Top Items:
Mike Dorning / Bloomberg:
Obama Rated at 3-Year High in Poll, Republicans at Bottom — President Barack Obama enters the latest budget showdown with Congress with his highest job- approval rating in three years and public support for his economic message, while his Republican opponents' popularity stands at a record low.
Discussion:
Business Insider, Taegan Goddard's …, Politico, The Hill, The National Memo, Shakesville, Prairie Weather, The Reaction, Daily Kos, The Moderate Voice and alan.com
RELATED:
Numbers / Pew Research Center for the People …:
If No Deal is Struck, Four-in-Ten Say Let the Sequester Happen — Deficit Reduction: Focus Mostly on Spending But Keep Taxes in Mix — OVERVIEW — After a series of fiscal crises over the past few years, the public is not expressing a particular sense of urgency over the pending March 1 sequester deadline.
USA Today:
On issues, public is more aligned with Obama than GOP — SETTING A NATIONAL AGENDA: WHAT NEEDS TO GET DONE THIS YEAR? — In a USA TODAY/Pew Research Center Poll, Americans were asked how urgent it was for President Obama and Congress to pass major legislation on some top issues this year.
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, The National Memo, Taylor Marsh and Balloon Juice
Steve Benen / msnbc.com:
Americans aren't buying what GOP is selling — A new Bloomberg National Poll shows President Obama's approval rating reaching a three-year high and public approval of Republicans reaching a three-year low. The same poll found that a plurality of Americans blame the congressional GOP, not Democrats, for “what's wrong in Washington.”
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, The Plum Line, The Hinterland Gazette, The Week, Daily Kos, Booman Tribune, American Prospect and The Maddow Blog
Brian Beutler / Talking Points Memo:
Republicans Coalesce Around Clever Plan To Make Looming Spending Cuts Much Less Draconian — The GOP's emerging legislative fix to the sequester is both counterintuitive and clever. But it probably won't force Democrats to abandon their insistence that the coming automatic cuts be replaced in part by new revenue.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, National Review and nation.foxnews.com
John Stanton / BuzzFeed:
Ed Markey Compares Campaign Finance Ruling To Decision Upholding Slavery — “The Dred Scott decision had to be repealed, we have to repeal Citizens United,” Massachusetts Democrat says days after meeting with black clergy. — Image by Josh Reynolds / AP — WASHINGTON — Rep. Ed Markey …
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Alexandra Jaffe / Ballot Box:
Rep. Markey compares campaign finance ruling to Dred Scott decision on slavery
T.W. Farnam / Washington Post:
McCutcheon case could give Citizens United a run for its money in Supreme Court
McCutcheon case could give Citizens United a run for its money in Supreme Court
Discussion:
The Fix and PostPartisan
Talking Points Memo:
McCain Jeered At Town Hall After Opposing Mass Deportation — Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) got an earful from his constituents in his home state while defending his bipartisan immigration plan at a town hall. — According to the Associated Press, an “angry crowd” reacted negatively as McCain described …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars and Post Politics
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Rachelle Younglai / Reuters:
Majority of U.S. citizens say illegal immigrants should be deported
Majority of U.S. citizens say illegal immigrants should be deported
Discussion:
Boston Herald, NBC Latino, The Daily Caller, Shakesville, Weasel Zippers, Right Wing News and American Power
Jason Horowitz / Washington Post:
Republican senator John McCain is still raising questions and hackles
Republican senator John McCain is still raising questions and hackles
Discussion:
The Fix, Althouse and Booman Tribune
Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:
Sen. Cruz: Obama trying to ‘scuttle’ immigration reform
Sen. Cruz: Obama trying to ‘scuttle’ immigration reform
Discussion:
Politico and Trail Blazers Blog
CNN:
Laura Bush: Take me out of pro-gay marriage ad — (CNN) - Former first lady Laura Bush, who is one of three prominent Republicans featured in a new ad supporting same-sex marriage, has asked the spot's creator to remove a clip of her espousing support for equal marriage rights.
