Top Items:
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Harry Reid Says He Won't Seek Re-Election — WASHINGTON — Senator Harry Reid, the tough tactician who has led Senate Democrats since 2005, will not seek re-election next year, bringing an end to a three-decade congressional career that culminated with his push of President Obama's ambitious agenda against fierce Republican resistance.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Power Line, The Atlantic Online, JustOneMinute, CNN, Washington Post, Weekly Standard, Talking Points Memo, BREITBART.COM, Business Insider, Hot Air, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Week, American Spectator, Taylor Marsh, Scared Monkeys, Outside the Beltway, RedState, The Daily Caller, Booman Tribune, Moe Lane, FOX News Radio, Daily Kos, NPR, BuzzFeed, Towleroad News #gay, Conservatives4Palin and Balloon Juice
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David Weigel / Bloomberg Business:
Democrats May Find it Easier to Defend Reid's Open Seat — Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada announced Friday morning that he won't seek re-election when his term expires in 2016. In a YouTube video, Reid explained his decision. — https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=MqPWTECMIQo
Manu Raju / Politico:
2016 brawl breaks out on Senate floor — Paul lashes Cruz, Rubio for ‘dangerous’ and ‘reckless’ positions on government spending. — The 2016 Republican nomination contest spilled onto the Senate floor Thursday, turning a marathon budget debate into a battle over which candidate is prepared to lead the country at a time of war.
Discussion:
New York Times and FOX News Radio
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James Hohmann / Politico:
Insiders pump the brakes on Cruz — Republicans in Iowa and New Hampshire don't think the polarizing Texan can win. — Ted Cruz is the first Republican presidential candidate out of the starting gate, but GOP insiders in Iowa and New Hampshire are overwhelmingly skeptical …
Discussion:
Hot Air, BostonGlobe.com and ABC News
Brent Budowsky / The Hill:
The four faces of Cruz — At the risk of giving solace to the list of possible Republican candidates for the presidency, which seems larger than the starting offense for the Texas Longhorns, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) might have begun the implosion of his presidential candidacy the day after he announced it.
Discussion:
Climate Denial Crock …, Daily Kos and Pirate's Cove
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Ted Cruz's Senate record by the numbers — Since becoming the first major potential Republican presidential candidate to officially announce his candidacy on Monday, freshman Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has been criticized as too inexperienced to seek the White House.
Discussion:
Patterico's Pontifications, The Week and Politico
New York Times:
Co-Pilot in Germanwings Crash Hid Medical Condition From Employer, Prosecutors Say — DÜSSELDORF, Germany — Documents show that Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot who is believed to have deliberately crashed a Germanwings jet into the French Alps on Tuesday, had a medical condition that he hid …
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Kirsti Knolle / Reuters:
German pilot said to have suffered from depression, anxiety — (Reuters) - The German pilot believed to have deliberately crashed a plane in the French Alps killing 150 people broke off his training six years ago due to depression and spent over a year in psychiatric treatment, a German newspaper reported on Friday.
David Edwards / Raw Story:
Pat Robertson: ‘Was the co-pilot a Muslim? Why did he want to kill all those people?’
Pat Robertson: ‘Was the co-pilot a Muslim? Why did he want to kill all those people?’
New York Times:
Reducing Risks After the Germanwings Crash
Reducing Risks After the Germanwings Crash
Discussion:
Forbes, Belmont Club, Guardian, Techdirt and The Week
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Mornings in Blue America — Two impossible things happened to the U.S. economy over the course of the past year — or at least they were supposed to be impossible, according to the ideology that dominates half our political spectrum. First, remember how Obamacare was supposed to be a gigantic job killer?
Discussion:
Addicting Info, Hullabaloo and Daily Kos
Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:
Senate Approves Budget of G.O.P. Wishes in All-Night Session — WASHINGTON — Emerging from an all-night session marked more by exhaustion than drama, Senate Republicans squeaked through a budget blueprint Friday morning that would repeal the Affordable Care Act, fundamentally remake federal health care …
Discussion:
Common Dreams and The Week
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Steve Peoples / Associated Press:
Gov. Scott Walker's Immigration Stance at Center of Dispute — A dispute over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's position on immigration erupted on Thursday, highlighting the Republican's struggle to appeal to conservatives on the explosive issue as he prepares to launch a Republican presidential bid.
Discussion:
ImmigrationProf Blog
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Reid J. Epstein / Wall Street Journal:
Scott Walker Shifts Stance on Immigration at Private Dinner
Scott Walker Shifts Stance on Immigration at Private Dinner
Discussion:
Associated Press, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Pirate's Cove, The Daily Caller, Asbury Park Press, Real Clear Politics, Hot Air, JSOnline, ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, BREITBART.COM, Pat Dollard, OnPolitics, Bloomberg Business, Business Insider, Mediaite, Daily Kos, RedState, The Right Scoop and Washington Post
Joan Walsh / Salon:
Scott Walker's interview debacle: How the movie “Trading Places” explains the Iran/Israel conflict!
Scott Walker's interview debacle: How the movie “Trading Places” explains the Iran/Israel conflict!
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Bush and Walker start to sharpen their messages
Bush and Walker start to sharpen their messages
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon, Bloomberg Business and The Daily Caller
Josh Kraushaar / National Journal:
Democrats' Identity Crisis Is Spilling Into Their Senate Races — Democrats have been remarkably successful at avoiding contentious primaries, but the ones taking place in 2016 will be consequential. — On the surface, the Democratic Party looks remarkably unified heading …
Richard Parker / The Atlantic Online:
Rick Perry, American Caudillo — AUSTIN, TEXAS—Right now, at least, Rick Perry seems to be getting nowhere. — In fact, both of the ambitious Texan Republicans with designs on the White House—Perry, the former governor and Senator Ted Cruz, the conservative firebrand …
Discussion:
FishbowlDC
Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:
Dem Senator Devised A Fantastic Response To Tom Cotton's Iran Letter — Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) would like to prevent Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) from sending any more letters to Iranian leaders about the nuclear deal, prompting her to file an amendment to block just that.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard and Liberal Values
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Mark Alesia / Indianapolis Star:
NCAA: ‘Religious freedom’ law creates concern for future events — NCAA President Mark Emmert expressed concern Thursday about Indiana's “religious freedom” law, saying the Indianapolis-based group would examine “how it might affect future events as well as our workforce.”
Discussion:
Forbes, USA Today, PoliticusUSA, AMERICAblog News, Business Insider, Political Insider blog and Washington Post
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Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Senators endorse Iran sanctions in budget vote — Senators unanimously approved an amendment Thursday that backs bolstering sanctions against Iran if President Obama can't verify that the country is following a nuclear deal. — The wave of support came after the amendment, offered by Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), was amended.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Mark Kirk, Roll Call and Politico
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Emily Flitter / Reuters:
Exclusive: Upset by Warren, U.S. banks debate halting some campaign donations — (Reuters) - Big Wall Street banks are so upset with Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren's call for them to be broken up that some have discussed withholding campaign donations to Senate Democrats in symbolic protest …
Discussion:
Common Dreams and Washington Post
Josh Rogin / Bloomberg View:
Bergdahl's Defense Is He Was Planning to Come Back — Former Taliban prisoner and U.S. Army soldier Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl told military investigators that he left his base in June 2009 to report on misconduct in his unit and always intended to come right back.
Discussion:
Bloomberg Business, Hot Air and The Daily Beast
The Hill:
Rep. Gohmert weighing presidential bid — Conservative firebrand Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) told The Hill that he might run for president in 2016. — Gohmert indicated he might launch an exploratory committee for president when originally asked if he would support Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) White House bid.