Top Items:
Robert Costa / Washington Post:
Congressional Republicans are focused on calming their divided ranks — After a tumultuous week of party infighting and leadership stumbles, congressional Republicans are focused on calming their divided ranks in the months ahead, mostly by touting proposals that have wide backing within …
Discussion:
ABC News, Power Line, The Daily Caller and Daily Kos
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Russell Berman / The Hill:
Shifting the focus back to Obama — House Republican leaders, having dispensed with the debt limit and put immigration reform on the back burner, will return to their political comfort zone with a legislative agenda focused on attacking the Obama administration and government excess.
Discussion:
The Plum Line and New York Times
Eli Lake / The Daily Beast:
Spy Chief: We Should've Told You We Track Your Calls — The U.S. government long considered its collection of Americans' call records to be a state secret. Now the Director of National Intelligence admits it would have been better if Washington had acknowledged the surveillance in the first place.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Hit & Run, Hot Air, TIME, Firedoglake, Little Green Footballs and emptywheel
Ben Geman / NationalJournal.com:
‘Meet the Press’ Host: Climate Segment Meant as Debate on ‘Policies’ — After excoriating “Meet the Press” in advance for its planned climate change “debate,” environmentalists came away with a mixed bag. — They feared the “debate” format would cast undue doubt on the scientific consensus …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Liberal Values and Pressthink
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Nicholas Confessore / New York Times:
Financier Plans Big Ad Campaign on Climate Change — A billionaire retired investor is forging plans to spend as much as $100 million during the 2014 election, seeking to pressure federal and state officials to enact climate change measures through a hard-edge campaign of attack ads against governors and lawmakers.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Real Clear Politics and Balloon Juice
Zeke J Miller / TIME:
Obama Plays Water Guzzling Desert Golf Courses Amid California Drought — After preaching shared sacrifice to assuage the California water shortage, Obama has played some of the country's thirstiest golf courses. — President Barack Obama traveled to California Friday to highlight …
Discussion:
Scared Monkeys, Betsy's Page, The Lonely Conservative and Jammie Wearing Fools
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Republicans open investigations into ObamaCare's disaster sites — Republicans are launching investigations into three state-run ObamaCare exchanges that are failing disastrously. — Lawmakers are setting their sites on exchanges in Oregon, Maryland and Massachusetts where Democratic governors embraced …
Discussion:
americanthinker.com and The Daily Caller
Rebecca Riffkin / Gallup:
Unemployment Rises to Top Problem in the U.S. — Fewer Americans name the government as the most important problem in February — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans have a new No. 1 problem. Nearly one in four Americans mention jobs and unemployment as the most important problem facing the country, up from 16% in January.
Discussion:
Politico, Hot Air, Right Turn, OnPolitics and Talking Points Memo
James Freeman / Wall Street Journal:
Obama's Stimulus, Five Years Later — Not much growth, but a new costume for Bobber the Water Safety Dog. — THE STIMULUS ANNIVERSARY — Five years ago today, President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law. The $830 billion spending blowout was sold …
Discussion:
RedState
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Mitch McConnell / The Great Debate:
Despite stimulus, middle class still struggles
Despite stimulus, middle class still struggles
Discussion:
Post Politics
Michael Grunwald / TIME:
5 Years After Stimulus, Obama Says It Worked
5 Years After Stimulus, Obama Says It Worked
Discussion:
The New Republic, White House.gov Blog, NO QUARTER USA NET, ThinkProgress, OnPolitics, USA Today and CNN
Lindsay Kalter / Politico:
Kathleen Sebelius: No job loss under Obamacare — Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says there is “absolutely no evidence” that the Affordable Care Act will drive down employment, despite a report from the Congressional Budget Office released Feb. 4 predicting fewer people would be working.
Discussion:
National Review
Michael E. Miller / Riptide 2.0:
Miami Artist Destroyed $1M Ai Weiwei Vase Because PAMM “Only Displays International Artists” — Yesterday, art lovers around the world were shocked when someone strolled into the Pérez Art Museum Miami and destroyed a $1 million vase by Ai Weiwei. — Well, the story gets even more shocking.
Discussion:
New York Times, CBS Miami, Cultist, CANNONFIRE, Althouse, Talking Points Memo, BBC and The Raw Story
Politico:
Exclusive: Mega-donors plan GOP war council — A group of major GOP donors, led by New York billionaire Paul Singer, is quietly expanding its political footprint ahead of the midterm elections in an increasingly assertive effort to shape the direction of the Republican Party.
Tom Troy / Toledo Blade:
‘Joe the Plumber’ Wurzelbacher gets union job with Chrysler Group — Samuel Wurzelbacher he was recently hired at Chrysler. — Samuel “Joe” Wurzelbacher - a.k.a., “Joe the Plumber” - announced today on Facebook and earlier on his Web site that he has landed a union job with Chrysler Group LLC.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Liberaland and Joe For America
Paul Bond / Hollywood Reporter:
‘Bible’ Producers Cut Satan Scenes From ‘Son of God’ Following Obama Controversy (Video) — Eager to avoid a controversy about the devil looking like the president, Roma Downey and Mark Burnett decided to leave the character out of their film, which is based on “The Bible” miniseries.
Discussion:
americanthinker.com and Guardian
Andrea Peyser / New York Post:
Al Gore's global-warming rhetoric is put on ice — It's time to chill on global warming. — Has the polar vortex got you down? Are you feeling sympathy for friends in Atlanta who've endured temperatures frigid enough to drive southerners into the warm embrace of Johnnie Walker Scotch …
Discussion:
his vorpal sword
Rebecca Leber / ThinkProgress:
Man Allegedly Shoots And Kills 15-Year-Old Girl For Egging A Car — Adrian Broadway. — CREDIT: Fox 16 — An Arkansas man faces a murder charge for allegedly gunning down a car filled with teenagers who had wanted to play a prank on his son. One of the passengers, 15-year-old Adrian Broadway …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Little Rock News, The Daily Banter and Liberaland
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David Edwards / The Raw Story:
Arkansas man guns down 15-year-old girl for egging son's car as a prank
Arkansas man guns down 15-year-old girl for egging son's car as a prank
Discussion:
CNN, KTLA 5, ArkansasMatters.com and Hullabaloo
Naomi Schaefer Riley / New York Post:
The economics of sex: Has the price gotten too cheap? — With the romantic haze of Valentine's Day behind us, can we return to the reality of relations between the sexes? — Start with a new film short, “The Economics of Sex,” from the Austin Institute for the Study of Family and Culture.
Discussion:
The Big Picture and Althouse
Adam Aigner-Treworgy / CNN:
Obama to take next step in fuel efficiency for trucks — Washington (CNN) - The Obama administration will take the next step on Tuesday in its multi-year effort to cut emissions and reduce oil use by getting better fuel economy from trucks. — President Barack Obama is set to announce …
Discussion:
Politico
Keli Goff / The Daily Beast:
How Wendy Davis Became America's Conscience on Abortion — The Texas gubernatorial candidate didn't flip-flop, she just voiced what a large percentage of Americans already think of this hot button issue. — Wendy Davis, Texas gubernatorial candidate, and feminist icon in the making …