Top Items:
Aaron Blake / Post Politics:
Huckabee: Dems think women can't control their libido — Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (R) said Thursday that Republicans need to take a more combative attitude toward winning the votes of women, by emphasizing that women aren't weaklings in need of help from the government.
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, ThinkProgress, Weekly Standard, The Raw Story and Right Wing Watch
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David Weigel / Slate:
Mike Huckabee: Democrats Want Women to Think “They Can't Control Their Libido” — Earlier today, Harvard's Institute of Politics announced that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who's currently a Fox News host and who may run for president again in 2016, would be a “visiting fellow” for the spring semester.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, AMERICAblog News and The Raw Story
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Watchdog Report Says N.S.A. Program Is Illegal and Should End — WASHINGTON — An independent federal privacy watchdog has concluded that the National Security Agency's program to collect bulk phone call records has provided only “minimal” benefits in counterterrorism efforts, is illegal and should be shut down.
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Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post:
Independent review board says NSA phone data program is illegal and should end — An independent executive branch board has concluded that the National Security Agency's long-running program to collect billions of Americans' phone records is illegal and should end.
Discussion:
Guardian, americanthinker.com, Mashable, The Verge and emptywheel
Tal Kopan / Politico:
Mark Herring explains gay marriage shift — New Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring says his decision to challenge his state's ban on gay marriage, rather than defend it on behalf of the state, is part of an evolution in his views on the subject. — Herring announced his decision to side …
Discussion:
neo-neocon, CNN, Towleroad News #gay, Mediaite and The Agonist
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Eyder Peralta / NPR:
Virginia's New Attorney General Will Not Defend Gay-Marriage Ban
Virginia's New Attorney General Will Not Defend Gay-Marriage Ban
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, GLAAD, Advocate, Associated Press, Daily Kos, The Dish, Talking Points Memo, Guardian and The Reaction
Robert Barnes / Washington Post:
Virginia to fight same-sex marriage ban
Virginia to fight same-sex marriage ban
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, The Fix, Washington Blade, BillMoyers.com, Taegan Goddard's … and NBCNews
Nicholas Confessore / New York Times:
Biggest Liberal ‘Super PAC’ to Fund Possible Clinton Bid — The largest liberal “super PAC” in the country has begun raising money to elect Hillary Rodham Clinton president, formally aligning itself with Mrs. Clinton's undeclared presidential ambitions more than two years away from the election.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Tom Moran, PennLive.com, Liberaland and Balloon Juice
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James A. Barnes / The Atlantic Online:
Can Anyone Stop Hillary? Absolutely
Can Anyone Stop Hillary? Absolutely
Discussion:
CNN, The Moderate Voice, Taylor Marsh, Shakesville, Politico and Right Turn
Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:
Pope Cautions Catholics Against ‘Bombarding People With Religious Messages’ — Pope Francis on Thursday said that Catholics should start a conversation about their beliefs in order to promote their message, not simply tout their perspective. — “Effective Christian witness …
Discussion:
ncronline.org and Liberaland
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Brian Resnick / NationalJournal.com:
Pope Francis, in Social-Media Message, Calls Internet a ‘Gift From God’
Pope Francis, in Social-Media Message, Calls Internet a ‘Gift From God’
Discussion:
ABC News, Liberaland and Engadget
Nicole Winfield / Associated Press:
Pope: Internet Is a ‘Gift From God’ for Dialogue
Pope: Internet Is a ‘Gift From God’ for Dialogue
Discussion:
The Verge, Mediaite, Gothamist and The PJ Tatler
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Schumer seeks to poison Tea Party — Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), the Senate Democrats' political guru, has a plan to poison the Tea Party by driving a wedge between its rich funders and its blue-collar rank and file. — Schumer, one of the Democrats' most influential strategists …
Discussion:
Booman Tribune, Pew Research Center …, No More Mister Nice Blog, neo-neocon, The Plum Line, Hot Air and Taegan Goddard's …
MiamiHerald.com:
Justin Bieber arrested in Miami Beach over DUI, drag-racing — After allegedly smoking pot all day, drinking beer and popping anti-depressants, bad-boy pop star Justin Bieber went on a wild pre-dawn drag race in Miami Beach that landed him in jail Thursday morning, police said.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, TMZ.com, Radio.com News, The Daily Caller, Riptide 2.0, New Jersey Online, USA Today, Hinterland Gazette and Gawker
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Alan Duke / CNN:
Justin Bieber arrested on drunken driving, resisting arrest charges
Justin Bieber arrested on drunken driving, resisting arrest charges
Discussion:
Taking Note, KFOR-TV, Gawker and Taylor Marsh
New York Times:
Leaning Right in Hollywood, Under a Lens — LOS ANGELES — In a famously left-leaning Hollywood, where Democratic fund-raisers fill the social calendar, Friends of Abe stands out as a conservative group that bucks the prevailing political winds. — A collection of perhaps 1,500 right-leaning players …
Discussion:
American Spectator, The PJ Tatler and Weasel Zippers
Dylan Scott / Talking Points Memo:
The Heritage Foundation Might Be Shedding Some Of Its Crazy Soon — 2013 wasn't exactly been a banner year for the Heritage Foundation, Washington's most well-known and influential conservative think tank. — In its first year under former senator and tea party godfather Jim DeMint …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and The Moderate Voice
Washington Free Beacon:
Zakaria: Iran Deal is a Train Wreck — In an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani forcefully asserted that Iran would not destroy its nuclear centrifuges “under any circumstances”. — Rouhani's comments come just days after the U.S. and Iran began to implement …
Discussion:
Weekly Standard
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Kathy Frankovic / YouGov US Opinion Center News:
How to get Iran to negotiate? Americans think a stick works better
How to get Iran to negotiate? Americans think a stick works better
Discussion:
The Dish, ThinkProgress and The Plum Line
Matthew Garrahan / Financial Times:
CNN lays off more than 40 journalists — CNN has laid off more than 40 senior journalists in its newsgathering operation - including a pregnant producer who was two weeks away from giving birth to twins - as part of a reorganisation of the business under Jeff Zucker.
