Top Items:
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Economy Unexpectedly Contracts in Fourth Quarter — Private-Sector Hiring Rose by 192,000 in January, ADP Reports — WASHINGTON—U.S. economic momentum screeched to a halt in the final months of 2012, as businesses pared back inventories and government spending fell sharply …
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U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis:
National Income and Product Accounts — Gross Domestic Product, 4th quarter and annual 2012 (advance estimate) — Real gross domestic product — the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States — decreased at an annual rate of .1 percent …
CNBC:
GDP Shows Surprise Drop for US in Fourth Quarter — The U.S. economy posted a stunning drop of 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter, defying expectations for slow growth and possibly providing incentive for more Federal Reserve stimulus. — The economy shrank from October through December …
Discussion:
Power Line, Politico, Firedoglake, Rush Limbaugh, NationalJournal.com, The Gateway Pundit and The PJ Tatler
Shobhana Chandra / Bloomberg:
Economy in U.S. Contracts as Defense Spending Slumps — The economy in the U.S. unexpectedly shrank in the fourth quarter, restrained by the biggest plunge in defense spending in four decades and dwindling inventory growth as household purchases picked up. — Gross domestic product …
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Right Turn, Business Insider and Booman Tribune
White House.gov Blog:
Advance Estimate of GDP for the Fourth Quarter of 2012
Advance Estimate of GDP for the Fourth Quarter of 2012
Discussion:
CNNMoney.com, The Gateway Pundit, Wonkblog, The PJ Tatler and The Demos Blog
Associated Press:
US economy shrinks 0.1 pct., first time in 3½ years; deep cut in defense spending key factor
US economy shrinks 0.1 pct., first time in 3½ years; deep cut in defense spending key factor
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and americanthinker.com
Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:
Dems Tout Claim: 'Best-Looking Contraction in U.S. GDP You'll Ever See'
Dems Tout Claim: 'Best-Looking Contraction in U.S. GDP You'll Ever See'
Discussion:
Ed Driscoll and Wonkblog
Jennifer Delgado / Chicago Tribune:
Girl who performed at Obama inaugural events slain on South Side — A 15-year-old girl who got the chance to perform in Washington for the President's inauguration was shot to death after leaving school yesterday. — After taking their exams Tuesday, Hadiya Pendleton and a group …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, msnbc.com, The Hinterland Gazette and CBS Chicago
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Todd Feurer / CBS Chicago:
15-Year-Old Girl Shot And Killed In Kenwood Neighborhood Park
15-Year-Old Girl Shot And Killed In Kenwood Neighborhood Park
Discussion:
Politico, The PJ Tatler, The Week, Gawker, The Raw Story and Blazing Cat Fur
Scott Clement / The Fix:
President Obama's popularity surges to three-year high — President Obama is riding a wave of personal popularity into his second term, with his highest favorability ratings since his first year in office, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. — Fully 60 percent of Americans …
Frank Phillips / Boston Globe:
William ‘Mo’ Cowan is Governor Deval Patrick's pick to serve as interim US senator — William “Mo” Cowan is Governor Deval Patrick's choice to serve as the interim US senator until the successor to John F. Kerry is chosen by the voters June 25, according to a source in the governor's office.
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First Read / NBCNews.com:
First Thoughts: Two pressure points to watch on immigration
First Thoughts: Two pressure points to watch on immigration
Discussion:
Associated Press, Roll Call, Talking Points Memo, First Read and Balloon Juice
Alexandra Jaffe / Ballot Box:
Mass. governor's former chief of staff to be appointed to Kerry's Senate seat
Mass. governor's former chief of staff to be appointed to Kerry's Senate seat
Discussion:
CNN
Arlette Saenz / ABCNEWS:
Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly vs Wayne LaPierre of NRA at Gun Violence Hearing — Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will testify at a Senate hearing on gun violence alongside her husband Mark Kelly Wednesday morning. — Testimony given by the former congresswoman, who was shot by a gunman …
Discussion:
Politico, CNN, Taylor Marsh, msnbc.com, Daily Kos, ABCNEWS, Pat Dollard and Reuters
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John Bresnahan / Reuters:
Gabrielle Giffords, Wayne LaPierre center stage at gun hearing
Gabrielle Giffords, Wayne LaPierre center stage at gun hearing
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, Politico and CNN
MiamiHerald.com:
FBI raids West Palm Beach office of doctor tied to U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez — The FBI raided the office of a South Florida eye doctor who last year was accused of providing prostitutes to longtime ally Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat. — MCAPUTO@MIAMIHERALD.COM
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Matthew Boyle / BREITBART.COM:
MENENDEZ EXITS PRESS CONFERENCE AMID PRESSURE OF ALLEGED PROSTITUTION SCANDAL
MENENDEZ EXITS PRESS CONFERENCE AMID PRESSURE OF ALLEGED PROSTITUTION SCANDAL
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, The Other McCain, Jammie Wearing Fools and Twitchy
Mackenzie Weinger / Politico:
Fox News ratings hit 12-year low — Fox News had its worst ratings since 2001 in January, according to the latest figures. — The network had a 12-year low in the coveted 25-54 demographic in primetime and fell to its lowest total day ratings since 2008, a press release from rival cable channel MSNBC stated on Tuesday.
