Top Items:
Jon Gillooly / mdjonline.com:
Gingrey speaks out on the issue of ‘legitimate rape’ and guns — SMYRNA — U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Marietta) tackled such sensitive topics as gun reform, abortion and rape during the Smyrna Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce breakfast which took place Thursday at the Smyrna Community Center.
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Evan McMorris-Santoro / Talking Points Memo:
GOP Rep: Todd Akin ‘Partly Right’ On Legitimate Rape — “Legitimate rape” is back. Just a couple months after former Rep. Todd Akin's (R-MO) famous use of the phrase helped contribute to a double-digit loss in the 2012 Missouri Senate race, a Republican congressman and medical doctor …
Discussion:
AMERICAblog, Little Green Footballs, Taegan Goddard's …, Mother Jones, Daily Kos, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and Hullabaloo
Jgalloway / Political Insider:
Your daily jolt: Gingrey open to limits on mag clips, says Todd Akin was ‘partly right’ — Schmoozing with constituents in Smyrna on Thursday, U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Marietta, had already made news when he said that he was open to some new restrictions on firearms.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Gawker, Post Politics and The Hinterland Gazette
Kevin Cirilli / Politico:
Phil Gingrey: Todd Akin ‘partly right’ on rape
Phil Gingrey: Todd Akin ‘partly right’ on rape
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Coins Against Crazies — So, have you heard the one about the trillion-dollar coin? It may sound like a joke. But if we aren't ready to mint that coin or take some equivalent action, the joke will be on us — and a very sick joke it will be, too. — Let's talk for a minute …
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Rep. Jerrold Nadler / Economy & Budget:
The debt ceiling must go — Here is a stubbornly well-kept secret: the debt ceiling is arbitrary, doesn't affect the deficit, and serves no real function in keeping spending down. In addition, it has recently become a cudgel which extremist Republican legislators use to beat the rest of us into submitting to political blackmail.
Discussion:
PostPartisan, Washington Examiner and National Republican …
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Top Senate Dems to White House: If you unilaterally raise debt ceiling, we've got your back — In a move that will significantly ratchet up the brinksmanship around the debt ceiling, the four members of the Senate Democratic leadership are privately telling the White House …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Business Insider, The Maddow Blog and Eschaton
KPTV-TV:
Men armed with rifles walk through Portland to ‘educate’ — Two men carrying assault rifles on their backs said they were simply exercising their Second Amendment right, but police said they scared plenty of people. — Calls started coming in to 911 dispatchers shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, The Impolitic, Gawker, Wake up America, Shakesville, The Agonist and Rumproast
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David Edwards / The Raw Story:
Portland residents panic as men armed with assault weapons ‘educate’ the city
Portland residents panic as men armed with assault weapons ‘educate’ the city
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Balloon Juice
Justin Sink / The Hill:
Biden: ‘No silver bullet’ to stop gun violence — The vice president downplayed harsh criticism the National Rifle Association has made about the administration's gun violence task force. — Vice President Biden said Friday that his task force on gun violence recognized there was …
Discussion:
Politico and Weasel Zippers
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Washington Post:
Biden gun task force must not overreach
Biden gun task force must not overreach
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org, Daily Kos, Hit & Run, msnbc.com and The Fix
Kimberley A. Strassel / Wall Street Journal:
Strassel: The Real Gun-Control Consensus
Strassel: The Real Gun-Control Consensus
Discussion:
American Power
BBC:
France confirms Mali intervention — President Francois Hollande says French troops are taking part in operations against Islamists in northern Mali. — French troops “have brought support to the Malian army to fight against the terrorists”, Mr Hollande said.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', National Review and The Agonist
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Anemona Hartocollis / New York Times:
New York City to Restrict Prescription Painkillers in Public Hospitals' Emergency Rooms — Some of the most common and most powerful prescription painkillers on the market will be restricted sharply in the emergency rooms at New York City's 11 public hospitals, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg …
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, Gothamist, Infowars and Vodkapundit
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Colin Campbell / Politicker:
Bloomberg Slaps Down Criticism of Painkiller Restriction Plan
Bloomberg Slaps Down Criticism of Painkiller Restriction Plan
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Spectacle Blog and National Review
William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:
David Gregory will not be prosecuted — Just released by D.C. Attorney General there will be no prosecution of David Gregory despite a finding that there was a clear violation of the law (emphasis mine): … D.C. Attorney General Letter Declining to Prosecute David Gregory
Discussion:
Hot Air, Mediaite, The Daily Caller and Washington Times
Evan McMorris-Santoro / Talking Points Memo:
Gun Appreciation Day Leader: If Blacks Had Guns, They Would Not Have Been Slaves — Larry Ward, chairman of the national Gun Appreciation Day gun rights advocates have planned for the weekend of President Obama's second inauguration, told CNN Friday that there never would have been slaves in America if black people had guns.
