Top Items:
Politico:
Chuck Hagel blocked: Harry Reid says he doesn't have the votes — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Thursday that Republicans have told him that they plan to block Chuck Hagel's nomination to be the next secretary of Defense over demands for more information from the White House.
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Steve Kornacki / Salon:
When Republicans play with fire — Just how unprecedented is their filibuster of Chuck Hagel? In a word: Very — Whether they'll cop to it or not, Republicans are currently engaged in a filibuster of Chuck Hagel's nomination to be Defense secretary. — Jim Inhofe, Oklahoma's conservative …
Discussion:
Slate, The Maddow Blog, The Dish, The Plum Line, Shakesville, JustOneMinute, The Hill, ABCNEWS, Post Politics and National Review
David Weigel / Slate:
“Friends of Hamas”: The Scary-Sounding Pro-Hagel Group That Doesn't Actually Exist — Palestinian high school students show off their skills during a graduation ceremony from a military school course organized by the Hamas security forces and the Hamas Minister of Education on January 24, 2013 in Gaza City.
Discussion:
The Week, The Dish, A plain blog about politics, The Maddow Blog, Mother Jones, Little Green Footballs and Daily Kos
Washington Post:
Senate Democrats to force vote to end debate on Hagel nomination — Senate Democrats are forcing a vote Thursday afternoon to end debate on the nomination of Chuck Hagel to serve as secretary of defense, bringing to a head a showdown over the nomination of the former Republican senator despite strong GOP objections.
Discussion:
DownWithTyranny!, Taking Note, The Lonely Conservative, The Plum Line, The Mahablog, LewRockwell.com Blog and The Week
Fred Kaplan / Slate:
Why Republicans Can No Longer Be Trusted on National Security — Because their leaders have become shallow, ignorant, and totally unserious on the issue that matters most. — It's been clear, at least since the 2012 election, that the Republican Party has abrogated its role—really …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Taylor Marsh, American Prospect, Booman Tribune and Politico
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Why Republicans are filibustering Chuck Hagel — Senate Republicans have decided — against the Fix's counsel! — to require Chuck Hagel to get 60 votes in order to be confirmed as the next Secretary of Defense. — (There is a fair amount of legislative gobbledygook, which we explained here …
Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:
McCain Satisfied With WH Benghazi Response, Ready To Press On With Hagel Vote
McCain Satisfied With WH Benghazi Response, Ready To Press On With Hagel Vote
Discussion:
msnbc.com, CNN and The Impolitic
Fox News:
Republicans vow to go to war with filibuster over Hagel
Republicans vow to go to war with filibuster over Hagel
Discussion:
Fox News Insider and The Right Scoop
Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
G.O.P. Senators Block Vote on Defense Post for Hagel
G.O.P. Senators Block Vote on Defense Post for Hagel
Discussion:
dotCommonweal, Weasel Zippers, NewsBusters, Outside the Beltway and The Reaction
Justin Sink / The Hill:
White House endorses Senate sequester plan, urges House Republicans to act
White House endorses Senate sequester plan, urges House Republicans to act
Discussion:
Politico
Ian Swanson / The Hill:
Senate Republicans block Hagel nomination for Defense secretary
Senate Republicans block Hagel nomination for Defense secretary
Discussion:
Politico, Israel Matzav and Flopping Aces
Jennifer Rubin / Right Turn:
Friday showdown on Hagel
Friday showdown on Hagel
Discussion:
The Reaction, The Agonist, U.S. Senator Susan Collins and Associated Press
Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Republicans Mounting Filibuster Against Chuck Hagel: Harry Reid [UPDATE]
Republicans Mounting Filibuster Against Chuck Hagel: Harry Reid [UPDATE]
Discussion:
Daily Kos, American Prospect and The Maddow Blog
Ramsey Cox / The Hill:
Dems lack 60 votes in Senate to confirm Hagel as Defense secretary
Dems lack 60 votes in Senate to confirm Hagel as Defense secretary
Discussion:
NPR, Foreign Policy, Weasel Zippers and Michelle Malkin
Ian Swanson / The Hill:
Senate Dems unveil $110B sequester-replacement bill — Senate Democratic leaders unveiled a $110 billion sequester-replacement bill at a closed-door caucus meeting Thursday that would replace $85 billion in automatic spending cuts set for March 1. — The Senate Democratic package …
Discussion:
The Heritage Foundation
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Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Sequester Cuts: Senate Democrats Settle On Replacement Plan
Sequester Cuts: Senate Democrats Settle On Replacement Plan
Discussion:
Daily Kos
Russell Berman / The Hill:
Boehner challenges Senate Dems to take lead, pass Obama second-term agenda
Boehner challenges Senate Dems to take lead, pass Obama second-term agenda
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, Post Politics, BuzzFeed, Politico, The Plum Line, Speaker Mobile and National Review
David Corn / Mother Jones:
FreedomWorks Made Video of Fake Giant Panda Having Sex With Fake Hillary Clinton — The investigation at the influential tea party group could get weird. — An internal investigation of FreedomWorks—the prominent conservative advocacy group and super-PAC—has focused on president Matt Kibbe's management …
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Kevin Robillard / Politico:
Report: FreedomWorks made fake Hillary Clinton sex video
Report: FreedomWorks made fake Hillary Clinton sex video
Discussion:
The Other McCain, Crooks and Liars and The Week
Robert Draper / New York Times:
Can the Republicans be Saved From Obsolescence? — One afternoon last month, I paid a visit to two young Republicans named Bret Jacobson and Ian Spencer, who work in a small office in Arlington, Va., situated above an antique store and adjacent to a Japanese auto shop.