Discussion:
The Hill
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Eric Fleischauer / Decatur Daily:
Sen. Shelby: budget cuts ‘draconian’ — HARTSELLE — U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby said automatic budget cuts scheduled to take effect March 1 are “draconian” but don't reduce spending enough. — The Tuscaloosa Republican voted against the 2011 deal designed to resolve a debate over whether Congress …
Discussion:
Post Politics
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Luke Johnson / The Huffington Post:
Richard Shelby Plans To Vote For Chuck Hagel Confirmation
Richard Shelby Plans To Vote For Chuck Hagel Confirmation
Discussion:
Right Turn, Post Politics and Daily Kos
Quinnipiac News + Events:
Release Detail — February 21, 2013 - Donor Controversy Takes Toll On NJ Senator, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Booker Tops Rivera 2-1 In 2014 Senate Race — New Jersey voters disapprove 41 - 36 percent of the job U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez is doing, a 15-point drop in less than a month …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Politico, The Hill, Hot Air, NBC Latino and Capital New York
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Kevin Liptak / CNN:
Poll: Menendez allegations take toll; Geraldo unpopular
Poll: Menendez allegations take toll; Geraldo unpopular
Discussion:
The Rightnewz, Politico and The Gateway Pundit
Steven Nelson / US News:
Joe Biden's Shotgun Advice Could Land Jill Biden in Jail — Felony aggravated menacing, reckless endangering charges could result from shooting gun in air — Vice President Joe Biden might want to have a talk with his son, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, before he makes another public statement about guns.
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Weasel Zippers, Sense of Events and National Review
Kevin Liptak / CNN:
Rand Paul returns more money to Treasury — (CNN) - Sen. Rand Paul cut another six-figure check to the United States Treasury Wednesday, taking the money he said he didn't need from his office's budget to make a tiny dent in the nation's massive federal debt.
Discussion:
The Hill
Glenn Thrush / Politico:
John Kerry: The un-Hillary Clinton — John Kerry is no Hillary Clinton — and he's OK with that. — In the three weeks since Kerry succeeded Clinton as secretary of state, he's already sent unmistakable signals of his independence with a more assertive, proactive and risk-taking stewardship …
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh
Fox News:
South Africa names new head in Pistorius' murder investigation; previous investigator faces reinstated attempted murder charges — Prosecutors reinstated attempted murder charges against a policeman leading the murder investigation into Olympian Oscar Pistorius, in the latest twist in a case …
RELATED:
Jim DeMint / Politico:
DeMint to Cruz critics: Cork it — Imagine a new senator who ran a campaign of “no more business as usual.” No more special interest politics, no more backroom deals — and he won. He came to Washington, and he delivered. He didn't stay quiet, he spoke passionately for what he believed in …
Discussion:
CNN, The Atlantic Online, Trail Blazers Blog, First Read, msnbc.com and The Heritage Foundation
Diane Webber / capsules.kaiserhealthnews.org:
Waiver In Hand, Florida's Rick Scott Backs Medicaid Expansion — Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced Wednesday that he would back expansion of the Medicaid program under the federal health law. At a hastily-called press conference, Scott, a Republican, said he supported expanding Medicaid for three years …
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Maddow Blog, Tampa Bay Times, msnbc.com and Hit & Run
RELATED:
Erick Erickson / RedState:
I Am Very Disappointed in Governor Rick Scott
I Am Very Disappointed in Governor Rick Scott
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Orlando Sentinel, Bloomberg, Taylor Marsh, New York Times, Tampa Bay Times, The Raw Story, Hot Air and The Hill
David Welna / NPR:
Meet The Virginian Shaping The House GOP's Immigration Plan … Comprehensive immigration reform seems to top everyone's legislative wish list this year, and bills are already taking shape in the White House and the Democratic-led Senate. — A bipartisan group of senators recently laid …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and The Hill
Olivier Knox / Yahoo! News:
Drones have killed 4,700, U.S. senator says — Just how many people have America's drones killed? Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has put the death toll at 4,700—the first time an American official has publicly put a figure on the impact of strikes by unmanned aerial vehicles.
Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:
Opponents Of Proposition 8 Tell Supreme Court To Allow Gay Couples To Marry — “The only substantive question in this case is whether the State is entitled to exclude gay men and lesbians from the institution of marriage and deprive their relationships—their love—of the respect …
Discussion:
Joe. My. God.