Top Items:
Jennifer Rubin / Right Turn:
Why was Michelle Obama at the Oscars? — It was the average too-long, unfunny, over-produced Academy Awards TV show and then, after suffering through the 10-hour (well, it seemed like it) show, there was the first lady. In a ball gown. With military service personnel in dress uniform behind her.
Discussion:
The Week, Booman Tribune, Post Politics, Hit & Run, TheBlaze.com, No More Mister Nice Blog and TMZ.com
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Gregg Kilday / Hollywood Reporter:
Harvey Weinstein Arranged Michelle Obama's Best Picture Oscars Surprise — The mogul and his daughter connected the Academy and the show's producers, who flew in secret to Washington, D.C., two weeks ago. — Michelle Obama presenting best picture from the White House? It was Harvey Weinstein's daughter's idea.
Discussion:
Mediaite, National Review, CNN, The Gateway Pundit and TheBlaze.com
Nikki Finke / Deadline.com:
Nikki Finke's Oscar Live-Snark: Four Hours Of Unfunny Seth MacFarlane; Unnecessary Michelle Obama; ‘Argo’ Wins Best Picture — I'm live-snarking the 85th Oscars for the outstanding film achievements of 2012 starting at 5:30 PM PT tonight. Comments will open when the show starts inside the Dolby Theatre.
Discussion:
Wonkette, Hit & Run, Taylor Marsh, Ed Driscoll, National Review, New York Times and Althouse
Dominic Patten / Deadline.com:
OSCARS: How Michelle Obama's Surprise Appearance Came Together - Video — UPDATED: The Golden Globes got Bill Clinton but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences got First Lady Michelle Obama tonight at the Oscars - in part thanks to Harvey Weinstein.
Discussion:
Althouse, TheBlaze.com, Roger L. Simon, Towleroad News #gay, Twitchy and New York Times
BuzzFeed:
Iranian News Agency Alters Image Of Michelle Obama
Iranian News Agency Alters Image Of Michelle Obama
Discussion:
Associated Press, ABCNEWS and National Review
Jason Rezaian / Washington Post:
Iranian media criticize Oscar win for ‘Argo’
Iranian media criticize Oscar win for ‘Argo’
Discussion:
ABCNEWS and Weasel Zippers
Jordan Zakarin / Hollywood Reporter:
Michelle Obama Makes Surprise Oscars Appearance, Reads Best Picture
Michelle Obama Makes Surprise Oscars Appearance, Reads Best Picture
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, Taylor Marsh, New Jersey Online, Inside Movies and alan.com
Washington Post:
White House releases state-by-state breakdown of sequester's effects — The White House on Sunday detailed how deep spending cuts set to begin this week would affect programs in every state and the District, as President Obama launched a last-ditch effort to pressure congressional Republicans …
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Wall Street Journal:
Fresh Front in Budget Battle — Congressional Leaders Discuss Deal to Avert Shutdown at Cost of Extending Cuts — Already looking past the current budget impasse gripping the capital, congressional leaders are quietly considering a deal to avert a government shutdown next month …
Discussion:
Hot Air
Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:
Sen. Warner: Public does not realize how ‘stupid’ sequester cuts are
Sen. Warner: Public does not realize how ‘stupid’ sequester cuts are
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Politico
David Nather / Politico:
GOP govs to Hill: Get back to bargaining table
GOP govs to Hill: Get back to bargaining table
Discussion:
The National Memo, Los Angeles Times, New York Times and First Read
New York Times:
Democrats and Republicans Miscalculate on Automatic Cuts — WASHINGTON — With Congress unlikely to stop deep automatic spending cuts that will strike hard at the military, the fiscal stalemate is highlighting a significant shift in the Republican Party: lawmakers most keenly dedicated …
Discussion:
Guardian, Right Turn, Real Clear Politics, Via Meadia, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Dish, Daily Kos, msnbc.com, National Review, AEIdeas and The Caucus
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Dan Mitchell / International Liberty:
Earth to New York Times: Please Show Us these “Deep Spending Cuts” You Keep Writing About
Earth to New York Times: Please Show Us these “Deep Spending Cuts” You Keep Writing About
Discussion:
