Top Items:
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Meet President Obama's new economic message. Same as his old economic message. — You could be forgiven if you thought you had heard President Obama's speech on the economy today before. Because you have. For most of the 2012 campaign. (Don't trust us, read Obama's 2012 acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.)
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, New Republic, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, Jihad Watch and Washington Post
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Justin Sink / The Hill:
Obama dismisses scandals as ‘phony’ — President Obama on Wednesday dismissed a series of controversies dogging his administration as “phony” in remarks that represented a clear shift in White House tactics. — “With an endless parade of distractions, political posturing and phony scandals …
Discussion:
Politico, CNN, Reuters and Red Alert Politics
Jeremy Herb / The Hill:
House rejects effort to curb NSA surveillance powers, 205-217 — The House on Wednesday rejected an attempt to curtail the National Security Agency's surveillance activities after a furious last-minute lobbying campaign by the White House to defeat the measure.
Discussion:
Reuters, Firedoglake, The Hill and Red Alert Politics
Wall Street Journal:
Move to Curb NSA Surveillance Program Defeated in House — By - SIOBHAN HUGHES and - SIOBHAN GORMAN - — WASHINGTON—House lawmakers on Wednesday defeated an attempt to drastically curb a national-security program that collects the phone records of millions of Americans …
Discussion:
TalkLeft
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
A warmed-over jobs message
A warmed-over jobs message
Discussion:
Mother Jones, The Maddow Blog, PostPartisan, Washington Monthly, Post Politics, ABC News, The Fix and Ed Driscoll
Seung Min Kim / Politico:
Boehner rips Obama speech
Boehner rips Obama speech
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Guardian, msnbc.com, Red Alert Politics and Washington Monthly
Fred Barnes / Weekly Standard:
Older, But Not Wiser — “As a country, we're older and we're wiser …
Older, But Not Wiser — “As a country, we're older and we're wiser …
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon
Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:
READ: Obama's Economic Speech In Illinois As Prepared For Delivery — Eight years ago, I came here to deliver the commencement address for the class of 2005. Things were a little different back then. I didn't have any gray hair, for example. Or a motorcade. I didn't even have a teleprompter.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Yahoo! News, AEIdeas, The Plum Line and PoliticusUSA
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New York Times:
Obama Focuses on Economy, Vowing to Help Middle Class
Obama Focuses on Economy, Vowing to Help Middle Class
Discussion:
Economix, Outside the Beltway, Philly.com, New Republic and msnbc.com
Brett LoGiurato / Business Insider:
Obama Blasts Republicans In Major Economic Speech: 'You Can't Just Be Against' Everything I Propose
Obama Blasts Republicans In Major Economic Speech: 'You Can't Just Be Against' Everything I Propose
Discussion:
The Heritage Foundation and The Gateway Pundit
Daily Mail:
REVEALED: The Obama election campaigner, 23, who ‘received illicit messages and had phone sex with Anthony Weiner’ a year after humiliated wife forgave him — Sydney Leathers, a liberal activist from Illinois, is allegedly the woman who revealed explicit images she received from Weiner
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New York Times:
Account of Weiner's Conversation Fits Pattern of Online Exchanges — The racy online conversations now convulsing Anthony D. Weiner's campaign for mayor began with an angry Facebook message, according to the editor of a blog that has communicated with the young woman involved.
New York Post:
Weiner blames latest XXX online scandal on stress with Huma caused by pre-resignation sexting, begs voters for support in open letter — Serial sexter Anthony Weiner begged supporters to hang with him, telling them today “a rough time” in his marriage prompted him to keep sending sexually explicit words …
Discussion:
Politico, CBS New York, The Gateway Pundit, BizzyBlog, Jammie Wearing Fools and New York Times
Dahlia Lithwick / Slate:
What's the Matter With North Carolina? — The state went from beacon of tolerance to bastion of voter suppression in a month. — North Carolina is proving itself to be the poster child for all that is wrong with modern American democracy and—with thanks to Moral Mondays—also highlighting all that may someday save it.
