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Trump still leads Iowa; Clinton in good shape — PPP's new Iowa poll finds Donald Trump continuing to lead in the state with 24% to 17% for Ben Carson, and 13% for Carly Fiorina. In single digits but getting decent levels of support are Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio at 8%, Jeb Bush and Mike Huckabee at 6% …
Discussion:
Business Insider, No More Mister Nice Blog, Balloon Juice and Daily Kos
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Scott Walker May Have Been A Terrible Candidate — Or An Unlucky One — If you've been following FiveThirtyEight's election coverage, you'll know we've been bullish about two Republican candidates throughout the campaign. One is Marco Rubio, who's done reasonably well so far and is rising …
Discussion:
Power Line, USA Today, Scared Monkeys, Outside the Beltway and Hullabaloo

A thrifty Marco Rubio is poised to capitalize on Walker's exit — Marco Rubio's top campaign adviser couldn't contain his glee at the prospect of discussing the presidential candidate's Spartan spending habits on the day Scott Walker dropped out of the Republican primary, in part because of profligate spending.


The Note: Scott Walker and the Death of a Presidential Candidacy
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, UPROXX and Towleroad

How Donald Trump destroyed Scott Walker's presidential chances
Discussion:
New York Times, NBC News, Slate, Dropout Nation, neo-neocon, Bloomberg View and BarbWire.com

Scott Walker's own limitations did him in
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Betsy's Page and Political Insider blog


Senate Democrats block 20-week abortion ban in 54-42 vote — Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a Republican bill that would ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. — The measure failed to advance in a 54-42 vote, falling short of the 60-vote threshold needed.
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GOP wants budget talks with Obama — not Pelosi and Reid — Republicans want President Obama as a negotiating partner when it comes to budget talks, something Democrats are determined to avoid. — With a little more than a week to prevent a government shutdown, the GOP thinks the talks …
Discussion:
Politico, Bloomberg Business, Hot Air and Washington Post

Senate starts shutdown scramble with Cruz vote
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Outside the Beltway

Top unions put brakes on Clinton endorsement — <p>Two major unions have decided to delay endorsements in the presidential race — a move labor insiders attribute in part to the uncertainty Vice President Joe Biden's potential run has inserted into the Democratic primary.</p> <p>The decisions …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Hit & Run and Washington Free Beacon
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Biden insiders feel Clinton stalking — <p>Joe Biden isn't running for president yet, but Hillary Clinton's already running against him.</p><p>Clinton and her aides have their line—the vice president deserves the time and space to decide, they repeat over and over and over …
Discussion:
Business Insider, Washington Free Beacon and Booman Tribune

Sanders blasts Congress for ignoring its own workforce
Discussion:
ABC News and Bloomberg Business

Azealia Banks Goes Ballistic On Delta — Calls Flight Attendant ‘F***ing F***ot’ (VIDEO) — 9:50 AM PT — A rep for Delta tells TMZ, “We are aware of the situation and are looking into it.” — 8:30 AM PT — The eyewitness disputes Azealia's claim that the French man hit her in the face …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Daily Mail, Mashable, PinkNews, Mediaite, Guardian, Towleroad and all

Volkswagen AG has issued the following information: — Volkswagen is working at full speed to clarify irregularities concerning a particular software used in diesel engines. New vehicles from the Volkswagen Group with EU 6 diesel engines currently available in the European Union comply …
Discussion:
New York Times, Guardian, Bloomberg Business, Consumerist, The Atlantic, Shadowproof and Vocativ
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Steve King: Here's what the Pope should talk about — Why conservative Catholics like some of Francis's messages better than others — On Thursday morning, Pope Francis will become the first pope ever to deliver a joint address before Congress. The highly-anticipated speech is sure …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Raw Story
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Ben Carson: Big Bang A Fairy Tale, Theory Of Evolution Encouraged By The Devil — “I personally believe that this theory that Darwin came up with was something that was encouraged by the adversary, and it has become what is scientifically, politically correct.” — Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images
Discussion:
Liberaland and Taylor Marsh

I wanted to get back to answering questions tonight sent in by you guys. Remember, you can send in your questions via email by sending it to AskBen@BenCarson.com. — Before I get started, I wanted to thank the hundreds of thousands of you that sent birthday greetings. I was touched and deeply appreciative.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Cincinnati.com, New York Times, CNN, OnPolitics, Washington Monthly and msnbc.com
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Ta-Nehisi Coates to Write Black Panther Comic for Marvel — Ta-Nehisi Coates can be identified in many ways: as a national correspondent for The Atlantic, as an author and, as of this month, as a nominee for the National Book Award's nonfiction prize. But Mr. Coates also has a not-so-secret identity …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Nerdist, The Verge, all and Boing Boing, more at Mediagazer »


A kid, a clock, and the death of ‘See something, say something’ — Last week, 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed was handcuffed by police at his Irving, Texas, high school after a teacher suspected a science project he brought to class — a homemade clock — could have been a bomb.
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Family: Ahmed withdraws from Irving ISD, eyes trips to United Nations and Mecca
Discussion:
Daily Mail, Mashable, Associated Press, Raw Story and NBC News


Trump Has Successfully Run Large Organizations — Thanks for your article. I'm quite a fan of your writing and The Atlantic. I figured I'd take you up on your offer to discuss why I am voting for Donald Trump, if I get the opportunity. I live in New Jersey and usually …
Discussion:
Washington Post


Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Denied Marriage Licenses for Her Friends — Shares- — Play
Discussion:
The Atlantic and Towleroad


Trump “Blew Off” Interview With Reagan Library Done By Other Candidates — “I wish I had a better answer than ‘he simply blew us off,’ but, he simply blew us off. He never made his appointment,” John Heubusch, the executive director of the Reagan Foundation told BuzzFeed News.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Liberaland


Muslim Parent Warns School Board 'We're Going to Be the Majority Soon' as Meeting Gets Heated and Security Is Needed — The Jersey City Board of Education voted last week not to close schools for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, one of the most important holidays for Muslims.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit and John Hawkins' Right Wing News