Top Items:
KochFacts.com:
Letter to Senator Patty Murray, Chair Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — Dear Senator Murray: — For many months now, your colleagues in the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee leadership have engaged in a series of disparagements …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, RedState, Taegan Goddard's …, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Sister Toldjah
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Byron Tau / Ben Smith's Blog:
DSCC asking Kochs for cash — The Kochs have become a major target of Democratic ire recently — but that hasn't stopped the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee from asking their company for money. A Koch company executive fires back in a letter to DSCC chairwoman Sen. Patty Murray:
Discussion:
The Lonely Conservative and Pajamas Media
Pew Research Center for the People and the Press:
Public Wants Changes in Entitlements, Not Changes in Benefits — GOP Divided Over Benefit Reductions — OVERVIEW — As policymakers at the state and national level struggle with rising entitlement costs, overwhelming numbers of Americans agree that, over the years, Social Security …
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Ezra Klein / Washington Post:
The budget deals of Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Obama, in one chart — There are two ways to read the current stalemate in the debt-ceiling negotiations. There's David Brooks's take, which is that watching Republicans pass up “the deal of the century” should leave conservatives convinced there's something wrong with the GOP.
Discussion:
TPMDC, Crooks and Liars, The American Conservative, James Pethokoukis, National Review, FrumForum, The New Republic and AmSpecBlog
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Senate Democrats fuming over Obama's apparent move on Social Security
Senate Democrats fuming over Obama's apparent move on Social Security
Discussion:
Sky Dancing, Pajamas Media and Firedoglake
Mike Lillis / The Hill:
Pelosi not informed in advance of Obama's broader reform plans
Pelosi not informed in advance of Obama's broader reform plans
Discussion:
The Politico, The Moderate Voice, Taylor Marsh and FrumForum
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Pelosi: Medicare, Social Security Benefit Cuts Are Line In The Sand On Debt Limit Bill
Pelosi: Medicare, Social Security Benefit Cuts Are Line In The Sand On Debt Limit Bill
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Daily Kos and Lawyers, Guns & Money
BBC:
News of the World to close amid hacking scandal — Police are investigating allegations of phone hacking by the News of the World — This Sunday's issue of the News of the World will be the last edition of the paper, News International chairman James Murdoch has said.
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Amelia Hill / Guardian:
Andy Coulson to be arrested over phone hacking tomorrow — Second former senior News of the World journalist to also be arrested after leaks from NI force police to speed up plans — Andy Coulson has been told by police that he will be arrested on Friday morning over suspicions that he knew about …
Discussion:
New York Times, New York Magazine, Runnin' Scared, Harry's Place, Mediaite, Jezebel, FrumForum and Emptywheel, more at Mediagazer »
BBC:
Royal British Legion suspends NoW ties over ‘hacking’
Royal British Legion suspends NoW ties over ‘hacking’
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Guardian, The Nation, Charles Apple, Mediaite and Left Foot Forward, more at Mediagazer »
Russell Adams / Wall Street Journal:
News Corp. to Close Its News of the World Tabloid
News Corp. to Close Its News of the World Tabloid
Discussion:
Mediaite, AllThingsD, American Power and Guardian, more at Mediagazer »
Billy House / NationalJournal.com:
Boehner: ‘Maybe 50-50’ Chance of a Debt Deal Reached Within 48 Hours — House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, speaks with reporters after a meeting with House Republicans on Capitol Hill on Thursday. — House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, informed fellow House Republicans on Thursday …
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Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
DeMint would accept ‘serious disruptions’ to economy in debt debate — Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) said Wednesday night that Republicans should maintain their hardline position in the debt ceiling debate even if it results in “serious disruptions” to the economy.
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, ThinkProgress and Washington Monthly
Ben Popken / The Consumerist:
Chase Gets Man Thrown In Jail For Fraudulent Check. Except The Check Is Legit. — Ikenna, a 28-year old construction worker, went to deposit a $8,463.21 Chase cashier's check at his local Chase branch, only for the teller to decide that neither he nor his check looked right and he got tossed in jail for forgery, KING5 reports.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Suburban Guerrilla and Hullabaloo
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Linda Byron / KING-TV:
Jailed for cashing Chase check at Chase bank — AUBURN, Wash. - Buying his own home was a big accomplishment for construction worker, Ikenna Njoku, of Auburn. He's only 28 years old. — “I was really excited. For the first time, I actually got to buy a lawn mower, mow my lawn and everything,” said Njoku.
Discussion:
The Raw Story
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Why the Republicans Resist Compromise — The chart that I'm going to show you is one of the more important ones that we've presented at FiveThirtyEight in some time. It helps explain a lot of what's going on in American politics today, from the negotiations over the federal debt ceiling to the Republican presidential primaries.
