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CBS News poll: Trump maintains commanding lead over GOP field — Donald Trump (35 percent) continues to hold a commanding lead over the rest of the field, with a 17 point lead over his closest rival, Texas Senator Ted Cruz (18 percent). John Kasich (11 percent) has now risen to a virtual third-place tie with Marco Rubio (12 percent).
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Politico, Washington Post, Political Wire and USA Today
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CBS News poll: The next Supreme Court justice, Obama, and the economy — The U.S. Supreme Court — With an unexpected vacancy on the Supreme Court as a result of Justice Antonin Scalia's death, it's unclear if he will be replaced before the November election.
Discussion:
ABC News, Politico, Hot Air, mprnews.org, Political Wire, Washington Post and Outside the Beltway


Donald Trump Falls Behind Ted Cruz in National NBC/WSJ Poll — Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has fallen behind Ted Cruz in the national GOP horserace, according to a brand-new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. — In the poll, Cruz is the first choice of 28 percent …
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN, Business Insider, Politico, The Daily Caller, BostonGlobe.com, Refinery29, AOL, The Week, The Last Refuge, MSNBC, National Review, Talking Points Memo, The State, Hot Air, The Right Scoop, New York Magazine, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Bloomberg Business, Conservative Review, New York Times, Fox News, RedState, The Moderate Voice, Mediaite, Political Insider blog, TPNN, Florida Politics and Taylor Marsh


Mainstream G.O.P. Field of Three Faces Brutal Delegate Math — If the Republican Party remains divided for much longer, it will start getting more difficult for a mainstream candidate to win the nomination. — Yet Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and John Kasich all have incentives to stay in the race …
Discussion:
Shakesville


Fox News Poll: Trump leads in South Carolina — Donald Trump still leads in the race for the Republican nomination in South Carolina, according to a new Fox News poll. — Trump captures 32 percent among South Carolina likely Republican primary voters. Ted Cruz gets 19 percent to Marco Rubio's 15 percent.
Discussion:
Political Wire and Politico


Trump leads Republican field nationally by more than 20 points: poll
Discussion:
Power Line

Poll: Americans Split on if Senate Should Vote on Supreme Court Pick
Discussion:
ABC News, CNN, CBS News, Outside the Beltway and Washington Post

Ted Cruz Overtakes Donald Trump in Latest Republican Presidential Poll
Discussion:
Power Line, The Week, Mother Jones, RedState and The Resurgent


The Republicans' Scalia Hysteria — A half-century ago, the brilliant British comedy troupe Beyond the Fringe produced “The End of the World,” a skit in which a group of cultists gather atop a mountain to greet the Apocalypse, prophesied for that very day. “Now is the end!” they chant.
Discussion:
Prairie Weather and New York Times
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Controversy Erupts At A T14 Law School Over How (Or Even Whether) To Mourn Justice Scalia — How should one respond to the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, a controversial figure within the law? One can imagine a range of possible reactions, from mourning and tributes to criticism …
Discussion:
Althouse, Campus Reform, Instapundit, The Daily Caller and The College Fix


White House: Obama ‘regrets’ his filibuster of Supreme Court nominee — President Obama “regrets” filibustering the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in 2006, his top spokesman said Wednesday, though he maintains that the Republican opposition to his effort to replace Justice Antonin Scalia is unprecedented.
Discussion:
Politico, ABC News, Power Line, CNBC, The Daily Signal, The Week and CNN

JCN Launches “Let the People Decide” Campaign — The Judicial Crisis Network is launching a seven figure television, radio and digital advertising campaign on the importance of the Supreme Court in the upcoming presidential election. The campaign, “Let the People Decide,” …
Discussion:
Politico and Talking Points Memo


Summing Up Scalia — Getting right to the point:
Discussion:
Balkinization

The Potential for the Most Liberal Supreme Court in Decades
Discussion:
Prairie Weather, ACS Blog and BloombergView.com

Sandra Day O'Connor: Obama should name Scalia's replacement
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, addictinginfo.org and The Week

