Top Items:
Robert D. McFadden / New York Times:
Edward Koch, Former Mayor of New York, Dies at 88 — Edward I. Koch, the master showman of City Hall, who parlayed shrewd political instincts and plenty of chutzpah into three tumultuous terms as mayor of New York with all the tenacity, zest and combativeness that personified his city of golden dreams, died Friday morning at age 88.
Discussion:
Gawker, Capital New York, Twitchy, Boing Boing, New York Sun, msnbc.com, Shakesville, The Week, The Reaction, Outside the Beltway, Algemeiner.com, Scared Monkeys, The Hill, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Fix, Taylor Marsh, Althouse, Discourse.net, Post Politics, Deadline.com, Capitol Confidential, The PJ Tatler, The Other McCain, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Runnin' Scared, Washington Wire and Conservatives4Palin, more at Mediagazer »
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Julie Moos / Poynter:
Ed Koch's grave marker is inscribed with journalist Daniel Pearl's last words — Former New York City mayor Ed Koch died Friday morning at the age of 88. He plans to be buried in Manhattan, the three-term mayor said in 2008. His headstone and a memorial bench, placed at Trinity Church Cemetery in 2009 …
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Joe. My. God., more at Mediagazer »
New York Times:
OBITUARIES: Last Word: Ed Koch
OBITUARIES: Last Word: Ed Koch
Discussion:
Capital New York, The Daily Dish, Taegan Goddard's …, Guardian, Weasel Zippers, Capitol Confidential and Gawker
Drew Brees / CBS News:
Schieffer: Hagel's nomination “may be in trouble” — (CBS News) White House officials told CBS' Major Garrett that they're disappointed with defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel's performance at his confirmation hearing before the Senate on Thursday. — One of the most damaging exchanges during …
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David Weigel / Slate:
The Hagel Vote: Counting to 51 or Counting to 60?
The Hagel Vote: Counting to 51 or Counting to 60?
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The Daily Caller
Jeremy Herb / The Hill:
Hagel delivers shaky performance
Hagel delivers shaky performance
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, The Other McCain, American Power, Shakesville, The Reaction, ABCNEWS, Hot Air, Twitchy and BuzzFeed
John Podhoretz / New York Post:
Hagel was so bad ... Chuck just stunk up Senate
Hagel was so bad ... Chuck just stunk up Senate
Discussion:
Right Turn, Weekly Standard, Betsy's Page, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Slate and Power Line
Justin Sink / The Hill:
Carney says Hagel ‘did fine’ in Senate confirmation hearing
Carney says Hagel ‘did fine’ in Senate confirmation hearing
Discussion:
Politico and Weasel Zippers
Dan Merica / CNN:
Opt out option expected for religious insurers who oppose contraceptives — Washington (CNN) — Religiously affiliated organizations will be able to opt out of providing their employees with insurance coverage for contraceptives under updates to an Obama administration mandate that the Department …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Weekly Standard, Business Insider, LifeNews.com, The Confluence and Hot Air
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Sarah Kliff / Wonkblog:
The White House's contraceptives compromise — The Obama administration proposed broader latitude Friday for religious nonprofits that object to the mandated coverage of contraceptives, one that will allow large faith-based hospitals and universities to issue plans that do not directly provide birth control coverage.
Discussion:
Hit & Run, The Maddow Blog and Say Anything
Politico:
Obama administration changes contraception rules — For the second time in a year, the Obama administration has backtracked on its requirement to make religious institutions pay for contraception. — A new policy announced Friday further expanded the exemption to Obamacare …
Discussion:
Washington Wire, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Feministing, The Daily Dish and OFR
Matt Cover / CNSNews:
IRS: Cheapest Obamacare Plan Will Be $20,000 Per Family — (CNSNews.com) - In a final regulation issued Wednesday, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) assumed that under Obamacare the cheapest health insurance plan available in 2016 for a family will cost $20,000 for the year.
Post Politics:
Scott Brown won't run for Senate — Former Massachusetts Republican senator Scott Brown will not run in the special election for outgoing Democratic Sen. John Kerry's seat, according to a Republican source familiar with his plans. Brown's decision means Kerry's seat is very likely to remain in Democratic hands.
