Top Items:
The Caucus:
Santorum Suspends Presidential Campaign — Updated Rick Santorum suspended his presidential campaign on Tuesday, bowing to the inevitability of Mitt Romney's nomination and ending his improbable, come-from-behind quest to become the party's conservative standard-bearer in the fall.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, CNN, CBS Philly, The New Republic, American Prospect, Washington Examiner, The Moderate Voice, driftglass, Outside the Beltway, No More Mister Nice Blog, FiveThirtyEight, Advocate, The Blotter, Above the Law, The Gateway Pundit, Taylor Marsh, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Human Rights Campaign, News Desk, americanthinker.com, New York Times, BuzzFeed and Fox News
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Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Santorum exits presidential race — Rick Santorum will drop out of the presidential race Tuesday afternoon, a campaign consultant told The Hill, essentially guaranteeing Mitt Romney the GOP nomination. — Santorum will announce that he is suspending his campaign at an event in his home state …
Discussion:
Politico, CNN, CBS News, Michelle Malkin, protein wisdom, The Other McCain, Wake up America, Donklephant, ABCNEWS, neo-neocon and Pirate's Cove
Chris Moody / Yahoo! News:
Rick Santorum ends presidential campaign after conceding to Mitt Romney in phone call — After calling Mitt Romney to say he is ending his presidential campaign, Rick Santorum announced the end of his presidential campaign Tuesday during a press conference in Pennsylvania, his home state.
Washington Post:
Obama holds key leads on Romney, as economy malaise looms over reelection bid — With the general-election campaign beginning to take shape, President Obama holds clear advantages over Mitt Romney on personal attributes and a number of key issues, but remains vulnerable to discontent …
Discussion:
The Hill, ABCNEWS, Hot Air, Nice Deb, msnbc.com, ThinkProgress, Los Angeles Times, American Prospect, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, 2012 Decoded, The Maddow Blog, Shakesville, Washington Monthly, Hullabaloo, GOP 12, Swampland, Campaign 2012, The Page, Politico, Vodkapundit, Taegan Goddard's …, Ezra Klein, New York Magazine, CNN, American Power, Ballot Box, Washington Wire, Yahoo! News, Conservatives4Palin and Pew Research Center …
Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Obama leads Romney by 13 in Colorado
Obama leads Romney by 13 in Colorado
Discussion:
Ballot Box and The Colorado Independent
Politico:
Rick Santorum drops 2012 campaign for president
Rick Santorum drops 2012 campaign for president
Discussion:
Mother Jones, CNN, The New Republic and NetRight Daily
Michael Gerson / Washington Post:
How Romney can solve his woman problem
How Romney can solve his woman problem
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Booman Tribune, The Mahablog, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Fox News and The Huffington Post
Steve Benen / Associated Press:
Santorum stands down — A week ago today, Rick Santorum …
Santorum stands down — A week ago today, Rick Santorum …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Campaign 2012, RedState, The Barrometer, ThinkProgress and The Right Sphere
Mj Lee / Politico:
Herman Cain drops Newt Gingrich, ready to back Mitt Romney
Herman Cain drops Newt Gingrich, ready to back Mitt Romney
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Hill, Indecision Forever, LifeNews.com, Liberal Values and New York Magazine
Washington Post:
Rick Santorum to drop out of the presidential race
Rick Santorum to drop out of the presidential race
Discussion:
CNN, Gawker, CANNONFIRE, ThinkProgress, New York Magazine, Truth Wins Out and The Huffington Post
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Santorum quits the race
The Fox Mole / Gawker:
Announcing Our Newest Hire: A Current Fox News Channel Employee — What follows is the inaugural column of a person we are calling The Fox Mole—a long-standing, current employee of Fox News Channel who will be providing Gawker with regular dispatches from inside the organization.
Darius Dixon / Politico:
George W. Bush: Wish tax cuts not in my name — George W. Bush said Tuesday that he wishes the tax cuts originally approved under his watch didn't carry the burden of his family name. — “I wish they weren't called the Bush tax cuts,” the former president said as he kicked off …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The POH Diaries, Daily Kos, Hot Air and Althouse
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Megan DeMarco / New Jersey Online:
Gov. Christie: Nation turning into ‘people sitting on a couch waiting for their next government check’ — NEW YORK — Gov. Chris Christie said the country is becoming a “paternalistic entitlement society” this morning in a speech at a conservative conference headed by former President George W. Bush.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers and Campaign 2012
Steve Schaefer / Exile On Wall Street:
George W. Bush: I Wish They Weren't Called The Bush Tax Cuts
George W. Bush: I Wish They Weren't Called The Bush Tax Cuts
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Jane Dough, The Maddow Blog, GILL REPORT, The Raw Story and Dependable Renegade
newsfeed.time.com:
Exclusive: Trayvon Martin's Family's Attorney Responds as Zimmerman's Lawyers Withdraw Counsel — Craig Sonner and Hal Uhrig, attorneys for George Zimmerman, at a press conference on April 10, 2012 — Craig Sonner and Hal Uhrig, the lawyers who have been speaking for and providing legal representation …
Discussion:
Mediaite, ThinkProgress, Guardian and msnbc.com
RELATED:
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
The Bogus Obamacare-Deficit Study — Little did Obama know there is no Medicare crisis. — The Washington Post has an apparent blockbuster story today. It reports that a new study finds that Obamacare will increase the budget deficit, not decrease it, as the Congressional Budget Office has found:
BuzzFeed:
Paul Ryan Claims Secret Democratic Support — They'd come out for his budget but fear they'd “get killed. Ryan on Romney: An “earnest ... throwback to the '50s. Ryan with Romney on April 3. — (Getty Images / Scott Olson) — House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan told reporters in New York today …
Discussion:
The Brody File, American Prospect, Washington Monthly, Politico, Daily Kos, Weekly Standard, Hot Air, Indecision Forever, GOP 12, Mother Jones and Swampland
Jeffrey Lord / American Spectator:
Huckabee Show Opens With Staged Caller — Wow. — As we often say here: you just can't make it up. — Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee took his first phone call of his new talk radio call-in show yesterday. From “Mike in San Francisco.” Remember: the show is being positioned …
Discussion:
Politico, Mediaite, GOP 12 and Riehl World View
Amie Parnes / The Hill:
Obama makes case for ‘Buffett Rule,’ higher taxes on wealthy — BOCA RATON, Fla. — President Obama intensified his populist pitch Tuesday, aggressively making the case that the wealthiest Americans should pay more in taxes and taking Republicans to task for opposing the “Buffett Rule.”
