Top Items:
Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:
Current TV Dismisses Keith Olbermann — 5:13 p.m. | Updated Current TV said Friday afternoon that it had terminated the contract of its lead anchor, Keith Olbermann, scarcely a year after he was hired to reboot the fledgling channel in his progressive political image.
Discussion:
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Keith Olbermann / TwitLonger:
TwitLonger — My full statement: — I'd like to apologize to my viewers and my staff for the failure of Current TV. — Editorially, Countdown had never been better. But for more than a year I have been imploring Al Gore and Joel Hyatt to resolve our issues internally …
Current TV:
Open letter to the viewers of Current — To the Viewers of Current: — We created Current to give voice to those Americans who refuse to rely on corporate-controlled media and are seeking an authentic progressive outlet. We are more committed to those goals today than ever before.
Discussion:
Liberal Values, Guardian, Gothamist and dallasmorningviewsblog …, more at Mediagazer »
Keach Hagey / Politico:
Olbermann out, Spitzer in on Current TV — Current TV has terminated its relationship with Keith Olbermann and will replace his show with a program hosted by Eliot Spitzer. — The complete memo:
Discussion:
Business Insider, Truthdig and iOwnTheWorld.com
Alyssa Rosenberg / ThinkProgress:
Current TV Fires Keith Olbermann, Replaces Him With Spitzer Immediately, Olbermann to Sue — The New York Times' Brian Stelter breaks the news that Current TV has let go Keith Olbermann, and will replace him starting tonight with Eliot Spitzer, denying Olbermann to give a send-off or special comment to his viewers.
Discussion:
Show Tracker, Hollywood Reporter, TBogg, Mediaite and Booman Tribune
David Dayen / Firedoglake:
Olbermann Fired From Current TV — Keith Olbermann (photo: WEBN-TV/flickr) — Less than a year after he returned to television with an equity stake in the broadcaster, Keith Olbermann has flamed out again. He has been terminated by Current TV, effective immediately.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Broccoli and Bad Faith — Nobody knows what the Supreme Court will decide with regard to the Affordable Care Act. But, after this week's hearings, it seems quite possible that the court will strike down the “mandate” — the requirement that individuals purchase health insurance — and maybe the whole law.
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Robert Shrum / The Week:
Will a Tea Party Supreme Court guarantee Obama a second term? — The court's conservative wing appears ready to engage in some despicable judicial activism on ObamaCare. Politically, at least, the justices are doing Obama a favor — Recall the scorn toward health reform dripping from the lips of Injustice Antonin Scalia.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland and protein wisdom
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
News Analysis: Justice Anthony M. Kennedy May Be Key to Health Law Ruling — WASHINGTON — The way to frame a Supreme Court argument meant to persuade Justice Anthony M. Kennedy is to talk about liberty. It is his touchstone and guiding principle, and his conception of liberty is likely …
Discussion:
USA Today, Wall Street Journal, ECHIDNE of the snakes, Washington Post, The Hill, Althouse, The Huffington Post and The BLT
Jonathan Cohn / The New Republic:
Obamacare Is On Trial. So Is the Supreme Court. — Before this week, the well-being of tens of millions of Americans was at stake in the lawsuits challenging the Affordable Care Act. — Now something else is at stake, too: The legitimacy of the Supreme Court. — Nobody knows how the justices will rule.
Terry / CNSNews:
Justice Breyer on Obamacare: 'I Haven't Read Every Word of That, I Promise'
Justice Breyer on Obamacare: 'I Haven't Read Every Word of That, I Promise'
Discussion:
protein wisdom
Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Supreme Court May Be Most Conservative in Modern History
Supreme Court May Be Most Conservative in Modern History
Discussion:
Ezra Klein
Kate Sheppard / Mother Jones:
Arizona Outdoes Everyone With New Anti-Abortion Bill — Bills limiting the time period during which abortion is legal have proliferated in recent years as other states have followed Nebraska's lead and banned abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. But a law under consideration in Arizona …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, ECHIDNE of the snakes and Hullabaloo
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Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Georgia lawmakers pass abortion bill on last, emotional day
Georgia lawmakers pass abortion bill on last, emotional day
Discussion:
Associated Press, WXIA-TV, ThinkProgress and The Moderate Voice
Norma Love / Associated Press:
NH House votes to ban abortion after 20 weeks
NH House votes to ban abortion after 20 weeks
Discussion:
Salon, Angry Black Lady Chronicles, LifeNews.com and ThinkProgress
Matthew O'Brien / The Atlantic Online:
Wall Street Thinks It Knows the Future of Obamacare—Why? — Nobody except Justice Anthony Kennedy knows what will happen to Obamacare. But Wall Street, whose predictive powers are dubious, thinks it does. The proof is in the healthcare stocks. — The below chart shows Aetna's stock price the past week.
