Top Items:
CNN:
President calls debt crisis ‘self-created’ — Washington (CNN) - As President Barack Obama sat down with television stations from three key political states, he said he is still hopeful the White House and congressional leadership will come to an agreement to raise the nation's debt ceiling but said politics is interfering.
Discussion:
The Lonely Conservative, Los Angeles Times and The Hill
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Paul Kane / Washington Post:
As debt talks intensify, Obama opens door to short-term hike in debt ceiling — View Photo Gallery — Debt-limit debate continues as clock ticks down: With the Aug. 2 deadline for raising the debt ceiling approaching, the maneuvering has shifted to the Senate.
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Washington Monthly and The Onion
New York Times:
Push Intensifies for Larger Deal on Debt Impasse
Push Intensifies for Larger Deal on Debt Impasse
Discussion:
Online NewsHour and msnbc.com
Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
It Begins: Top Republicans Push Away From Gang Of Six Plan
It Begins: Top Republicans Push Away From Gang Of Six Plan
Discussion:
Shakesville and Sky Dancing
Sheldon Alberts / Financial Post:
Obama reconsiders short-term deal
Obama reconsiders short-term deal
Discussion:
Connecting.the.Dots, Poor Richard's News, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, Pirate's Cove and The Hill
The Politico:
House Republicans discussing short-term debt ceiling hike
House Republicans discussing short-term debt ceiling hike
Discussion:
Reuters, nation.foxnews.com, National Review, Sky Dancing, Slate, Washington Monthly, Indecision Forever and The Hill
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
House GOP Suicide Squad gets bigger
House GOP Suicide Squad gets bigger
Discussion:
Firedoglake, National Review and nation.foxnews.com
Louise Storyand Julie Creswell / New York Times:
Wall St. Makes Fallback Plans for Debt Crisis — Lawmakers in Washington are racing to reach a deal to save the country from defaulting on its debt, but on Wall Street, financial players are devising doomsday plans in case the clock runs out. — These companies are taking steps to reduce …
Discussion:
The Hill, New York Magazine, Brilliant at Breakfast, Clusterstock, Politics, msnbc.com, Taegan Goddard's …, Balloon Juice, Mother Jones and The Page
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Gschwarzcnn / CNN:
Pawlenty clarifies Bachmann jab — (CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty walked back earlier criticism of rival Michele Bachmann's migraines on Wednesday, calling the attention over her headaches “a sideshow.” — “I think it's mostly a sideshow,” Pawlenty said on Fox News.
Discussion:
nation.foxnews.com, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, NewsBusters.org blogs and TPMDC
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Jon Cohen / Washington Post:
Poll: Romney still ahead, but with big vulnerabilities in quest for GOP nod — View Photo Gallery — Campaign 2012: Who's in and who's out?: Republicans are beginning to announce who will pursue a bid for the presidency. — Mitt Romney leads the wide-open contest for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
Discussion:
The Politico, The Texas Tribune, New York Times, GOP 12 and National Review
Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Obama in perilous shape
Obama in perilous shape
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh and No More Mister Nice Blog
Kenneth Chang / New York Times:
The Shuttle Ends Its Final Voyage and an Era in Space — The last space shuttle flight rolled to a stop at 5:58 a.m. on Thursday, closing an era of the nation's space program. — It was the 19th night landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to end the 135th space shuttle mission.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, The Mahablog, Scared Monkeys, Balloon Juice, Outside the Beltway and Towleroad News #gay
John Merline / Investor's Business Daily:
Home Depot Co-Founder: Obama Is Choking Recovery — Bernie Marcus co-founded Home Depot (HD) in 1978 and brought it public in 1981 as the U.S. was suffering from the worst recession and unemployment in 40 years. The company thrived, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and redefining home improvement retailing.
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The Politico:
Barack Obama's 2008 bundlers flee political ‘machine’ — When Senator Barack Obama began running for president in 2007, a small handful of determined, inspired supporters found a new political calling. A new group of professionals - from a San Juan jewelry story owner to a West Coast biotech executive …
Discussion:
Associated Press
James C. Capretta / National Review:
The Gang of Six Disaster: The Worst Plan So Far — Confusion among congressional Republicans about their objectives in the debt-limit endgame has increased the possibility that they will stumble into a policy and political disaster over the next two weeks. — Only ten days ago …
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, Keith Hennessey, Pirate's Cove, The Politico, American Spectator, Cold Fury, Washington Post, Kaiser Health News and AmSpecBlog
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Bernie Becker / The Hill:
Business Roundtable praises Gang of Six plan, AFL-CIO rips it
Business Roundtable praises Gang of Six plan, AFL-CIO rips it
Discussion:
Reuters, Bloomberg, CNN, Firedoglake and news.firedoglake.com
E. J. Graff / The Atlantic Online:
15 Years After DOMA, Hearing Reveals a Nation Transformed — It's hard to remember that now-foreign country, which was almost unrecognizably hostile to lesbians and gay men — To the cynical, the staged political theater of Senate committee hearings can seem tedious and predictable.
