Top Items:
Chris Lawrence / CNN:
U.S. issues travel alert, will close embassies due to al Qaeda threat — (CNN) — A State Department travel alert Friday said al Qaeda may launch attacks in the Middle East, North Africa and beyond, as the United States is closing 21 embassies and consulates Sunday as a precaution.
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, CBS New York, KTLA 5 and Questions and Observations
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Washington Wire:
Text of State Department's Travel Alert on Terror Threat
Text of State Department's Travel Alert on Terror Threat
Discussion:
The Hinterland Gazette and The Raw Story
World News:
Possible al Qaeda threat closes all US embassies Sunday across Middle East
Possible al Qaeda threat closes all US embassies Sunday across Middle East
Discussion:
Business Insider, Yahoo! News, msnbc.com, Gawker, Israel Matzav, Washington Free Beacon and The PJ Tatler
Yahoo! News:
U.S. closes embassies, alerts Americans overseas to terrorist threats in August
U.S. closes embassies, alerts Americans overseas to terrorist threats in August
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway
CNN:
Al Qaeda link in Mideast embassy closings
Al Qaeda link in Mideast embassy closings
Discussion:
Via Meadia, CANNONFIRE and americanthinker.com
Conor Friedersdorf / Reuters:
The Attack in Benghazi: Worth Investigating After All — CNN reports that dozens of CIA agents were on the ground there — and that they're being pressured to keep quiet. Why? — Suddenly it is imperative that Congress investigate details surrounding the attack that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens.
Discussion:
The Week, Mediaite, Hot Air, The Hill and The Daily Caller
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Brett Taylor / Twitchy:
Jake Tapper: Remember when Rand Paul asked Hillary about gun running in Libya? — Nearly a year out from the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, CNN's Jake Tapper unveiled what looks like an enormous puzzle piece that's been missing from the “phony scandal.”
The Lead with Jake Tapper:
Exclusive: Dozens of CIA operatives on the ground during Benghazi attack
Exclusive: Dozens of CIA operatives on the ground during Benghazi attack
Discussion:
Hot Air, Sister Toldjah, Talking Points Memo, The PJ Tatler, Outside the Beltway, The Hill, Michelle Malkin, The Hill, Mediaite, Gawker, Scared Monkeys, The Daily Caller, Yahoo! News, No More Mister Nice Blog, Roger L. Simon, The Gateway Pundit, CNN, Twitchy, Weasel Zippers, Hit & Run, Ricochet Conversations Feed, American Glob, protein wisdom, The Right Scoop, Patterico's Pontifications, Washington's Blog, Blazing Cat Fur, National Review, Power Line, Washington Free Beacon and Jammie Wearing Fools
David Freedlander / The Daily Beast:
Charlie Rangel on Immigration, Pope Francis & His Successor — He's survived redistricting and a censure. At 83, Harlem's controversial House stalwart is finally confronting retirement. He won't be going quietly. By David Freedlander. — Charlie Rangel barged into his office …
Discussion:
Politico, Hot Air, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, The Raw Story and Politicker
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Hunter Walker / Talking Points Memo:
Charlie Rangel: Tea Party Is ‘Same Group’ Of ‘White Crackers’ Who Fought Civil Rights — In an interview with the Daily Beast published Friday, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) suggested Tea Partiers are the “same group” who fought for segregation during the Civil Rights movement.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Right Scoop, TheBlaze.com and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Edward-Isaac Dovere / Politico:
Putin's ‘zero-sum’ misstep — President Barack Obama can't come close to living up to the fantasies of a showdown stirred by Vladimir Putin's international flip-off. — But for all the calls Thursday to reassess the Russia relationship in the wake of Russia's granting temporary asylum to Edward Snowden …
Discussion:
VodkaPundit
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Fox News:
Seattle officials call for ban on ‘potentially offensive’ language — Government workers in the city of Seattle have been advised that the terms “citizen” and “brown bag” are potentially offensive and may no longer be used in official documents and discussions.
