Top Items:
Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:
Democratic Sen. Tester: Snowden Didn't Compromise National Security (VIDEO) — Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) on Wednesday rejected the notion that Edward Snowden compromised the country's security when he leaked details of top secret National Security Agency surveillance programs.
RELATED:
Alexander Burns / Politico:
Establishment renders harsh verdict on Edward Snowden — 'He's no hero. He put people's lives at risk,' Sen. Angus King (second from left) said. AP Photos — Close — He is the toast of the libertarian left and the libertarian right. But for most of the political establishment …
Discussion:
The Week, Washington Monthly, Reuters and FP Passport
New York Times:
Earlier Denials Put Intelligence Chief in Awkward Position — WASHINGTON — For years, intelligence officials have tried to debunk what they called a popular myth about the National Security Agency: that its electronic net routinely sweeps up information about millions of Americans.
Stephanie Condon / CBS News:
NSA director to get a public grilling in the Senate
NSA director to get a public grilling in the Senate
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Scared Monkeys, Open Channel, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Mediaite
Charles Riley / CNNMoney.com:
Sales of Orwell's ‘1984’ spike after NSA leak
Sales of Orwell's ‘1984’ spike after NSA leak
Discussion:
Reuters, Taylor Marsh, Weasel Zippers, Business Insider, Constitution Daily, Examiner and Digits, more at Mediagazer »
Aaron Blake / Post Politics:
GOP congressman: Rate of pregnancies from rape is ‘very low’ — Another Republican congressman ventured into the realm of rape and pregnancy Wednesday, saying at a committee hearing that incidences of pregnancy from rape are “very low.” — Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) …
RELATED:
Elise Viebeck / The Hill:
GOP Rep. Franks says rate of pregnancies from rape is ‘very low’ — Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) said Wednesday that the incidence of pregnancy caused by rape is “very low,” prompting criticism from Democrats who said the GOP is waging a “war on women.” — Franks made the comment during …
Discussion:
Politico
Brian Beutler / Talking Points Memo:
Schumer: Cornyn Border Security Amendment A ‘Non-Starter’ And We Are Not Negotiating With Him — Democrats want it to be crystal clear. They don't think Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is crucial to passing immigration reform. So they aren't negotiating with him over his non-starter amendment …
Discussion:
BREITBART.COM, Hot Air, Immigration Reform and The Hill
RELATED:
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
How conservatives are trying to kill immigration reform — This morning, GOP Senator John Cornyn unveiled his much-anticipated amendment to the Senate “gang of eight” compromise — the most ambitiouseffort yet to move the bill to the right by stiffening border security requirements.
Discussion:
Immigration Reform
Chris Frates / NationalJournal.com:
Rubio's Right. The Gang Is Far From a Supermajority on Immigration
Rubio's Right. The Gang Is Far From a Supermajority on Immigration
Discussion:
Immigration Reform, The Daily Caller, Politico, First Read and The World's Greatest …
Ashley Killough / CNN:
Paul on the fence over immigration bill
Paul on the fence over immigration bill
Discussion:
Politico, Daily Kos and The PJ Tatler
Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Darrell Issa On IRS Investigation: Releasing Full Transcripts Now Would Be ‘Reckless’ — WASHINGTON — One week after he released partial transcripts of interviews with IRS officials involved in the scandal surrounding the targeting of conservative groups, the chair of the House Oversight …
RELATED:
Bernie Becker / The Hill:
Ways and Means Chairman: IRS targeting of Tea Party groups didn't start in Ohio — The IRS's singling out of conservative groups did not originate in Cincinnati, the House Republican in charge of tax policy said Wednesday. — House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) …
Discussion:
The Plum Line, ThinkProgress and Washington Free Beacon
Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
A Little Birdie Told Me — WASHINGTON — In her first two days on Twitter, Hillary Clinton did not bother to follow the man she wants to follow. — No @BarackObama for @HillaryClinton as of Tuesday night. — Hillary debuted firmly entrenched in Clintonworld, following Bill, Chelsea …
RELATED:
TwinCities.com:
Walker says he will sign abortion ultrasound bill — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said Tuesday he will sign a measure that's quickly working its way through the Republican-controlled Legislature that would require women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Shakesville, Daily Kos and Post Politics
RELATED:
Tara Culp-Ressler / ThinkProgress:
Scott Walker Endorses Mandating Transvaginal Ultrasounds And Shutting Down Abortion Clinics
Scott Walker Endorses Mandating Transvaginal Ultrasounds And Shutting Down Abortion Clinics
Discussion:
The Political Carnival
Yahoo! News:
Joe Biden: Al Gore ‘was elected president’ — Vice President Joe Biden knows how to work a room. — In remarks made on Tuesday night at a fundraiser for Massachusetts Senate candidate Ed Markey in front of an audience of donating (doting?) Democrats, Biden went for the jugular.