Literal Holy Crap: Glenn Beck Says Scalia's Death Part of God's Plan to Elect Ted Cruz
Discussion:
CNN, addictinginfo.org and Raw Story

Americans Divided on Whether Senate Should Consider Obama Supreme Court Nominee
Discussion:
Bloomberg Business, Mother Jones and RedState

Ranch owner clarifies how he found Scalia amid conspiracy theories
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Hot Air, The Atlantic, Friendly Atheist, AOL, The Week, Talking Points Memo, NBC News and USA Today

Why Justice Scalia was staying for free at a Texas resort
Discussion:
Political Wire, The Hill, New York Magazine, Business Insider, Prairie Weather and The Atlantic

Glenn Beck: God Brought About Scalia's Death So America Would Vote For Ted Cruz
Discussion:
The Last Refuge, Betsy's Page, Mediaite and Washington Post


MSNBC's Town Hall With Donald Trump Was Disgraceful — The media's coverage of Trump has been soft, insufficient, and without substance. — Is Donald Trump in trouble? After facing hostile questions from Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski Wednesday night—they comprehensively laid out his flip-flops …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast and Mother Jones
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Apple Unlocked iPhones for the Feds 70 Times Before — A 2015 court case shows that the tech giant has been willing to play ball with the government before—and is only stopping now because it might “tarnish the Apple brand.” — Apple CEO Tim Cook declared on Wednesday that his company …
Discussion:
USA TODAY College, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Jihad Watch, Sputnik International, Guardian, Washington Post, Slantpoint, The Week, New York Times, Infowars, Defense One, blog maverick, New York Magazine, CBS Boston, Mashable, Ars Technica UK, Mother Jones, Fox News, The Verge, VentureBeat, Investor's Business Daily, LawNewz, The People's View, alec.org, protein wisdom, Politico, Associated Press, NPR, The Atlantic and The San Diego Union …
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Apple can comply with the FBI court order
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The Atlantic, Guardian, Washington Post, Vox, TechCrunch, The Week, New York Magazine, ACLU, The Next Web, Mashable, New York Times, Niskanen Center, CNN, The Daily Caller, NPR, Mediaite, Paste, The Resurgent, Business Insider, The Verge, The San Diego Union …, Hit & Run, Techdirt, Common Dreams, fox13now.com, Raw Story, Sputnik International, Daily Kos and Slantpoint


Obama ‘Hope’ designer endorses Sanders — Artist and activist Shepard Fairey, who designed the iconic “Hope” poster during then-Sen. Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, is backing Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders. — “I'm supporting Bernie Sanders …
Discussion:
Politico, The Daily Caller and Outside the Beltway


DeRay Mckesson, civil rights leaders to meet with Obama — DeRay Mckesson … DeRay Mckesson, the prominent activist and late entrant into Baltimore's mayoral race, will meet with President Barack Obama and civil rights leaders at the White House on Thursday for an event honoring Black History Month.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
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White House rips Schumer's ‘credibility’ on national security
Discussion:
Truth Revolt, Weasel Zippers, ABC News and Moe Lane


Pope Francis Rips Capitalism, American Immigration Policy at Mexican Border — Pope Francis, apparently desperate to reach out to the Catholic Church's growing base in Latin America, spent the day slapping Americans in the face from across the US-Mexico border.

How to Break a Party — Beginning with the Tea Party wave and continuing through the not-Romney musical chairs of the 2012 Republican primary and the battles over debt limits and fiscal cliffs, most coverage of the Republican Party's internal divisions during the Obama era fell into an easy groove …


'Don't f-k with me': Hear Kanye's uncensored ‘SNL’ meltdown — Kanye West blasted Taylor Swift as a “fake ass” and called NBC staffers “white m— s” during his epic meltdown backstage at “Saturday Night Live. In an audio clip exclusively obtained by Page Six, Kanye can be heard repeatedly yelling at …
Discussion:
CBS Philly, TMZ.com, Mashable, Fox News Insider, Gothamist, Consequence of Sound, The Daily Caller, Refinery29 and Just Jared