Top Items:
Laura Leslie / @NCCapitol:
Proposal would allow state religion in North Carolina — A bill filed by Republican lawmakers would allow the state to declare an official religion, in violation of the Establishment Clause of the US Bill of Rights, and seeks to nullify any federal ruling against Christian prayer by public bodies in North Carolina.
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John Celock / The Huffington Post:
North Carolina May Declare Official State Religion Under New Bill — Republican North Carolina state legislators have proposed allowing an official state religion in a measure that would declare the state exempt from the Constitution and court rulings. — The bill, filed Monday …
Discussion:
The Week, The Hinterland Gazette, Outside the Beltway, @NCCapitol and The New Civil Rights Movement
Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:
Eleven North Carolina Republicans Sponsor Resolution Saying Their State Can Ignore The Constitution
Nathan Hardin / Salisbury Post:
Lawmakers file Rowan County Defense of Religion Act
Lawmakers file Rowan County Defense of Religion Act
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
GOP frets Mark Sanford could blow it — Mark Sanford won over primary voters Tuesday night, but national Republicans aren't celebrating: Many privately concede the former governor could hand a safe Republican seat to Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch. — The affair that sent Sanford's …
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Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:
DCCC seeks to tie Sanford to other Republicans — The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is seeking to tie former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) to other House Republicans, pushing them to say whether or not they back the House nominee's campaign to return to Congress after his fall from grace.
Discussion:
American Spectator, Politico and CNN
David Taintor / Talking Points Memo:
Mark Sanford: Stephen Colbert Isn't On The Ticket
Mark Sanford: Stephen Colbert Isn't On The Ticket
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's … and Politico
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:
Appalachian Trail to Comeback Trail?
Appalachian Trail to Comeback Trail?
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, Associated Press, The Raw Story and FITSNews
Kevin Robillard / Politico:
Mark Sanford: Stephen Colbert not running
Mark Sanford: Stephen Colbert not running
Discussion:
Ballot Box and Daily Kos
Don Van Natta Jr / ESPN:
Video shows Mike Rice's ire — NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — In several dozen hours of video of Rutgers men's basketball practices obtained by “Outside the Lines,” coach Mike Rice is seen hurling basketballs from close range at his players' heads, legs and feet; shoving and grabbing his players …
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ESPN:
Rutgers fires coach Mike Rice — PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Rutgers fired basketball coach Mike Rice on Wednesday after a videotape aired showing him shoving, grabbing and throwing balls at players and using gay slurs during practice. — The videotape, broadcast Tuesday on ESPN's “Outside the Lines …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, New York Times, GLAAD, Deadline.com and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Scott Gleeson / USA Today:
Rutgers fires coach Mike Rice, more actions ahead?
Rutgers fires coach Mike Rice, more actions ahead?
Discussion:
New York Post, The Moderate Voice and Joe. My. God.
Washington Post:
Q: Do you support or oppose a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants? — This poll was conducted for The Washington Post and ABC News by telephone March 27 to 30, 2013 among a random national sample of 1,014 adults, including users of both conventional and cellular phones.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Plum Line, American Prospect, Daily Kos and National Review
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Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
The Morning Plum: Republicans increasingly isolated on many major issues — One thing that remains striking about our politics right now is the degree to which public opinion among Republicans is increasingly isolated and drifting away from the rest of the electorate.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, Ballot Box and Booman Tribune
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Why a ‘path to citizenship’ remains politically perilous for Republicans
Why a ‘path to citizenship’ remains politically perilous for Republicans
Discussion:
Post Politics, NationalJournal.com, Ballot Box and Taegan Goddard's …
Brad Plumer / Wonkblog:
The case for expanding Social Security, not cutting it — Nowadays, whenever Social Security comes up in policy debates around Washington, the discussion often focuses on how best to cut benefits in order to shore up the program's finances. — Time for an expansion?
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Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:
NAF Proposes Big Expansion of Social Security — It's time for liberals to fight back on Social Security! Today, the New America Foundation released a plan that not only declines to endorse any kind of compromise on Social Security that would cut benefits, but proposes that we add a brand new benefit:
Discussion:
susiemadrak.com, Hullabaloo and The Great Debate
Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:
Obama administration pushes banks to make home loans to people with weaker credit — The Obama administration is engaged in a broad push to make more home loans available to people with weaker credit, an effort that officials say will help power the economic recovery but that skeptics …
David Brooks / New York Times:
Freedom Loses One — I don't think we've paused sufficiently to celebrate the wonderful recent defeat for the cause of personal freedom. After all, these sorts of defeats don't happen every day. — Over the past 40 years, personal freedom has been on a nearly uninterrupted winning streak.
