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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:
No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice, TBogg, Mercury Rising, Roger Ailes and The Atlantic Online
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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.
Discussion:
Nation Now, TBogg, Political Mojo, Off the Kuff, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, LifeNews.com, emptywheel, The Atlantic Online, Right Wing Watch, LifeSiteNews.com Latest …, Daily Kos, Wonkette, The Scoop, CatholicVote.org, msnbc.com, ThinkProgress, GetReligion, Firedoglake, US Politics, Poynter, Datechguy's Blog, Crooks and Liars, Weasel Zippers, Wake up America, Outside the Beltway, The Raw Story and Runnin' Scared, more at Mediagazer »

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:
Daily Kos, Hullabaloo, Crooks and Liars, 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.
Discussion:
The Lede, Mediaite, Salon, Washington Post, Crooks and Liars, Datechguy's Blog, Student Activism, AlterNet, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos, This Just In, American Prospect, ECHIDNE of the snakes, LifeNews.com, ThinkProgress, Gawker, The Mahablog, Little Green Footballs, Political Mojo, The Raw Story, The Atlantic Online, AUL.org, Feministing, Taylor Marsh, The Impolitic, Jammie Wearing Fools, New York Times, NewsBusters.org blogs, Associated Press, The Loyal Opposition, Democracy in America, Campaign 2012, Hot Air, New York Magazine, Jezebel, Shakesville, Balloon Juice, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Pirate's Cove

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

DAILY COMMENT — [Update: On Friday, Susan G. Komen …
Discussion:
pandagon.net, Mediaite and Hullabaloo

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

Statement from Susan G. Komen Board of Directors and Founder and CEO Nancy G. Brinker
Discussion:
Associated Press, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Planned Parenthood, southernstudies.org, Washington Post, Nation Now, The Huffington Post, Epicenter, Mashable!, The Daily Caller, Gothamist, Guardian, CBS Philly, National Review, blogs.wsj.com, LifeSiteNews.com Latest …, Business Insider, Runnin' Scared, Big Government, The New Republic, American Power, Pundit & Pundette and JustOneMinute

Susan G. Komen foundation revises policy that barred Planned Parenthood funding
Discussion:
The Hill, Hullabaloo, Rod Dreher, Daily Kos, Nation Now, Political Mojo and The Lonely Conservative

Susan G. Komen Foundation Also Stops Funding Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, The Reid Report, Political Mojo, Jezebel, Washington Post, The Agonist, Balloon Juice and CatholicVote.org


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:
The Spectacle Blog, ThinkProgress, Doug Ross, Don Surber, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Wizbang, Vodkapundit and Reuters
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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%.
Discussion:
The Big Picture, Rush Limbaugh, FiveThirtyEight, Viking Pundit, FreeEnterprise.com, Michelle Malkin, The Gateway Pundit, American Glob, The PJ Tatler, CNBC, Swampland, Daily Pundit, Weasel Zippers, Wake up America, New York Times, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, The Right Scoop, The Strata-Sphere and The Lonely Conservative


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:
RedState and Weasel Zippers

For 2012, the unemployment rate doesn't matter. The change in it does. — How fundamental is the state of the nation's economy to election outcomes? So fundamental that 75 percent of the time forecasters can correctly predict which party will win the general election without even knowing the candidates' names.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Saint Petersblog

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:
Reuters, Politico, Political Mojo and Hot Air
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Newt Gingrich's Nevada campaign unraveling
Discussion:
CNN, Campaign 2012 and Politico

Gingrich's Deep Ties to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Discussion:
Hot Air

Santorum Fails to Qualify for Indiana Ballot
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, The Caucus, The Hill and HotAirPundit


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:
Naked Politics, Reuters, Taylor Marsh and The Huffington Post
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Anonymous' Latest Release Includes Private Info About Sexual Assault Victims and Guantanamo Lawyers — Earlier today, Anonymous announced what sounded like an awesome caper: The group had compromised the email of a law firm that represented Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich …
Discussion:
The Raw Story and Crooks and Liars
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Anonymous Leaks Huge Cache of Emails From Iraq War Crimes Case
Discussion:
Mashable!, VentureBeat, TalkLeft and New York Magazine

A.G. SCHNEIDERMAN ANNOUNCES MAJOR LAWSUIT AGAINST NATION'S LARGEST BANKS FOR DECEPTIVE & FRAUDULENT USE OF ELECTRONIC MORTGAGE REGISTRY — Complaint Charges Use Of MERS By Bank Of America, J.P. Morgan Chase, And Wells Fargo Resulted In Fraudulent Foreclosure Filings
Discussion:
Washington Post, Daily Kos, New York Magazine, Business Insider and TalkLeft
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Schneiderman Sues Three Big Banks, MERS for Deceptive Practices, Illegal Foreclosures
Discussion:
Politics and Suburban Guerrilla


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


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.

Danger Will Robinson . . . or Ann Coulter — This week is a career milestone for me. I appear in Time magazine writing about the state of the conservative movement. As a kid living overseas, my American history teacher subscribed us all to Time and U.S. News and World Report.
Discussion:
Daily Pundit, The Daily Caller, Riehl World View and Conservatives4Palin

Koch Brothers, Allies Pledge $100 Million At Private Meeting To Beat Obama … Barack Obama , Newt Gingrich 2012 , Barack Obama 2012 , Newt Gingrich , Obama , President Obama , Video , Charles Koch , David Koch , Koch Brothers , Sheldon Adelson , Winning Our Future , Ken Griffin …
Discussion:
Republic Report, The Hill, ThinkProgress, Political Mojo, The BRAD BLOG and Politico

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:
The Daily Caller, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, Pat Dollard, Campaign 2012, Politico and Daily Pundit


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:
Gay Politics, Daily Kos and Little Green Footballs

The 2016 Election, Already Upon Us — DISTANT as it may now seem, with the Republican race dominating the news and President Obama sitting in the White House, the Democrats are not all that far from the tumult of another nominating contest themselves. — No matter what happens on Election …


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

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