Top Items:
Jake Tapper / ABCNEWS:
Obama to Offer ‘Accomodation’ on Contraception Rule — With the White House under fire for its new rule requiring employers including religious organizations to offer health insurance that fully covers birth control coverage, ABC News has learned that later today the White House …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Weasel Zippers, The Raw Story, Hot Air, The Page, Business Insider and Outside the Beltway
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Wall Street Journal:
Low Turnout and the Big Tune-Out — Voters aren't bothering with the GOP, but Obama has lost their attention too. — The Romney campaign is better at dismantling than mantling. They're better at taking opponents apart than building a compelling candidate of their own.
Discussion:
Business Insider and Political Insider
Ian Swanson / The Hill:
Obama retreats on birth control — The White House will announce a retreat from its controversial rule requiring religious organizations like charities and hospitals to include contraception in their healthcare plans. — President Obama has come under heavy criticism from the Catholic Church …
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …
Laurie Kellman / Associated Press:
They're back: Social issues overtake US politics
They're back: Social issues overtake US politics
Discussion:
The Hill
Nick Baumann / Mother Jones:
Most of Obama's “Controversial” Birth Control Rule Was Law During Bush Years
Most of Obama's “Controversial” Birth Control Rule Was Law During Bush Years
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, Political Mojo, Daily Kos, The Last Tradition, THEROOT.COM, ThinkProgress, Feministing and MoJo Articles
Wall Street Journal:
Transformers — The Catholic church learns the true meaning …
Transformers — The Catholic church learns the true meaning …
Discussion:
Instapundit, ProfessorBainbridge.com, Hot Air and Daily Pundit
Evan McMorris-Santoro / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Will Dems Shoot Themselves In The Foot On Contraception?
TPM2012 — Will Dems Shoot Themselves In The Foot On Contraception?
Discussion:
ACS Blog, Firedoglake, LifeNews.com, The Hill and Daily Kos
Jon Ward / The Huffington Post:
Mitt Romney's Struggles Take Republican Angst To New Heights … Barack Obama , Mitt Romney , Republican Presidential Primary , Rick Santorum , Cpac , Elections 2012 , Newt Gingrich , Rick Perry , Video , Politics News — WASHINGTON — The angst within the Republican Party …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, New York Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Politico and GOP 12
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Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Rep. King predicts critical day for GOP presidential candidates — Influential Tea Party conservative Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said the speeches given by the GOP presidential candidates at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday will be critical in determining who returns to the campaign trail with the momentum.
Discussion:
CNN
CNN:
Romney meets privately with conservative leaders at CPAC
Romney meets privately with conservative leaders at CPAC
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Post, Yahoo! News, NationalJournal.com, New York Times, Campaign 2012, National Review and Hot Air
Josh Lederman / Ballot Box:
Santorum, Romney to face off in high-stakes appeal to party faithful
Santorum, Romney to face off in high-stakes appeal to party faithful
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, New York Times, GOP 12, msnbc.com, Boston Globe and Wall Street Journal
Debra Erdley / PittsburghLIVE.com:
Pa. GOP voters quit Gingrich for Santorum
Pa. GOP voters quit Gingrich for Santorum
Discussion:
Erick's blog, Washington Post, Hot Air, The Moderate Voice, US Politics, Washington Wire and Wall Street Journal
Washington Post:
Rep. Spencer Bachus faces insider-trading investigation — The Office of Congressional Ethics is investigating the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee over possible violations of insider-trading laws, according to individuals familiar with the case.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Maddow Blog, CBS News, Politico, Taegan Goddard's … and Big Government
John Hinderaker / Power Line:
Is 2012 Slipping Away From the GOP? — For a long time, I was confident that Republican voters would oust Barack Obama in 2012, hold the House and, in all likelihood, take the Senate. Obama is a weak incumbent, who has been chronically unpopular since early in his term.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice
Nicole Neroulias / Reuters:
Washington state governor to sign gay marriage bill on Monday — (Reuters) - Governor Christine Gregoire plans to sign newly passed legislation on Monday to legalize gay marriage in Washington state, making it the seventh with a law on the books to recognize same-sex nuptials, her office said on Thursday.
Discussion:
Towleroad News #gay, Feministing and BuzzFeed
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Bloomberg:
Foreclosure Deal to Spur U.S. Home Seizures — The $25 billion settlement with banks over foreclosure abuses may result in a wave of home seizures, inflicting short-term pain on delinquent U.S. borrowers while making a long-term housing recovery more likely.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal
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Russell Berman / The Hill:
Pelosi might have skirted House ethics rules on campaign solicitations — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) might have briefly run afoul of congressional ethics rules at a Capitol press conference on Thursday when she made a statement that could be construed as a solicitation for campaign contributions.
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon
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Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Pelosi: ‘Colbert used to be my friend’
Pelosi: ‘Colbert used to be my friend’
Discussion:
nation.foxnews.com, CNN, Reuters and Politico
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:
The Last Tradition, No More Mister Nice Blog, Towleroad News #gay, The Moderate Voice and The Raw Story
Associated Press:
Romney ‘glitter bomber’ fired from internship — DENVER — The college student accused of “glitter bombing” Mitt Romney after the Colorado caucuses has been fired from his unpaid internship with state Senate Democrats. — Police say 20-year-old Peter Smith threw glitter at Romney …
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon
David Brooks / New York Times:
The Crowd Pleaser — At first glance, President Obama and Mitt Romney share some similar traits. Both Harvard Law School grads are smart and analytical. Both are emotionally reserved rather than touchy-feely. Both are traditionalist in their family and personal lives.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog
Joe Battenfeld / Boston Herald:
Poll: Joe Kennedy III has huge lead in U.S. Rep race — Joseph P. Kennedy III's famous family ties have handed him a huge early lead in the race to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, a new UMass Lowell/Boston Herald poll reveals. — Kennedy, the son of former U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Ben Geman / The Hill:
Evangelical group holds firm on ‘pro-life’ link to EPA rule — A green evangelical group won't bow to conservative anti-abortion-rights leaders or Republicans who are pressuring them to stop casting support for new EPA pollution rules as a “pro-life” position.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress
Ben Armbruster / ThinkProgress:
UPDATED: Mississippi Rep. Wants ‘Gulf Of Mexico’ Changed To ‘Gulf Of America’ — Mississippi State Rep. Steve Holland, a Democrat, introduced a bill in the state's lower chamber calling for the part of the Gulf of Mexico that borders his state to be renamed the “Gulf of America.”
Discussion:
Blog of New Orleans, Gambit, Sky Dancing, The Reaction, Fox News, Balloon Juice and Shakesville
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Mark Memmott / NPR:
Call It ‘Gulf Of America,’ Not Gulf Of Mexico, Lawmaker Says In Bit Of Satire
Call It ‘Gulf Of America,’ Not Gulf Of Mexico, Lawmaker Says In Bit Of Satire
Discussion:
Jezebel and Riptide 2.0
Boy in Bushwick:
Obama Raises $1.4 Million at D.C. LGBT Fundraiser — President Barack Obama cited the repeal of the ban on openly gay and lesbian servicemembers as his administration's most important LGBT-specific accomplishments at a private fundraiser in Washington, D.C., on Thursday night that raised $1.4 million for his re-election campaign.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and The New Civil Rights Movement