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Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:
The Cool Kids of the GOP Show the Christian Right the Door
The Cool Kids of the GOP Show the Christian Right the Door
Discussion:
Mother Jones and The Mahablog
John M. Broder / Wheels:
That Tesla Data: What It Says and What It Doesn't — The Model S at the Tesla Supercharger in the Interstate 95 service plaza in Milford, Conn. — Elon Musk , the chief executive of Tesla Motors, has now responded in detail to the account of my test drive of his Model S electric car …
Discussion:
Wired, The Daily Caller, Brad DeLong and TechCrunch, more at Mediagazer »
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Elon Musk / Tesla Motors:
A Most Peculiar Test Drive
A Most Peculiar Test Drive
Discussion:
The Atlantic Wire, Wired, New York Times, TechCrunch, Wonkblog, Guardian, Gawker, Talking Points Memo, Brad DeLong, Balloon Juice, Mashable! and The Verge, more at Mediagazer »
Matt Friedman / New Jersey Online:
Lautenberg will not seek re-election next year — Photos: Senator Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey — TRENTON — U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a pugnacious and plain-spoken Democrat who has represented New Jersey for three decades, will not seek re-election to a sixth term next year.
Discussion:
Roll Call, Truthdig, BuzzFeed, LifeNews.com, Daily Kos, Firedoglake, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite, The Maddow Blog, Post Politics and ViralRead
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Michael Tabb / Student Life:
Nate Silver talks politics to filled Graham Chapel — New York Times writer and statistician Nate Silver told a full Graham Chapel audience that he might stop writing his renowned blog should his analyses ever start affecting election results. — Silver spent an hour minimizing his achievements …
Discussion:
AMERICAblog, Outside the Beltway, The Daily Caller and Politico, more at Mediagazer »
Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:
Missouri Democrats Introduce Legislation to Confiscate Firearms - Gives Gun Owners 90 Days to Turn in Weapons — Missouri Democrats introduced an anti-gun bill which would turn law-abiding firearm owners into criminals. They will have 90 days to turn in their guns if the legislation is passed.
Discussion:
The Dana Show, Doug Ross, No More Mister Nice Blog, Weasel Zippers, protein wisdom, The Right Scoop and The PJ Tatler
Reid J. Epstein / Politico:
Obama meets 47% video guy — DECATUR, Ga. — President Obama on Thursday met the man who made “47 percent” part of Mitt Romney's legacy. — Obama and opposition researcher James Carter, who released the infamous Romney fundraiser video, met backstage before Obama's education event here …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
Hagel Spoke Of Cooperation With Iran In 2007 Speech — According to the Free Beacon Hagel allegedly said during the Q&A after the speech the State Department was adjunct to the Israeli Foreign Minister's office. The prepared text accessed via a Nexis search of press releases …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, American Spectator, The PJ Tatler, Weasel Zippers and Washington Free Beacon
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Alana Goodman / Washington Free Beacon:
Report: Hagel Said State Department Controlled by Israel
Report: Hagel Said State Department Controlled by Israel
Discussion:
First Read, Roll Call, BREITBART.COM, Politico, Right Turn, Weasel Zippers, Power Line, National Review, Prairie Weather, The PJ Tatler and Israel Matzav
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Obama favors sacking the expensive penny — President Obama on Thursday said he supports eliminating pennies, but that it's unlikely to happen because it's so low on the list of congressional priorities. — In a Google Plus “Hangout,” Obama was asked why the U.S. Treasury continues …
Discussion:
CNN
Godfrey Hodgson / Guardian:
Ronald Dworkin obituary — Brilliant philosopher of law who put human dignity at the centre of his moral system — Ronald Dworkin, who has died aged 81, was widely respected as the most original and powerful philosopher of law in the English-speaking world.
Discussion:
Crooked Timber and Althouse
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