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Komen caved. Or did it? — As you may have heard, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation just announced that it was reversing its decision to ban Planned Parenthood from applying for grants to cover breast cancer screenings — after a massive outcry that spread from women's groups to social media to Capitol Hill.
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The Atlantic Online, Nation Now, LifeNews.com, TBogg, Political Mojo, Off the Kuff, emptywheel, GetReligion, CatholicVote.org, Wonkette, LifeSiteNews.com Latest …, Right Wing Watch, Daily Kos, Firedoglake, Poynter, Crooks and Liars, msnbc.com, Weasel Zippers, Wake up America, The Scoop, Outside the Beltway, The Raw Story, The Agonist, Runnin' Scared and Capital New York, more at Mediagazer »
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EXCLUSIVE: Ari Fleischer Secretly Involved In Komen Strategy On Planned Parenthood — Ari Fleischer, former press secretary for George W. Bush and prominent right-wing pundit, was secretly involved in the Komen Foundation's strategy regarding Planned Parenthood.
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Balloon Juice, The Atlantic Online and Roger Ailes

National Review Sees “Gangsterism” Behind Komen's Planned Parenthood Shift — Earlier today the Susan G. Komen Foundation released a statement “apologizing” for their decision earlier this week to cease grants to Planned Parenthood to pay for breast cancer screenings.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Daily Kos, Politico, Booman Tribune and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Komen apologizes for ‘recent decisions,’ pledges to continue funding Planned Parenthood — UPDATE, 12:32 p.m.Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood, said during a Friday conference call that her understanding of Komen's announcement is that it's a complete reversal of the decision to bar funding to her group.
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Crooks and Liars, The Lede, Reuters, Mediaite, American Prospect, New Yorker, Salon, This Just In, The Atlantic Online, Political Mojo, New York Times, ThinkProgress, Datechguy's Blog, ECHIDNE of the snakes, AlterNet, Daily Kos, Washington Monthly, Associated Press, The Mahablog, The Impolitic, Feministing, Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, The Raw Story, Little Green Footballs, Jammie Wearing Fools, The Loyal Opposition, Democracy in America, Gawker, Campaign 2012, Balloon Juice, Shakesville, NewsBusters.org blogs, Jezebel, Los Angeles Times, Outside the Beltway, Pirate's Cove, Flopping Aces, LifeNews.com and NewsBusters.org

Statement from Susan G. Komen Board of Directors and Founder and CEO Nancy G. Brinker — We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives. The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters …
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The Huffington Post, New York Times, Planned Parenthood, Associated Press, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, southernstudies.org, Washington Post, blogs.wsj.com, National Review, Nation Now, CBS Philly, Gothamist, Epicenter, Guardian, Mashable!, The Daily Caller, LifeSiteNews.com Latest …, Big Government, The Mahablog, TIME Ideas, Colorlines, The New Republic, Firedoglake, Pundit & Pundette, JustOneMinute and American Power

You Should Find the Anti-Komen Backlash Disgusting, Even If You're Pro-Choice

Susan G. Komen Foundation Says It Is Not Connected To Pink ‘Hope’ Handgun [UPDATE]
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Gothamist, CBS Seattle, Religion Dispatches, Mediaite, Gawker, Runnin' Scared and Daily Kos


Komen Board Member: Haven't Caved on Planned Parenthood Funding
Discussion:
TBogg, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Post, Nation Now and Crooks and Liars

Komen Statement on Planned Parenthood is a PR Move, Not A Policy Reversal

Susan G. Komen foundation revises policy that barred Planned Parenthood funding
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, Political Mojo and The Lonely Conservative

Komen drops decision to cut Planned Parenthood funding
Discussion:
LifeSiteNews.com Latest …


Record 1.2 Million People Fall Out Of Labor Force In One Month, Labor Force Participation Rate Tumbles To Fresh 30 Year Low — A month ago, we joked when we said that for Obama to get the unemployment rate to negative by election time, all he has to do is to crush the labor force participation rate to about 55%.
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Why the official 8.3 percent unemployment rate is a phony number—and what it means for Obama's reelection — The January jobs report is out and it seems pretty strong, at least superficially. The unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent from 8.5 percent, the lowest rate since February 2009.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and RedState


Implied Unemployment Rate Rises To 11.5%, Spread To Propaganda Number Surges To 30 Year High — Sick of the BLS propaganda? Then do the following calculation with us: using BLS data, the US civilian non-institutional population was 242,269 in January, an increase of 1.7 million month over month …
Discussion:
Doug Ross, ThinkProgress, The Spectacle Blog, Vodkapundit, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and Don Surber

Unemployment report: January job gains have economists rethinking outlooks
Discussion:
The Democratic Daily, Booman Tribune and Political Mojo


Unemployment Drops to 8.3%; Payrolls in U.S. Jump 243,000
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New York Times, Reuters, The Impolitic, Wall Street Journal, Truthdig, ThinkProgress, The Page and Gothamist

