Top Items:

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 …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Wonkblog, The Gateway Pundit, Right Turn, Post Politics, The Fix, Taylor Marsh, Connecting.the.Dots, Hot Air, Calculated Risk and alan.com
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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

Sen. Warner: Public does not realize how ‘stupid’ sequester cuts are — Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) on Monday expressed frustration over the $85 billion in sequester cuts slated to take effect on Friday, warning the cuts could compound the nation's fiscal problems.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Politico

Scott Walker sees little Wisconsin impact from federal cuts
Discussion:
NBCNews.com and Taegan Goddard's …

Obama tells nation's governors: 'We've got more work to do'
Discussion:
Politico

Dim sequestration outlook: Cuts before compromise
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Los Angeles Times and First Read


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:
Hit & Run, National Review, Ed Driscoll and Althouse
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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:
Roger L. Simon, Towleroad News #gay, Althouse and New York Times


Harvey Weinstein Arranged Michelle Obama's Best Picture Oscars Surprise
Discussion:
CNN, Mediaite and TheBlaze.com

Why was Michelle Obama at the Oscars?
Discussion:
TheBlaze.com, Hit & Run and TMZ.com

Michelle Obama Makes Surprise Oscars Appearance, Reads Best Picture
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Taylor Marsh, New Jersey Online, Inside Movies and alan.com

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:
The Dish, Daily Kos, Real Clear Politics, msnbc.com, No More Mister Nice Blog, AEIdeas and The Caucus
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If spending is cut, GOP will get the blame
Discussion:
The Agonist and The Reaction


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


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:
The Other McCain and Shakesville


Cardinal Keith O'Brien resigns as Archbishop — Cardinal Keith O'Brien was to be Britain's only representative at the papal vote — Britain's most senior Roman Catholic cleric, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, is stepping down as the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh.
Discussion:
Joe. My. God., WFPL, NBCNews.com and Guardian
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Pope accepts Cardinal O'Brien's resignation
Discussion:
Guardian and New York Times

Gibbs: I was ordered not to acknowledge drone program existed — Former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Sunday that he and other administration spokesmen often seem evasive about the government's drone program because they are told not to acknowledge the secret strikes.
Discussion:
Politico
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Gibbs: I was told not to acknowledge existence of drone program
Discussion:
AL.com and Hullabaloo

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


Long-time escort confirms Senator Bob Menendez paid her for sex — A professional escort who travels the East Coast seeing clients in cities from Miami to Boston has identified a photo of Senator Bob Menendez as a man who paid her for sex. The woman, in her late 30s, told The Daily Caller prior …
Discussion:
New Jersey Online, NorthJersey.com, his vorpal sword, Weasel Zippers and The Other McCain


THE HOUSE OF PAIN … - DOUBLE TAKE - PHOTO BOOTH - DAILY SHOUTS - PAGE-TURNER - DAILY COMMENT - AMY DAVIDSON - JOHN CASSIDY - BOROWITZ - RICHARD BRODY
Discussion:
Washington Examiner

The GOP revival must go beyond joining Twitter — There seems to be a desire to blame Republicans' electoral difficulties and the Romney campaign's loss on technological failings. I wish this were the problem, because it would be relatively easy to fix. But it's not.
Discussion:
Power Line, Towleroad News #gay, The Maddow Blog and msnbc.com

Rick Perry will speak at CPAC — Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) will speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference, the annual gathering of top Republican rising stars. — This will be the first time Perry has stepped onto the national stage since his 2012 presidential campaign flamed out after a series of missteps and gaffes.
Discussion:
CNN