Top Items:
Scott Mendelson / Forbes:
Why Ava DuVernay's ‘Selma’ Oscar Snub Matters — The Oscar nominations were announced this morning. There will be plenty of analysis regarding good surprises and bad surprises, and I may dip my toes in later today. But the most egregious omission is the sadly not-entirely-surprising absence …
Discussion:
WHNT-TV, Taylor Marsh, Hinterland Gazette, GeekTyrant, The Huffington Post and Colorlines
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Todd VanDerWerff / Vox:
Selma was snubbed because the average Oscar voter is a 63-year-old white man — So what happened to Selma? — The Martin Luther King, Jr., docudrama did just score a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. (Read the full list of nominees here.) But that nomination was joined by just one other nomination, for Best Original Song.
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Daily Caller, PoliticusUSA, ThinkProgress and Jezebel
Tatiana Siegel / Hollywood Reporter:
Oscars: Acting Nominees All White — For only the second time in nearly two decades, the 20 Academy Awards acting nominations went to a group made up entirely of white actors and actresses. — Among the notable snubs was David Oyelowo, who received praise for his turn as the late Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma.
David Sims / The Atlantic Online:
The Oscars Haven't Been This White in 19 Years — Today's nominations are a throwback to the year that Braveheart swept the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. — Today's Oscar nominations contained a host of snubs that have critics and commentators up in arms (as they do every year).
Discussion:
National Post and The Huffington Post
Bryan Alexander / USA Today:
Dick Pope: ‘I have been called a lot worse’ — Dick Pope is not going to let an already infamous name miscue detract from his Oscar nomination celebration. — The cinematographer for Mr. Turner made international news after Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science President Cheryl Boone …
Discussion:
Entertain This!, Inside Movies, Mediaite and TheBlaze.com
Lauren Duca / The Huffington Post:
This Will Be The Whitest Oscars Since 1998
This Will Be The Whitest Oscars Since 1998
Discussion:
NPR, TPNN, Truth Revolt and Althouse
Mariano Castillo / CNN:
Report: Two killed in Belgian anti-terror operation — Video shows anti-terror raid in Belgium 01:40 — Story highlights — (CNN)[Breaking news update, 2:32 p.m.] — The group that Belgian authorities confronted Thursday was about to carry out major terrorist attacks in Belgium imminently …
Discussion:
BBC, Sky News, Yahoo! News, Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, Associated Press and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
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Fox News:
3 jihadists reportedly killed in counter-terrorism raid in Belgium — At least 3 people were killed in an anti-terror raid in Belgium Thursday that one official confirmed was “jihadist related,” and a man suspected of selling guns used in last week's terror attacks in France was being detained …
Discussion:
Sky News, Israel Matzav, Scared Monkeys, Fox News Insider and Mashable
Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity:
Charlie Hebdo Shootings: False Flag?
Charlie Hebdo Shootings: False Flag?
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Roger Ailes
Bruno Waterfield / Telegraph:
Two killed in Belgium police anti-terror raid in Verviers
Two killed in Belgium police anti-terror raid in Verviers
Discussion:
Guardian, The Atlantic Online, Reuters and Mashable
Michael Bastasch / The Daily Caller:
SHOCK POLL: 57% Of Americans Say Global Warming Is Not A Threat — Is this the new climate consensus? More than half of Americans say global warming is not a threat to their way of life, according to a CNN poll. Furthermore, nearly half of Americans say global warming is caused by natural forces or isn't a proven fact.
Discussion:
TPNN, American Spectator and The Huffington Post
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Peter Baker / New York Times:
U.S. Easing Decades-Old Restrictions on Travel to Cuba
U.S. Easing Decades-Old Restrictions on Travel to Cuba
Discussion:
Jezebel
Eric Bradner / CNN:
Poll: Majority of Americans back Keystone pipeline
Poll: Majority of Americans back Keystone pipeline
Discussion:
Scared Monkeys and America Rising
Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:
The Supreme Court Is Likely To Set Up The Same-Sex Marriage Showdown On Friday — A guide. — Getty Images/Alex Wong — This will be the second time the justices have considered whether to take any of the cases out of Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and/or Tennessee.
Discussion:
Crime and Consequences Blog, Joe. My. God., SCOTUSblog, Michigan Journal of Law Reform, Shakesville, Advocate, NPR and Slate
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Tresa Baldas / Detroit Free Press:
Judge tells state to recognize 300 same-sex marriages
Judge tells state to recognize 300 same-sex marriages
Discussion:
Advocate and Joe. My. God.
Donna St. George / Washington Post:
Parents investigated for neglect after letting kids walk home alone — It was a one-mile walk home from a Silver Spring park on Georgia Avenue on a Saturday afternoon. But what the parents saw as a moment of independence for their 10-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter, they say authorities viewed much differently.