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Josh Boak / Politico:
Buffett rule not solution to debt, W.H. says
Buffett rule not solution to debt, W.H. says
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, nation.foxnews.com, Associated Press, The Barrometer, Weekly Standard, The Lonely Conservative, Barack Obama, PERRspectives, Outside the Beltway, Democracy in America, Right Wing News, Daily Kos, New York Times, Michelle Malkin, Don Surber, GILL REPORT, Campaign 2012, BuzzFeed, Ezra Klein, CNN, The Huffington Post, Ballot Box and Reuters
John Cook / Gawker:
New York Times Reporter Blasts Boss In Email to 150 of His Best Friends — A few weeks ago, New York Times science and health reporter Don McNeil sent out a scathing email to colleagues attacking Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. for piloting a “ghost ship” and running off to the Himalayas …
Discussion:
New York Magazine and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »
Maureen O'Connor / Gawker:
‘I May Give Up Writing and Work as a Butler’: Interview with John Derbyshire — After publishing an article advising his children to avoid black people, writer John Derbyshire lost his column at uber-conservative magazine The National Review and weathered a firestorm of outrage this weekend.
Discussion:
The Atlantic Wire, rightwingwatch.org, The Spectacle Blog, First Draft, Vox Popoli and National Review
Paul Rolly / Salt Lake Tribune:
Newt Gingrich stiffs Utah — Five Republicans have filed the necessary papers and $500 fee to qualify for the June 26 Utah presidential primary election, but with Rick Santorum dropping out of the race Tuesday, only four will be on the ballot. — Or, make that possibly three.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress
Matt Stoller / Republic Report:
Corruption Responsible for 80% of Your Cell Phone Bill — Last year, a new company called Lightsquared promised an innovative business model that would dramatically lower cell phone costs and improve the quality of service, threatening the incumbent phone operators like AT&T and Verizon.
Discussion:
Suburban Guerrilla, US Politics and Crooks and Liars
Kate Zernike / New York Times:
Report Disputes Christie's Basis for Halting Tunnel — Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey exaggerated when he declared that unforeseen costs to the state were forcing him to cancel the new train tunnel planned to relieve congested routes across the Hudson River, according to a long-awaited report …
Jordan Michael Smith / Salon:
Bush aide blasts torture — Philip Zelikow tried to warn Bush on interrogations. Now he's penned an authoritative article on how he was ignored — The Bush administration hasn't heard the last from Philip Zelikow. After the rediscovery last week of his long lost 2006 anti-torture memo …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and Unqualified Offerings
Steven Ertelt / LifeNews.com:
Catholic Cardinal: A Sin to Cooperate With Obama Mandate — A leading Catholic cardinal at the Vatican has essentially said that complying the with Obama birth control mandate would have Catholics and Catholic organizations participating in sin. — The mandate compels religious employers …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit and Hot Air
Byron Tau / Politico:
Obama: I won't question my opponent's patriotism — President Obama said Tuesday that he was not prepared to question the patriotism or love of country of any of his political rivals — but that the 2012 contest was a contrast in visions of government. — “I'm a firm believer that whether you're …
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon
Rosie Gray / BuzzFeed:
How No One Broke The Santorum Dropout Story — The scoop belonged to no one, as the Bloomberg wire mis-credited a non-existent Washington Post story. True by accident! — Follow … Source: @srabil — The news that Rick Santorum was suspending his presidential campaign broke today …
Centers for Disease Control:
NCHS Data Brief — Number 89, April 2012 — Birth Rates for U.S. Teenagers Reach Historic Lows for All Age and Ethnic Groups — Brady E. Hamilton, Ph.D., and Stephanie J. Ventura, M.A. — Key findings — Data from the Natality Data File, National Vital Statistics System
Discussion:
Hit & Run, thechart.blogs.cnn.com, Economix, Ezra Klein and TheGazette