Top Items:
NY Daily News:
Senate Republicans moving closer to saying ‘I do’ to gay marriage in New York State — ALBANY - Senate Republicans on Wednesday were close to signing off on a religious protection provision that could boost the chances that gay marriage will pass in New York.
Discussion:
Associated Press, New York Magazine, Prop 8 Trial Tracker, Capital Tonight and AMERICAblog Gay
RELATED:
Erica Werner / Associated Press:
Obama heads to NY under pressure on gay marriage
Obama heads to NY under pressure on gay marriage
Discussion:
AMERICAblog Gay, Towleroad News #gay and The Gist
Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
New York Senators Say Same-Sex Marriage Bill Will Likely See Vote Today
New York Senators Say Same-Sex Marriage Bill Will Likely See Vote Today
Discussion:
Associated Press, Reuters and Feministing
Jacob Gershman / Wall Street Journal:
Legislators in Late Scramble
Legislators in Late Scramble
Discussion:
PolitickerNY, The New Civil Rights Movement and Towleroad News #gay
Paul Schindler / gaycitynews.com:
Anxiety, Great Expectations & Weariness, Too
Anxiety, Great Expectations & Weariness, Too
Discussion:
AMERICAblog Gay
Robert Lopez / L.A. NOW:
Famed crime boss James ‘Whitey’ Bulger arrested in Santa Monica — Legendary Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger, who has been on the run for more than a decade, was arrested Wednesday in Santa Monica, multiple law enforcement sources told The Times. — Bulger, 81, has been the subject …
RELATED:
New York Times:
Whitey Bulger Is Arrested in California — LOS ANGELES — James (Whitey) Bulger, a legendary Boston crime boss indicted in 19 murders and who is on the F.B.I.'s 10 Most Wanted list, was arrested by federal authorities Wednesday night in Santa Monica, ending an international manhunt that had gone …
Discussion:
The Caucus, L.A. NOW, newsfeed.time.com, New York Magazine and Balloon Juice
Shelley Murphy / Boston Globe:
Whitey Bulger arrested — Boston gangster surrenders quietly in Calif. after 16 years on run — Fugitive South Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger, wanted for 19 murders, was captured last night in Southern California, the result of a tip from FBI television spots that began airing this week.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, AmSpecBlog and Taegan Goddard's …
Reuters:
Dutch populist Geert Wilders acquitted of hate speech — (Reuters) - Dutch populist politician Geert Wilders was acquitted of inciting hatred of Muslims in a court ruling on Thursday that may strengthen his political influence and exacerbate tensions over immigration policy.
Discussion:
National Review and americanthinker.com
RELATED:
Pamela Geller / Atlas Shrugs:
Geert Wilders Verdict: Not Guilty All Counts! Eureka! “Today is a victory for freedom of speech”
Geert Wilders Verdict: Not Guilty All Counts! Eureka! “Today is a victory for freedom of speech”
Discussion:
Jihad Watch
Jurjen van de Pol / Bloomberg:
Dutch Court Acquits Freedom Party Leader Geert Wilders of Defaming Muslims
Dutch Court Acquits Freedom Party Leader Geert Wilders of Defaming Muslims
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and Zilla of the Resistance
Dan Berman / Reuters:
W.H. to release 30M barrels of oil — The Obama administration will release 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to offset oil supply disruptions in the Middle East, the Energy Department announced Thursday morning. — Other International Energy Agency countries …
Discussion:
CNN, Datechguy's Blog and The Heritage Foundation
Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
Why Obama Is Likely to Lose in 2012 — Even a small drop in the share of black voters would wipe out his winning margin in North Carolina. — President Barack Obama is likely to be defeated in 2012. The reason is that he faces four serious threats. The economy is very weak and unlikely …
Discussion:
GOP 12 and The New Republic
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:
JustOneMinute, Washington Monthly, New York Times, NationalJournal.com, msnbc.com, Maggie's Notebook, News Desk, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, Washington Wire, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, The Huffington Post, The Daily Caller, Reuters, ThinkProgress, The Enterprise Blog, Daily Kos, Fox Nation, Guardian, The Caucus, Top of the Ticket, Proof Positive, The Democratic Daily, The Other McCain, Taylor Marsh, Sky Dancing, The Politico, Political Punch, New York Magazine, Gothamist, AmSpecBlog, The Right Scoop and The Note, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
Lucia Mutikani / Reuters:
Jobless claims point to weak labor market — (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose last week, suggesting little improvement in the labor market this month after employment stumbled in May. — Initial claims for state unemployment benefits climbed 9,000 …
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, Hot Air, Just-A-Small-Town-Country-Boy, Sweetness & Light, Don Surber and The Right Scoop
Ta-Nehisi Coates / New York Times:
The Haunting of Rick Perry — Should Gov. Rick Perry of Texas enter the 2012 presidential race, he would enjoy a strange and remarkable escort — the irrepressible ghost of Cameron Todd Willingham. — Charged with the horrific crime of intentionally torching his home and leaving …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online and Balloon Juice
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.
