Top Items:
Juli Weiner / Vanity Fair:
In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949-2011 — Christopher Hitchens—the incomparable critic, masterful rhetorician, fiery wit, and fearless bon vivant—died today at the age of 62. Hitchens was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the spring of 2010, just after the publication of his memoir …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Michelle Malkin, Conservative Commune, Catholic Bandita, Scared Monkeys, Balloon Juice, Media Decoder, Gothamist, Wonkette, Datechguy's Blog, The Spectacle Blog, Hot Air, Big Journalism, The Lonely Conservative, The Atlantic Online, Ricochet Conversations Feed, The Daily What, newsfeed.time.com, Outside the Beltway, neo-neocon, Belmont Club, The Mahablog, The American Mind, Little Green Footballs, Ed Driscoll, US Politics, Feministe, Naked Politics, Ace of Spades HQ, BizzyBlog, Taylor Marsh and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
William Grimes / New York Times:
Christopher Hitchens, 1949-2011: Christopher Hitchens Is Dead at 62 — Obituary — Christopher Hitchens, a slashing polemicist in the tradition of Thomas Paine and George Orwell who trained his sights on targets as various as Henry Kissinger, the British monarchy and Mother Teresa …
David Folkenflik / NPR:
Writer Christopher Hitchens Dies At 62 — This graphic requires version 9 or higher of the Adobe Flash Player.Get the latest Flash Player. — Writer Christopher Hitchens was a critic of personalities, politicians and religious figures. — The influential writer and cultural critic …
Discussion:
Newshoggers.com, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Booman Tribune
Graydon Carter / Vanity Fair:
Christopher Hitchens, 1949-2011: In Memoriam — Christopher Hitchens was a wit, a charmer, and a troublemaker, and to those who knew him well, he was a gift from, dare I say it, God. He died today at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, after a punishing battle with esophageal cancer, the same disease that killed his father.
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Atlantic Online, Poynter and Truthdig, more at Mediagazer »
Matt Schudel / Washington Post:
Christopher Hitchens dies; Vanity Fair writer was a religious skeptic, master of the contrarian essay — Christopher Hitchens, a sharp-witted provocateur who used his formidable learning, biting wit and muscular prose style to skewer what he considered high-placed hypocrites …
Discussion:
CNN and Michael Totten
BBC:
Christopher Hitchens dies at 62 after suffering cancer — Vanity Fair's editor said those who read him felt they knew him — British-born author, literary critic and journalist Christopher Hitchens has died at the age of 62. — He died from pneumonia, a complication of the oesophageal cancer he had, at a Texas hospital.
Discussion:
Simply Left BehindThe …
Anthony Boadle / Reuters:
Atheist intellectual Christopher Hitchens dead at 62
Atheist intellectual Christopher Hitchens dead at 62
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
Darren Samuelsohn / The Politico:
GOP wins light bulb fight — The shutdown-averting budget bill will block federal light bulb efficiency standards, giving a win to House Republicans fighting the so-called ban on incandescent light bulbs. — GOP and Democratic sources tell POLITICO the final omnibus bill includes …
Discussion:
Pirate's Cove, Outside the Beltway, Althouse, americanthinker.com and Instapundit
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Congressional leaders reach spending deal to avoid government shutdown — Congressional negotiators signed off Thursday evening on a $1 trillion spending agreement for federal agencies, just 28 hours before a deadline that would have led to a government shutdown.
Wall Street Journal:
Lawmakers Hopeful on Payroll, Spending Deals
Lawmakers Hopeful on Payroll, Spending Deals
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, MyFox Philadelphia, Political Mojo and MarketBeat
Russell Berman / The Hill:
Shutdown averted: Deal reached on $1T omnibus package
Andrew Restuccia / The Hill:
Omnibus spending deal blocks funding for light bulb efficiency standards
Omnibus spending deal blocks funding for light bulb efficiency standards
Discussion:
The Lonely Conservative
New York Times:
Gingrich Duels With Challengers at Iowa Debate — SIOUX CITY, Iowa — The leading Republican presidential candidates largely shelved their contentious attacks on one another to deliver their closing arguments on Thursday night at the final debate before the nominating contests begin …
Discussion:
GOP 12, The Caucus, Los Angeles Times, The Other McCain, NY Daily News, The Iowa Republican, ABCNEWS, Wall Street Journal and Taylor Marsh
RELATED:
Josh Lederman / Ballot Box:
GOP debate: Gingrich's electability at issue
GOP debate: Gingrich's electability at issue
Discussion:
CNN, Politifact.com Truth …, Outside the Beltway and The Politico
Jonathan Garthwaite / Townhall.com:
Gingrich wins Townhall/HotAir Primary; Conservatives still not completely sold that Gingrich is the last man standing
Gingrich wins Townhall/HotAir Primary; Conservatives still not completely sold that Gingrich is the last man standing
Discussion:
Hot Air
Washington Post:
Gingrich and Romney on the defensive in GOP debate
Gingrich and Romney on the defensive in GOP debate
Discussion:
Iowa Caucuses, Associated Press, Taegan Goddard's …, ABCNEWS and The Page
Jake Tapper / ABCNEWS:
Air Force Vet Ron Paul Drops Bombs On Newt Gingrich for War Deferments — Air Force veteran and presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul. R-Texas, has opened up a new line of attack against former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga. — Interviewed by Megyn Kelly on Fox News Channel …
RELATED:
Jeffrey Lord / American Spectator:
The Ron Paul Newsletters
The Ron Paul Newsletters
Discussion:
Catholic Bandita, American Power, Riehl World View, Rush Limbaugh and The Other McCain
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Can Ron Paul win?
