Any chance we can chat on the phone tomorrow? It's rather urgent and personal — and a possible story for you.”
Discussion:
The Politico, ThinkProgress, Mediaite, This Just In and EconLog, more at Mediagazer »
Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:
Washington Post Passed On Jose Antonio Vargas' ‘Undocumented Immigrant’ Story
Washington Post Passed On Jose Antonio Vargas' ‘Undocumented Immigrant’ Story
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, Washington Post and National Review, more at Mediagazer »
Scott Conroy / Real Clear Politics:
Palin Bus Tour Takes Extended Pit Stop — Less than a month after she appeared poised to shake up the Republican presidential campaign, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has once again receded from the 2012 limelight. — When Palin launched her “One Nation” bus tour on Memorial Day amid …
Discussion:
TPMDC, The Raw Story, The TrogloPundit, CNN, The Reaction, Mediaite, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Jezebel, sisu, Guardian, Sky Dancing, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Wire, The Other McCain, The Daily Caller, Hot Air, Balloon Juice, New York Magazine, Indecision Forever, Outside the Beltway, Wonkette, Salon, Flap's Blog, Gawker, The Camp Of The Saints, Weigel and Hit & Run
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Amy Gardner / Washington Post:
Palin cancels trip to Sudan — Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has canceled a trip next month to war-ravaged Sudan, one of the most unstable nations in the world and the focus of passionate advocacy within the U.S. evangelical community. — Palin scrapped her visit to the North African country …
Discussion:
USA Today, Flap's Blog, The Note, The Daily Dish, JustOneMinute and Conservatives4Palin
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Palin says her bus tour isn't over
Palin says her bus tour isn't over
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Daily Caller
Colby Hall / Mediaite:
No Joke: Sarah Palin Reportedly Quits One Nation Bus Tour Halfway Through (Update)
No Joke: Sarah Palin Reportedly Quits One Nation Bus Tour Halfway Through (Update)
Discussion:
Washington Post
Matt Taibbi / Rolling Stone:
Michele Bachmann's Holy War — The Tea Party contender may seem like a goofball, but be warned: Her presidential campaign is no laughing matter — Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and, as you consider the career and future presidential prospects of an incredible American phenomenon named Michele Bachmann, do one more thing.
Ezra Klein / Washington Post:
CBO: We'll only have giant deficits if Congress wants giant deficits — The Congressional Budget Office just released the latest edition of its long-term budget outlook (pdf), and it shows the same thing as always: If Congress lets the Bush tax cuts expire or offsets their extension …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Grasping Reality …, The Moderate Voice, Daily Kos, The Hill, Washington Monthly, Crooks and Liars and Hullabaloo
RELATED:
Rolling Stone:
Climate of Denial — Can science and the truth withstand the merchants of poison? — AL GORE — The first time I remember hearing the question “is it real?” was when I went as a young boy to see a traveling show put on by “professional wrestlers” one summer evening in the gym …
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Politico, NewsBusters.org blogs, New York Times, The TrogloPundit, Power Line, DeSmogBlog, Top of the Ticket, The Incidental Economist, Slate, ThinkProgress, Weasel Zippers, Climate Denial Crock …, The Note, TPMDC, The Daily Caller, Taylor Marsh, CNN, The Hill, New York Magazine, Salon, Washington Monthly, The Raw Story, iOwnTheWorld.com, Shakesville and msnbc.com
RELATED:
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Democrats Explicitly Call Out GOP For Sabotaging The Economic Recovery — They've made it explicit. Democrats are accusing Republicans of trying to sabotage the recovery — or at least stall it — by blocking all short-term measures to boost the economy, even ones they previously supported.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, The BRAD BLOG, Daily Kos, The New Republic and Firedoglake
RELATED:
Jonathan Allen / The Politico:
House Republicans to vote on de-funding Libya conflict
House Republicans to vote on de-funding Libya conflict
Discussion:
The Hill, CNN and ThinkProgress
Dan Mitchell / International Liberty:
Andrew Sullivan Has No Idea What He's Talking about, but I Agree with His Conclusion — Even though he's become rather partisan in recent years, I still enjoy an occasional visit to Andrew Sullivan's blog. But I was rather amused last night when I read one of his posts …
Discussion:
The Lonely Conservative and GayPatriot
Mike Riggs / Hit & Run:
Barney Frank and Ron Paul will Introduce Legislation on Thursday to Fully Legalize Marijuana — Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) will introduce “bi-partisan legislation tomorrow ending the federal war on marijuana and letting states legalize, regulate, tax …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Top of the Ticket, Gawker, The Daily Caller and Salon
Steve Tetreault / Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Reid says candidate misled him, questions fitness for Senate — WASHINGTON — Simmering tension in the still-young 2012 Nevada race for U.S. Senate burst into the open Tuesday when Sen. Harry Reid unloaded on upstart candidate Byron Georgiou, a Democratic lawyer and entrepreneur from Las Vegas.