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Washington Monthly, addictinginfo.org, The Progressive Pulse and thenation.com/blogs/163253
Wall Street Journal:
Republicans for Snowden — A left-right House coalition rushes to stop metadata collection. — Few things are more dangerous than Congress in heat, and so it is this week as a libertarian-left wing coalition in the House of Representatives is rushing to neuter one of the National Security Agency's antiterror surveillance programs.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Hit & Run, Goppers, Guardian and Hot Air
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Eric W. Dolan / The Raw Story:
Pennsylvania police chief: F*ck all you libtards out there, you take it in the a** — The mayor of Gilberton, Pennsylvania is standing by her city's police chief despite a series of profanity-laced and threatening videos. — In a video that has received wide attention …
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Alex Seitz-Wald / Salon:
America's scariest police chief shoots “libtards” and forms militias
America's scariest police chief shoots “libtards” and forms militias
Discussion:
Daily Kos and Balloon Juice
Amanda Cochran / CBS News:
CBS News poll finds more Americans than ever want Obamacare repealed — (CBS News) A new CBS News poll finds more Americans than ever want the Affordable Care Act repealed. — According to the poll, 36 percent of Americans want Congress to expand or keep the health care law while 39 percent …
Discussion:
NationalJournal.com, Hot Air, Rush Limbaugh, The Hill, Conservatives4Palin, The Daily Caller, msnbc.com, Washington Post and Balloon Juice
David Glovin / Bloomberg:
Mother of Golf Prodigy in Hazing Death Defied by FratPAC — Harrison Kowiak was 19 years old when he died after schoolmates pummeled him on a pitch-black field in Hickory, North Carolina. It was part of a fraternity hazing. — Determined to protect other students, Kowiak's mother Lianne devoted herself to fighting hazing.
Discussion:
Jezebel, The Week, Yahoo! News, BuzzFeed and Business Insider
Aaron Blake / Post Politics:
Americans turn against Edward Snowden — The American people, who once defended Edward Snowden's leaks of sensitive intelligence information gathered by the U.S. government, are starting to turn against him. — A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that a majority of Americans …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, RT, The Hinterland Gazette, The Moderate Voice and National Review, more at Mediagazer »
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Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:
Conservatives Desperately Move To Shut Down Government Over Obamacare — Running out of time and options, conservatives are exploring new ways to corner Congress into shutting down the government this fall unless Obamacare is defunded. But they aren't likely to achieve much more than giving Republican leaders heartburn.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, RedState, BobCesca.com, neo-neocon, Taylor Marsh and The Huffington Post
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Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
GOP senator: Don't hold debt limit ‘hostage’ over ObamaCare funds
GOP senator: Don't hold debt limit ‘hostage’ over ObamaCare funds
Discussion:
Politico
Jennifer Liberto / CNNMoney.com:
Postal Service looks to end at-your-door mail — If you're moving to a newly built house, say goodbye to mail delivery at your door. — And if some House Republicans get their way, all door-to-door mail delivery will go away. — The U.S. Postal Service is marching towards a more …
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Daily Caller and Simply Left BehindThe …
Jessica Yellin / CNN:
Obama to nominate Caroline Kennedy as ambassador to Japan — (CNN) - Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy and a prominent Democratic backer, was nominated by President Barack Obama Wednesday to serve as U.S. ambassador to Japan.
Discussion:
Politico
Ramsey Cox / The Hill:
Senate approves deal on student loan rates — The Senate voted 81-18 Wednesday for legislation on student loan rates, splitting Democrats in the chamber. — Seventeen Democrats voted against the bipartisan bill that would cap most student loan rates at 8.25 percent.
Discussion:
Politico and Hullabaloo
Michael McAuliff / The Huffington Post:
Black Congressmen Discuss Their Daily Struggle With Discrimination In America (VIDEO) — WASHINGTON — Addressing the Trayvon Martin killing last week, President Barack Obama revealed a fact that apparently startled many Americans: Deep, pervasive and painful discrimination continues in this country.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, CNN and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
James Arkin / Politico:
NYC poll: Anthony Weiner narrowly ahead — Former Rep. Anthony Weiner still holds a slight lead for the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, but challenger William Thompson may fare best if the race turns to a runoff, according to a new poll. — Weiner leads Democratic candidates …
Discussion:
CNN, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, The Daily Beast, Weasel Zippers and The Mahablog