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Obama uses his tax proposal to taunt the GOP — Let's imagine you were a Democratic president who just lost control of Congress to the Republicans, and you wanted to make it really, really clear that you are not serious about governing. What would you do?
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Obama tries to steal GOP thunder — President Obama, no longer handcuffed by worries about vulnerable red-state Democratic senators, has been putting Republicans on their back foot. — The GOP hoped Obama would be humbled by the midterm elections that saw Democrats swept from power in the Senate.
Discussion:
Politico, Associated Press and Political Wire

Poll: Rising economy boosts Obama's standing on eve of the State of the Union — President Obama will deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday enjoying rising approval ratings that have been strengthened by rapidly improving perceptions of the economy and increased optimism …
Discussion:
Gallup, WHNT-TV, Raw Story, Taylor Marsh, Daily Kos, The Week, Talking Points Memo, CNN, Liberal Values, Mediaite, Bloomberg Politics and Political Wire


Just another Obama speech — Lawmakers are already complaining about what they won't hear in the president's speech. — When President Barack Obama appears before Congress for Tuesday's State of the Union, he'll be facing the largest group of Republican lawmakers in more than 80 years …


In State of the Union Address, Obama to Move Past Hardship and Reset Goals
Discussion:
Washington Post, Balloon Juice, NPR and White House.gov Blog

An Improving Economy Gives Obama His Game Back
Discussion:
PoliticusUSA and Addicting Info

What a Rise in Obama's Approval Rating Means for 2016
Discussion:
Bloomberg View and Bloomberg Politics


Ben Carson reminds C-SPAN on MLK Day: Don't forget that Obama is ‘half white’ — DON'T MISS STORIES. FOLLOW RAW STORY! — Potential Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson argued on Monday that President Barack Obama might not have ruined the opportunity to elect future black presidents …
Discussion:
FreakOutNation and Addicting Info
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Why I Have Mixed Feelings About MLK Day — Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time NBA champion and league Most Valuable Player. He is also a celebrated author, filmmaker and education ambassador. — His legacy may be most in danger from those who admire him — I have mixed emotions about Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Discussion:
TPNN


On race, Obama sticks to a game plan of seeking steady progress within the system
Discussion:
Power Line

‘Cowboy’ conservative claims MLK for the Tea Party until liberals stop bringing up race
Discussion:
Addicting Info, alicublog, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Hullabaloo

University Unearths Long-Lost MLK Speech Recording (AUDIO)
Discussion:
Addicting Info


Bobby Jindal doubles down on ‘no-go zone’ comments, even as Fox News backs off similar statements — Gov. Bobby Jindal was interviewed by a CNN reporter about controversial comments he made about Muslim “no-go zones” in Europe. — Gov. Bobby Jindal continued to claim Muslim “no-go zones” …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, CNN, Hullabaloo, Political Wire and The Week
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Jindal: Muslims form ‘no-go zones’ outside civic control
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Bobby Jindal invokes ‘no-go zones’ in London speech
Discussion:
CNNMoney.com, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, OnPolitics, The Week and Raw Story


Pope: Catholics need not breed ‘like rabbits’ — Pope Francis, after a visit to the largest Catholic nation in Asia, says Catholics may have a moral responsibility to limit the number of their children and need not reproduce “like rabbits.” — But the pope also reaffirmed the church's ban …
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Jezebel and Hullabaloo
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Puzzling Death of a Prosecutor Grips Argentina — BUENOS AIRES — Police sentries guarded the federal prosecutor's luxury high-rise building. His door on the 13th floor had been locked from the inside, and a gun with a spent cartridge was found on the floor near his body. There was no suicide note.
Discussion:
Guardian, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Week, The Times of Israel and Algemeiner.com
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Did Iran Murder Argentina's Crusading Prosecutor Alberto Nisman?
Discussion:
Power Line, The Times of Israel, Bloomberg View, Weekly Standard and The Daily Caller


Duckworth says she's considering Senate bid against Kirk — Rep. Tammy Duckworth ended a political guessing game Monday by making it official that she is exploring a challenge to Sen. Mark Kirk in 2016. — Duckworth, a Democrat from Hoffman Estates, told the Tribune she is considering …
Discussion:
Jezebel and Bloomberg Politics
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Tammy Duckworth: I'm ‘Taking a Real Serious Look’ at Senate Run
Discussion:
Politico and OnPolitics


German Embed Reporter: ISIS Plans On Killing ‘Hundreds of Millions’ in ‘Religious Cleansing’ — Jurgen Todenhofer, the first Western reporter to embed with Islamic State fighters and not be killed in the process, spoke to Al Jazeera about his time with the terror group.
Discussion:
John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Vox Popoli


GOP finds its secret weapon — Republicans believe they have identified a potent weapon in their fight against President Obama's regulatory agenda. — GOP lawmakers plan to employ the seldom-used Congressional Review Act (CRA), which gives lawmakers the power to formally disapprove of major agency rules …
Discussion:
Moe Lane


1 confirmed dead, 1 injured in I-75 overpass collapse … A construction worker was killed late Monday after a bridge collapse near Hopple Street on southbound Interstate 75. — The part of the bridge that collapsed was part of the old northbound off-ramp to Hopple Street and was undergoing demolition …
Discussion:
The Week


Obama Will Focus on Wealth Inequality—Not Just Income — The president's plan to raise capital gains taxes brings a long-standing economic issue back to the limelight. — When President Obama addresses the nation in the State of the Union address on Tuesday, he is likely to boast …


Why Obama Can't Say ‘Radical Islam’ — Following the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris this month, White House spokesman Josh Earnest briefly became an Islamic theologian. At issue was why U.S. President Barack Obama's administration, unlike the leadership of France, wouldn't describe the murderers as adherents to “radical Islam.”
Discussion:
Ed Driscoll and National Review