Top Items:
Sharon Otterman / New York Times:
Pirates Seize Ship With U.S. Crew Off Coast of Somalia — Pirates commandeered a United States-flagged container ship with 20 American crew members off the coast of Somalia on Wednesday, the first time an American-crewed ship was seized by pirates in the area.
Discussion:
BBC, On Deadline, War Is Boring, Outside The Beltway, BrianFaughnan's blog, The Atlanticist, UN Dispatch, Atlas Shrugs, Cup O' Joe, FP Passport, Balloon Juice and Doug Ross
RELATED:
TigerHawk:
Testing time: How will President Obama respond to piracy? — Somali pirates have decided that it is great time to capture an American flagged ship crewed by our citizens. — Naturally, I have a few questions. — Why has this not happened before? Why were these pirates not deterred …
Discussion:
CBS News, Michelle Malkin, Fox News, Little Green Footballs, The Corner, Gateway Pundit and Riehl World View
Associated Press:
US crew reportedly takes over ship from pirates — WASHINGTON - The crew of a U.S.-flag ship seized by pirates off Somalia is believed to have retaken the vessel, the Pentagon said Wednesday, even as a shaken national security establishment confronted troubling questions about the hostage-taking at high sea.
Discussion:
CNN, Hot Air, ThreatsWatch, Information Dissemination, Scared Monkeys, Tammy Bruce and Jules Crittenden
Edmund Sanders / Los Angeles Times:Pirates hijack U.S.-flagged ship off Somalia
Discussion:
The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, The Moderate Voice, Reuters, On Deadline, Neptunus Lex and Associated Press
Scott / Power Line:
What happened in Minnesota — Minnesota's excruciatingly close Senate election between incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and former unfunny humorist Al Franken is in the final innings of the post-election proceedings. Franken is of course a left-liberal Democrat about whom I have nothing good to say.
RELATED:
Greg Stohr / Bloomberg:
Coleman-Franken Senate Race May Hinge on Bush v. Gore Decision — Republican Norm Coleman's dwindling chances of reclaiming his U.S. Senate seat largely depend on a broad reading of the Supreme Court's Bush v. Gore decision, a ruling the court itself said should be applied sparingly.
Discussion:
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Jay Weiner / MinnPost:Web ‘echo chamber’ going strong as Coleman and Franken camps prepare …
Discussion:
The Caucus
Siobhan Gorman / Associated Press:
Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies — Robert Moran monitors an electric grid in Dallas. Such infrastructure grids across the country are vulnerable to cyberattacks. — WASHINGTON — Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs …
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. to Offer Aid to Life Insurers — Firms Face Capital Crunch; How Much They Will Get From TARP Remains Unclear — The Treasury Department has decided to extend bailout funds to a number of struggling life-insurance companies, helping an industry that is a lynchpin of the U.S. financial system …
RELATED:
Robert Schmidt / Bloomberg:
Congressional Panel Suggests Firing Managers, Liquidating Banks — A congressional panel overseeing the U.S. financial rescue suggested that getting rid of top executives and liquidating problem banks may be a better way to solve the economic crisis. — The Congressional Oversight Panel …
Wall Street Journal:
Obama and Gates Gut the Military — The secretary's new budget will leave us weaker to pay for the president's domestic programs. — On Monday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a significant reordering of U.S. defense programs. His recommendations should not go unchallenged.
Aluf Benn / Haaretz:
Obama team readying for confrontation with Netanyahu — In an unprecedented move, the Obama administration is readying for a possible confrontation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by briefing Democratic congressmen on the peace process and the positions of the new government in Israel regarding a two-state solution.
RELATED:
Camille Paglia / Salon:
Bow-ow-ow: Obama's painful missteps — Let the new president grow into the job — but he'd better do it fast! Plus: Readers ask about everything from talk radio, morality and Mary McCarthy, to that big movie about a sinking ship. — Dear Camille, — In your column, you say …
Sean Cockerham / Anchorage Daily News:
Palin plans to assist Murkowski campaign in 2010 — FUNDRAISING: Governor tries to end speculation that she aspires to senator's seat. — scockerham@adn.com — JUNEAU — Gov. Sarah Palin plans to raise money for the re-election campaign of Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski …
Discussion:
The New Republic, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, RedState, Conservatives4Palin.com, Salon and The Fix
RELATED:
Adam Serwer / American Prospect:
ACORN DIRECTOR: WHAT ARE TEA PARTIES? — I'm sort of fascinated by the latest ACORN conspiracy theory, that ACORN activists are crashing right wing “tea parties” in order to sabotage them. I'm fascinated, because like Steve Benen, I don't know anyone who actually cares about these things.
RELATED:
Nassim Nicholas Taleb / Financial Times:
Ten principles for a Black Swan-proof world — 1. What is fragile should break early while it is still small. Nothing should ever become too big to fail. Evolution in economic life helps those with the maximum amount of hidden risks - and hence the most fragile - become the biggest.
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Feminism as Natalism — Michelle Goldberg wades into the debate I've been having with various people about the macroeconomic implications of population decline with an observation I definitely agree with: … I actually agree with both of the points here.
RELATED:
State of Iowa:
Governor Culver Issues Statement on Supreme Court's Decision — DES MOINES - Governor Chet Culver today issued the following statement after reviewing the Iowa Supreme Court's decision in Varnum v. Brien: — “I have carefully reviewed the Iowa Supreme Court's unanimous decision on civil marriage …
RELATED:
Hilary Leila Krieger / Jerusalem Post:
Obama to host Seder Thursday night — Article's topics: Barack Obama, Pessah, Seder, — US President Barack Obama will celebrate Passover Thursday night with staff and friends in what is believed to be the first White House Seder attended by an American president.
Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Want to Join Marcy and Me to Protest Banks on Saturday, April 11? — On Saturday, April 11, there are going to be demonstrations all across America to protest what the banks are doing to the country. — No, not the stupid teabagger protests, where people who never cared about George Bush spending …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
New campaign fights same-sex marriage — The National Organization for Marriage, a prominent backer of the successful campaign against same-sex marriage in California, is launching a $1.5 million ad campaign this morning aimed at forestalling same-sex marriage support in other key states.
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Support for Gun-Control Laws at All-Time Lows — Americans evenly divided at 49% on need for stricter gun laws — USA - Crime - Government and Politics - Guns - Personal Safety - Violence - Americas - Northern America — PRINCETON, NJ — In Gallup polling conducted prior …
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