Discussion:
PoliticusUSA
RELATED:
New York Times:
Surveillance: Snowden Doesn't Rise to Traitor
Surveillance: Snowden Doesn't Rise to Traitor
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Wonkblog, Constitution Daily, Guardian, Infowars, Macleans.ca, The Spectacle Blog and The Fix
Allison Kopicki / The Caucus:
Poll Finds Disapproval of Record Collection, but Little Personal Concern
Poll Finds Disapproval of Record Collection, but Little Personal Concern
Discussion:
Connecting.the.Dots and Althouse
Harriet Baldwin- / Examiner:
Secret Service “Visits” Outspoken Critic of Obama - Because of Twitter? — I know, RIGHT? — After you read this- you will wonder what country we are in. — Tom Francois is an outspoken critic of Barack Hussein Obama- and has a robust Twitter presence. He also likes to dabble with his “paint” program to create funny cartoons.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit and Riehl World News
Ed O'Keefe / Post Politics:
Mayor Bloomberg to donors: Don't give to Democrats who blocked gun bill — New York Mayor Michael I. Bloomberg is intensifying his pressure on Congress to enact stricter gun laws by asking some of his biggest supporters to withhold the one thing politicians love most about residents of the Big Apple: Their money.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and Washington Post
RELATED:
Cindy Adams / New York Post:
CBS anchor snubs sex scoop — CBS anchor Scott Pelley was furious after John Miller's scoop about the State Department sex scandal broke not on his “CBS Evening News,” but early Monday on “This Morning” hosted by Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Norah O'Donnell, network sources tell Page Six
Discussion:
Mediaite, NewsBusters and TVNewser
Politico:
Challenging Obama-knows-best — “Trust-me” is President Barack Obama's preferred mode of action in times of crisis — and his go-to comment to nervous staffers has always been some version of “Relax, I got this.” — But that message is an increasingly hard sell for Obama in his second term …
Jon Caramanica / New York Times:
The Visionaries: Kanye West Talks About His Career and Album ‘Yeezus’ — Malibu, Calif. — From Shangri-la Studio here you can see the Pacific Ocean just over the fence lapping calmly at Zuma Beach. And this compound is just as Zen, with recording equipment set up in various locations …
Discussion:
Business Insider, Politico, THEROOT.COM, The Week, Gawker, The Daily Caller and The Verge
Thomas Drake / Guardian:
Snowden saw what I saw: surveillance criminally subverting the constitution | Thomas Drake — So we refused to be part of the NSA's dark blanket. That is why whistleblowers pay the price for being the backstop of democracy — What Edward Snowden has done is an amazingly brave and courageous act of civil disobedience.
Discussion:
Yahoo! News and CNN
Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:
Interns Win Huge Victory in Labor Lawsuit Against Fox — UPDATED: Fox says it is “very disappointed” after two interns who worked on “Black Swan” are granted a summary judgment win, while another intern who worked in Fox's corporate department will now be leading a class action suit.
Discussion:
The Raw Story
Peter Orszag / Bloomberg:
Retirement Will Kill You — Teddy Roosevelt once said “the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Recent research suggests he may have been more right than he knew: Life's “best prize” might actually extend life itself.