Discussion:
A plain blog about politics, Outside the Beltway and Talking Points Memo
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Alan I. Abramowitz / Sabato's Crystal Ball:
Setting the Record Straight: Correcting Myths About Independent Voters
Sally Jacobs / Boston Globe:
Father spoke of having Obama adopted — US immigration files from '61 reveal Kenyan student's plan — President Obama as a young boy, with his father, who left when his son was 2. (Obama for America via Associated Press) — In the spring of 1961, President Obama's father revealed …
Stephanie Mencimer / MoJo Articles:
Why Jamie Leigh Jones Could Lose Her KBR Rape Case — Her story of a brutal attack in Iraq sparked a national outcry—but how much of it is true? — Post Comment — The allegations were explosive when they first hit in 2007: A 20-year-old woman named Jamie Leigh Jones alleged that four days …
Discussion:
Jezebel, The Jawa Report and PointOfLaw Forum
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Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Another high-profile rape case collapsing?
The Daily Beast:
Elizabeth Smart, Network Pundit? — Amid the Casey Anthony frenzy, ABC News is close to unveiling its latest contributor. Howard Kurtz reports exclusively on the kidnap victim's new career. — Elizabeth Smart first came into our consciousness nearly a decade ago as a 14-year-old girl kidnapped from her Salt Lake City bedroom.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Pajamas Media, TBogg, New York Magazine, Jezebel and Media Decoder, more at Mediagazer »
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Ashleigh Banfield / ABCNEWS:
Casey Anthony Ordered Back to Jail and Fined $4,000
Casey Anthony Ordered Back to Jail and Fined $4,000
Discussion:
Guardian, New York Times, This Just In, Scared Monkeys, The Gateway Pundit, TBogg and Gawker
Abe Sauer / The Awl:
How Republicans and Tea Partiers Alike Used the Heritage Foundation's #AskObama Script — Yesterday, President Obama held a live chat session on Twitter. Billed as a “townhall,” the President spent an hour fielding questions from Twitter users about the state of the nation.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, A plain blog about politics and Linkmeister
The Note:
SCOTUS refuses to delay Leal execution; Leal's last hope with Governor of Texas — ABC News' Ariane de Vogue (@arianedevogue) reports: — A divided Supreme Court refused tonight to delay the execution of a Mexican national on death row, despite pleas from top officials of the Obama administration.
Discussion:
The Politico
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Chris Strohm / The Atlantic Online:
Should Texas Execute a Mexican? Rick Perry Will Decide
Should Texas Execute a Mexican? Rick Perry Will Decide
Discussion:
Fox News, The Gateway Pundit and And So it Goes in Shreveport
David Brody / The Brody File:
Brody File Exclusive: GOP Presidential Candidates Will be Asked to Sign a Marriage Vow — The Brody File has learned that The Family Leader, an influential pro-family group in Iowa will ask each of the 2012 presidential candidates to sign a marriage pledge that professes everything …
Discussion:
Hotline On Call, No More Mister Nice Blog, ThinkProgress, The Hill, GOP 12, Balloon Juice, TPMDC and Fox News
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Reuters:
Exclusive: Treasury secretly weighs options to avert default — (Reuters) - A small team of Treasury officials is discussing options to stave off default if Congress fails to raise the debt limit by the August 2 deadline, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
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Michael McAuliff / The Huffington Post:
Orrin Hatch: The ‘Poor’ Should Do More To Shrink Debt, Not The Rich (VIDEO) … WASHINGTON — Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) voted against beginning debate on a measure that would have the Senate declare the rich should share the pain of debt reduction Thursday, a day after arguing that it's the poor and middle class who need to do more.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, FrumForum and TPMDC
New York Post:
‘Fast & Furious’ gets hotter for Holder — Don't look now, but the real action in Washington this week isn't the parti san wrangling over the debt ceiling but something — literally — even more incendiary: Operation Fast and Furious, which seems about to explode right in the face …
Michael Barbaro / New York Times:
Political Turns Personal: Mayor Will Officiate at Gay Advisers' Wedding — Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg summoned his chief policy adviser, John Feinblatt, to his desk at City Hall a few days ago for what seemed like a routine conversation with the boss. “Let's get a cup of coffee,” the mayor told him, motioning to the office kitchen.
Discussion:
Gawker, Ben Smith's Blog and New York Magazine
Andrew Restuccia / The Hill:
House to vote on repealing light bulb efficiency standards — House Republicans introduced legislation that would repeal a light bulb efficiency law. — House Republicans introduced legislation Wednesday they hope to bring to the floor next week that would repeal a light bulb efficiency law.
Discussion:
The Politico, Weasel Zippers, Right Wing News and The Lonely Conservative
Joshua Foust / The Atlantic Online:
How to Fix USAID — A broken aid agency helps no one. Instead of throwing development projects at the military, the US should put effort into fixing the aid agency's problems. — Glenn Zorpette, the executive editor of I.E.E.E. Spectrum, wrote a powerful op-ed in the New York Times yesterday …
Discussion:
New York Times
Jim Epstein / Hit & Run:
Reason.tv: D.C. Taxi Heist — Washington, D.C. is considering a bill that would require every cab driver in the city to own a special permit called a medallion. The total number of medallions would be capped at 4,000, which would reduce the current number of cabs by more than one-third and put thousands of drivers out of business.
Discussion:
CARPE DIEM