Top Items:
Mark Murray / firstread.nbcnews.com:
Poll: Christie cruising through bridge scandal (so far) — Nearly 70 percent of Americans say the bridge-closure scandal engulfing Chris Christie has not changed their opinion about the New Jersey governor, according to a new NBC News/Marist poll. In addition, 44 percent …
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Kenneth P. Vogel / Politico:
Chris Christie's high-stakes weekend — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has apologized to his constituents for the George Washington Bridge scandal. Now, he'll face his base. — Christie is headed to Florida for a series of events with some of the GOP's deepest pockets …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Fix, Post Politics, First Read and Riehl World News
Daniel Henninger / Wall Street Journal:
Chris Christie Is an Amateur — The left's political methods make Gov. Christie look like Little Bo Peep. — There haven't been so many reporters chasing a story in Trenton, N.J., since Washington crossed the Delaware. But compared with the methods the Democratic Party is using …
Discussion:
Betsy's Page
Hunter Walker / Talking Points Memo:
What Christie Did To Get A Reputation As A Political Bully Even In College — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is no stranger to accusations of political bullying and backroom dealing like those at the heart of the bridge scandal. — TPM has found one of the first times …
Discussion:
Jammie Wearing Fools
Politico:
Chris Christie calms fellow governors on scandal
Chris Christie calms fellow governors on scandal
Discussion:
Rothenblog, CNN, The Daily Caller and NationalJournal.com
Jack Shafer:
All lanes close in on Christie
All lanes close in on Christie
Discussion:
Washington Post, TIME and Talking Points Memo
Matt Apuzzo / New York Times:
U.S. to Expand Rules Limiting Use of Profiling by Federal Agents — The Justice Department will significantly expand its definition of racial profiling to prohibit federal agents from considering religion, national origin, gender and sexual orientation in their investigations, a government official said Wednesday.
Discussion:
Liberaland, Gawker and Jihad Watch
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Peter Baker / New York Times:
Obama's Path From Critic to Overseer of Spying — WASHINGTON — As a young lawmaker defining himself as a presidential candidate, Barack Obama visited a center for scholars in August 2007 to give a speech on terrorism. He described a surveillance state run amok and vowed to rein it in.
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's Wonk Wire
Politico:
Inside the House GOP's immigration push — House Republican leaders are within weeks of releasing their principles for immigration reform — a blueprint that will detail positions on everything from border security to legal status. — The document, which has been kept under wraps until now …
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The Hill:
House easily passes $1T omnibus spending bill with 359-67 vote — The House on Wednesday easily approved a $1 trillion omnibus spending bill that would fund the government for the rest of fiscal 2014 and let Congress avoid the risk of a shutdown until the end of September.
Discussion:
Heritage Action for America, CNN and Politico
Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:
In Defeat for Tea Party, House Passes $1.1 Trillion Spending Bill
In Defeat for Tea Party, House Passes $1.1 Trillion Spending Bill
Discussion:
The Week and Prairie Weather
Alex Roarty / NationalJournal.com:
NRCC Blacklists Conservative Firm Jamestown for Fighting Republican Incumbents
NRCC Blacklists Conservative Firm Jamestown for Fighting Republican Incumbents
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:
Obama fighting perception that administration is out of time to make progress on priorities — RALEIGH, N.C. — President Obama is touting 2014 as a “year of action,” but it might just as easily be called the year of “measured expectation.” — Contrary to the predictions of many in Washington …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal
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Donna Cassata / Associated Press:
AP Sources: Armed Services Chairman to Retire — Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, who as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee has struggled to protect defense spending against deficit hawks, has decided to retire after 21 years in Congress, Republicans officials said Wednesday.
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Lizzie Crocker / The Daily Beast:
Virginia Legislator Running for Congress Says Spousal Rape Should Be Legal — State Senator Richard Black has been telling his fellow Virginians for more than a decade that spousal rape is not a crime, and now he's running for Congress. — Good news for Virginians living in the 13th district …
Discussion:
First Read and Mother Jones
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Meredith Clark / msnbc.com:
GOP House candidate opposes spousal rape charges
GOP House candidate opposes spousal rape charges
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Daily Banter, Talking Points Memo, The Raw Story and Liberaland
Laura Bassett / The Huffington Post:
GOP Congressman: Limiting Abortion ‘Promotes Job Creation’ — Democratic opponents of a new anti-abortion bill moving through the House of Representatives criticized Republicans on Wednesday for fast-tracking a socially divisive piece of legislation that “does not create a single job.”
Discussion:
Liberaland, Talking Points Memo, Americans Against the … and Hullabaloo
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NY Daily News:
Adam Lanza calls in radio station a year before Sandy Hook shooting and gives bizarre interview — LISTEN TO THE TAPE — Documents reveal how Lanza, a year before Newtown massacre, used the pseudonym ‘Smiggles’ on a message board to talk about calling an Oregon college radio station and masking …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Mediaite
Jessica Taylor / The Hill:
Mr. Smith decides to go home — To put it bluntly, being a member of Congress sucks — and the 16 members in the growing caucus of legislators heading for the exits seem to agree. — Someone has announced his retirement every day this week — on Wednesday it was Northern Virginia Rep. Jim Moran …
Susanne Craig / New York Times:
Cuomo and Schneiderman Prepare to Fight Over JPMorgan Settlement — ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has asked people if they think Eric T. Schneiderman, the attorney general of New York State, wears eyeliner. — Mr. Schneiderman has told people that he believes Mr. Cuomo's administration is Machiavellian and is out to undermine him.
Discussion:
Politicker and Booman Tribune
Kyle Trygstad / Roll Call:
Senate GOP More Optimistic About Midterms — At the dawn of the election year, Senate Republicans feel a renewed sense of optimism in their fight to net the six seats necessary to win the majority in 2014. — The stumbling rollout of Obamacare has given the GOP hope it can loosen …
Discussion:
Capitol Report
Nico Hines / The Daily Beast:
Senior UK Defense Advisor: Obama Is Clueless About ‘What He Wants To Do In The World’ — Sir Hew Strachan, an expert on the history of war, says that the president's strategic failures in Afghanistan and Syria have crippled America's position in the world. — President Obama is …
Discussion:
Yahoo! News
Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic Online:
How Rush Limbaugh Decides What Is True — Something special happened Monday on the Rush Limbaugh radio program. Its host set out to explain why conservatives won't be defending New Jersey Governor Chris Christie during the bridge scandal in the same way that they rallied behind Clarence Thomas during …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Daily Kos and The Daily Caller