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler, The Hinterland Gazette, New Jersey 101.5, Weasel Zippers and National Review
Weekly Standard:
The Soft Underbelly of Obamacare — For opponents of Obamacare, it almost seems like the law offers too many targets to choose from. Its effects on premiums and costs look to be highly unpopular, its perverse incentives are already harming employment, its state exchanges will hand …
Discussion:
Hit & Run
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Sarah Kliff / Wonkblog:
Inside the Obamacare resistance
Inside the Obamacare resistance
Discussion:
Daily Kos and A plain blog about politics
Jonathan Cohn / New Republic:
Six Reasons Hipsters Will Bite on Obamacare
Six Reasons Hipsters Will Bite on Obamacare
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, VodkaPundit and Via Meadia
Politico:
Hill gets Obamacare fix — Lawmakers and staff can breathe easy — their health care tab is not going to soar next year. — The Office of Personnel Management, under heavy pressure from Capitol Hill, will issue a ruling that says the government can continue to make a contribution …
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Niels Lesniewski / The World's Greatest …:
Obama Solves Health Care Problem for Lawmakers, Staff (Updated)
Obama Solves Health Care Problem for Lawmakers, Staff (Updated)
Discussion:
Hot Air
New York Times:
Coming to an Old Friend's Aid, With an Eye on the Clinton Image — Moments before Huma Abedin stood amid a phalanx of television cameras last week and announced to a national audience that she was standing by her embattled husband, Anthony D. Weiner, she made a quick phone call to a trusted colleague.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Business Insider and First Read
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
How fractured is the GOP? — Acombination of early presidential maneuvering and internal policy debate is feeding yet another iteration of that media perennial: the great Republican crackup. This time it's tea party insurgents vs. get-along establishment fogies fighting principally over two things …
Discussion:
American Prospect, PostPartisan, The Dish, Business Insider, No More Mister Nice Blog, ABC News, Hot Air and The Heritage Foundation
Lara Seligman / The Hill:
Ninth woman accuses San Diego mayor Filner of sexual harassment — A ninth woman has emerged to accuse San Diego Mayor Bob Filner (D) of sexual harassment. — Emily Gilbert, who was hired to sing at a fundraiser days after Filner took office in December, told Fox5 that Filner grabbed her inappropriately at the event.
Discussion:
The Other McCain, Taylor Marsh and Shakesville
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Jamie Chambers / FOX5 San Diego:
9th woman accuses Filner of sexual harassment
9th woman accuses Filner of sexual harassment
Discussion:
CNN, Politico and Weasel Zippers
David Brooks / New York Times:
The Neocon Revival — They say you can define what kind of conservative a person is by what year they want to go back to. Some conservatives, apparently including some in Senator Rand Paul's office, want to go back to the 1850s. They believe that Abraham Lincoln helped put us on the path to the leviathan state.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, New Republic, National Review and The Other McCain
Yahoo! News:
The ‘Straight Talk Express’ is back: McCain on his fears about the future of the GOP — Sen. John McCain has a strong warning for Republicans: Falter on immigration reform and the party will lose in 2016. — “If we fail on immigration reform, it won't matter who our nominee …
Discussion:
Politico and Red Alert Politics
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Sex, Money and Gravitas — Can a woman effectively run the Federal Reserve? That shouldn't even be a question. And Janet Yellen, the vice chairwoman of the Fed's Board of Governors, isn't just up to the job; by any objective standard, she's the best-qualified person in America to take over when Ben Bernanke steps down as chairman.
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Brad DeLong, Lawyers, Guns & Money, New York Sun, msnbc.com, Economix and The Week
Shobhana Chandra / Bloomberg:
Payrolls Rise Less Than Forecast, U.S. Jobless Rate Falls — Payrolls Rise 162,000; Jobless Rate Falls to 7.4% — Employers added fewer workers than anticipated in July and the U.S. jobless rate dropped to 7.4 percent, indicating uneven progress in the labor market.
Discussion:
Hot Air, Quartz, Right Wing News and Viking Pundit
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Catherine Rampell / New York Times:
U.S. Adds 162,000 Jobs as Growth Remains Sluggish
U.S. Adds 162,000 Jobs as Growth Remains Sluggish
Discussion:
Economix, Online NewsHour, Outside the Beltway and The Week
Jason Lange / Reuters:
U.S. hiring slows in July but jobless rate falls to four-year low
U.S. hiring slows in July but jobless rate falls to four-year low
Discussion:
Ricochet Conversations Feed and AEIdeas
Mike Judge / The Christian Institute:
Gay couple to sue church over gay marriage opt-out — Wealthy gay dad, Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, says he and his civil partner Tony will go to court to force churches to host gay weddings. — He told the Essex Chronicle that he will take legal action because “I am still not getting what I want”.
Discussion:
Gay Star News, NOM Blog, Althouse and The PJ Tatler