Top Items:
Peter Baker / New York Times:
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 …
Discussion:
Right Wing News, No More Mister Nice Blog, Campaign for America's Future and Business Insider
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Carrie Budoff Brown / Politico:
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 …
Dana Davidsen / CNN:
Giffords asks ‘What is Congress afraid of?’ in SOTU gun control ad — (CNN) - Gabby Giffords' gun control group will air an ad featuring the former congresswoman around Tuesday's State of the Union address, pushing Congress to take action on legislation expanding background checks on firearms sales.
Ron Fournier / NationalJournal.com:
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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Weekly Standard, Hot Air, WFPL, Washington Post, Betsy's Page, The Week, The Hill, Lawyers, Guns & Money, neo-neocon, Booman Tribune, The Plum Line, The Fix, Power Line and VodkaPundit
Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:
Democrats hope Obama's State of Union speech will be start of populist agenda
Democrats hope Obama's State of Union speech will be start of populist agenda
Discussion:
Balloon Juice, The Fix, Hullabaloo and Hot Air
Jon Pareles / New York Times:
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:
NPR, Guardian, Liberaland, Althouse, Ultimate Classic Rock, American Power, The Week, Sky Dancing, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Agonist and Maggie's Farm
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Bob Minzesheimer / USA Today:
Folk singer Pete Seeger dies at age 94
The Hill:
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.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Caucus, Politico, CNN and Fox News Insider
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Amy Chozick / New York Times:
Clinton Calls Benghazi Her ‘Biggest Regret’ as Secretary
Clinton Calls Benghazi Her ‘Biggest Regret’ as Secretary
Discussion:
Algemeiner.com and Taegan Goddard's …
Lucy McCalmont / Politico:
Hillary Clinton: Benghazi ‘biggest’ regret
Hillary Clinton: Benghazi ‘biggest’ regret
Discussion:
Real Clear Politics, Hot Air, CNN, BuzzFeed, Taylor Marsh, Fox News Insider and RealClearPolitics Video Log
ThinkProgress:
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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Fox News:
A Republican plan to replace ObamaCare, cover pre-existing conditions and lower costs
A Republican plan to replace ObamaCare, cover pre-existing conditions and lower costs
Discussion:
National Review, Wonkblog, Business Insider and AEIdeas
Paul Bedard / Washington Examiner:
Michelle Obama wants $10 donations to ‘help protect Obamacare’
Michelle Obama wants $10 donations to ‘help protect Obamacare’
Discussion:
VodkaPundit, Doug Ross and Rush Limbaugh
Domenico Montanaro / NBCNews:
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.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, ABC News, First Read, Politico, The Star-Ledger Editorial Page and Real Clear Politics
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Mark Murray / NBCNews:
NBC News poll: Pessimism defines the state of the union
NBC News poll: Pessimism defines the state of the union
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Washington Free Beacon
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Are House Republicans planning to pull a fast one on immigration?
Are House Republicans planning to pull a fast one on immigration?
Discussion:
The Plum Line, Business Insider, The Hugh Hewitt Show and Washington Wire
James Ball / Guardian:
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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New York Times:
Spy Agencies Tap Data Streaming From Phone Apps
Spy Agencies Tap Data Streaming From Phone Apps
Discussion:
Guardian, Mediaite, Boing Boing, News Desk, The Daily Caller, TechCrunch, Politico, Hit & Run, NPR, The Verge and emptywheel
Investigations / NBCNews:
Snowden docs reveal British spies snooped on YouTube and Facebook
Snowden docs reveal British spies snooped on YouTube and Facebook
Discussion:
Liberaland, emptywheel, Techdirt and The Verge
Greta Van Susteren / Gretawire:
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
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
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 …
Discussion:
National Review, Hinterland Gazette and Washington Post
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James Hohmann / Politico:
Barack Obama's lows could hurt Democrats in 5 states
Barack Obama's lows could hurt Democrats in 5 states
Discussion:
Power Line
Yahoo! News:
Exclusive: Democratic senators to file amicus brief in Hobby Lobby birth control case — In a brief to be filed with the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, 19 Democratic senators are siding with the Obama administration against evangelical Christian businessmen who argue that paying …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Independent Journal Review and Twitchy
Herb Jackson / NorthJersey.com:
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:
OnPolitics, TIME, Politico, Talking Points Memo, CNN and NBCNews
Jackie Calmes / New York Times:
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
Claire Cain Miller / New York Times:
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
McKay Coppins / BuzzFeed:
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 …