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 …
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Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:
Obama to raise minimum wage for government contract workers — President Obama will announce in the State of the Union address Tuesday that he will use his executive power to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour for workers on new government contracts, fulfilling a top demand …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Plum Line, Guardian, The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, The Fact Checker and The Fix
USA Today:
Obama to raise minimum wage for some federal workers — WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to stress executive action in Tuesday night's State of the Union speech, including an order to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour for some federal contract workers, administration officials said.
Discussion:
PoliticusUSA
Jim Kuhnhenn / Associated Press:
Obama Hiking Minimum Pay for New Federal Contracts
Obama Hiking Minimum Pay for New Federal Contracts
Discussion:
Politico
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, Hullabaloo and Hot Air
Ron Fournier / NationalJournal.com:
A Pen, a Phone, and a Flailing President
A Pen, a Phone, and a Flailing President
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Hot Air, Washington Post, WFPL, The Week, The Hill, Betsy's Page, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Booman Tribune, The Fix, neo-neocon, The Plum Line, Power Line and VodkaPundit
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, Althouse, Guardian, The Agonist, Associated Press, Liberaland, American Power, Ultimate Classic Rock, The Week, Sky Dancing, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Maggie's Farm
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Jethro Mullen / CNN:
Legendary folk singer Pete Seeger dies at 94
Legendary folk singer Pete Seeger dies at 94
Discussion:
alicublog and The Jawa Report
Bob Minzesheimer / USA Today:
Folk singer Pete Seeger dies at age 94
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, The Star-Ledger Editorial Page, Politico and Real Clear Politics
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Mark Murray / NBCNews:
NBC News poll: Pessimism defines the state of the union — As President Barack Obama enters his sixth year in the White House, 68 percent of Americans say the country is either stagnant or worse off since he took office, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
Discussion:
Shakesville, Washington Free Beacon and National Review
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, Taylor Marsh, The Caucus, Politico, Real Clear Politics, Fox News Insider and CNN
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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 …
Tal Kopan / Politico:
Matthews goes after McCain critic — Sen. John McCain, under fire from the Arizona GOP for not being conservative enough, got an unlikely ally in his defense against the state party's censure of the senator, as MSNBC host Chris Matthews went after the author of the Arizona GOP's critique of McCain.
Discussion:
CNN
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Burgess Everett / Politico:
John McCain on reprimand: ‘It fires me up’
John McCain on reprimand: ‘It fires me up’
Discussion:
CNN, OnPolitics and Independent Journal Review
Molly Ball / The Atlantic Online:
How Republicans Lost the Farm — On a recent Monday in San Antonio, Texas, Tom Vilsack, the secretary of agriculture, got up to speak to an auditorium full of farmers. Vilsack, a doughy, wavy-haired former governor of Iowa, wore a grim expression as he gripped the lectern.
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, The PJ Tatler, Independent Journal Review and Twitchy
Laura Vozzella / Washington Post:
Democrat wins Virginia Senate recount, giving Gov. Terry McAuliffe's agenda a crucial boost — VIRGINIA BEACH — Democrats prepared to seize control of the Virginia Senate on Monday after winning a recount by just 11 votes in a razor-thin special election, giving Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe's first-year agenda a crucial boost.
Discussion:
Daily Kos
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, The Raw Story, Taylor Marsh and The Other McCain
Kevin Sieff / Washington Post:
Karzai suspects U.S. is behind insurgent-style attacks, Afghan officials say — KABUL — President Hamid Karzai has frequently lashed out at the U.S. military for causing civilian casualties in its raids. But behind the scenes, he has been building a far broader case against the Americans …
Discussion:
emptywheel, Guardian, National Review and Blazing Cat Fur
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Matthew Rosenberg / New York Times:
Afghan Villagers Brought to Back Airstrike Report
BBC:
German cows cause methane blast in Rasdorf — Methane gas released by dairy cows has caused an explosion in a cow shed in Germany, police said. — The roof was damaged and one of the cows was injured in the blast in the central German town of Rasdorf. — Thanks to the belches and flatulence …
Discussion:
Liberaland
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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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
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
James Hohmann / Politico:
Barack Obama's lows could hurt Democrats in 5 states — Senate Democrats must defend seats this year in five of the 10 states where President Barack Obama is most unpopular. — Daily tracking numbers published Monday by Gallup highlight the treacherous map facing Democrats in the midterm elections …
Discussion:
Power Line
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Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Hawaiians, D.C. Residents Most Approving of Obama in 2013
Hawaiians, D.C. Residents Most Approving of Obama in 2013
Discussion:
National Review, Hinterland Gazette and Washington Post