Top Items:
Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:
Second Republican Congressman Admits Benghazi Committee Was ‘Designed To Go After’ Clinton — A second House Republican has now conceded that the overarching purpose of the House Select Committee on Benghazi has been to attack former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Taylor Marsh, AMERICAblog News, New York Times, The Moderate Voice, Slantpoint, Refinery29 and addictinginfo.org
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Dan Merica / CNN:
Another GOP congressman says Benghazi panel meant to hurt Clinton — Las Vegas (CNN)Another Republican lawmaker says the House Select Committee on Benghazi is meant to go after the reputation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. — Rep. Richard Hanna, R-New York …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Mother Jones, Daily Kos, Political Wire, Hot Air, NBC News and The Huffington Post
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Keeping His Distance from the RINOizer — In recent days, I've had a very hard time figuring out whether we're in a ‘Paul Ryan considering phase’ in the House leadership drama or in a ‘GOP caucus in epic denial’ phase of the same. Frankly, I'm not sure anyone quite knows. Ryan has said he's not running for Speaker.
Discussion:
bradford-delong.com
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Republican: Benghazi probe ‘designed to go after’ Hillary
Republican: Benghazi probe ‘designed to go after’ Hillary
Discussion:
Mediaite
Katherine Faulders / ABC News:
Ben Carson Puts Public Campaign Events on Hold for 2 Weeks — Republican presidential contender Dr. Ben Carson has put his public campaign events on hold for two more weeks to go on book tour for his new tome “A More Perfect Union” and catch up on fundraising events.
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Erick Erickson / RedState:
Rand Paul, It Is Time to Take Your Campaign Out Back and Shoot It — “Go home to Kentucky, Senator, and save your Senate seat before Kentucky's voters take the incompetence of your Presidential campaign as a reflection on you and your Senate campaign.” — What is the most endearing moment …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, Progress Pond and Washington Post
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Russ Choma / Mother Jones:
Ron Paul Gives Fiery Testimony in Trial of Two Indicted Top Aides
Ron Paul Gives Fiery Testimony in Trial of Two Indicted Top Aides
Discussion:
Raw Story, Slantpoint and MSNBC
Matthew Rosenberg / New York Times:
Obama Announces Halt of U.S. Troop Withdrawal in Afghanistan — WASHINGTON — The United States will halt its military withdrawal from Afghanistan and instead keep thousands of troops in the country through the end of President Obama's term in 2017, Mr. Obama announced on Thursday …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Slantpoint, Defense One, The Diplomat, Independent Journal, Algemeiner.com, Scared Monkeys, Washington Post, NPR, Politico and JustOneMinute
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New York Times:
The Grown-Ups Take the Stage at the Democratic Debate — It was impossible not to feel a sense of relief watching the Democratic debate after months dominated by the Republican circus of haters, ranters and that very special group of king killers in Congress.
Discussion:
Washington Post, naked capitalism, The Daily Caller, Raw Story and Associated Press
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Washington Post:
After years of hesitation, Democrats rally around calls for gun control
After years of hesitation, Democrats rally around calls for gun control
Discussion:
Doug Ross, New York Times, Hot Air and Capitol View
Lee Fang / The Intercept:
Martin O'Malley Accepted Campaign Cash From the NRA
Martin O'Malley Accepted Campaign Cash From the NRA
Discussion:
Slantpoint
Wall Street Journal:
FBI, Justice Department Investigating Daily Fantasy Sports Business Model — FBI agents have been contacting customers of DraftKings to ask them about their experiences — The U.S. Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are probing whether the business model …
Discussion:
Mashable, The Hill, Poynter., Consumerist, New York Times, The Verge, FOX2now.com and The Big Lead, more at Mediagazer »
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Heba Amin:
“Arabian Street Artists” Bomb Homeland: Why We Hacked an Award-Winning Series — What's wrong with Homeland's political message? The very first season of “Homeland” explained to the American public that Al Qaida is actually an Iranian venture. According to the storyline …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Deadline, Common Dreams, The Local, Refinery29, Guardian, NBC News, The Verge, New York Times and The Week