Discussion:
NBC Universal, Taegan Goddard's … and The Week
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Emily Schultheis / Politico:
GOP electoral vote changes going nowhere — Republican proposals in swing states to change how electoral votes are allocated have set off alarms that the party is trying to rig future presidential elections. — But the plans are going nowhere fast. — In the majority of states …
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Benjy Sarlin / Talking Points Memo:
GOP's Electoral Vote Scheme Already On Life Support
GOP's Electoral Vote Scheme Already On Life Support
Discussion:
Associated Press, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Business Insider
Hayes Brown / ThinkProgress:
Graham Says ‘Clinton Got Away With Murder’ On Benghazi, Will Hold Hagel Unless Panetta Testifies — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is still searching for the silver bullet, that one piece of testimony that will prove once and for all that the Obama administration lied during the aftermath of the Benghazi attack.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Salon, Taylor Marsh, Firedoglake and Wonkette
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Erik Wemple:
MSNBC ‘reviewing’ Newtown ‘heckled’ video — Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy — MSNBC is reviewing its portrayal of the testimony of Neil Heslin, the father of a Sandy Hook victim, at a legislative hearing in Hartford on Monday.
Monica Davey / New York Times:
Strict Gun Laws in Chicago Can't Stem Fatal Shots — CHICAGO — Not a single gun shop can be found in this city because they are outlawed. Handguns were banned in Chicago for decades, too, until 2010, when the United States Supreme Court ruled that was going too far, leading city leaders …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, TheBlaze.com, Pirate's Cove, Betsy's Page and The Reality-Based Community
Jerusalem Post:
Israel strikes at Syria-Lebanon border, sources say — Alleged airstrike comes day after Lebanon reported three separate overflights by IAF jets; Israel increasingly concerned over fate of Syrian chemical weapons. — A western diplomat and three regional security sources said Wednesday …
Discussion:
The Back Channel, Israel Matzav, Hot Air, Israpundit, Pat Dollard, The PJ Tatler and Rubin Reports
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Myra MacDonald / Reuters:
Israel hits target in Syria border area: sources
Israel hits target in Syria border area: sources
Discussion:
The Back Channel, Business Insider and Weasel Zippers
Keoki Kerr / Hawaii News Now:
EXCLUSIVE: Actor Jim Nabors marries his longtime male partner — Jim Nabors, the Hawaii resident well known for his starring role in the 1960s television sitcom “Gomer Pyle, USMC,” married his longtime male partner early this month, he told Hawaii News Now Tuesday.
Discussion:
Advocate, Gossip Cop and Gawker
Erick Erickson / RedState:
I Don't Like Marco Rubio's Plan — There. I said it. — You'd be surprised how long it has taken to say this. I've let multiple friends vet the various drafts of posts I've written on this and they all wind up arguing with each other over the details. Is it amnesty or isn't it?
Discussion:
National Review, TheBlaze.com, Naked Politics, The Daily Caller, Rush Limbaugh and Washington Wire
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Reid declines to endorse Feinstein's assault-weapons ban — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday declined to voice support for Democratic legislation that would ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips. — Reid said he would bring gun-violence legislation …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Right Turn and americanthinker.com
Kevin Kiley / Inside Higher Ed:
North Carolina governor joins chorus of Republicans critical of liberal arts — By — North Carolinians might have seen this coming when they elected Patrick McCrory governor in November. He's a Republican and the second half of his name is “Rick,” and these days …
Discussion:
Unqualified Offerings
Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:
Deep spending cuts are likely, lawmakers say, with no deal on sequester in sight — Alex Wong/Getty Images - “I think [the cuts are] more likely to happen. And I'm ashamed of the Congress, I'm ashamed of the president, and I'm ashamed of being in this body, quite frankly,” said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham …
Discussion:
The Spectacle Blog, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Wire and Prairie Weather
Zeke Miller / BuzzFeed:
White House Blames GDP Drop On Republicans — “It's not a game — it's the American economy,” Carney scolds. — Press Secretary Jay Carney briefs reporters at the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. — Image by Charles Dharapak / AP — WASHINGTON — White House Press …