Top Items:
Curtis Morrison / Salon:
Why I secretly recorded Mitch McConnell — Earlier this year, I secretly made an audio recording of Sen. Mitch McConnell, the most powerful Republican on the planet, at his campaign headquarters in Kentucky. The released portion of the recording clocks in at less than 12 minutes, but those few minutes changed my life.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Ballot Box, Yahoo! News, WFPL, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Politico, Post Politics, ThinkProgress, CNN and The Daily Caller
Eric Black / MinnPost:
With Bachmann not running, Jim Graves pulls out of 6th District race — As of today, Jim Graves is going to indefinitely suspend his campaign for Congress from the 6th District. — Translation: He is not running. He is dropping out of politics to concentrate on his family and his business.
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Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Jim Graves drops out following Michele Bachmann's exit
Jim Graves drops out following Michele Bachmann's exit
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway and Joe. My. God.
Garance Franke-Ruta / The Atlantic Online:
The Fake Story About the IRS Commissioner and the White House — White House records show Douglas Shulman signed in for 11 visits, not 157, between 2009 and 2012. — This building is technically the White House, too. It's called the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. (Whitehouse.gov)
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Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Why GOP Scandal Mongers Can't Have Nice Things — As Bill Clinton and John Edwards and Bill Jefferson and various others have made clear, Democrats do have scandals. Plenty of them actually. But here we have another good example of why Republicans so often have bad luck these days …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Power Line, The Reaction, Eschaton and Scared Monkeys
David Edwards / The Raw Story:
Tea party speaker presents proof Grover Norquist is a secret Muslim: ‘He has a beard’ — A speaker at a tea party event in Texas recently suggested that that anti-tax lobbyist Grover Norquist was a secret Muslim because “he has a beard.” — In a video posted by the Far North Dallas Tea Party on Thursday …
Discussion:
Juanita Jean's
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Bernie Quigley / Pundits Blog:
Tea Party needs a Congress, a home and a leader
Miranda Blue / Right Wing Watch:
Cathie Adams Finds Proof Grover Norquist is a Secret Muslim: ‘As You See, He Has a Beard’
Cathie Adams Finds Proof Grover Norquist is a Secret Muslim: ‘As You See, He Has a Beard’
Discussion:
Mediaite
Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
G.O.P. Sizes Up Obama as Midterm Target — WASHINGTON — His name won't be on any ballot in 2014. Or ever again, for that matter. — But plenty of Republicans are still eager to wage a midterm campaign against President Obama, convinced that the spate of recent troubles dogging …
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, The Huffington Post, Post Politics, The Plum Line, Althouse, Yahoo! News, msnbc.com, First Read and Balloon Juice
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Ben White / Politico:
Rising economy shifts 2014 landscape
Rising economy shifts 2014 landscape
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Monthly and msnbc.com
Justin Sink / The Hill:
Obama shifts subject to student loans, picking fight with Republicans
Obama shifts subject to student loans, picking fight with Republicans
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, New Republic, CNN and Politico
Edward Tenner / The Atlantic Online:
Why the Boomers Are the Most Hated Generation — F. Scott Fitzgerald's flappers also grew up in a time of plenty, but they were allowed to age out of their sybaritic image. What makes the Boomers different? — Pity the baby boomers, blamed in their youth for every ill and excess …
Discussion:
Via Meadia and Vox Popoli
Dave McKinney / Chicago Sun Times:
No same-sex marriage vote until November: 'I've never been sadder,' sponsor says — SPRINGFIELD — Gay and lesbian couples who want to legally marry in Illinois willl have to wait. — His voice breaking with emotion, state Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) tearfully said he will not call …
Discussion:
Joe. My. God.
RELATED:
Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:
Illinois House Will Not Vote On Marriage Equality Bill, Couples Will Wait
Illinois House Will Not Vote On Marriage Equality Bill, Couples Will Wait
Discussion:
The Stranger …
Donna St. George / Washington Post:
Cowboy-style cap gun gets 5-year-old suspended from school in Calvert County — A kindergartner who brought a cowboy-style cap gun onto his Calvert County school bus was suspended for 10 days after showing a friend the orange-tipped toy, which he had tucked inside his backpack on his way to school, according to his family and a lawyer.
Sari Horwitz / Washington Post:
Attorney General Holder says he'll protect journalists' rights — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. pledged Thursday to take concrete steps to address concerns that the Justice Department has overreached in its leak investigations and said officials would seek procedural and possibly legislative changes …
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Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Stewing in his own juices
Stewing in his own juices
Discussion:
Yahoo! News, Mediaite, Ricochet Conversations Feed and Law Blog
Bill Briggs / World News:
The drawdown diet: Marines steamed by loss of hot meal at Afghanistan base — Marines at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan will lose a key daily meal starting Saturday, causing some to forgo a hot breakfast and others to work six-plus hours without refueling on cooked food, according to Marines at the base and Marine Corps officials.
