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
Obama seizes leverage from Republicans on immigration
Discussion:
Politico and Prairie Weather
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:
New York Times and US News
Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
G.O.P.'s Invitation to Netanyahu Is Aiding Obama's Cause on Iran
G.O.P.'s Invitation to Netanyahu Is Aiding Obama's Cause on Iran
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Addicting Info, Prairie Weather and Fox News
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, Mashable, Raw Story, abc7news.com, Gawker, Latest from Crooks and Liars, Mediaite and New York Magazine
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, ABC News, CNN, The PJ Tatler, Talking Points Memo, ABC News, abc7news.com, Wall Street Journal, CBS News and Hot Air
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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 AMERICAblog News
Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
Mitt Romney, signaling a hunger to step back into ring, attacks Hillary Clinton
Mitt Romney, signaling a hunger to step back into ring, attacks Hillary Clinton
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Mediaite and New York Magazine
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 …
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 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, Mediaite, Weekly Standard and FishbowlDC, more at Mediagazer »
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Jeet Heer / The New Republic:
The New Republic's Legacy on Race
The New Republic's Legacy on Race
Discussion:
The Huffington Post and Gawker, more at Mediagazer »
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:
Bloomberg View, Daily Kos and Washington Monthly
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Sam Baker / National Journal:
Can The Health Care Industry Save Obamacare?
Can The Health Care Industry Save Obamacare?
Discussion:
Religion & Politics, SCOTUSblog, Prairie Weather and Washington Post
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, emptywheel and ABC News
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:
The Daily Caller and CBS Connecticut
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Mark Green / fox13now.com:
Ryan Bundy arrested after allegedly resisting arrest in Cedar City — CEDAR CITY, Utah - Police in Iron County booked Ryan Bundy, son of controversial Nevada cattle rancher Cliven Bundy, into jail this week after the man allegedly attempted to resist arrest when officers approached him about an outstanding warrant.
Discussion:
FreakOutNation
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Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:
Nevada Rancher Cliven Bundy's Son Jailed After Allegedly Resisting Arrest
Nevada Rancher Cliven Bundy's Son Jailed After Allegedly Resisting Arrest
Discussion:
Mediaite
Kyle Mantyla / Right Wing Watch:
The AFA Cannot Wash Its Hands Of Bryan Fischer's Bigotry That Easily — Last night it was reported that the American Family Association had finally fired the Religious Right's most notorious bigot, Bryan Fischer. While that would be welcome news, if true, the AFA has a long history of trying …
Discussion:
Towleroad News #gay and Joe. My. God.
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Sean Trende / Real Clear Politics:
What If No One Wins the GOP Presidential Nomination? — Normally, I dread commenting on presidential nomination contests. But as much as I might like to return to the days of short presidential nomination processes (Franklin Roosevelt didn't declare his intention to seek a third term until …
Discussion:
Hit & Run and Washington Monthly
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:
Politico, Bloomberg Business and Business Insider
The Hill:
WHIP LIST: How senators will vote on Keystone XL pipeline — Senate fault lines on the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline appear set as lawmakers move to a final vote on authorizing the controversial energy project. — The upper chamber is expected to approve the bill but fall short …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress
Barack Obama / The Huffington Post:
A Blueprint for Middle-Class Economics — America's resurgence is real. With a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry, and booming energy production, we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth. — Now we have to choose what we want that future to look like.
Discussion:
Politico, Daily Kos and The Official White …
Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
David Duke Says He Might Run For Congress Against “Sell Out” Steve Scalise — “He elected supposedly David Duke without the baggage but he is not David Duke, he's certainly—he's basically, condemning the people of his district who voted overwhelmingly for me to be their US senator and voted to be their governor.”
Discussion:
Political Wire
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.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and The PJ Tatler