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:
JustOneMinute, Washington Monthly, White House.gov Blog, New York Times, News Desk, NationalJournal.com, Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post, Reuters, The Enterprise Blog, ThinkProgress, Fox Nation, Guardian, The Caucus, Hot Air, The Democratic Daily, Daily Kos, Proof Positive, The Politico, Taylor Marsh, Sky Dancing, Top of the Ticket, The Other McCain, New York Magazine, Political Punch, Gothamist, The Note, AmSpecBlog and The Right Scoop
RELATED:
Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
Obama starts Afghan troop drawdown with 10,000 this year, 23,000 more before 2012 election — President Obama's remarks on Afghan war and U.S. troop drawdown, as provided by the White House — Good evening. Nearly ten years ago, America suffered the worst attack on our shores since Pearl Harbor.
Discussion:
New York Times, Weekly Standard, Danger Room, CNN, The Politico and Ricochet Conversation Feed
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:
msnbc.com, The Hill, Daily Kos, The Politico and The Nation
The Politico:
Obama to draw down surge troops
Obama to draw down surge troops
Discussion:
The Reid Report, Pajamas Media, Taylor Marsh and Outside the Beltway
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:
Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Reid Report, msnbc.com, Mediaite, ThinkProgress and Firedoglake
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 …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, CBS Boston, Scared Monkeys, The Informer, The Daily What, Boing Boing and Ricochet Conversation Feed
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:
Boston Globe, L.A. NOW, newsfeed.time.com, New York Magazine and Balloon Juice
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
Jurjen van de Pol / Bloomberg:
Dutch Court Acquits Freedom Party Leader Geert Wilders of Defaming Muslims — Dutch Freedom Party Leader Geert Wilders was acquitted by a court of charges that he made remarks defaming Muslims, ending a three-year prosecution that he described as a bid to restrict his freedom of speech.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and Zilla of the Resistance
RELATED:
Pamela Geller / Atlas Shrugs:
Geert Wilders Verdict: Not Guilty All Counts! Eureka! — The judges have delivered their verdict in the heresy trial of Dutch freedom politician Geert Wilders for inciting hatred against Muslims. NOT GUILTY of all charges of inciting hatred against Muslims.
Discussion:
Jihad Watch
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
RELATED:
Agustino Fontevecchia / Moral Hazard:
Bernanke Admits He's Clueless On Economy's Soft Patch
Bernanke Admits He's Clueless On Economy's Soft Patch
Discussion:
theblogprof, naked capitalism, The Big Picture, Doug Ross and Pajamas Media
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:
Flap's Blog, Sky Dancing, The Reaction, The TrogloPundit, Connecting.the.Dots, USA Today, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Page, Guardian, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Raw Story, The Wire, The Daily Dish, Hot Air, The Note, New York Magazine, Conservatives4Palin, Indecision Forever, Ben Smith's Blog and JustOneMinute
RELATED:
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:
Maggie's Notebook, Hot Air, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Verum Serum, Mediaite and Don Surber
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 Taegan Goddard's …
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:
GOP 12, msnbc.com and Hotline On Call
Kasie Hunt / The Politico:
Jon Huntsman sees independents as key — COLUMBIA, S.C. - Jon Huntsman sketched out a path to the Republican nomination Wednesday that transcends " the conservative base in key early states, an exercise in needle-threading that hinges on his ability to capture a large swath of independent voters.
Discussion:
The Note, The Hill, Pirate's Cove, Bloomberg, The Reid Report and Michigan Messenger
RELATED:
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.”
RELATED:
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:
American Power
Paul Schindler / gaycitynews.com:
Anxiety, Great Expectations & Weariness, Too — For the past ten days, like many gay and lesbian New Yorkers, those of us here at Gay City News have watched the unfolding events in Albany with rapt attention and no small amount of anxiety. — June 13 and 14 were two of the most spellbinding days …
Discussion:
NY Daily News, Wall Street Journal, Prop 8 Trial Tracker, PolitickerNY and AMERICAblog Gay
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 »
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
Michael Martinez / CNN:
Study: Cost high to fix public pensions — (CNN) — American taxpayers would have to pay anywhere from $329 to $2,475 annually per household for 30 years, depending on what state they live in, to remedy the crises in their public employee pensions, a new study said Wednesday.
Discussion:
The Lonely Conservative
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
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:
Top of the Ticket, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Daily Caller and Salon
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
Erica Werner / Associated Press:
Obama heads to NY under pressure on gay marriage — WASHINGTON (AP) — Talk about timing. President Barack Obama is about to hold a gala fundraiser in New York City on Thursday for gay supporters — his first as president — just as the New York state Legislature stands on the brink of legalizing gay marriage.
Discussion:
AMERICAblog Gay, msnbc.com, Towleroad News #gay, The Gist and Associated Press
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:
Hit & Run, Althouse, Pajamas Media and Power Line
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
Associated Press:
Ga. puts probationers to work harvesting crops — LESLIE, Ga. (AP) — It's 3:25 p.m. in a dusty cucumber field in south Georgia. A knot of criminal offenders who spent seven hours in the sun harvesting buckets of vegetables by hand have decided they're calling it quits - exactly as crew leader Benito Mendez predicted in the morning.