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Obama to Raise Minimum Wage Under Federal Contractors — WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to sign an executive order requiring that janitors, construction workers and others working for federal contractors be paid at least $10.10 an hour, using his own power to enact a more limited version …
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No More Mister Nice Blog, Campaign for America's Future and Business Insider
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A Pen, a Phone, and a Flailing President — The White House's problem might not be strategies and tactics. It might be Obama himself. — For months, the White House and its allies mocked critics of Barack Obama's leadership, arguing that no president has “Green Lantern” superhero powers.
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Washington Post, NPR, Hot Air, Betsy's Page, The Week, The Hill, Lawyers, Guns & Money, neo-neocon, Booman Tribune, The Plum Line, The Fix, Power Line and VodkaPundit


State of the Union 2014: How far will Obama go? — It's been the main White House talking point all year: If Congress can't get its act together and pass legislation, President Barack Obama will do what he can on his own. — The State of the Union address Tuesday night will reveal whether Obama …


Democrats hope Obama's State of Union speech will be start of populist agenda
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, The Fix, Hullabaloo and Hot Air

Giffords asks ‘What is Congress afraid of?’ in SOTU gun control ad
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Politico

State of the Union 2014: The search for a non-awkward Obamacare shout-out
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Talking Points Memo and VodkaPundit


56 Dems endorse Hillary for 2016 — Fifty-six Democratic lawmakers say they would endorse Hillary Clinton for president if she launches a 2016 White House bid, according to a survey conducted by The Hill. [SEE COMPLETE LIST] — Twenty-two congressional Democrats had already publicly endorsed Clinton.
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The Caucus, Politico and Fox News Insider
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Clinton Calls Benghazi Her ‘Biggest Regret’ as Secretary
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Algemeiner.com and Taegan Goddard's …


Clinton Spokesman Says She Used Facebook, Bought Something Online Last Wednesday
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The Daily Banter and Mediaite

Hillary Clinton: Benghazi ‘biggest’ regret
Discussion:
Real Clear Politics, Hot Air, CNN, BuzzFeed, Fox News Insider and RealClearPolitics Video Log


Pete Seeger, Songwriter and Champion of Folk Music, Dies at 94 — Pete Seeger, the singer, folk-song collector and songwriter who spearheaded an American folk revival and spent a long career championing folk music as both a vital heritage and a catalyst for social change, died Monday.
Discussion:
Liberaland, Guardian, NPR, Althouse, The Week, Sky Dancing, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Agonist and Maggie's Farm
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The Five Worst Things About The New Republican Proposal To Replace Obamacare — On Monday, a trio Republican senators unveiled an alternative to Obamacare eerily similar to the one that former presidential candidate Mitt Romney proposed in 2012. The plan boils down to a rehash …
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Poll: Christie numbers tank as scandals continue — Chris Christie's political future looks to be in serious danger with more Americans believing the embattled New Jersey governor is lying about the bridge closure scandal than telling the truth, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
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Talking Points Memo, Politico, The Star-Ledger Editorial Page and Real Clear Politics
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NBC News poll: Pessimism defines the state of the union
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Washington Free Beacon

Are House Republicans planning to pull a fast one on immigration?
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The Plum Line, Business Insider, The Hugh Hewitt Show and Washington Wire


NSA and GCHQ target ‘leaky’ phone apps like Angry Birds to scoop user data — GCHQ documents use Angry Birds - reportedly downloaded more than 1.7bn times - as a case study for app data collection. — The National Security Agency and its UK counterpart GCHQ have been developing capabilities …
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Spy Agencies Tap Data Streaming From Phone Apps
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Guardian, Mediaite, Boing Boing, News Desk, The Daily Caller, Politico, Hit & Run, NPR and emptywheel

Snowden docs reveal British spies snooped on YouTube and Facebook
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Liberaland, emptywheel, Techdirt and The Verge


What is wrong with this guy? He is such a jerk! He is a repeat offender! — This posting is not about Wendy Davis. It is not about her views. This is about a man who has pattern of being disrespectful to women: — We are a big nation with different viewpoints.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Taylor Marsh and The Other McCain


Hawaiians, D.C. Residents Most Approving of Obama in 2013 — Wyoming and West Virginia residents least approving — PRINCETON, NJ — Residents of 11 states and the District of Columbia gave President Barack Obama job approval ratings above 50% in 2013. Hawaii had the highest approval rating among …
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National Review, Hinterland Gazette and Washington Post
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Barack Obama's lows could hurt Democrats in 5 states
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Power Line


Fort Lee Mayor Sokolich to attend State of the Union speech as Pascrell guest — Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, who helped spark the controversy now threatening Governor Christie's political future by speculating that lanes to the George Washington Bridge were closed to send him a message …
Discussion:
TIME, OnPolitics, Politico, Talking Points Memo, CNN and NBCNews


Obama's Puzzle: Economy Rarely Better, Approval Rarely Worse — WASHINGTON — President Obama will pronounce on the state of the union for the fifth time on Tuesday, and never during his time in office has the state of the economy been better — yet rarely has he gotten such low marks from the public for his handling of it.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal


Google Glass to Be Covered by Vision Care Insurer VSP — SAN FRANCISCO — Google and VSP, the nation's biggest optical health insurance provider, have struck a deal to offer subsidized frames and prescription lenses for Google Glass, the Internet-connected eyewear.
Discussion:
Althouse, Towleroad News #gay and The Verge


I Watched The New Mitt Romney Documentary With My Wife And It Was A Huge Mistake — The compelling new Netflix film reveals, among other things, the ideal Mormon husband. Thanks a lot, Mitt. — At the Republican National Convention in 2012, the Romney campaign released a piece …


At The Grammys, Beyoncé And Jay-Z Made The Case For Marriage That Conservatives Can't — On Saturday, the New York Times' Ross Douthat wrote a column in which he suggested concessions both liberals and conservatives ought to make if we're to get together on the joint project of making marriage more appetizing and acceptable.
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ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, The Raw Story, The Daily Caller and Althouse