Can Ron Paul win?
Discussion:
Pirate's Cove, The Daily Dish, Political Mojo, Liberal Values and iOwnTheWorld.com
Sarah Maslin Nir / New York Times:
Tea Party Group Leader Is Arrested at La Guardia — An influential Tea Party leader was arrested at La Guardia Airport early Thursday after he tried to board a flight with a semi-automatic handgun and its ammunition in his luggage, the authorities said. — Mark J. Meckler, 49 …
Discussion:
The Politico and ThinkProgress
RELATED:
Josh Lederman / The Hill:
Tea Party leader arrested with gun at NY airport
Tea Party leader arrested with gun at NY airport
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland and CNN
Kasie Hunt / Associated Press:
SC governor Nikki Haley endorses Mitt Romney — SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is endorsing Mitt Romney for president. — Haley said Friday on Fox News she is throwing all of her support behind Romney in the Republican primaries.
RELATED:
Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Nikki Haley to endorse Romney — South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, one of the most sought-after remaining Republican endorsements, will come out for Mitt Romney Friday morning, POLITICO has learned. — Haley will offer her formal endorsement on Fox and Friends, giving Romney an important boost ahead …
Discussion:
Reuters, CNN, GOP 12 and Ricochet Conversations Feed
Darren Samuelsohn / The Politico:
Allen West: Goebbels would be proud of Democrats — Tea party favorite Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) said Thursday that Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels would be “very proud” of Democrats for shifting public sentiment against Republicans, and he blamed the press for helping spread their message.
Discussion:
Pew Research Center …, The Buzz Florida Politics Feed, The Raw Story, Daily Kos and The New Republic
Steven Jiang / CNN:
‘Batman’ star Bale punched, stopped from visiting blind Chinese activist — DONGSHIGU VILLAGE, China (CNN) — As Christian Bale approached an impromptu checkpoint leading to this tiny village in eastern China, four men blocking the narrow path started marching toward him in menacing unison.
Discussion:
News Desk, Washington Post, msnbc.com, Guardian and The Daily What
Scott Peterson / Christian Science Monitor:
Exclusive: Iran hijacked US drone, says Iranian engineer — In an exclusive interview, an engineer working to unlock the secrets of the captured RQ-170 Sentinel says they exploited a known vulnerability and tricked the US drone into landing in Iran. — ISTANBUL, TURKEY
Lymari Morales / Gallup:
Fewer Americans See U.S. Divided Into “Haves,” “Have Nots” — The majority would put themselves in the “haves” category if they had to choose — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans are now less likely to see U.S. society as divided into the “haves” and “have nots” than they were in 2008, returning to their views prior to that point.
Discussion:
American Spectator, americanthinker.com, Campaign 2012 and Via Meadia
Jennie Rothenberg Gritz / The Atlantic Online:
Hitchens: ‘People Need Ritual, and Probably Particularly Funerals’ — A never-before-published excerpt from a 2007 interview. Read the rest of the interview here. — Reuters — You say that there's a harmony and beauty inherent in the laws of physics. Can you say more about that?
Rebecca Evans / Daily Mail:
Saviour of 2,000 Afghans who saved a baby's life executed by the Taliban — Dr Karen Woo was with nine others in the Kuran Wa Munja district of Badakhshan when they were killed — A British doctor shot dead by the Taliban was part of a humanitarian mission that had helped 2,000 Afghans, an inquest heard yesterday.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Kevin Zieber / Media Matters for America:
Cartoon Regularly Featured On Big Journalism Connected To Nazi-Era Magazine — In at least three instances, Andrew Breitbart's Big Journalism website has used an image connected to a Nazi-era German magazine noted for anti-Semitic cartoons and pro-Hitler leanings.
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs
Larry Kudlow / National Review:
Keystone Blue-Collar Blues — The payroll-tax-cut debate is not really about the payroll tax, which is a very weak-kneed economic stimulant and a lackluster job creator because of its temporary nature. Without permanent incentives at lower tax rates, these rebates don't do anything for growth and jobs.