Top Items:
Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Romney up big in Illinois — Mitt Romney is headed for a blowout victory in Illinois on Tuesday. He leads with 45% to 30% for Rick Santorum, 12% for Newt Gingrich, and 10% for Ron Paul. — Romney's particularly strong among voters who live in suburban areas (50-29) and with those who live in urban areas (46-23).
RELATED:
Reid J. Epstein / Politico:
No ‘spark’ for Mitt Romney in Illinois — VERNON HILLS, Ill. - Same story, different state. — Mitt Romney has a roster of blue chip GOP supporters here, more resources and a superior organization in a state that seems a good fit to his brand of Republicanism.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Chicago Tribune, American Power, CBS Boston, YouTube, Chicago Sun Times and Philly.com
Rick Santorum / CNN:
Santorum dings Romney while defending contraception stance
Santorum dings Romney while defending contraception stance
Discussion:
Politico, The Huffington Post and Daily Kos
Ashley Parker / New York Times:
Romneys Court Women Put Off by Birth Control Issue
Romneys Court Women Put Off by Birth Control Issue
Discussion:
The Caucus and The Page
Monica Davey / New York Times:
Moderate Republicans Losing Ground in Illinois
Moderate Republicans Losing Ground in Illinois
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Wall Street Journal, McClatchy Washington Bureau, ABCNEWS and The Caucus
Justin Sink / The Hill:
Santorum: Brokered convention more likely, hard for rivals to hit ‘magic number’
Santorum: Brokered convention more likely, hard for rivals to hit ‘magic number’
Guardian:
Nobel peace prize winner defends law criminalising homosexuality in Liberia — Exclusive: In joint interview, Tony Blair refuses to comment on Liberian president's remarks supporting anti-gay laws — The Nobel peace prize winner and president of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Harry's Place, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Raw Story
Bristol Palin:
Mr. President, When Should I Expect Your Call? — You don't know my telephone number, but I hope your staff is busy trying to find it. Ever since you called Sandra Fluke after Rush Limbaugh called her a slut, I figured I might be next. You explained to reporters you called …
Discussion:
Don Surber, Conservatives4Palin and The Daily Caller
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Hurray for Health Reform — It's said that you can judge a man by the quality of his enemies. If the same principle applies to legislation, the Affordable Care Act — which was signed into law two years ago, but for the most part has yet to take effect — sits in a place of high honor.
Discussion:
Paul Krugman, The Caucus, Prairie Weather and Daily Kos
RELATED:
Greg Holyk / ABCNEWS:
As Health Care Law's Trial Approaches, Two-Thirds Say Ditch Individual Mandate
As Health Care Law's Trial Approaches, Two-Thirds Say Ditch Individual Mandate
Discussion:
LifeNews.com
Daily Mail:
THE TSA'S GREATEST HITS — The TSA issued apologies to two grandmothers in their late 80s who said they were strip searched at New York's JFK Airport in January. — In October, a TSA inspector found a vibrator in lawyer and feminist blogger Jill Filipovic's luggage …
Discussion:
National Review, The Lonely Conservative and Weasel Zippers
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
A lion in winter — What's riveting about the documents taken from Osama bin Laden's compound, beyond the headline items about plots to kill American leaders, is the way they allow the reader to get inside the terrorist mastermind's head. — I've only seen a small sample of the thousands …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Hit & Run, NO QUARTER and Jihad Watch
Robert Kuttner / American Prospect:
The Age of Double Standards — “But, Yossarian, suppose everyone felt that way.” — “Then,” said Yossarian, “I'd certainly be a damned fool to feel any other way, wouldn't I?” —Joseph Heller, Catch-22 — Last November 29, American Airlines declared bankruptcy under Chapter 11 …
Discussion:
Suburban Guerrilla
Elise Viebeck / The Hill:
The Hill Poll: Voter gloom on Obama's jobs, gas, debt policies — Half of likely voters expect the Supreme Court to strike down President Obama's signature healthcare law, and strong majorities see other major policies coming from the White House making life more difficult for themselves and the country …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Wake up America, Hot Air and The Heritage Foundation
Alexander Burns / Politico:
Romney: ‘The economy is coming back’ — So he said at a campaign stop in Springfield, Ill., this morning. POLITICO's Reid Epstein:
T.W. Farnam / Washington Post:
Obama's high-dollar donations lagging — President Obama is struggling to draw in big-dollar donations, with half as many people writing large checks to his campaign than at this point four years ago. — Obama is outpacing his Republican rivals in fundraising overall …
Joel B. Pollak / BREITBART.COM:
THE VETTING - HOLDER 1995: WE MUST ‘BRAINWASH’ PEOPLE ON GUNS — Breitbart.com has uncovered video from 1995 of then-U.S. Attorney Eric Holder announcing a public campaign to “really brainwash people into thinking about guns in a vastly different way.” — Holder was addressing the Woman's National Democratic Club.
Dylan Byers / Politico:
David Ignatius is national security go-to guy — Ignatius is also respected among White House officials because of his nonideological approach to national security, which puts him at odds with the Post's editorial page editor, Fred Hiatt. — “Fred sees himself as a liberal interventionist …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post
Andrew Restuccia / The Hill:
Republicans go on offensive over rumors Obama may tap emergency oil reserves — Republicans launched a preemptive strike last week against rumored plans by the White House to tap the country's emergency oil reserves. — Releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Balloon Juice and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*
James Dao / New York Times:
Robert Bales: From Small-Town Ohio to Afghanistan — Robert Bales was outgoing in high school, receiving dancing accolades in his yearbook. Sergeant Bales is now accused of killing 16 people in Afghanistan. More Photos » — He was not the star, just a well-regarded young man who seemed to try to do the right thing.
Discussion:
Campaign 2012, Weasel Zippers, News Desk and Prairie Weather
David Carr / New York Times:
Theater, Disguised as Real Journalism — Is it O.K. to lie on the way to telling a greater truth? The short answer is also the right one. — No. — It's worth examining that question now that we have learned about the lies perforating the excerpt of Mike Daisey's one-man show …
Discussion:
American Prospect, Althouse, The Huffington Post and AllThingsD, more at Mediagazer »
The Gallup Organization / Gallup:
U.S. Unemployment Ticks Down in Mid-March — Underemployment is 18.6%, down from 19.1% in February — PRINCETON, NJ - The U.S. unemployment rate, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, declined to 8.8% in mid-March from 9.1% in February. — The .3-percentage-point decline …
Discussion:
US Politics
Steve Dowling / Apple:
Apple Conference Call — WHAT: Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, and Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's CFO, will host a conference call to announce the outcome of the Company's discussions concerning its cash balance. Apple® will not be providing an update on the current quarter nor will any topics be discussed other than cash.
Discussion:
Felix Salmon, New York Times, Guardian, AllThingsD, Engadget, TechCrunch, Newsy and DealBook