Top Items:
Jake Tapper / ABCNEWS:
Fierce White House Debate Over Contraception Mandate — “What are we doing here?” asked Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, stepping outside his wheelhouse to ask about a rising storm involving the Obama administration and the Catholic Church. “What's the point?”
Discussion:
Rod Dreher, The PJ Tatler, CatholicVote.org, Bloomberg and The Daily Caller
RELATED:
USA Today:
Obama mandate on birth control coverage stirs controversy — WASHINGTON - Congressional leaders and Republican presidential candidates joined Catholic religious groups on Wednesday in denouncing the Obama administration's mandate requiring health insurers to offer birth control coverage, but the White House stood its ground.
Evan McMorris-Santoro / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Will Dems Shoot Themselves In The Foot On Contraception? — The intense media debate over the White House push to require all insurance plans to cover contraception is barely 48 hours old. And already some Democrats are bailing on President Obama.
Discussion:
ACS Blog, Firedoglake, tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com, LifeNews.com and Washington Post
Amy Sullivan / The Atlantic Online:
The Contraception Coverage Debate Isn't Just About the Bishops — Obama should do right by the progressive Catholics who made his health reforms possible and expand the religious exemption to the new contraceptive mandate in the law. — If abortion rights advocates are feeling their oats this week, they have good reason.
Discussion:
Swampland and The New Republic
Alec MacGillis / The New Republic:
On Birth Control, Obama Saved By The Taco Bell?
On Birth Control, Obama Saved By The Taco Bell?
Discussion:
New York Times, RH Reality Check, Politico, National Review, Balloon Juice, Washington Monthly and Sky Dancing
Ross Douthat:
Catholics, Conscience and Contraception
Catholics, Conscience and Contraception
Discussion:
Opinionator, ncronline.org, GetReligion, Politico, Rod Dreher, National Review, TBogg, The Daily Dish and Business Insider
Marie Diamond / ThinkProgress:
Catholic Bishops Demand All Businesses Be Given The Right To Deny Women Contraception Coverage
Catholic Bishops Demand All Businesses Be Given The Right To Deny Women Contraception Coverage
Discussion:
Rumproast, Feministing, USA Today, Jack & Jill Politics, Daily Kos and Politico
Ian Swanson / The Hill:
Obama administration struggles to contain uproar over birth-control rule
Obama administration struggles to contain uproar over birth-control rule
Discussion:
blogs.telegraph.co.uk and Politico
Jonathan Martinand Manu Raju / Reuters:
Mitt Romney's message from GOP: Step it up — Mitt Romney's poor performance Tuesday is prompting congressional Republicans to go public with a bracing message to the front-runner: time to step it up, Mitt. — A day after Romney was convincingly defeated by Rick Santorum in non-binding contests …
Discussion:
CNN, ABCNEWS, New York Times, Wake up America, 2012 Decoded, News Desk and Daily Kos
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Rick Santorum / CNN:
Santorum takes on ‘environmental terror’ — Oklahoma City (CNN) - Speaking in one of the top energy-producing states in the country, Rick Santorum tailored his stump speech here on Thursday to appeal to a raucous crowd of domestic energy-loving Okies. — Reaffirming his support …
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, Politico and ThinkProgress
Keith Coffman / Reuters:
Colorado student charged in “glitter bomb” of Romney
Colorado student charged in “glitter bomb” of Romney
Discussion:
The Daily What and Towleroad News #gay
Judy Kurtz / The Hill:
Eye doctor warns of dangers of political protest on gay marriage
Eye doctor warns of dangers of political protest on gay marriage
Discussion:
Hot Air, ThinkProgress and Towleroad News #gay
Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
DeMint: Brokered convention a possibility
DeMint: Brokered convention a possibility
Discussion:
Campaign 2012, CNN and The Impolitic
New York Times:
States Negotiate $26 Billion Agreement for Homeowners — After months of painstaking talks, government authorities and five of the nation's biggest banks have agreed to a $26 billion settlement that could provide relief to nearly two million current and former American homeowners harmed …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Slate, Washington Monthly, The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Rolling Stone, The Big Picture, Hit & Run, Business Insider, The Democratic Daily, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Feministing, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, No More Mister Nice Blog, Blog of New Orleans, Gambit, The Political Carnival, emptywheel, The Page, Booman Tribune, DealBook and Wall Street Journal
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Yves Smith / naked capitalism:
The Top Twelve Reasons Why You Should Hate the Mortgage Settlement — As readers may know by now, 49 of 50 states have agreed to join the so-called mortgage settlement, with Oklahoma the lone refusenik. Although the fine points are still being hammered out, various news outlets (New York Times …
Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Pelosi: ‘Colbert used to be my friend’ — Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) mocked comedian Stephen Colbert as part of her campaign against super-PACs. — The House minority leader released a web video on Thursday that jokingly attacks Colbert for launching a super-PAC.