Politico:
Jeb cuts back — Eager to show cost consciousness, the Bush campaign's “high life has ended.” … On the first day of a two-day Iowa swing back in August, Jeb Bush flew from Davenport to Ankeny in a private plane. The next day, after he spent more than four hours bounding around …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Medium, Washington Monthly, Fox News, Washington Post, National Review and The Hill
Alan E. Steinweis / New York Times:
Ben Carson Is Wrong on Guns and the Holocaust — TO anyone who studies Nazi Germany and the Holocaust for a living, as I do, Ben Carson's statements about gun control are difficult to fathom. “I think the likelihood of Hitler being able to accomplish his goals would have been greatly diminished …
Discussion:
Liberaland
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Bethany Mandel / New York Post:
Guns ‘n’ Moses: Why more Jews are packing heat
Guns ‘n’ Moses: Why more Jews are packing heat
Discussion:
Algemeiner.com
Jason MeisnerContact / Chicago Tribune:
Lawyers for Dennis Hastert could reveal Thursday if plea deal reached … Lawyers for former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert could tell a federal judge Thursday if they have reached a plea deal with prosecutors that would keep bombshell allegations of hush-money payments from ever being aired in a public trial.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, USA Today, KFOR-TV, Political Wire, The Week and Towleroad
Danny Vinik / Politico:
Obama's effort to ‘nudge’ America — The government tried using behavioral science to shape people's behavior. Here's what happened.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
Dan Steinberg / Washington Post:
Jeb Bush has added the Redskins to his stump speech — Forty-plus years of debates over the Redskins name have finally taken us to October 2015, when a major presidential candidate began using the team name as part of his stump speech. — During a town hall meeting in New Hampshire on Wednesday …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Mashable
Gov. Bobby Jindal / Associated Press:
It's time to retire the filibuster — In an episode of “The West Wing,” fictitious Senator Howard Stackhouse filibusters President Bartlet's signature health care legislation, in order to increase funding for autism research. Realizing his intentions are worthy, the White House sends support …
Discussion:
Erick on the Radio
Fraidy Reiss / New York Times:
America's Child-Marriage Problem — IN the United States today, thousands of children under 18 have recently taken marital vows — mostly girls married to adult men, often with approval from local judges. In at least one case, a 10-year-old boy was legally married. — How is this possible?
Discussion:
Unfogged
Christopher Ingraham / Washington Post:
People are getting shot by toddlers on a weekly basis this year — This week a 2-year-old in South Carolina found a gun in the back seat of the car he was riding in and accidentally shot his grandmother, who was sitting in the passenger seat. This type of thing happens from time to time …
Discussion:
RedState, Refinery29, Daily Wire, Telegraph, Daily Kos and Boing Boing
Doug Stewart / FOX CT:
‘She loves us’: Nephew speaks out on aunt's lawsuit brought against him … BRIDGEPORT -The aunt and the nephew she who sued for damages said they loved each other and the firestorm around the case was very upsetting during an appearance on the Today Show Thursday morning.
Discussion:
FOX5 San Diego, WTVR-TV, Mashable and fox8.com
Jim Webb / Washington Post:
People are criticizing my dad, Jim Webb, for killing a man. Here's what they're missing. — If you watched the Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday night, you probably heard the closing comment by my father, Jim Webb. Without hesitation he answered that the enemy he was 'most proud …
Discussion:
Independent Journal
The Intercept:
THE DRONE PAPERS … DRONES ARE A TOOL, not a policy. The policy is assassination. While every president since Gerald Ford has upheld an executive order banning assassinations by U.S. personnel, Congress has avoided legislating the issue or even defining the word “assassination.”
Discussion:
Guardian, Washington Times, Business Insider, Common Dreams, The Week, Hit & Run, Sputnik International, CNN and AMERICAblog News
Matt Taibbi / Rolling Stone:
Hillary Clinton's Take on Banks Won't Hold Up — The Democratic frontrunner seems to be counting on America's ignorance about the 2008 crash — The inaugural Democratic debate Tuesday night was a strange show. It felt like two different programs. — One was a screwball comedy starring …
Discussion:
BillMoyers.com, CNN, New York Times and CNNMoney