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, Wonkette and The National Memo
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David Edwards / The Raw Story:
‘Gun Appreciation Day’ chairman: Slavery wouldn't have happened if slaves were armed
‘Gun Appreciation Day’ chairman: Slavery wouldn't have happened if slaves were armed
Discussion:
Colorlines and p m carpenter's commentary
Jim DeMint / Washington Post:
Conservative ideas need a new message — Jim DeMint represented South Carolina in the Senate from 2005 to 2013 and in the House from 1999 to 2005. — The U.S. Senate reached an all-time low — a hard mark to achieve — last week as I said my goodbyes to rejoin the real world.
The White House:
Joint Statement by President Obama and President Karzai — At the invitation of President Obama, President Karzai and his delegation visited Washington January 8-11, 2013. President Karzai's visit comes at an important juncture for both our nations, as we take steps to further strengthen …
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, Lawfare, Twitchy and New York Times
RELATED:
Devin Dwyer / ABCNEWS:
Obama, Karzai Say US to End Combat Operations in Afghanistan This Spring
Obama, Karzai Say US to End Combat Operations in Afghanistan This Spring
Discussion:
Politico
Brian Beutler / Talking Points Memo:
The Wild Origins Of The Trillion Dollar Platinum Coin — Political elites won't shut up about the trillion dollar platinum coin. — For over a week now, pundits and power brokers — including members of Congress, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, a former director of the Congressional Budget Office …
Discussion:
Business Insider, CANNONFIRE, correntewire.com, JustOneMinute, Wired and New York Times
Michael Warren / Weekly Standard:
Mark Sanford Will Run for Congress — Mark Sanford, the former governor of South Carolina, will run for the House of Representatives, sources close to Sanford confirm. He will try to win election to the seat formerly held by Tim Scott. — Sanford, a Republican who held the House seat himself …
Discussion:
Ballot Box
Alec MacGillis / The New Republic:
The Washington Post's Confused Anti-Hagel Crusade — On December 18, the Washington Post editorial board penned an unusually forceful broadside declaring that Chuck Hagel was “not the right choice” to be secretary of defense. The chief reason, the board wrote, was that Hagel's views …
Discussion:
Washington Post and National Review
The White House:
President Obama to Award Medal of Honor — On February 11, 2013, President Barack Obama will award Clinton Romesha, a former active duty Army Staff Sergeant, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry. — Staff Sergeant Romesha will receive the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice and Post Politics
WCTI-TV:
Lesbian couple: Restaurant owner hands them letter condemning homosexuality — NEW BERN - — A lesbian couple said an owner of a restaurant handed them a letter condemning homosexuality as they were walking out of the building. — Ariel and Shawnee McPhail said they went into The Stingray Café …
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, Good As You, The Raw Story, Towleroad News #gay and Gawker
John Bresnahan / Politico:
West Virginia Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller won't run in 2014 — Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller will not run for reelection in 2014, passing up a bid for a sixth term and putting in play a Senate seat in deep red West Virginia. — In an interview with POLITICO, Rockefeller …
Frank Newport / Gallup:
Congress Begins 2013 With 14% Approval — Average approval for 2012 is lowest in history — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans give Congress a 14% job approval rating as the new year begins, the lowest since September of last year and down from 18% in November and December. The disapproval rating for Congress is 81%.
Discussion:
Politico, The Political Carnival and AEIdeas