Discussion:
Ezra Klein, Health Care at the High Court and Prairie Weather
Alexander Burns / Politico:
Romney campaign: Release all transcripts of all meetings with foreign leaders — Via National Journal, the Mitt Romney campaign ratchets up the transparency game in a novel direction, in response to a call for Romney to release decades' worth of tax returns:
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Mark Maremont / Wall Street Journal:
Obama Campaign Seeks Romney Tax Returns
Obama Campaign Seeks Romney Tax Returns
Discussion:
The Current.com and Business Insider
Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Mitt Romney's PAC Funded Anti-Gay Marriage Group Under The Radar … REACT: — FOLLOW: — Elections 2012, Mitt Romney, Video, Mitt Romney Gay, Election 2012, Free And Strong America, Marriage Romney, Mitt Romney 2012, Mitt Romney Gay Marriage, Romney Gay Marriage, Romney Gay Marriage Funding …
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Scott Wooledge / The Huffington Post:
How Much Racial Division and Hostility Did Mitt Romney Buy with His $10,000 Donation to NOM?
How Much Racial Division and Hostility Did Mitt Romney Buy with His $10,000 Donation to NOM?
Discussion:
Human Rights Campaign, Washington Post and GLAAD
Bruce Vielmetti / JSOnline:
Federal court strikes down parts of Act 10 — By Bruce Vielmetti and Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel — A federal judge in Madison on Friday ruled that portions of Act 10 - which removed most collective bargaining for most public employees - are unconstitutional.
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Bruce Vielmetti / JSOnline:
Federal court throws out parts of public union law
Federal court throws out parts of public union law
Discussion:
Main Street and The Maddow Blog
Daniel Bice / JSOnline:
Barrett will run in recall election — By Daniel Bice of the Journal Sentinel — It took a little while, but Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has finally decided whether or not to run in the upcoming recall election. — He's in. — In a Friday afternoon email to supporters, Barrett …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Daily Kos and Althouse
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Scott Walker / CNN:
Recall vote scheduled in Wisconsin, Republican ad war continues
Recall vote scheduled in Wisconsin, Republican ad war continues
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Hot Air
Jamelle Bouie / American Prospect:
Willful Ignorance — This, from YouGov, tells you everything you need to know about contemporary race relations in a single, compact chart: — For 66 percent of white Americans to agree with this statement—"Irish, Italian, Jewish, and many other minorities overcame prejudice and worked their way up.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, American Power and Shakesville
Brian Krebs / Krebs on Security:
MasterCard, VISA Warn of Processor Breach — VISA and MasterCard are alerting banks across the country about a recent major breach at a U.S.-based credit card processor. Sources in the financial sector are calling the breach “massive,” and say it may involve more than 10 million compromised card numbers.
New York Times:
Obama Clears Way for Measures Against Iran — BURLINGTON, Vt. — President Obama has determined there is enough oil in world markets to allow countries to rely less on imports from Iran, a step that could increase Western actions to deter Tehran's nuclear ambitions, an administration official said Friday.
Discussion:
New York Magazine and Truthdig
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Ben Geman / The Hill:
Obama says oil markets can handle expanded sanctions on Iran
Obama says oil markets can handle expanded sanctions on Iran
Discussion:
Politico and Washington Free Beacon
Jonathan Stempel / Thomson Reuters News …:
Unpaid bloggers' lawsuit vs Huffington Post tossed — AOL Inc on Friday won the dismissal of a lawsuit by unpaid bloggers who complained they were deprived of their fair share of the roughly $315 million that the company paid last March to buy The Huffington Post website.
Discussion:
Politico and JIMROMENESKO.COM, more at Mediagazer »
NY Daily News:
George Zimmerman lost job as party security guard for being too aggressive, ex-co-worker says — Zimmerman at center of firestorm for fatally shooting unarmed teen Trayvon Martin last month — Trayvon Martin was shot along a dark walkway just behind Cheryl Brown's apartment while her son Austin …
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The Daily Caller, CNN, Wonkette, Fox News, The Raw Story, Shakesville and The Lede, more at Mediagazer »
J. Bradford DeLong / Brad DeLong:
Is a Grand Bargain Worthwhile? — A question for Ezra Klein: — As a Clinton administration staffer, a question for Ezra. Suppose we do a bipartisan deficit-reduction deal over the next two years. Why don't you think that the next time the Republican Party gets back into power afterwards …
Tim Mak / Politico:
C-SPAN hammers Sen. Saxby Chambliss — C-SPAN unloaded Friday on Sen. Saxby Chambliss after he charged that its televised proceedings of Congress were responsible for the partisan rancor in the Senate, pointing out the Georgia Republican had appeared on the network 599 times.
Brad Plumer / Ezra Klein:
Mega Millions frenzy: Can you ever beat the lottery's long odds? — The country is in the throes of lottery fever, with millions of people in multiple states buying up tickets for a chance at winning the Mega Millions jackpot Friday night, now at $540 million. But are they suckers?
Discussion:
CBS News, Associated Press, msnbc.com, The Barrometer, Runnin' Scared and Real Time Economics
Andrew Restuccia / The Hill:
Committee drops complaint against Sen. Vitter for threatening official's salary — The Senate Ethics Committee has dismissed allegations that Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) attempted to “bribe” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar by blocking his pay increase until the administration issued more permits for offshore oil exploration.
Discussion:
Politico