Discussion:
Business Insider, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit, Atlas Shrugs and usofarn.com
Neil King Jr / Wall Street Journal:
Romney Planning to Rejoin National Dialogue — Months After Election Loss, He Will Host Event in Utah for 200 Friends and Campaign Supporters — More than half a year after his election loss, Mitt Romney is putting a tentative foot back onto the public stage.
Discussion:
The Maddow Blog, msnbc.com, Real Clear Politics, The Week, First Read, The Fix, Outside the Beltway, Yahoo! News, The Impolitic, Washington Wire and Post Politics
Jonathan Cohn / New Republic:
Another Obamacare Train Wreck Not Happening — Federal exchanges look like they'll have plenty of insurance options — One of these days, a dire prediction about Obamacare will come true. Today isn't it. — The Administration on Thursday released new information about the “Federally Facilitated Marketplaces.”
Discussion:
News Desk, The Plum Line and Wonkblog
Bernie Becker / The Hill:
More trouble for the IRS — The new acting IRS chief acknowledged Friday that an upcoming audit would find improper spending at an agency conference, opening up a new trouble spot for an agency already embattled over its treatment of Tea Party groups. — Danny Werfel, the acting commissioner …
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Pro-immigrant groups balk at Gang of Eight's goal of winning 70 votes — Pro-immigrant advocates are pushing back against the Gang of Eight's strategy to win 70 votes or more for comprehensive immigration reform, fearing it would require too many concessions to Republicans.
Discussion:
NationalJournal.com, Washington Monthly, Hot Air and Daily Kos
Dylan Matthews / Wonkblog:
Join Wall Street. Save the world. — This is Jason Trigg, a programmer who went to work for a hedge fund because he figures it's where he can earn the most - and thus give the most away. (Photo by Gretchen Ertl/For The Washington Post) — Jason Trigg went into finance because he is after money — as much as he can earn.
Discussion:
National Review, Ricochet Conversations Feed and Unfogged
Annemarie Mannion / Chicago Tribune:
Retired Justice warns against ‘politicians in robes’ … Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor made a plea for preserving the impartiality and independence of the American judicial system in a lecture Thursday at Elmhurst College. — O'Connor, who addressed a crowded audience …
Discussion:
Above the Law
Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:
Noonan: An Antidote to Cynicism Poisoning — Restoring public faith will require a full investigation of the IRS's politicization. — The Benghazi scandal was and is shocking, and the Justice Department assault on the free press, in which dogged reporters are tailed like enemy spies, is shocking.
Discussion:
Conservatives4Palin
Declan McCullagh / CNET:
Judge orders Google to comply with FBI's secret NSL demands — A federal judge tells the company to comply with the FBI's warrantless National Security Letter requests for user details, despite ongoing concerns about their constitutionality. — A federal judge has ruled that Google must comply …
Discussion:
The Verge, The Daily Caller and Boing Boing
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
From the Mouths of Babes — Like many observers, I usually read reports about political goings-on with a sort of weary cynicism. Every once in a while, however, politicians do something so wrong, substantively and morally, that cynicism just won't cut it; it's time to get really angry instead.
Discussion:
Prairie Weather, The Week, The Impolitic, Booman Tribune and Daily Kos
Ben Armbruster / ThinkProgress:
Republican Congressman Says McCain Was Partly Responsible For The Benghazi Terror Attacks — Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) accused Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on Wednesday of being complicit in the terror attacks on the U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya last year and the deaths of four Americans …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Mediaite and SoundCloud
Adweek:
It's 2013, and People Are Still Getting Worked Up About Interracial Couples in Ads Cheerios spot gets cheers and jeers By Tim Nudd — It's another one of those things that shouldn't be a story but is—an ad from a major U.S. brand featuring an interracial couple and their daughter.
Discussion:
Colorlines, New York Post, New York Times, Gawker, Mediaite and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Poll: Hillary Clinton's favorability rating dives amid Benghazi probe — Hillary Clinton's favorability rating dropped significantly in a Quinnipiac University poll released Friday, as the months-long investigation into the terrorist attacks in Benghazi have begun to drag on the former secretary of State.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, No More Mister Nice Blog, Outside the Beltway, Booman Tribune and Jammie Wearing Fools
Brian Tashman / Right Wing Watch:
Ex-Gay Therapist Promises to Turn Gay Brains Straight — As we've noted, Daystar host Joni Lamb is hosting a special on homosexuality, and Lamb today brought on ex-gay activists such as Joe Dallas, Anne Paulk and Janet Boynes. One of the guests, Dr. Jerry Mungadze, claimed …
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh