Top Items:
Julie Hirschfeld Davis / New York Times:
Administration Official Criticizes Israeli Ambassador Over Netanyahu Visit — WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, after days of mounting tension, signaled on Wednesday how angry it is with Israel that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted Republican leaders' invitation to address Congress …
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Brent Budowsky / The Hill:
The great GOP overreach — While Republicans bask in the glory of their victories in 2014 and continue their hyperpartisan onslaught in the new Congress, some early numbers should keep GOP strategists awake at night. — According to a recent ABC/Washington Post poll …
Justin Sink / The Hill:
Obama seizes leverage from Republicans on immigration — President Obama on Thursday will call on congressional Republicans to approve a “clean” funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security that preserves his executive actions on limiting deportations.
Discussion:
Politico and Prairie Weather
Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
G.O.P.'s Invitation to Netanyahu Is Aiding Obama's Cause on Iran
Jim Acosta / CNN:
Obama to rally Democrats in Philly to kill sequester in budget
Obama to rally Democrats in Philly to kill sequester in budget
Discussion:
US News and New York Times
Christopher Elliott / Elliott:
Comcast thinks my husband is an a**hole - and they put it in writing — Warning: This post contains language that may not be appropriate for a family audience. — It's no secret that employees sometimes feel their customers are jerks. But I've never seen one put it in writing — until now.
Discussion:
Wired, US News, The Hill, abc7news.com, Mashable, Raw Story, Gawker, Latest from Crooks and Liars, Mediaite and New York Magazine
Lucy McCalmont / Politico:
Scott Walker urges professors to work harder — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, defending proposed budget cuts for higher education, took a swipe at university professors who he said could be “teaching more classes and doing more work.” — “Maybe it's time for faculty and staff to start thinking …
Discussion:
American Spectator
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Capper / Latest from Crooks and Liars:
Scott Walker Declares War On Academia — Scott Walker is due to release his 2015-2017 budget next week, however, has been leaking parts of it to help keep his name in the news as he starts his bid for president. As one might imagine, his budget is not geared to what is good for the state …
Karen Herzog / JSOnline:
Scott Walker budget cut sparks sharp debate on UW System
Scott Walker budget cut sparks sharp debate on UW System
Discussion:
Raw Story and The Daily Caller
Lisa Lerer / Bloomberg Business:
The Re-Re-Rebranding of Mitt Romney — STARKVILLE, Miss.—The Romney family has a predilection for reinvention. George Romney, the former governor of Michigan, made his name remaking the gas-guzzling American Motor Co. into a producer of fuel-efficient Ramblers.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, CNN, The PJ Tatler, ABC News, abc7news.com, CBS News, Wall Street Journal, Hot Air and BostonGlobe.com
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Paul Waldman / American Prospect:
Why We Need to Know More About All the Presidential Candidates' Religious Beliefs — Among the things we're learning about the New Romney, concerned for the downtrodden and bristling with authenticity, is that he'll be talking more about his religion. I think this is a fine thing for him to do …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Washington Post and Mediaite
Michael Falcone / ABC News:
Mitt, We Meet Again
Mitt, We Meet Again
Discussion:
Bloomberg Business, ABC News and Politico
Mike Allen / Politico:
Exclusive: Hillary Clinton may delay campaign — Top Democrats give a new date for the campaign's likely start. — Hillary Clinton, expecting no major challenge for the Democratic nomination, is strongly considering delaying the formal launch of her presidential campaign until July …
New York Times:
Inconvenient Truths in Afghanistan — In late December, as they do every few months, American military officials in Kabul sent a trove of data to the office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction for its quarterly report. Over the years, such figures have told …
Discussion:
Prairie Weather
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Matthew Rosenberg / New York Times:
U.S. Suddenly Goes Quiet on Effort to Bolster Afghan Forces
U.S. Suddenly Goes Quiet on Effort to Bolster Afghan Forces
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and emptywheel
The Huffington Post:
Loretta Lynch Says She Doesn't Support Marijuana Legalization Or Obama's Views On Pot — Loretta Lynch, the nominee for attorney general, said Wednesday during her confirmation hearing that she does not support the legalization of marijuana, and that she disagrees with President Barack Obama's remarks …
Discussion:
American Spectator, New York Times, Washington Post, Hot Air, NPR, National Review, Politico, BuzzFeed, Wall Street Journal and Mashable
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Mark Finkelstein / NewsBusters:
NBC's Mohyeldin Suggests Real American Sniper a ‘Racist’ Who Went on ‘Killing Sprees’ — Share it Tweet it — Ayman Mohyeldin has suggested that Chris Kyle, the real “American Sniper,” was a “racist” whose military missions were nothing less than “killing sprees.”
Discussion:
CBS Connecticut and The Daily Caller
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Dylan Byers / Politico:
The New Republic addresses its ‘perceived legacy of racism’ — The forthcoming issue of The New Republic — its first since a mass staff shakeup in December — features a cover story by Canadian journalist Jeet Heer about the magazine's “perceived legacy of racism.”
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Weekly Standard, Mediaite and FishbowlDC, more at Mediagazer »
Sean Sullivan / Washington Post:
McCain: Palin would ‘do great’ as presidential candidate — How would Sarah Palin do if she decides to run for president? According to her former top-of-the-ticket running mate, quite well. — “She's very interesting. And I'm sure she'd do great,” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) …
Discussion:
FreakOutNation and FOX News Radio
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Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:
Republicans Are At A Loss On What To Do If SCOTUS Nixes Obamacare Subsidies — Many Republicans would view it as a dream come true if the Supreme Court were to slash a centerpiece of Obamacare by the end of June. But that dream could fade into a nightmare as the spotlight turns …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Bloomberg View and Daily Kos
Steve Holland / Reuters:
Lindsey Graham to test 2016 Republican presidential waters — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on Thursday formed a political organization to explore a potential run for his party's presidential nomination, the latest high-profile politician to test the 2016 waters.
Todd S. Purdum / Politico:
Big GOP field unfazed by Hillary Clinton — She's strong, they say, but hardly invincible. — The bumper crop of 2016 GOP hopefuls, bustling and seemingly growing by the day, reflects several realities: No prohibitive front-runner in the party; an eagerness to reclaim the White House …
Discussion:
New York Times, No More Mister Nice Blog and ABC News
Heather Mac Donald / National Review:
The Mayor Who Slandered the Police — New York City mayor Bill de Blasio is “comfortable” with himself. So the city learned during the biggest crisis to hit a New York mayoralty in recent memory. “I'm comfortable with the fact that I've always tried to tell the truth and stay true to my values …
Discussion:
Sadly, No! and alicublog
Alexander Mallin / ABC News:
Senator John McCain Calls Out Protesters Who Swarmed Henry Kissinger … Sen. John McCain earned some applause inside a Senate Armed Services hearing this morning after he erupted at protesters of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, calling them “low-life scum.”
Discussion:
Business Insider