Amy Gardner / Washington Post:
Some of Tim Pawlenty's top aides working for little or no pay, source says — At least five top advisers to former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty have been working for little or no pay for several months, a campaign source said Wednesday. — The news establishes with more certainty …
Discussion:
msnbc.com, The Hill, GOP 12 and Hotline On Call
Katie Zezima / New York Times:
New Hampshire: Lawmakers Override Veto of Abortion Consent Bill — The State Legislature on Wednesday overrode Gov. John Lynch's veto of a bill that requires abortion providers to notify parents of minors 48 hours before performing the procedure. The House overrode the veto by a 266-102 vote; the Senate vote was 17-7.
Discussion:
Hot Air
Wall Street Journal:
Inside the Anonymous Army of ‘Hacktivist’ Attackers — HOOGEZAND-SAPPEMEER, Netherlands—In this sleepy Dutch town last December, police burst into the bedroom of 19-year-old Martijn Gonlag as he hurriedly pulled on jeans over his boxer shorts. He was hauled away on suspicion of taking part …
Discussion:
New York Magazine and American Power
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:
Wonkette, Flap's Blog, Sky Dancing, New York Magazine, The TrogloPundit, The Reaction, Connecting.the.Dots, USA Today, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Page, The Other McCain, The Daily Dish, Guardian, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Wire, Hot Air, Conservatives4Palin, The Note, Mediaite, Indecision Forever, JustOneMinute and Ben Smith's Blog
RELATED:
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Chris Christie — When I last spoke to Chris Christie in 2009 he was locked in a primary battle for the New Jersey governorship with an opponent who claimed he was insufficiently conservative. He was brimming then with ideas about cutting employee benefits …
Heidi Przybyla / Bloomberg:
Ryan Medicare Plan Would Make Americans Worse by 57%-34%, Poll Shows — Representative Paul Ryan, the House Budget Committee chairman who has become a star in the Republican Party with his plan to overhaul Medicare, is emerging as a polarizing figure among Americans.
Discussion:
Reuters and Washington Post
Jon Walker / Firedoglake:
AARP's Years of Support for Social Security Cuts — The Wall Street Journal recently reported the AARP will support benefit cuts to Social Security. The AARP responded by saying that “our position has not changed on Social Security.” — That's actually true.
Discussion:
Trail Blazers Blog, The Huffington Post, Suburban Guerrilla and The Politico
James Fallows / The Atlantic Online:
I Liked the ‘Chinese Professor’ Ad, But This Is Stupid and Offensive — Unlike many people, I admired the panache and artistry of the “Chinese Professor” ad used during last fall's campaign to warn about the self- destructive tendencies of America's borrow-and-spend era.
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:
Questions and Observations and Weasel Zippers
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, americanthinker.com, Truthdig and Fox Nation
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:
Questions and Observations, Guardian and Pajamas Media
New York Times:
Some Greeks Fear Government Is Selling Nation — ATHENS — They are the crown jewels of Greece's socialist state, and they are now likely to go to the highest bidder: the ports of Piraeus and Thessaloniki; prime Mediterranean real estate; the national lottery; Greek Telecom; the postal bank and the national railway system.
Discussion:
Suburban Guerrilla
Miguel Helft / Bits:
Winklevosses Drop Facebook Fight, Keep Settlement — If there is ever a sequel to the hit movie “The Social Network,” it is not likely to be set in the stately chambers of the United States Supreme Court. — Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss and their partner Divya Narendra on Wednesday dropped …
Discussion:
Reuters, TechCrunch and New York Magazine, more at Techmeme »
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, Shakesville and Ricochet Conversation Feed
ThinkProgress:
Morning Briefing: June 23, 2011 — This morning, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai called Obama's drawdown the “right decision for the interest of both countries” as the “preservation of this land is the job of Afghans.” However, local Afghan leaders expressed “fears of civil war” and …
Discussion:
New York Times and The Politico