Top Items:
Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:
Former RNC chairman: 'Black man's life not worth a ham sandwich' — Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele on Wednesday criticized grand jury decisions to not indict white police officers in the deaths of black men in New York and Ferguson, Mo.
Discussion:
Hinterland Gazette and Mediaite
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New York Times:
Protests After Grand Jury in Eric Garner Chokehold Case Doesn't Indict Officer — A Staten Island grand jury on Wednesday ended the criminal case against a white New York police officer whose chokehold on an unarmed black man led to the man's death, a decision that drew condemnation …
Sean Davis / The Federalist:
Hands Up, Don't Choke: Eric Garner Was Killed By Police For No Reason — On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner was choked to death by a New York City policeman. On December 3, 2014, a grand jury chose not to indict the officer who killed him. And unlike the Michael Brown case in Ferguson …
Discussion:
The Daily Banter, NY Daily News, Firedoglake, Hot Air, Raw Story, Mediaite, Watchdog.org, Talking Points Memo, JustOneMinute, GotNews and No More Mister Nice Blog
ABC News:
Watch: Obama After Eric Garner Decision: ??? This Is an American Problem??? — Some of you may have heard there was a decision that came out today by a grand jury not to indict. Police officers who had. Interacted with the an individual named Eric garner in New York City.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit and Scared Monkeys
Politico:
Container-in-chief — Once more, Obama tries to quell public rage after the non-indictment of a police officer. — For the second time in ten days, the Obama administration is scrambling to contain tensions and anger unleashed by a local grand jury's decision not to charge a white police officer …
Discussion:
ABC News, The Moderate Voice, White House.gov Blog, Hinterland Gazette and Talking Points Memo
New York Times:
Officer Told Grand Jury He Meant No Harm to Eric Garner — It was never supposed to be a chokehold, the officer testified. It was a wrestling move. — After two months of considering evidence in the fatal choking of Eric Garner on July 17, a grand jury on Staten Island was finally hearing …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, CBS New York, Mediaite and Prairie Weather
Sara Fischer / CNN:
Rand Paul blames Eric Garner's death on high NYC cigarette tax — Sen. Rand Paul blames high cigarette taxes for the death of Eric Garner — Washington (CNN) — In 2010, the New York State Legislature passed a law raising taxes on cigarettes purchased in New York City to $5.85 per pack of 20 cigarettes.
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler
Uri Friedman / The Atlantic Online:
Do Police Body Cameras Actually Work? — It may be the most significant reform to follow the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown. — On Monday, President Obama requested $75 million in federal funds for a technology that, as he sees it, could help bridge the kinds of rifts between …
Discussion:
The Daily Banter
Charles M. Blow / New York Times:
Michael Brown, and Now Eric Garner — At some point between the moment a Missouri grand jury refused to indict a police officer who had shot and killed Michael Brown on a Ferguson street and the moment a New York grand jury refused to indict a police officer who choked and killed Eric Garner …
Nia-Malika Henderson / Washington Post:
With Eric Garner, Obama's body camera argument just took a big hit — President Obama announced this week that, in response to Ferguson and other cases of cops killing unarmed black men, the White House would call for $75 million to make 50,000 body cameras available to police departments across the country.
Discussion:
Liberaland and The New York Observer
New York Post:
Cop cleared in chokehold death of Eric Garner
Cop cleared in chokehold death of Eric Garner
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler, Gothamist, Scared Monkeys, theGrio, Hit & Run, FOX News Radio, ThinkProgress, Poynter, PoliticusUSA and Raw Story
Daniel Strauss / Talking Points Memo:
Dem Sen. Gillibrand: I Will Ask Justice Department To Investigate Chokehold Death
Dem Sen. Gillibrand: I Will Ask Justice Department To Investigate Chokehold Death
Discussion:
Bloomberg Politics
David / Latest from Crooks and Liars:
Ben Carson Lashes Out At Wolf Blitzer: Don't ‘Focus On The Words’ When I Compare U.S. To Nazis — Possible Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson on Wednesday lashed out at CNN host Wolf Blitzer for “focusing on the words” that he used when he compared the United States to Nazi Germany.
Discussion:
Addicting Info and FOX News Radio
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Alexandra Jaffe / CNN:
Ben Carson stands by comparison of U.S. to Nazi Germany
Ben Carson stands by comparison of U.S. to Nazi Germany
Discussion:
Daily Kos, National Review and Bloomberg Politics
Manu Raju / Politico:
GOP unlikely to reverse ‘nuclear option’ — GOP senators were outraged at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for invoking the “nuclear option” last year, calling his push to weaken the filibuster on presidential nominees a destructive and heavy-handed move with far-reaching consequences.
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler
A.B. Stoddard / The Hill:
Jeb stalling in neutral — Guess who isn't running for president? Jeb Bush. Just listen to him. — The GOP presidential race is frozen until the former Florida governor makes his decision, and he sounds like a man ready to run for the hills. Asked about his thinking this week …
Sarah Ferris / The Hill:
ObamaCare sees 1.5M applicants in two weeks — About 1.5 million people applied for ObamaCare plans in the first two weeks of open enrollment, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said Wednesday. — Out of the total applications submitted, about 765,000 plans have already been picked …
Washington Post:
President Obama's unilateral action on immigration has no precedent — THE WHITE House has defended President Obama's unilateral decision to legalize the presence of nearly 4 million undocumented immigrants as consistent, even in scope, with the executive actions of previous presidents.
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Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Return of Focus Hocus Pocus — I've been getting correspondence from people saying that I need to respond to Tom Edsall channeling Chuck Schumer on how health reform was a mistake, Obama should have focused on the economy. — The thing is, I responded to this argument four years ago, and everything I said then still applies.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Eschaton
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Joe Romm / ThinkProgress:
2014 Headed Toward Hottest Year On Record — Here's Why That's Remarkable — 2014 is currently on track to be hottest year on record, according to new reports from both the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the U.K.'s Met Office Wednesday. Similarly, NOAA reported two weeks ago …
Discussion:
Met Office
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