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Tracy Martin recounts police version of son Trayvon's death — A police detective told the father of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin that his son initiated two confrontations with the neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot him. — Tracy Martin, describing the police version of events …
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White Supremacist Hacks Trayvon Martin's Email Account, Leaks Messages Online — The racist smear campaign against Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teen shot to death last month in Florida, has reached a new level of ghoulishness. A white supremacist hacker says he's broken into Martin's email …
Discussion:
Angry Black Lady Chronicles, Riptide 2.0 and Colorlines

EXCLUSIVE: Robert Zimmerman interview — LAKE MARY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - For the first time since that fateful night on February 26, the father of a neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed an unarmed teenager sat down for a television interview. — Robert Zimmerman …
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The Smoking Gun, CBS News, The Daily Beast, Gothamist, MiamiHerald.com, Booman Tribune, The Moderate Voice, Hit & Run, Crooks and Liars, NewsBusters.org, JustOneMinute, The Raw Story, Newsy, ThinkProgress, TalkLeft, Weasel Zippers, Shakesville, The Impolitic, Fox News, msnbc.com, Business Insider and Mediaite

Bruce and Trayvon: American Skin — Last night, I bolted work to catch the first show of two by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band in Philadelphia. I first saw Springsteen when he was the opening act for Chicago, in 1973 (which means I saw him even before Jon Landau branded him, indelibly, as “rock and roll's future").
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Examiner, MiamiHerald.com and Feministe

‘Extra’ Exclusive: Oprah Winfrey Sounds-Off on Trayvon Martin Tragedy — “Extra's” AJ Calloway sat down exclusively with Oprah Winfrey in St. Louis, where she spoke for the first time about the tragic death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. She also talked about cancelling Rosie O'Donnell's show …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Weasel Zippers, EURweb, Feministing and Change of Subject

Trayvon Martin aftermath video casts doubt on George Zimmerman's account
Discussion:
The New Republic, msnbc.com, nation.foxnews.com, Gothamist, Truthdig and HotAirPundit

Skittles Sales Up After Trayvon Martin Shooting
Discussion:
Mediaite, Guardian and Weasel Zippers

How did legal observers and Obamacare backers get it so wrong? — I didn't mention this yesterday, but in his interview with me about the limiting principle, former Reagan Solicitor General Charles Fried was scaldingly critical of the willingness of the conservative bloc of Supreme Court justices …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Taylor Marsh, RedState, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, US Politics and Talking Points Memo
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Tony Scalia's Retirement Has Started Early — Here's the deal. I think Justice Antonin Scalia isn't even really trying any more. It's been clear for some time now that he's short-timing his job on the Supreme Court. The job bores him. All these inferior intellects coming before him.
Discussion:
Balkinization, New York Magazine, Althouse and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Overconfidence: the fatal flaw — Overconfidence — Greg Sargent has a good piece up about the political myopia of the Democrats toward the possibility that the Supreme Court conservatives would be hostile to Obamacare. … I've already said what I think of this: after Bush vs Gore …
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog


Judicial activists in the Supreme Court
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Wall Street Journal, Faith in Public Life, US News, tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com, Taylor Marsh, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Feministing, Mother Jones, PrawfsBlawg, American Prospect, americanthinker.com, Sense of Events, The Moderate Voice, Washington Free Beacon, Pirate's Cove, THE WESTERN EXPERIENCE, The Hill, The Maddow Blog, New York Times, The Agonist, Slate, The Huffington Post, Courthouse News Service, Ezra Klein, Washington Wire, Law Blog and Reuters

Just a flesh wound — NEWT GINGRICH does not eat sandwiches; he fundamentally transforms them, radically changing them from solid foodstuff to masticated bolus to energy. Last summer, Mr Gingrich fundamentally transformed the nature of modern political campaigning. How did he do that?
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, American Prospect, Washington Post and A plain blog about politics
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Report: Gingrich and Romney held secret meeting
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Wonkette, Shakesville and The Hill

Mitt Romney Confirms Secret Meeting With Newt Gingrich Last Week
Discussion:
Campaign 2012 and Hot Air

Gingrich says no deal after a secret talk with Romney
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CNN, Indecision Forever, Politico, Newsy, The Caucus, Examiner, ABCNEWS, The PJ Tatler, americanthinker.com and Cagle Post

Mitt Romney can thank President Obama's “flexibility” for Marco Rubio's endorsement.
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The Caucus, Mail Online, News Desk, Guardian, Eunomia, Washington Wire and GOP 12

Paul Ryan: 'We don't think the generals are giving us their true advice' on budget — House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) expressed skepticism Thursday that U.S. military leaders were being honest in their budget requests to Congress. — “We don't think the generals …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and CNN
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House approves Ryan budget plan to cut spending, taxes
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Firedoglake and Slate

Paul Ryan: The Generals Are Lying About Their Support For Obama's Pentagon Budget
Discussion:
Daily Kos and Washington Times

Boehner: Ryan budget ‘vision’ of what GOP would do if in control
Discussion:
CNN, Indecision Forever, Hot Air, Daily Kos, Main Street, Washington Free Beacon and Wall Street Journal


Haley indictment imminent? Stay tuned... Two well-placed legal experts have independently told Palmetto Public Record they expect the U.S. Department of Justice to issue an indictment against South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on charges of tax fraud as early as this week.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Sister Toldjah, The Daily Caller, Taegan Goddard's … and Business Insider


“Gay Marriage has Backfired...”, NOM Marriage News — “Gay marriage has backfired on the Democratic Party.” — With those words one of my personal heroes, New York State Sen Rev. Rubén Díaz (a Democrat from the Bronx) opened his press release titled, “What you should know.”
Discussion:
Holy Bullies … and Good As You


Apple Supplier in China Pledges Big Labor Changes — Foxconn, which manufactures more than 40 percent of the world's electronics for such companies as Apple, Dell, Amazon and others, has pledged to sharply curtail the number of working hours within its Chinese factories and significantly increase wages …
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The Stranger …
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Foxconn Investigation Report
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BBC, Mashable!, TechCrunch, GigaOM and Mike Daisey


Israel's Secret Staging Ground — U.S. officials believe that the Israelis have gained access to airbases in Azerbaijan. Does this bring them one step closer to a war with Iran? — In 2009, the deputy chief of mission of the U.S. embassy in Baku, Donald Lu, sent a cable …
Discussion:
National Review, Israel Matzav, Outside the Beltway, World Now, Guardian and Mother Jones


Parents of murdered British students criticise Barack Obama — The parents of two British students murdered in Florida have criticised President Barack Obama for his lack of compassion over their son's deaths. — Shawn Tyson — His failure to respond to three letters sent to the White House …
Discussion:
Don Surber, The Hinterland Gazette, Mediaite and Weasel Zippers

Obama budget defeated 414-0 — President Obama's budget was defeated 414-0 in the House late Wednesday, in a vote Republicans arranged to try to embarrass him and shelve his plan for the rest of the year. — The vote came as the House worked its way through its own fiscal year 2013 budget proposal …

The Early Outlook for the 2012 Congressional Elections: A Forecasting Perspective — In today's Crystal Ball, Alan Abramowitz — whose election models are among the best in the business — provides an early look at what they tell us about the race for the House and the Senate.
Discussion:
RedState and Ezra Klein

Time to fold 'em, Bush 41 says to Romney's rivals — Houston (CNN) - Spouting some home-grown Texas wisdom, President George H. W. Bush urged his party to coalesce behind GOP candidate Mitt Romney with a formal endorsement Thursday. — “'It's time when to hold 'em and time when to fold 'em …