Top Items:
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
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, Prairie Weather and Political Wire
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Marc A. Thiessen / Washington Post:
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?
Politico:
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 …
Julia O'Donoghue / New Orleans Times-Picayune:
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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Washington Free Beacon:
MSNBC Guest: Bobby Jindal ‘Trying to Scrub Some of the Brown Off His Skin’ — Lean forward? MSNBC upped the ante in their quest to attack Republicans on Monday when a guest made a racially charged attack on Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Monday. — Gov. Jindal is in London this week …
Discussion:
Hot Air, TPNN, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and RedState
Alexandra Jaffe / CNN:
Bobby Jindal invokes ‘no-go zones’ in London speech
Bobby Jindal invokes ‘no-go zones’ in London speech
Discussion:
CNNMoney.com, Talking Points Memo, Washington Times, Mediaite, The Week, OnPolitics and Raw Story
Philip Elliott / Associated Press:
Jindal: Muslims form ‘no-go zones’ outside civic control
David Edwards / Raw Story:
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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Steven Mufson / Washington Post:
On race, Obama sticks to a game plan of seeking steady progress within the system
On race, Obama sticks to a game plan of seeking steady progress within the system
Discussion:
Power Line
Dylan Scott / Talking Points Memo:
University Unearths Long-Lost MLK Speech Recording (AUDIO)
University Unearths Long-Lost MLK Speech Recording (AUDIO)
Discussion:
Addicting Info
Scott Kaufman / Raw Story:
‘Cowboy’ conservative claims MLK for the Tea Party until liberals stop bringing up race
‘Cowboy’ conservative claims MLK for the Tea Party until liberals stop bringing up race
Discussion:
alicublog, Addicting Info, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Hullabaloo
Gavyn Davies:
The Swiss currency bombshell - cause and effect — The completely unexpected decision of the Swiss National Bank (SNB) to remove the 1.20 floor on the Swiss franc against the euro on Thursday was one of the biggest currency shocks since the collapse of the Bretton Woods system in 1971.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Bloomberg View, Wall Street Journal, FT Alphaville, Marginal REVOLUTION and TheMoneyIllusion
Peter Baker / New York Times:
In State of the Union Address, Obama to Move Past Hardship and Reset Goals — WASHINGTON — With the American job market surging to life, President Obama plans to use his State of the Union address on Tuesday night to effectively declare victory over the economic hard times that dominated …
Discussion:
Washington Post, NPR, Balloon Juice and White House.gov Blog
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Washington Post:
Poll: Rising economy boosts Obama's standing on eve of the State of the Union
Poll: Rising economy boosts Obama's standing on eve of the State of the Union
Discussion:
Gallup, WHNT-TV, Taylor Marsh, Raw Story, Daily Kos, The Week, Talking Points Memo, CNN, Liberal Values, Mediaite, Bloomberg Politics and Political Wire
Gary Langer / ABC News:
An Improving Economy Gives Obama His Game Back
An Improving Economy Gives Obama His Game Back
Discussion:
PoliticusUSA and Addicting Info
Nate Cohn / New York Times:
What a Rise in Obama's Approval Rating Means for 2016
What a Rise in Obama's Approval Rating Means for 2016
Discussion:
Bloomberg View and Bloomberg Politics
William M. Welch / USA Today:
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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Rachel Zoll / Associated Press:
Pope's climate-change stand deepens conservatives' distrust
Pope's climate-change stand deepens conservatives' distrust
Discussion:
The Federalist
New York Times:
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, The Week, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Times of Israel and Algemeiner.com
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Christopher Dickey / The Daily Beast:
Did Iran Murder Argentina's Crusading Prosecutor Alberto Nisman?
Did Iran Murder Argentina's Crusading Prosecutor Alberto Nisman?
Discussion:
Power Line, The Times of Israel, Bloomberg View, Weekly Standard and The Daily Caller
Molly Balkenbush / fox4kc.com:
9-month-old dies after being shot in the head by 5-year-old brother in NW Mo. — ELMO, Mo. - An infant has died after being shot in the head in Northwest Missouri. — According to the Nodaway County Sheriff's Office, the nine-month-old baby boy was shot shortly before nine o'clock Monday morning …
Discussion:
FreakOutNation, Liberaland, Raw Story, WTVR-TV and Jezebel
Henry Molski / Cincinnati.com:
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 …
Matt Schiavenza / The Atlantic Online:
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 …
Scott Wise / WTVR-TV:
How a vacuum salesman invited to a birthday party for a child with autism moved the room to tears — CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Ever since he was a two-year-old boy, Dylan Greene has had a passion for vacuum cleaners. Dylan, who has autism, was never into “normal” toys, his mother Jodie said.
Discussion:
WNEP-TV, New York's PIX11 and FOX2now.com
Katherine Skiba / Chicago Tribune:
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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Emily Cahn / Roll Call:
Tammy Duckworth: I'm ‘Taking a Real Serious Look’ at Senate Run
Tammy Duckworth: I'm ‘Taking a Real Serious Look’ at Senate Run
Discussion:
Politico and OnPolitics