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, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Truthdig, Yahoo! News, Post Politics, WFPL, Ballot Box, Politico, CNN, ThinkProgress and The Daily Caller
David Ingram / Reuters:
After news editor boycott, U.S. attorney general loosens rules — (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder loosened his rules for speaking with media editors on Friday during a second day of meetings with them about his Justice Department's handling of investigations that involve reporters, the editors said.
Discussion:
Townhall.com, Hot Air and The PJ Tatler
RELATED:
Sari Horwitz / Washington Post:
Attorney General Holder says he'll protect journalists' rights
Attorney General Holder says he'll protect journalists' rights
Discussion:
NY Daily News, Washington Examiner, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, Hot Air, Patterico's Pontifications and msnbc.com
Sean Higgins / Washington Examiner:
Washington Post: The Justice Department has allowed us to say AG Holder supports press freedom
Washington Post: The Justice Department has allowed us to say AG Holder supports press freedom
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Crime and Consequences Blog, Ed Driscoll, Reuters and Hot Air, more at Mediagazer »
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Stewing in his own juices
Stewing in his own juices
Discussion:
Yahoo! News, Mediaite and Guardian
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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Jim Ragsdale / Hot Dish Politics:
Democrat Jim Graves drops out of 6th District congressional race
Democrat Jim Graves drops out of 6th District congressional race
Discussion:
Wonkette and Hullabaloo
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
Why GOP Scandal Mongers Can't Have Nice Things
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, New York Times, The Reaction, Power Line and Eschaton
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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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
Bernie Quigley / Pundits Blog:
Tea Party needs a Congress, a home and a leader
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:
Booman Tribune, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos and The Plum Line
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Tim Alberta / NationalJournal.com:
Marco Rubio to Address House Conservatives on Immigration Reform — A closed-door summit will be an early test for the senator to win over skeptics of immigration legislation. — House conservatives will host several influential Republican senators on Wednesday for a closed-door policy summit …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Hot Air and The Right Scoop
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:
AMERICAblog, Joe. My. God. and The PJ Tatler
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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 …
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
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:
Weasel Zippers, Business Insider, The Gateway Pundit, usofarn.com and Atlas Shrugs
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 Tell, The Verge and The Daily Caller
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, Power Line, New York Post, New York Times, Mediaite, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Gawker
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 …
ssa.gov:
Social Security — The Official Website of the U.S. Social Security Administration — Status Of The Social Security And Medicare Programs — A SUMMARY OF THE 2013 ANNUAL REPORTS — Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees — A MESSAGE TO THE PUBLIC:
Discussion:
U.S. Department …, ThinkProgress, Los Angeles Times and Firedoglake
Wall Street Journal:
Donors to GOP Group Drew IRS Scrutiny — At the same time the Internal Revenue Service was targeting tea-party groups, the tax agency took the unusual step of trying to impose gift taxes on donors to a prominent conservative advocacy group formed in 2007 to build support for President George W. Bush's Iraq troop surge.
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler
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.
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
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:
The Plum Line, News Desk and Wonkblog
Joshua Green / Businessweek:
Obama's Data Team Totally Schooled Gallup — In the new issue of Bloomberg Businessweek, I have a short feature about how Google's (GOOG) executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, is investing millions in a new company with Dan Wagner and two dozen other veterans of the Obama campaign's data analytics team.
Discussion:
Mother Jones and Yahoo! News