Top Items:
Dave Itzkoff / New York Times:
James Gandolfini Is Dead at 51; a Complex Mob Boss in ‘Sopranos’ — James Gandolfini, the Emmy Award-winning actor who shot to fame on the HBO drama “The Sopranos” as Tony Soprano, a tough-talking, hard-living crime boss with a stolid exterior but a rich interior life, died on Wednesday. He was 51.
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Deadline.com:
R.I.P. James Gandolfini — BREAKING... Refresh for latest: Actor James Gandolfini died suddenly after a suspected heart attack while on holiday in Rome to attend the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily. He was 51. Gandolfini will be forever known for his portrayal of mob boss Tony Soprano …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, The Huffington Post, Mediaite, The Week, Guardian and Althouse
CNN:
Actor James Gandolfini dead at age 51 — (CNN) — James Gandolfini, best known for his role as an anxiety-ridden mob boss on HBO's “The Sopranos,” died Wednesday while on vacation in Italy. He was 51. — The exact cause of death is not known, but his managers said it was possibly a heart attack.
Discussion:
Hit & Run, New Jersey Online and Joe. My. God.
Pat Saperstein / Variety:
James Gandolfini Dead at 51
James Gandolfini Dead at 51
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, The Week, Gawker and Blazing Cat Fur
Exodus International:
Exodus International to Shut Down — Thirty-seven-year-old ministry for those with same-sex attraction marks its last national conference — Irvine, Calif. (June 19, 2013) — Exodus International, the oldest and largest Christian ministry dealing with faith and homosexuality announced tonight …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Taegan Goddard's …, Joe. My. God., LGBTQ Nation, Advocate and TBogg
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Alan Chambers / Exodus International:
I Am Sorry — Three years ago, Leslie and I began a very public conversation with Our America's Lisa Ling, from the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) regarding some of our deeply held beliefs about Christianity and the LGBT community. Today, we have decided to carry this public conversation even further.
Discussion:
AMERICAblog and The Raw Story
Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:
Group That Had Aimed To “Change” Gays To Shut Down, Leader Also Offered Apology
Group That Had Aimed To “Change” Gays To Shut Down, Leader Also Offered Apology
Discussion:
Exodus International and Dependable Renegade
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Right rips Rubio as Republican immigration votes slip away — Republican colleagues who were previously viewed as possible “yes” votes are keeping their distance from the 1,075-page measure. — On Wednesday, conservative activists ripped Rubio and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) …
Discussion:
The Hugh Hewitt Show
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Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Breakthrough in Senate immigration talks; announcement set for Thursday
Breakthrough in Senate immigration talks; announcement set for Thursday
Discussion:
Hot Air and The Daily Caller
Paul Steinhauser / CNN:
CNN Poll: Judging the Supreme Court — Washington (CNN) - As the Supreme Court gets ready to issue opinions on some high profile and contentious cases, a new national poll indicates Americans are split on whether the high court is doing a good job. — According to a CNN/ORC International …
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Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
Strategist Out of Closet and Into Fray, This Time for Gay Marriage — As the Supreme Court considers overturning California's ban on same-sex marriage, gay people await a ruling that could change their lives. But the case has already transformed one gay man: Ken Mehlman …
Matthew Cooper / NationalJournal.com:
The GOP Dilemma Over the Voting Rights Act
The GOP Dilemma Over the Voting Rights Act
Discussion:
Yahoo! News, AL.com, New Republic and Roll Call
Josh Israel / ThinkProgress:
Congressman Wants Public Schools To Teach Gender Stereotypes ‘At A Very Early Age’ — Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) wants American youths to be taught gender stereotypes in grade school classes, so they understand the roles of mothers and fathers — and the importance of allowing only opposite-sex couples to marry.
Discussion:
Feministing and Shakesville
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Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:
The Conservative Petri Dish
The Conservative Petri Dish
Discussion:
Ajc Blogs: &lsquo, msnbc.com and No More Mister Nice Blog
Laura Bassett / The Huffington Post:
Phil Gingrey, In DOMA Speech, Says Children Should Take Classes On Traditional Gender Roles
Phil Gingrey, In DOMA Speech, Says Children Should Take Classes On Traditional Gender Roles
Discussion:
Daily Kos, The Raw Story and The Hill
Don Mattrick / Xbox Wire:
Your Feedback Matters - Update on Xbox One — Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience. — For us, the future comes in the form of Xbox One, a system designed to be the best place to play games this year and for many years to come.