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Boston Herald, Firedoglake, Daily Kos, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite and Viral Read
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Alexandra Jaffe / Ballot Box:
Scott Brown rules out another Senate bid in Massachusetts
Scott Brown rules out another Senate bid in Massachusetts
Discussion:
Boston Herald and Political Watch
Suzan Fraser / Associated Press:
POLICE: SUICIDE BOMBING AT US EMBASSY, 2 DEAD … ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A suspected suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the entrance of the U.S. Embassy in the Turkish capital on Friday, killing himself and one other person, officials said. — U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardione …
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BBC, Wired, The Jawa Report, rubber hose, The Gateway Pundit, The Heritage Foundation, Politico, americanthinker.com, Viral Read and Taylor Marsh
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Justin Sink / The Hill:
White House declares Turkish embassy suicide bombing ‘clearly an act of terror’
White House declares Turkish embassy suicide bombing ‘clearly an act of terror’
Discussion:
Politico
Energy.gov:
Letter from Secretary Steven Chu to Energy Department Employees Announcing His Decision Not to Serve a Second Term — U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu during an online town hall to discuss President Obama's clean energy and innovation agenda on January 11, 2011. Photo by Charles Watkins, Contractor, Energy Department
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Washington Wire, Wonkblog, New York Times, The Daily Caller, Twitchy and Post Politics
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Darius Dixon / Politico:
Energy Secretary Steven Chu to resign
Energy Secretary Steven Chu to resign
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, CNN and This Just In
Matthew Lee / Associated Press:
AP Interview: Clinton raps Benghazi critics — WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is leaving office with a slap at critics of the Obama administration's handling of the September attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya. She told The Associated Press that critics …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Daily Caller, Taylor Marsh, Jammie Wearing Fools and Twitchy
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Terence P. Jeffrey / CNSNews:
State Dept. Publicized Names, Photos of Stevens' Benghazi Security Detail Before 9/11/12 …
State Dept. Publicized Names, Photos of Stevens' Benghazi Security Detail Before 9/11/12 …
Discussion:
protein wisdom
Wall Street Journal:
Economy Adds 157,000 Jobs — WASHINGTON—The job market plodded along in January, signaling slow economic growth to start the year. — Employers added 157,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department said Friday. The unemployment rate, obtained by a separate survey of U.S. households …
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's … and americanthinker.com
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Catherine Rampell / New York Times:
U.S. Adds 157,000 Jobs; Jobless Rate Edges Up to 7.9%
U.S. Adds 157,000 Jobs; Jobless Rate Edges Up to 7.9%
Discussion:
Wonkblog, Economix, Quartz, Outside the Beltway, The Week, White House.gov Blog, AMERICAblog and Angry Bear
Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:
Hannity Explodes After Being Confronted By ThinkProgress About Previous Offer To Be Waterboarded For Charity — Fox News host Sean Hannity is so adamant that waterboarding is not torture that he once offered to be waterboarded at a charity event and donate the proceeds to soldiers' families.
Discussion:
Mediaite and NewsHounds blog
McAllister / Addicting Info:
Paranoid NRA Releases Enemy List - Are YOU On It? — Enemy lists...They go back as far as politics have been a part of our culture. Nixon, Joseph McCarthy, Pol Pot, Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, Saddam Hussein, and Generalissimo Francisco Franco, who is, we believe, still dead.
Lauren Weber / Wall Street Journal:
Americans Rip Up Retirement Plans — Nearly Two-Thirds of Those Between 45 and 60 Plan Delays, a Steep Rise From Two Years Ago — Matt Stern, 51, a former hedge-fund analyst, says he may have to rethink retirement. He had expected to be able to retire at 62. — The American workplace is about to get grayer.
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler and Via Meadia
New York Times:
Senator Has Long Ties to Donor Under Scrutiny — Dr. Salomon E. Melgen, a wealthy Florida eye surgeon, has always been happy to help out his friend, Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey. — He rushed to the senator's side when Mr. Menendez's mother died, flew him around on his private jet …
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Frank Newport / Gallup:
Alabama, North Dakota, Wyoming Most Conservative States — Americans slightly less conservative, slightly more liberal — PRINCETON, NJ — Alabama, North Dakota, and Wyoming were the most conservative states in the union in 2012, with between 49% and 50% of residents in each identifying their ideology as conservative.
Discussion:
Say Anything, Politico and Weasel Zippers
Josh Israel / ThinkProgress:
GOP Lawmaker Behind Abortion Ban: 'We're Not Going To Allow Minorities To Run Roughshod' … On Wednesday, the Arkansas Senate approved an unconstitutional bill to ban abortion as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. As The Nation's Lee Fang noted Friday, this is part of a larger strategy …
Discussion:
Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Balloon Juice