Top Items:
Dylan Scott / Talking Points Memo:
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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Fernanda Santos / New York Times:
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.
Don Banks / Sports Illustrated:
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
Daniel Strauss / Talking Points Memo:
Rick Scott Now Says He Would Veto Arizona Anti-Gay Bill
Rick Scott Now Says He Would Veto Arizona Anti-Gay Bill
Discussion:
Cato Institute, The Reaction, The Dish, Naked Politics and The Huffington Post
Bob Christie / Associated Press:
AZ Gov Brewer In Emergency Meetings Over Anti-Gay Bill
AZ Gov Brewer In Emergency Meetings Over Anti-Gay Bill
Discussion:
Business Insider, Arizona Republic, Liberaland and Daily Kos
Robert T. Garrett / Trail Blazers Blog:
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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Guillermo Contreras / MySanAntonio.com:
Texas' ban on gay marriage ruled unconstitutional
Texas' ban on gay marriage ruled unconstitutional
Discussion:
Texas Attorney General, Mediaite, PoliticusUSA, Americans Against the …, National Review and The PJ Tatler
Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:
Fail: Texas GOP Candidate Accidentally Endorses Gay Marriage On Twitter
Fail: Texas GOP Candidate Accidentally Endorses Gay Marriage On Twitter
Discussion:
The Daily Banter and Gawker
Alan Fram / Associated Press:
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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Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:
Republicans too focused on health-care law, some in GOP warn
Republicans too focused on health-care law, some in GOP warn
Discussion:
addictinginfo.org and Talking Points Memo
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
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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Jim Geraghty / National Review:
Another Round of Obamacare Train Wrecks
Another Round of Obamacare Train Wrecks
Discussion:
Townhall.com, Washington Post, KATU-TV, Hot Air and Los Angeles Times
Philip Rucker / The Fix:
What Mitch McConnell and a twice-heated biscuit have in common
What Mitch McConnell and a twice-heated biscuit have in common
Discussion:
Balloon Juice and Talking Points Memo
Denver Post:
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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Matthew O'Brien / The Atlantic Online:
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.
Glenn Thrush / Politico:
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.
CNN:
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
CNN:
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
John Hinderaker / Power Line:
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.
New York Times:
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
Rich Lowry / 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
Austin Wright / Politico:
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
Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
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 / Wall Street Journal:
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 …