Discussion:
Politico and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
Christopher Flavelle / Bloomberg:
Guns Make Voting Even Harder — If you want to feel truly dispirited about the health of U.S. democracy, skip the stories about Chris Christie and Bob McDonnell and go straight to today's report on the American voting experience. — The report, by a presidentially appointed commission …
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler, Eduwonk and National Review
Darryl Isherwood / New Jersey Online:
U.S. Attorney subpoenas Christie campaign and GOP State Committee over bridge scandal — Gov. Chris Christie delivers his State of the State address in which he also discussed the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal. (Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-Ledgery)
Discussion:
Politico, Talking Points Memo and Post Politics
Gregory N. Hicks / Wall Street Journal:
Gregory Hicks: Benghazi and the Smearing of Chris Stevens — Shifting blame to our dead ambassador is wrong on the facts. I know—I was there. — Last week the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence issued its report on the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya.
Discussion:
Hot Air, Washington Free Beacon, Betsy's Page and Patterico's Pontifications
William K. Rashbaum / New York Times:
Hoboken Mayor Is Said to Have Told of Threat — Federal authorities in New Jersey have interviewed several witnesses who said the mayor of Hoboken told them in May about a state official's threat to withhold hurricane recovery funds if the mayor did not support a development project favored by the governor …
Discussion:
investigations.nbcnews.com, Business Insider, PoliticusUSA, Taylor Marsh, Daily Kos and Talking Points Memo
Daniel Bice / JSOnline:
Welder lauded by Scott Walker in speech is sex offender — By Daniel Bice of the Journal Sentinel — Emphasizing his role as a job creator, Gov. Scott Walker praised Christopher Barber's initiative during the governor's annual “state of the state” speech on Wednesday.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Post Politics
Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:
Poll Shows Most Republicans Think People Are Poor Because They Don't Work Hard Enough — Whether you're rich or poor, Republicans believe that's on you. — New findings released Thursday by Pew showed that most Republicans think rich people are largely responsible for their socioeconomic status.
Discussion:
susiemadrak.com and Liberaland
American Prospect:
The Fiscal Reality and its Politics — Ever since the election of 1992, fiscal conservatives in both parties—and in third parties—have tried to make the federal deficit a central political and economic issue. In a series of articles and books beginning in 1982, the billionaire investor …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Democratic Strategist and Mediaite
ThinkProgress:
A New Idea To Empower Workers That Employers Actually Support — In an effort to unionize a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United Auto Workers (UAW) is also seeking to create a European-style works council. The idea of unions, if disparaged, is at least familiar to Americans.
Discussion:
Liberaland
Helena Bottemiller Evich / Politico:
FLOTUS, Subway team up on health — First lady Michelle Obama has enlisted Subway, the largest restaurant chain in the country, in her mission to get kids to eat more fruits and vegetables. — At a Subway just blocks from the White House on Thursday, the first lady praised the company …
Discussion:
CNN
Dorsey Shaw / BuzzFeed:
17 Things That The New York Times Magazine “Planet Hillary” Cover Looks Like — The “newspaper of record's” magazine has entered a whole new universe. — Here is the latest New York Times Magazine cover featuring “Planet Hillary.” — Ted Cruz's Wrecking Ball — View Entire List ›
Discussion:
Gothamist and She The People
David Leonhardt / New York Times:
Upward Mobility Has Not Declined, Study Says — The odds of moving up — or down — the income ladder in the United States have not changed appreciably in the last 20 years, according to a large new academic study that contradicts politicians in both parties who have claimed that income mobility is falling.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Wonkblog, Hit & Run, JustOneMinute, Hot Air and The Heritage Foundation
Amanda Marcotte / The Daily Beast:
The GOP's Birth-Control Trojan Horse — The right wants to use religion as an excuse to legally discriminate against gays and unmarried women—and, ultimately, anyone who doesn't share their Christian faith. — Ever since the Obama administration included contraception in the list of services …
Discussion:
American Spectator and Fox News