Discussion:
Deadline.com, New Yorker, AllThingsD, TechCrunch, BBC, The Verge, Engadget, Boing Boing, Techdirt, TechNet Blogs and KTLA 5
John M. Broder / New York Times:
Obama Readying Emissions Limits on Power Plants — WASHINGTON — President Obama is preparing regulations limiting carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, senior officials said Wednesday. The move would be the most consequential climate policy step he could take and one likely …
Discussion:
Yahoo! News, The Caucus, Campaign for America's Future, The Plum Line and White House Dossier
Lee Enterprises / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Illinois GOP official pens allegedly racist attack on black GOP candidate — • By Kevin McDermott kmcdermott@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8268 — A county Republican Party chairman in central Illinois called a black female congressional candidate the “love child” of the Democratic party …
Tim Buckland / unionleader.com:
Apology issued for naming of Boston bomber as a victim of gun violence at Concord rally — CONCORD - The organizers of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns campaign on Wednesday apologized for including Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev among a list of shooting victims' names …
Discussion:
Slate, Mediaite, Guns Save Lives, TheBlaze.com, Weasel Zippers, Washington Free Beacon, National Review, Hot Air, Red Alert Politics and Michelle Malkin
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System:
For immediate release — Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in May suggests that economic activity has been expanding at a moderate pace. Labor market conditions have shown further improvement in recent months, on balance, but the unemployment rate remains elevated.
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Post, Gavyn Davies, Slate, The Daily Caller, Yahoo! News, Hit & Run, BBC, Washington Monthly and Taegan Goddard's Wonk Wire
Betsy McCaughey / Investor's Business Daily:
Using ObamaCare To Create A Permanent Democratic Majority — If you have to keep it a secret, you probably shouldn't be doing it. — But the California legislature and the new Covered California health insurance exchange are conspiring to keep secret how they will dole out more than half …
Discussion:
Power Line, National Review and Overlawyered
Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
Chuck Hagel Jokes That Indian Man Asking Him A Question Is A Member Of The Taliban — He was a college professor. Hagel was speaking at the University of Nebraska where he went to school. He had previously answered a question on Afghanistan and negotiating with the Taliban before the exchange.
Discussion:
Jammie Wearing Fools and Washington Free Beacon
Lacey Rose / Hollywood Reporter:
'Newsroom's' Season 2 Consultants: MSNBC's Chris Matthews, CNN's Ashleigh Banfield, New Republic Editor — The show assembled the editors responsible for the Tailwind controversy for its modern-day retelling, part of a crew of A-list insiders — from cable news anchors to magazine editors to political strategists.
Discussion:
NewsBusters and The Huffington Post
Telegraph:
Barack Obama bombs in Berlin: a weak, underwhelming address from a floundering president — When John F. Kennedy delivered his “Ich Bin Ein Berliner” speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate on June 26, 1963, 450,000 people flocked to hear him. Fifty years later a far more subdued invitation …
Discussion:
NationalJournal.com, The White House and White House.gov Blog
Kate Nocera / BuzzFeed:
Anti-Immigration Reform Crusader Steve King Feels The Tea Party Love — The Iowa Republican and immigration hardliner holds a six hour “press conference” to protest the Senate's immigration bill. “I didn't know when we started out this morning if I might be standing here alone till five o'clock tonight,” he said.
Discussion:
AMERICAblog, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Twitchy
Numbers / Pew Research Center for the People …:
Obama Job Approval Holds Steady, Economic Views Improve — Obama Rated Positively on Terrorism, Negatively on Civil Liberties — OVERVIEW — In a second term marked by a series of controversies and little legislative success, President Obama's job approval rating has nonetheless remained fairly steady.
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Yahoo! News, Prairie Weather and The Fix
Tom Newton Dunn / The Sun:
Barack Obama keeps calling Chancellor George Osborne ‘Jeffrey’ at G8 summit - after confusing him with favourite soul star — Obama mixes up Osborne with R&B star — Out of tune ... laughing Barack Obama and David Cameron with a po-faced George Osborne — MUSIC fan Barack Obama kept …
Marie O'Halloran / The Irish Times:
Daly attacks ‘slobbering’ over Obamas — Taoiseach rejects claim Ireland ‘a nation of pimps, prostituting ourselves in return for a pat on the head’ … Taoiseach Enda Kenny rounded on Independent TD Clare Daly after she accused him of showcasing Ireland “as a nation of pimps, prostituting ourselves in return for a pat on the head”.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, The Hill and The Gateway Pundit
Wall Street Journal:
Microsoft Explored Deal for Nokia — Microsoft Corp. recently held advanced talks with Nokia Corp. about buying its handset business, people familiar with the matter said, as laggards in the fast-moving mobile market struggle to gain ground. — The discussions faltered over price and worries …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, China Real Time Report and AllThingsD