Discussion:
Unfogged, Shakesville, The Reaction and rubber hose
RELATED:
Jim Carrey / The Huffington Post:
I Never Wanted to Take Your Guns Away — I disagree wholeheartedly with those who say that there are just too many guns out there to control and that more gun laws won't make a difference. Change must start someplace. I'm pretty sure that no worthwhile endeavor has ever been accomplished without …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, The PJ Tatler, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, NewsHounds blog and Weasel Zippers
Juan Gonzalez / NY Daily News:
If true, state Sen. Malcolm Smith's scheme to buy Republican mayor ticket may be one of the most boneheaded plots in crooked New York politics — Smith and City Councilman Dan Halloran, both products of the Queens political machine, have been implicated in a plan to bribe borough GOP leaders …
Discussion:
Joe. My. God.
RELATED:
Jim Dwyer / New York Times:
About New York: Malcolm Smith Accused of Bribery for Spot on Mayoral Ballot
About New York: Malcolm Smith Accused of Bribery for Spot on Mayoral Ballot
Discussion:
The Agonist, Gothamist, Talking Points Memo and Gawker
Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Rep. Maloney says she received death threats after introducing gun legislation — Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) says she received death threats about gun legislation introduced last week. — Maloney introduced new legislation on Friday that would require gun owners to have liability insurance.
Discussion:
CNN
RELATED:
Justin Sink / The Hill:
RNC blasts Obama fundraising swing as ‘hypocrisy at its finest’ — The Republican National Committee released a new web ad Wednesday slamming President Obama over a planned trip to California to raise money for House Democrats. — The president will head to San Francisco Wednesday evening …
Discussion:
Weekly Standard
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Juliet Eilperin / Washington Post:
Obama seeks to shift conservative tilt of key court
Lou Chibbaro Jr / Washington Blade:
Cuccinelli challenges Va. sodomy ruling — Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon — Send via Email — Send this page to Print Friendly — Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli is challenging a ruling that overturned the state's sodomy law.
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's … and First Read
Josh Feldman / Mediaite:
Bill O'Reilly Blows Up At Laura Ingraham In Epic Segment Over His ‘Thump The Bible’ Comments — Bill O'Reilly tonight responded to criticisms from the right over his commentary last week that gay marriage opponents need to do more than just “thump the Bible” if they want to win the argument.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Scared Monkeys, TBogg, Taylor Marsh and NewsHounds blog
BBC:
The Great British class calculator — Traditional British social divisions of upper, middle and working class seem out of date in the 21st Century, no longer reflecting modern occupations or lifestyles. — The BBC teamed up with sociologists from leading universities to analyse the modern British class system.
Discussion:
IHT Rendezvous, Spectator, Daily Mail and Telegraph
Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
Happily Never After? — I'm worried about the Supreme Court. — I'm worried about how the justices can properly debate same-sex marriage when some don't even seem to realize that most Americans use the word “gay” now instead of “homosexual”; when Chief Justice John Roberts thinks gays …
Discussion:
msnbc.com
Noel Sheppard / NewsBusters blogs:
Leno: AP Replaces ‘Illegal Immigrant’ With ‘Undocumented Democrat’ — The Associated Press announced Tuesday that it will no longer use the term “illegal immigrant.” — On NBC's Tonight Show, host Jay Leno said, “They will now use the phrase ‘undocumented Democrat’” (video follows …
Pippa Middleton / Spectator:
‘Bring it on, Boris!’ Pippa Middleton's Spectator diary — I thought the Haute Route was going to be easier than the Engadin, the cross-country ski marathon I recently completed in St Moritz. I was very wrong. It was sold to me as an 180km ski-touring trek from Chamonix to Zermatt.
Discussion:
Daily Mail and Telegraph
Eric Lach / Talking Points Memo:
Prosecutor Cited Security As Reason For Withdrawing From Aryan Brotherhood Of Texas Case — Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman, who has withdrawn from a large federal racketeering case against alleged members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas prison gang, cited “security reasons” …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars and The Raw Story