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Harry, Louise and Barack — Is this the end for Harry and Louise? — Harry and Louise were the fictional couple who appeared in advertisements run by the insurance industry in 1993, fretting about what would happen if “government bureaucrats” started making health care decisions.
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Former Hospital CEO Rick Scott Leads Opposition to Obama on Health Care — Ads Cite Long Waits In Canada and Britain — The television ads that began airing last week feature horror stories from Canada and the United Kingdom: Patients who allegedly suffered long waits for surgeries …

A New Beginning For Health Care Reform? — There will be plenty of posts about the details of the cost-cutting proposals today, and plenty of posts about the immediate political intermingling. But let's step back and look at the broader political implications of the staged event at the White House.

Medical groups aim to cut $2T in health care costs over 10 years
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Roll Call, Donklephant, Associated Press, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and Corrente


White House Cheat Sheet: Wanda Sykes, Rush Limbaugh and the Politics of Humor — (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) — In politics, as in life, there is a fine line between stupid and clever — to paraphrase the great philosopher (and lead vocalist of Spinal Tap) David St. Hubbins.
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The most self-absorbed night in Washington (since the inaugural) — I spent a blissful Mother's Day weekend unplugged and away from the news. So if you're looking for outrage, faux outrage, and extended commentary on all the narcissism and nastiness at the White House Correspondents Dinner, you'll have to look elsewhere.

Wanda Sykes' Jokes About Rush Limbaugh Prompt Debate — There's some chatter in the blogosphere and on cable TV about comedian Wanda Sykes' routine at the White House Correspondents' Dinner last night, particularly her jokes about conservative talk radio giant Rush Limbaugh.

White House Correspondents' Dinner: Glamour Is Back!
Discussion:
Althouse

Don't Worry.....It's OK To Laugh*
Discussion:
Bloggasm


Journalist Roxana Saberi freed by Iranian appeal court verdict — Roxana Saberi, an American journalist convicted in Iran on spying charges, is to be freed after an appeals court downgraded her sentence. — Roxana Saberi is due to be released — Lawyers for the 32-year old said the court …
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Lawyer: Iran to Free Iranian-American Journalist — Iranian judicial authorities have suspended the remainder of the eight-year jail sentence given to Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi for alleged espionage and will release her Monday, her lawyer said.

U.S. Journalist to Be Freed Soon in Iran, Her Lawyer Says
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Times of London, Fox News, Hot Air, THE WEEK News & Opinion and Gateway Pundit

White House To Declassify “Holy Grail” Torture Report That Could Undercut Cheney — There's a big piece of news about Dick Cheney and torture buried toward the end of this big Washington Post piece about the torture wars. — Specifically: The White House has decided to declassify and release …
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Crist Senate bid could threaten GOP control in Fla. — Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's (R) candidacy would provide a good bit of clarity in a jumbled Senate race, but it would throw his home state's government — and the recent GOP control — into serious flux.
Discussion:
DownWithTyranny!
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Obama Approval Picks Up in May — Still, only 25% say they would definitely vote to re-elect him in 2012 — PRINCETON, NJ — President Barack Obama appears to be slightly more popular with Americans at the start of his second 100 days in office than he was, on average, during his first 100.


Gingrich: Pelosi not truthful about waterboarding issue — WASHINGTON (CNN) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has denied she was ever told explicitly that waterboarding had been used on terrorist suspects, “has a lot of explaining to do,” former Speaker Newt Gingrich said Sunday.
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Administration Plans to Strengthen Antitrust Rules — WASHINGTON — President Obama's top antitrust official this week plans to restore an aggressive enforcement policy against corporations that use their market dominance to elbow out competitors or to keep them from gaining market share.
Discussion:
Think Progress, Economist's View, Greg Mankiw's Blog, TalkLeft, Wall Street Journal, Marginal Revolution, Law Blog, Discourse.net and The Page

Biden's Advisory Role Expands to Supreme Court Pick — The person in the White House most knowledgeable about Supreme Court nominations sits in the vice president's office. — With President Obama filling his first high court vacancy with the retirement of Justice David H. Souter …
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First thoughts: SCOTUS shortlist? — From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro*** The SCOTUS shortlist? According to a couple of sources in the know, there appears to be a working short list of about six names for President Obama's Supreme Court pick.


Backlash: Women Bullying Women at Work — YELLING, scheming and sabotaging: all are tell-tale signs that a bully is at work, laying traps for employees at every pass. — During this downturn, as stress levels rise, workplace researchers say, bullies are likely to sharpen their elbows and ratchet up their attacks.

SEIU may be linked to ultimatum on withholding stimulus funds — California officials say the union may have influenced a federal requirement that a pay cut be reversed for home healthcare workers. — Reporting from Sacramento — Officials in the governor's office say a politically powerful union …


Iraqi Leaders and Kurds Reach Oil Deal; Pelosi Makes Surprise Visit — BAGHDAD — Ending months of political stalemate, the Iraqi Oil Ministry and the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq reached an accord Sunday that would allow the Kurds to export oil for the first time.


Woman survived paragliding accident ‘due to washboard stomach’ — A woman survived a paragliding accident because her “washboard” stomach muscles protected her other organs, experts told her. — Peggy Williams, 47, fell on to a rocky outcrop after a freak gust of wind caught the fabric wing of her paraglider.