memeorandum: Arizona latest to attack gay rights: Column (Kirsten Powers/USA Today)

1:50 PM ET, February 26, 2014

Top Items:

Dave Camp: How to Fix Our Appalling Tax Code — Every year Americans spend more than six billion hours and $168 billion to file their returns. — There have been so many changes to the tax code over the past decade that it is now 10 times the size of the Bible, but with none of the Good News.

Discussion: Post Politics, Business Insider, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, TIME, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Associated Press and Washington Post

Janet Hook / Wall Street Journal:

Why Lawmaking on a Grand Scale Is a Dying Art — When Rep. Dave Camp (R., Mich.) laid plans to unveil a big tax reform bill this week, it was as if he was operating in some kind of time warp. No one seemed to have told the Ways and Means Committee chairman that Congress isn't doing much legislating any more.

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Althouse and Washington Wire

Politico:
Republicans take on Wall Street

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Business Insider and AEIdeas

Ed Rogers / PostPartisan:

The Insiders: Another day, another Obamacare disaster — In a colossal “oh by the way” revelation, last Friday afternoon the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a federal agency under the United States Department of Health and Human Services (that would be the executive branch run …

Discussion: The Week, VodkaPundit, Speaker.gov, Hot Air and The Daily Caller

Kathryn A. Wolfe / Politico:
President Obama to urge $302 billion transportation bill

Discussion: CNN

Kristen Soltis Anderson / The Daily Beast:
Obama Looks Weak Abroad to Those at Home

Discussion: Yahoo! News, PostPartisan, rubio.senate.gov and The Patriot Post

Reid J. Epstein / Politico:
Obama: OFA volunteers doing 'God's work'

Discussion: The Hill, Right Wing News, Independent Journal Review, Weekly Standard and Washington Free Beacon

CBS News:

Jeb Bush, Rand Paul top GOP's 2016 presidential wish list: Poll — Shares - — While the 2016 presidential election may be two years away, some prospective contenders have been getting a bit of media attention. The latest CBS News/New York Times Poll asked the public whether …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, CNN, Politico, Hit & Run, Hot Air, Business Insider, Taylor Marsh and Post Politics

Dalia Sussman / New York Times:

Most Democrats Want Clinton to Run in 2016 — More than 8 in 10 Democrats say they want Hillary Rodham Clinton to run for president in 2016, showing a level of interest in her that no other potential candidates - Democrat or Republican - come close to matching among their party's voters, according to a New York Times/CBS News Poll.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and OnPolitics

Ilya Shapiro / Cato Institute:

For Marriage Equality, Religious Liberty, and the Freedom of Association — Even though I'm for marriage equality - next week I'll be filing a brief supporting the challenge to the marriage laws of Oklahoma and Utah in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit - I have no problem with Arizona's SB 1062.

Discussion: National Review

Paul Mirengoff / Power Line:
No, this is not Jim Crow for gays, Part Two

Discussion: Hot Air and The Week

Napp Nazworth / Christian News, The Christian Post:
Issue Analysis: Arizona Bill Does Not Give Businesses License to Discriminate Against Gays

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Washington Post, Power Line, The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, Vox Popoli and Arizona Republic

Tony Lombardo / Army Times:

Soldier flagrantly avoids flag salute, sets off online outrage — A soldier who hid in her car to avoid saluting the flag — and then flaunted it on Instagram — is the latest service member to come under attack via social media and be accused of dishonoring her service.

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, Right Wing News and The Daily Caller

Sabrina Tavernise / New York Times:

Obesity Rate for Young Children Plummets 43% in a Decade — Federal health authorities on Tuesday reported a stunning 43 percent drop in the obesity rate among 2- to 5-year-old children over the past decade, the first broad decline in an epidemic that often leads to lifelong struggles …

Discussion: Hit & Run, BillMoyers.com, Centers for Disease Control, Taylor Marsh, Capital New York, Talking Points Memo, VodkaPundit, Taegan Goddard's Wonk Wire and The Week

jama.jamanetwork.com:
Prevalence of Childhood and Adult Obesity in the United States, 2011-2012

Discussion: Wonkblog, BBC, CNN and Gothamist

John Kartch / Americans for Tax Reform RSS:

IRS Warns: Obamacare Tax Must Be Paid with Tax Return — Agency employs Orwellian term “Shared Responsibility Payment” to describe Obamacare individual mandate tax. — President Obama's Internal Revenue Service today quietly released a series of Obamacare “Health Care Tax Tips” …

Discussion: irs.gov, National Republican …, Scared Monkeys and The Gateway Pundit

irs.gov:

Four Tax Facts about the Health Care Law for Individuals — There are a few basic tips to keep in mind about the new health care law. Health insurance choices you make now may affect the income tax return you file in 2015. — Most people already have qualified health insurance coverage …

Discussion: Independent Journal Review

Guy Benson / Townhall.com:

New Sebelius Lie: Seven Million Obamacare Enrollments Was Never Our Goal — The woman lies routinely — see here, here, and here — but this one's a real whopper: — February 2014: “Seven million was not the administration['s enrollment goal].” — September 2013: “Success looks …

Discussion: The PJ Tatler and National Republican …

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
Kathleen Sebelius Has Changed Her Mind About What Obamacare “Success” Is

Discussion: The Switch, Americans for Tax Reform …, Hot Air, The Daily Caller and Ed Driscoll

Philip Rucker / The Fix:

What Mitch McConnell and a twice-heated biscuit have in common — Shortly after wrapping up her event with former President Bill Clinton, Kentucky Senate Democratic candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes sat down with me in Louisville to talk about why she thinks she can beat Sen …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Katie Glueck / Politico:
Bill Clinton helps Alison Lundergan Grimes raise $700K

Discussion: New York Times and Taylor Marsh

Virginian-Pilot:

Va. GOP official apologizes for genital slang “error” — UPDATE: In an email, FitzSimmonds said he thought the word he used had the same meaning as “twaddle,” which is defined as foolish speech. — “The minute I found out my error, I deleted the post and apologized,” he told Pilot on Politics.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite and The Raw Story

Bernie Becker / The Hill:

Issa, House GOP to recall Lois Lerner — House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is hauling Lois Lerner back to Congress. — Issa told Lerner's attorney in a Tuesday letter that he expected the retired IRS official to appear before his committee on March 5.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Politico and Patterico's Pontifications

Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:

Fox Hosts Wonder If Anti-Gay Bill Is ‘Overreaction’ By Religious Right (VIDEO) — The rising tide of conservatives doubting the viability of Arizona's SB 1062 measure, which would allow businesses to discriminate against LGBT individuals on the basis of “religious freedom,” has now swept through Fox News.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Mediaite and Associated Press

Brooks Hays / UPI:

Radioactive water from Japan's Fukushima power plant reaches Canada — Fukushima water has arrived off Canada, but scientists say there's no reason to panic. — Researchers say radioactive cesium isotopes from Japan's severely damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant have made their way to the waters just off the coast of Canada.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Shakesville and Firedoglake

Maeve Reston / Los Angeles Times:

Hawaii health marketplace off to an especially rough start — Four months in, Hawaii Health Connector has allocated $120 million but signed up only about 4,300 people — fewer than any other state. Some lawmakers want to put the nonprofit under state control.

Discussion: National Review, Hot Air and ABC News

Janet Mefferd Show:

Hour 1- Janet talks with Rep. Louie Gohmert from Texas about military cuts announced by Chuck Hagel.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Right Wing Watch and The Raw Story

kff.org:

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: February 2014 — Liz Hamel, Jamie Firth and Mollyann Brodie … Overall, more prefer expensive broad-network plans over cheaper narrow-network plans, but potential ACA exchange customers lean in the opposite direction — There has been a lot of discussion …

Discussion: The Hill, The Plum Line and Jammie Wearing Fools

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Eric Holder: Actually, somebody does have to defend gay marriage bans — BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL GAY MARRIAGE ERIC HOLDER ATTORNEY GENERAL GAY RIGHTS LAW — Attorney General Eric Holder stunned and disappointed many conservative lawyers with his decree that state attorneys general …

Discussion: National Review and Hot Air

Jonathan Shapiro / WABE 90.1 FM:

‘Religious Freedom’ Bill Opposed By LGBT Advocates Likely Dead In Georgia House — House Judiciary Committee Chairman Wendell Willard, R-Sandy Springs. — Credit Ga. House of Reps. — One of the most controversial bills considered by the state House this year is likely dead for the session.