Discussion:
Hotline On Call
Telegraph:
Self publishing writer becomes million seller — An entrepreneur has turned the writing world upside down by becoming the first author to sell more than a million electronic books without a publishing deal. — In the last year John has had four of the top 10 books on Amazon/Kindle at the same time, including number one and two
Discussion:
Guardian and Pajamas Media
David Beasley / Reuters:
Staff quit because “I'm different,” Gingrich says — (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on Wednesday attributed the mass resignations among his campaign staff to the fact that he is “very different” from mainstream politicians. — “Philosophically …
Discussion:
News Desk, Political Insider, GOP 12, Jesus' General, Ballot Box, The Page and Indecision Forever
Paul Bentley / Daily Mail:
Has O.J. Simpson confessed murder to Oprah? Huge TV interview planned in which convict ‘will admit he killed Nicole in self-defence as she pulled a knife on him’ — O.J Simpson has confessed to Oprah Winfrey that he murdered his former wife, it has been reported.
Discussion:
And So it Goes in Shreveport, Mediaite and Don Surber
National Review:
If the NY Senate Passes Gay Marriage, It's Republicans Who Will Take the Heat — We are two lifelong New Yorkers who do not agree about many things. We are of different races, religions, and political parties. One of us is a Bronx liberal Democrat, the other of us heads the Conservative party.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Reuters, Right Wing Watch, Equality Matters and New York Magazine
RELATED:
ABCNEWS:
Economic Trouble Puzzles Fed Chief, Too — The economy's continuing struggles aren't just confounding ordinary Americans. They've also stumped the head of the Federal Reserve. — Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke told reporters Wednesday that the central bank had been caught off guard by recent signs of deterioration in the economy.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Truthdig and Fox Nation
Rick Callahan / Associated Press:
Planned Parenthood stops seeing Medicaid patients — INDIANAPOLIS - Thousands of low-income Planned Parenthood of Indiana patients were left fending for themselves Tuesday to pay for birth control, breast exams, Pap tests and other medical services while a court battle continued over a new state law …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and Ricochet Conversation Feed
Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller:
Private emails detail Obama admin involvement in cutting non-union worker pensions post-GM bailout — New emails obtained by The Daily Caller contradict claims by the Obama administration that the Treasury Department would avoid “intervening in the day-to-day management” of General Motors post-auto bailout.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
The Investigative Project on Terrorism:
CAIR Loses IRS Status — Donations to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) no longer are tax deductible after the organization was among 275,000 tax-exempt organizations purged earlier this month by the Internal Revenue Service. — The groups failed to file required annual reports …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Maggie's Notebook and UrbanGrounds
Michael Barone / Wall Street Journal:
The Surprising Roots of Liberal Nostalgia — World War II created confidence in large institutions and big government. But few would want the cultural conformity of the mid-20th century back. — There's a longing on the left for the golden years of the 1940s, '50s and early '60s.
Discussion:
Power Line and Pajamas Media
William Lajeunesse / Fox News:
NASA Scientist Accused of Using Celeb Status Among Environmental Groups to Enrich Himself — The NASA scientist who once claimed the Bush administration tried to “silence” his global warming claims is now accused of receiving more than $1.2 million from the very environmental organizations whose agenda he advocated.
Discussion:
YID With LID, Wizbang and Left Coast Rebel
Jon Ralston / Las Vegas Sun Blogs:
Huntsman's family gave nearly $25,000 to Reid last cycle — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who said this week he prefers Jon Huntsman to Mitt Romney in the GOP Mormon presidential primary, has taken a lot of money from the Huntsman family, and the former Utah governor appointed Reid's son, Josh, to Utah's Board of Regents.
Discussion:
The Hill, The Politico, New York Magazine, Verum Serum and And So it Goes in Shreveport