Discussion:
Renna Communications, Towleroad News #gay and Outside the Beltway
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Elizabeth Titus / The Politico:
Franken spars with family advocate
Franken spars with family advocate
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Good As You and Box Turtle Bulletin
Reuters:
Jobless claims rise above expectations — (Reuters) - New claims for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, a government report showed on Thursday, pointing to a labor market that is struggling to regain momentum after job growth faltered in the last two months.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Pajamas Media and The Lonely Conservative
Brad Watson / KHOU-TV:
Anita Perry encourages husband to run for president — AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Rick Perry will need money, organization, staff and stamina if he runs for president. — But he appears to already have the support that's most important for the race — his wife's.
Discussion:
Reuters, National Review, Hot Air, Houston Chronicle, Outside the Beltway, Ben Smith's Blog, Weasel Zippers, Pajamas Media and Don Surber
RELATED:
Michael R. Blood / Associated Press:
Perry courts potential fundraisers at LA meeting
Perry courts potential fundraisers at LA meeting
Discussion:
GOP 12 and Washington Wire
Joseph Straw / NY Daily News:
Al Qaeda magazine pokes fun at fall of sexting pol Anthony Weiner — WASHINGTON - Even terrorists are making Weiner jokes. — In Al Qaeda's latest edition of its chilling e-magazine, “Inspire,” the terror network's Arabian Peninsula syndicate settles a score with former Queens Rep. Anthony Weiner …
Discussion:
City Room, Weasel Zippers and JammieWearingFool
Brian Stelter / New York Times:
Sharpton Appears to Win Anchor Spot on MSNBC — After giving a nearly six-month tryout for the Internet talk show host Cenk Uygur, the cable news channel MSNBC is preparing to instead hand its 6 p.m. time slot to the Rev. Al Sharpton. — Mr. Sharpton's imminent hiring …
Discussion:
The Wire, News Desk, Gawker and Hotline On Call, more at Mediagazer »
Alex Pappas / The Daily Caller:
Politico reporter who covered Palin quits for Democratic Party job — A Politico reporter who often penned stories about Sarah Palin and other Republicans has quit journalism to work with the Democratic Party in Arizona, sources tell The Daily Caller. — That reporter, Andy Barr …
Discussion:
FishbowlDC and UrbanGrounds
Roll Call:
Allen West Says He Apologized to Wasserman Schultz — Freshman Rep. Allen West said Wednesday that he has apologized to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz for calling her “vile, unprofessional and despicable” in an email. — “I just apologized,” West (R-Fla.) told a Huffington Post reporter.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Outside the Beltway, Firedoglake, Mediaite, TPMDC, Fox News, Naked Politics, ThinkProgress, The Daily Caller and TBogg
RELATED:
The Politico:
Democrats want West apology
Democrats want West apology
Discussion:
alicublog, Weasel Zippers, Ben Smith's Blog and The Hill
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Obama Maintains Sub-50% Job Approval in 10th Quarter — Too soon to say what 46.8% average approval portends for re-election — PRINCETON, NJ — President Barack Obama earned a 46.8% average approval rating in his 10th quarter in office ending July 19, essentially unchanged from the 9th quarter …
Discussion:
Top of the Ticket, The Politico, TPMDC and YID With LID
Washington Post:
Out from under the anti-tax pledge — WITH A HANDFUL of exceptions, every Republican member of Congress has signed a pledge against increasing taxes. Would allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire as scheduled in 2012 violate this vow? We posed this question to Grover Norquist …
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog and The New Republic
Felix Salmon:
Rent vs buy datapoint of the day — It's never possible to know for sure, at any given time, whether it's a better idea to rent or to buy. If rents and prices both go up in the future, then buying's likely to have been a good idea. And if they both go down, then renting is sure to have been the better idea.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and Hit & Run
Noah Shachtman / Danger Room:
Exclusive: Inside Darpa's Secret Afghan Spy Machine — The Pentagon's top researchers have rushed a classified and controversial intelligence program into Afghanistan. Known as “Nexus 7,” and previously undisclosed as a war-zone surveillance effort, it ties together everything from spy radars …