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IT'S DEAD: Brewer Vetoes Anti-Gay Bill — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) announced Wednesday night that she has vetoed the anti-gay bill that has been sitting on her desk since last week. — The bill “does not address a specific or present concern related to religious liberty in Arizona,” she said in explaining her decision.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Democratic Strategist and Hinterland Gazette
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Arizona Governor Vetoes Bill on Refusal of Service to Gays — PHOENIX — Ending a day that cast a glaring national spotlight on Arizona, the state's Republican governor, Jan Brewer, decided late Wednesday to veto a bill that would have given business owners the right to refuse service to gays and lesbians on religious grounds.


Source: NFL begins exploring Super Bowl XLIX relocation options — The NFL previously stripped Arizona of a Super Bowl in 1993, relocating the game to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. — Even as momentum continues to build against Arizona's controversial bill that would allow businesses …
Discussion:
Guardian, The Raw Story, CBS Detroit, Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, Daily Kos, Business Insider and NFL.com


Rick Scott Now Says He Would Veto Arizona Anti-Gay Bill
Discussion:
Cato Institute, The Reaction, The Dish, Naked Politics and The Huffington Post

AZ Gov Brewer In Emergency Meetings Over Anti-Gay Bill
Discussion:
Business Insider, Arizona Republic, Liberaland and Daily Kos


Federal judge voids Texas' gay marriage ban, though he delays order from taking effect immediately — Mark Phariss of Plano, left, held the hand of partner Victor Holmes, center, as they left the U.S. Federal Courthouse in San Antonio after a hearing earlier this month.
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Texas' ban on gay marriage ruled unconstitutional
Discussion:
Texas Attorney General, Mediaite, PoliticusUSA, Americans Against the …, National Review and The PJ Tatler

Fail: Texas GOP Candidate Accidentally Endorses Gay Marriage On Twitter
Discussion:
The Daily Banter and Gawker

Top Senate Dem: Koch Brothers Are Un-American — The Senate's top Democrat criticized a pair of billionaire brothers in unusually harsh terms Wednesday, accusing the conservative duo of being “un-American,” spreading lies about President Barack Obama's health care overhaul and lacking a conscience.
Discussion:
CNN
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Republicans too focused on health-care law, some in GOP warn
Discussion:
addictinginfo.org and Talking Points Memo


Americans know there's no GOP ‘alternative’ to Obamacare — Obamacare is a disaster for Democrats, and a certain winner for Republicans. That's what we keep hearing, anyway. — So why does it look as if the percentage of Americans who favor repeal may have actually shrunk since its rollout problems began?
Discussion:
Daily Kos, The New Republic and Taegan Goddard's …
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Another Round of Obamacare Train Wrecks
Discussion:
Townhall.com, Washington Post, KATU-TV, Hot Air and Los Angeles Times

What Mitch McConnell and a twice-heated biscuit have in common
Discussion:
Balloon Juice and Talking Points Memo


U.S. REP. CORY GARDNER TO ENTER U.S. SENATE RACE AGAINST MARK UDALL — Republican Congressman Cory Gardner is planning to drop his re-election bid and run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Mark Udall, a political bombshell that is expected to alter Colorado's political landscape.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Daily Kos, RedState, Weekly Standard, ThinkProgress, The Fix, Roll Call and OnPolitics
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How the Fed Let the World Blow Up in 2008 — High oil prices blinded the Fed to the growing danger before the crash — It was the day after Lehman failed, and the Federal Reserve was trying to decide what to do. — It had been fighting a credit crunch for over a year, and now the worst-case scenario was playing out.


Joe Biden in winter — “The only thing I know is I ain't changing my brand. I know what I believe. I'm confident in what I know. And I'm gonna say it. And if folks like it, wonderful. If they don't like it, I understand.” — Vice President Joe Biden and I were riding the Amtrak to Philly on a frigid February day.

Supreme Court spectator interrupts justices — (CNN) — The Supreme Court was the scene of an unusual disturbance during its public session on Wednesday, when a man interrupted an oral argument. — The incident occurred near the end of debate between the nine justices on the bench and counsel …
Discussion:
Mediaite

GOP loves tax reform, in theory. In reality? Not so much — Washington (CNN) - Republicans, who have spent years clamoring for tax reform, were much less enthusiastic Wednesday when faced with a sweeping tax overhaul plan in an election year, reticent to discuss whether the proposal …
Discussion:
Politico


Photo of the Day: The Catastrophe in Syria — The Obama administration's Syria policy has been a fiasco. I don't think anyone seriously tries to defend it. That said, the humanitarian tragedy that is unfolding in that country is not the responsibility of the U.S. government.


G.O.P., Though Deeply Split, Has Election Edge, Poll Shows — Republicans are in a stronger position than Democrats for this year's midterm elections, benefiting from the support of self-described independents, even though the party itself is deeply divided and most Americans agree …
Discussion:
Politico


Brewer's Foolish Veto — In addition to the federal government, 18 states have such statutes and about a dozen other states interpret their state constitutions as extending the same protections, according to the letter. The statutes, the scholars write, “say that before government can burden …
Discussion:
alicublog


Chuck Hagel turns up heat about U.S. POW — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has put one of his top deputies in charge of the Pentagon's efforts to secure the release of a U.S. soldier captured in 2009 by insurgents in Afghanistan, according to a congressional aide.
Discussion:
Most Recent

House votes unanimously to fix FOIA process — The House on Tuesday afternoon easily passed legislation to make it easier for people to ask for — and actually receive — information from the government about the government's activities. — Members passed H.R. 1211, the FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act, in an easy 410-0 vote.
Discussion:
E Pluribus Unum and Sunlight Foundation Blog

Bradley A. Smith: Connecting the Dots in the IRS Scandal — The ‘smoking gun’ in the targeting of conservative groups has been hiding in plain sight. — The mainstream press has justified its lack of coverage over the Internal Revenue Service targeting of conservative groups because there's been no …