Discussion:
Politico
Lyndsey Layton / Washington Post:
Obama: 10 states to receive No Child Left Behind waivers — The Obama administration will free 10 states from the requirements of No Child Left Behind, responding to complaints from teachers and school administrators across the country that the nation's main education law is outdated and punitive.
Discussion:
Nation Now, Campaign 2012, Guardian and The PJ Tatler
RELATED:
Fox News:
Obama to give 10 states a pass on No Child Left Behind deadline
Obama to give 10 states a pass on No Child Left Behind deadline
Discussion:
The Spectacle Blog, The Daily Caller and The Lonely Conservative
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Report: White House to offer 10 states waivers on No Child Left Behind
Report: White House to offer 10 states waivers on No Child Left Behind
Discussion:
Politico
msnbc.com:
Israel teams with terror group to kill Iran's nuclear scientists, U.S. officials tell NBC News — A car that was bombed by two assailants on a motorcycle in Tehran on Jan. 11, killing Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahamdi Roshan, is removed by a mobile crane.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Agonist, Israel Matzav, Weasel Zippers and Chicago Boyz
Faiz Shakir / ThinkProgress:
Fox Pundit Tells CPAC Crowd That Rachel Maddow Is ‘The Best Argument In Favor Of Her Parents Using Contraception’ — In the “closed circuit world on the right,” MSNBC's Rachel Maddow is often the subject of ugly denigrations. Whether it's being mocked for her sexual orientation, her name …
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog
Matt Stopera / BuzzFeed:
The Best Testimony From Washington State's Gay Marriage Hearing — Try not to cry. Watch Representative Maureen Walsh's moving testimony from yesterday's gay marriage vote in Washington. Rep. Walsh was one of two Republicans to vote for the bill.
Discussion:
The Daily What, The New Civil Rights Movement, ThinkProgress, Shakesville and Towleroad News #gay
Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
Santorum: Obama Has Put America On ‘The Path’ Of Executing Religious People By Decapitation — Rick Santorum continued to rail against President Obama's so-called war against religion during a town hall in Plano, Texas Wednesday night. The former Pennsylvania senator …
Discussion:
The New Civil Rights Movement, The Maddow Blog and Wonkette
Elizabeth Llorente / Fox News:
Mississippi Bill Changes Name of ‘Gulf of Mexico’ to ‘Gulf of America’ — If a Mississippi lawmaker gets his way, the Gulf of Mexico will become the “Gulf of America.” — Mississippi State Rep. Steve Holland, a Democrat, has introduced a bill calling for the part of the Gulf of Mexico …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and Riptide 2.0
CBS Los Angeles:
LA County OKs $1,000 Fine For Throwing Football, Frisbee On Beaches — LOS ANGELES (CBS) — When you head down to the beach for a little fun this summer, county officials want you to leave the pigskin at home. — The Board of Supervisors this week agreed to raise fines to up to $1,000 …
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, News Desk, Don Surber, Rush Limbaugh, Hit & Run, Moonbattery and nation.foxnews.com
Josh Lederman / Ballot Box:
Aide injured in Giffords shooting will run to replace her in House — Ron Barber, an aide to former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) who was wounded in the shooting spree that also injured Giffords, will run to replace her in the House. — Barber announced Thursday he would run …
Discussion:
Politico, TucsonSentinel.com, CNN, Hot Air and Prairie Weather
ABCNEWS:
Obama Contraceptives Mandate Losing Senate Democrats? — A handful of Senate Democrats have split with President Obama's controversial birth-control mandate and slammed the administration's requirement that church-affiliated employers cover contraceptives. — The five Democrats …
Discussion:
Nebraska Radio Network, Naked Politics, Hot Air and The Buzz Florida Politics Feed
Robert Barnes / Washington Post:
States line up to challenge stringent Section 5 voting rights provision — Conservative activists and Republican attorneys general have launched a series of lawsuits meant to challenge the most muscular provision of the Voting Rights Act 0f 1965 before a Supreme Court that has signaled it is suspicious of its constitutionality.
The United States Department of Justice:
Federal Government and State Attorneys General Reach $25 Billion Agreement with Five Largest Mortgage Servicers to Address Mortgage Loan Servicing and Foreclosure Abuses … WASHINGTON - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan …
Discussion:
ProPublica, FORECLOSURE FRAUD, Calculated Risk and Business Insider