Althouse
Julian Zelizer / CNN:
If spending is cut, GOP will get the blame
If spending is cut, GOP will get the blame
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, The Impolitic, The Agonist and The Reaction
Dean Baker / American Prospect:
Fix the Economy, Not the Deficit
Facebook:
The Onion · 2,265,644 like this — On behalf of The Onion, I offer my personal apology to Quvenzhané Wallis and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the tweet that was circulated last night during the Oscars. It was crude and offensive—not to mention inconsistent …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, Washington Post, Towleroad News #gay, Gawker, Mediaite and Guardian
The New York Times Company:
The New York Times Company Announces Plan to Rebrand the International Herald Tribune as the International New York Times — Company to Increase Investment in Editorial Resources for Multiplatform International Edition — The New York Times Company announced today that it plans to rebrand …
Discussion:
Politico
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Christine Haughney / New York Times:
Herald Tribune to Be Renamed The International New York Times
Herald Tribune to Be Renamed The International New York Times
Discussion:
Capital New York and Politico, more at Mediagazer »
Mike Riggs / Hit & Run:
White House Report Claims Sequestration Will Affect Federal Department That No Longer Exists — If you want a thorough agency-by-agency rundown of the budget cuts sequestration would deliver, the Office of Management and Budget has you covered. In compliance with The Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012 …
Discussion:
National Review
Jonathan Earle / Telegraph:
John Kerry invents country of Kyrzakhstan — John Kerry has suffered his first gaffe as the new US secretary of state, inventing the nation of ‘Kyrzakhstan’ — In an embarrassing slip of the tongue, Mr Kerry last week praised US diplomats working to secure “democratic institutions” in the Central Asian country, which does not exist.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit and American Thinker
Jonathan Martin / Politico:
Dems 2016: Will Hillary Clinton clear the field? — The ranks of Democratic governors are filled with ambitious politicians boasting records that would probably play well with primary voters in 2016. — But even as they eye a move from the statehouse to the White House …
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, The Other McCain and Shakesville
Shushannah Walshe / ABCNEWS:
Judd Makes Steps Toward Senate Bid — The beautiful movie star tries to take on Washington by defeating a powerful Republican leader. It's not a plot line, it's reality: The actress Ashley Judd is making moves to take on GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Discussion:
Associated Press and Post Politics
Ryan Lizza / New Yorker:
THE HOUSE OF PAIN … - DOUBLE TAKE - PHOTO BOOTH - DAILY SHOUTS - PAGE-TURNER - DAILY COMMENT - AMY DAVIDSON - JOHN CASSIDY - BOROWITZ - RICHARD BRODY
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Taegan Goddard's …, The Fix and Washington Examiner
Bill Mears / CNN:
Sotomayor slams controversial remarks by prosecutor — Washington (CNN) - Two members of the Supreme Court took the unusual step of speaking out over racially insensitive remarks by a federal prosecutor in a drug case, when rejecting review of the defendant's appeal.
Discussion:
SCOTUSblog and The Raw Story
Leslie Kaufman / New York Times:
Barnes & Noble Weighs Its E-Reader Investment — Even for a company with a lot of bad news lately, the bulletin from Barnes & Noble this month had an ominous feel. — Barnes & Noble, the nation's largest book chain, warned that when it reports fiscal 2013 third-quarter results on Thursday …
Discussion:
Quartz, DealBook, The Week, Mashable! and TechCrunch, more at Mediagazer »
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Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Austerity, Italian Style — Two months ago, when Mario Monti stepped down as Italy's prime minister, The Economist opined that “The coming election campaign will be, above all, a test of the maturity and realism of Italian voters.” The mature, realistic action, presumably …
Discussion:
Business Insider and Paul Krugman