Employment Jumps; Rate 8.3%, 243,000 New Jobs Created
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, Questions and Observations, Outside the Beltway and The Lonely Conservative


Newt Gingrich's Nevada campaign unraveling — LAS VEGAS — Newt Gingrich is not on TV here. His daily events have slowed to a trickle. He's got a barebones staff working in a tiny space rented just 2 weeks ago. — The most attention he's received since arriving in Nevada came with his snub of the state's popular governor.
Discussion:
CNN, Campaign 2012, Politico and KLAS-TV 8 News Now
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Gingrich sharpens attacks against Romney's wealth — Las Vegas, Nevada (CNN) - Newt Gingrich, intensifying his efforts to frame the Republican presidential race as a showdown between his populist insurgency and Mitt Romney's establishment-backed campaign, sharpened his criticisms Friday of Romney's wealth and corporate resume.
Discussion:
Political Mojo and Hot Air


Mitt Romney splits with Brett O'Donnell — A GOP operative who won plaudits for bolstering Mitt Romney's recent debate performances is not being retained by the frontrunner's campaign, an apparent victim of internal tensions over staff receiving too much credit for the candidate's comeback, POLITICO has learned.
Discussion:
CNN, Naked Politics, Reuters, Taylor Marsh and The Huffington Post

Reid: This year's budget is done — Senate Democratic leaders said they don't expect a fiscal 2013 budget to reach the floor this year because spending levels were set last summer under the debt-ceiling agreement. — “We do not need to bring a budget to the floor this year — it's done …
Discussion:
Politico, Pat Dollard, Campaign 2012 and The Daily Caller
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Reid: No, I don't plan to bring a budget to the floor this year
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Daily Pundit

Faced with good news about economy, Romney dissolves into incoherence — Since Mitt Romney announced his candidacy last June, he has continually made two core claims about Obama's economic record, each of which contradicts the other. Depending on the moment, Romney has said either:
Discussion:
The Hill, A plain blog about politics, Shakesville, The Maddow Blog, Riehl World View, Political Mojo and The Hill
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Ben Gazzara, a Risk-Taking Actor of Stage and Screen, Dies at 81 — Ben Gazzara, an intense actor whose long career included playing Brick in the original “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” on Broadway, roles in influential films by John Cassavetes and work with several generations of top Hollywood directors …
Discussion:
Inside Movies, msnbc.com and Big Hollywood


Anti-Abortion Komen VP Also Anti-Gay — Karen Handel had some choice words for gays when she ran last year for Governor of Georgia, from this interview with the Jim Galloway at the AJC. — KH: I've been very clear. And you know, as a Christian, marriage is between a man and a woman.
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs and US Politics
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Top “Race for the Cure” official: Gay parents not as “legitimate” as hetero, ban gay adoption
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, US Politics, The Raw Story, Daily Kos and The Atlantic Online

Senate Republicans to challenge recess appointments in court — Republican senators announced Friday that they plan to challenge President Obama's recent controversial appointments in court. — Thirty-nine GOP senators have signed onto a letter announcing their intention to file …
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Conservative Super-PACs Make It Rain — With the Federal Election Commission filings in, it's clear that conservatives are decisively winning the 2012 super-PAC race—at least so far. Republican-leaning super-PACs focused on the presidential race or backing a particular candidate raised …
Discussion:
ProPublica and Hullabaloo
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Santorum To Gay Man: You Don't Deserve ‘Privilege’ Of Marriage Because Gay Unions Don't ‘Benefit Society’ — Rick Santorum told a gay man in Fulton, Missouri Friday afternoon that he didn't deserve the “privilege” of marriage because his same-sex relationship does not “benefit” society in the same way that opposite-sex marriage does.

GOP lawmaker walked out on Obama's speech at National Prayer Breakfast — Republican Rep. Phil Gingrey (Ga.) walked out of President Obama's speech at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, his spokesman confirmed to The Hill. — Jen Talaber said the five-term lawmaker “left quietly” in the middle of the president's remarks.
Discussion:
Right Wing Watch, Weasel Zippers and Randy's Roundtable


TPMDC — Bait And Switch: GOP Leaders Renege On Debt Limit Deal Defense Cuts — Republican leaders in Congress have all but reneged on a key agreement they reached with the White House last summer rather than reconsider their unwavering stance against new tax revenue.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Maddow Blog, Daily Kos and Talking Points Memo

Santorum Fails to Qualify for Indiana Ballot — Election officials still tallying signatures for Gingrich — Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum has failed to qualify for the Indiana ballot. — Listen: — Presidential candidates need 500 signatures in each of Indiana's nine congressional districts.
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, The Hill, The Caucus and HotAirPundit

Army Silenced Chaplains Last Sunday — In Catholic Churches across the country, parishioners were read letters from the pulpit this weekend from bishops in their diocese about the mandate from the Department of Health and Human Services giving Catholics a year before they'll be required …
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