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Times, Hit & Run, Eschaton and Boing Boing
Nicole Winfield / Associated Press:
Pope on Charlie Hebdo: There are limits to free expression — Associated Press 2 hrs ago — ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis said Thursday there are limits to freedom of expression, especially when it insults or ridicules someone's faith. — Francis spoke about the Paris terror attacks …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, The Gateway Pundit, Joe. My. God., Truth Revolt, Raw Story, Althouse and The Daily Caller
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David Harsanyi / The Federalist:
Why Pope Francis Is Wrong About Free Expression
Why Pope Francis Is Wrong About Free Expression
Discussion:
TIME, FaithWorld and National Review
Ed Rogers / Washington Post:
The Insiders: Is Hillary Clinton stuck in a time warp? — Nothing more true has been said about the 2016 election than President Obama's observation that, “the American people will want that new-car smell.” His line is already a classic; it perfectly captures the political zeitgeist.
Discussion:
CNN, Moe Lane, Bloomberg View and msnbc.com
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John Hinderaker / Power Line:
Does the Democratic Party Have a Future?
Does the Democratic Party Have a Future?
Discussion:
Washington Post and Associated Press
New York Post:
Mom of teen driver who killed 4-year-old explodes at judge — Lilia Reyes (right) screams at the judge. — The mother of the teenage unlicensed driver who fatally struck a little girl on the Upper West Side exploded in court Wednesday, screaming, “There is not justice!” …
Discussion:
New York Times and Gothamist
Brian Tashman / Right Wing Watch:
Nebraska Board Of Education Member Runs Racist, Anti-LGBT Blog — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts started off his first term as governor this week by having to condemn a Republican member the state board of education, Pat McPherson, for running a conservative political blog that repeatedly referred to President Obama as a “half-breed.”
Discussion:
AKSARBENT and FreakOutNation
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Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:
Neb. Guv Condemns School Board Member's Blog Calling Obama A ‘Half-Breed’
Neb. Guv Condemns School Board Member's Blog Calling Obama A ‘Half-Breed’
Discussion:
Raw Story, AKSARBENT and Omaha World-Herald
BBC:
Google calls end to Glass experiment — Google is ending its experimental Google Glass programme, the BBC has learned. — The company insists it is still committed to launching the smart glasses as a consumer product, but will stop producing Glass in its present form.
Discussion:
Gigaom
Laurie Goodstein / New York Times:
John Dehlin, Mormon Critic, Facing Excommunication — Credit: Richard Perry/The New York Times — The Mormon Church has moved to excommunicate the prominent Utah-based founder of an online forum for critical or doubting Mormons, charging him with apostasy for supporting same-sex marriage …
Ron Charles / Washington Post:
‘Boy Who Came Back From Heaven’ going back to publisher — Tyndale House, a major Christian publisher, has announced that it will stop selling “The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven,” by Alex Malarkey and his father, Kevin Malarkey. — The best-selling book, first published in 2010 …
Discussion:
pulpitandpen.org, Warren Throckmorton, Addicting Info, Jezebel and Friendly Atheist
The Commonwealth Fund:
The Rise in Health Care Coverage and Affordability Since Health Reform Took Effect — Findings from the Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey, 2014 — Overview — New results from the Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey, 2014, indicate that the Affordable …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Vox, New York Times, The American Interest, Addicting Info, Daily Kos, JustOneMinute and FiveThirtyEight
Franklin Graham / WNCN:
Duke bows to pressure, cancels weekly Muslim call to prayer — Duke University has canceled its plans to have a Muslim prayer announcement broadcast from Duke Chapel's belltower on Friday afternoons. — The university announced its plans to facilitate a weekly call to prayer; but on Thursday …
Discussion:
Liberaland, National Review and Truth Revolt
Fox News:
Papa John's Pizza stands by employee who shot armed robber in self defense — This image shows Donquaz Stevenson, 24, who police say attempted to rob a Papa John's pizza delivery woman at gunpoint. (DeKalb County Police Department) — Papa John's Pizza is standing by a pizza delivery woman …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air and Bearing Arms
Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:
Joni Ernst to Deliver Republican Response to the State of the Union — Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa will be delivering the Republican response to the State of the Union Address, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced today in a press conference. — The State of the Union is scheduled for next week.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Condoleezza Rice testifies in CIA leaks trial — Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a highly unusual public appearance Thursday — taking the witness stand for the prosecution in a criminal case against a former CIA officer on trial for leaking details of a top-secret spy program.
Discussion:
Firedoglake
Kate Tummarello / Politico:
GOP makes U-turn on net neutrality — Republicans in Congress are doing a 180 on net neutrality as the Federal Communications Commission prepares to issue new rules within weeks. — For years, GOP lawmakers have adamantly opposed any rules requiring Internet service providers to treat …
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler
Scott Wong / The Hill:
Minutes highlight Scalise efforts to kill resolution apologizing for slavery — The minutes from a 1996 Louisiana House committee meeting show the efforts that then-state Rep. Steve Scalise took to water down — and try to kill — a resolution apologizing for the role slavery played in the state's history.
Discussion:
Booman Tribune and Raw Story
Kevin Grasha / Lansing State Journal:
Accused mom 'can't recall' where infant boy is — LANSING - Approximately three months after prosecutors say Melissa Mitin killed her newborn daughter by putting the infant face-down in a wastebasket, Mitin was pregnant again. — That pregnancy was unknown to police …
Discussion:
myfox8.com and New York's PIX11