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Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines
Texas’ Board of Education has approved a new social studies curriculum with a conservative seal of approval. After three days of debate the board voted to change the curriculum to explicitly present Republican philosophies and conservative leaders in a more positive light. The new curriculum was voted in 10 to five,...
President Barack Obama’s administration has called for an overhaul of George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind education law, mitigating the ridiculous focus on standardized tests with an approach that takes into consideration student attendance and classrooms’ learning climates. —JCL The New York Times: The Obama administration on Saturday called for a...
Internet Fraud Losses Doubled in 2009
From Nigerian “millionaire” plans to “FBI agent” schemes, millions of dollars have been lost to scams on the Internet. Last year saw reported losses from Internet fraud more than double, rising from $264.6 million in 2008 to $559.7 million in 2009. —JCL Reuters: Reported losses from Internet fraud more than doubled in...
Google May Close Virtual Doors in China
Google is “99.9 percent” certain it will shut down its search engine operation in China after the government in Beijing warned the company that it was flouting the country’s censorship laws, which require limited access to content like “Tiananmen Square” and “democracy.” Google’s decision would close a chapter in a...
French voters are turning against the right-wing policies of President Nicolas Sarkozy in what many are calling the “pink tide,” a leftward shift in French politics that is putting Socialists and Greens in many legislative seats around the country. The term pink tide was initially used to describe the increasing power...
Getting a Read on the Middle East
The greatest problem of writing historically about the Middle East is that the story has not ended. The war goes on. And both “sides”—actually, there are rather a lot of sides—produce conflicting narratives....
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
Unions Play Hardball on Health Care
Greg Sargent reports that unions are taking "a shot across the bow of House Dems wavering on health reform," threatening to pull support and even field primary opponents for a "no" vote on the Senate bill. Key quote: "This is the most important issue on everyone's plate. We're sending a message...
Glenn Reynolds interviews pollster Scott Rasmussen about his new book, In Search of Self-Governance, and the consent of the governed....
Lawmaker Quits After Hot Tub Confession
Utah House Majority Leader Kevin Garn (R) announced that "he was resigning from the Utah Legislature, two days after revelations of a nude hot-tubbing incident with a minor 25 years ago and a payment to keep it quiet," the Salt Lake Tribune reports....
Rubio's Lavish Rise to the Top
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) couldn't ask for a better look at his Senate primary challenger's rise through the Republican party ranks.A St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald investigation finds Marco Rubio (R) "was barely solvent as a young lawmaker climbing his way to the top post in the Florida House, but...
"He's more powerful than the entire Republican National Committee. He has a better e-mail list, he has better ideas, he's a better communicator and he's more in touch with what people think." -- Pollster Frank Luntz, quoted by the New York Times, on Newt Gingrich....
You Have to be Crazy to Run for President
Peggy Noonan read Game Change and wishes it was made up. But sadly, no one to her (or my) knowledge has come forward to say, "I didn't say that!" or, "That's a lie!" "Not only do staffers turn on candidates in this book, but candidates turn on staffers. At times...
George's Bottom Line
Political pundits debate both sides of the issue....
Gibbs on Massa: ‘This Whole Story is Ridiculous’
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on Rep. Eric Massa, health care and rumors of White House infighting....
Odierno: U.S. ‘On Track’ for Troop Withdrawal
I spoke with Commanding General Ray Odierno and U.S. Ambassador Chris Hill about how things are progressing in Iraq after pivotal parliamentary elections this past weekend....
Dowd on Palin: Not Ready to Run in 2012?
After a busy week in Washington, Matthew Dowd joined us to recap it all....
Hanks Plays Carville Defending Paterson
Tom Hanks joined in on the fun of our Morning Mix today on GMA...
Without Abortion Changes, Stupak Will Defeat Health Care: 'We're Prepared to Take Responsibility'
A day after President Obama called for an up or down vote on health care Stupak and HHS Secretary Kathlee Sebelius take a look at both sides of the debate...
The Caucus
Sunday Breakfast Menu, March 14
With Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 10-day deadline in mind, White House officials and Congressional whips are out to make their final points in the yearlong health care debate on the Sunday talk shows....
The Saturday Word: Education Overhaul
President Obama's address turns to education legislation, while the Republicans talk about the economy....
California Speaker Promises Change
The new speaker in California speaks....
Republicans Named to Deficit Panel
New Republicans are named to a presidential panel on the deficit....
Newsom Bids for Lt. Gov. Post in California
The mayor of San Francisco seeks higher office....
Student Loan Bill Opposed by Group Packed With Ex-Clinton Aides
A cadre of former Clinton administration officials are fighting an Obama administration proposal on student loans....
Politics news, UK and world political comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk
Lord Ashcroft's place in the sun
Chris Riddell on Lord Ashcroft's living arrangementsChris Riddell ...
Why I've gone from porn to politics | Anna Arrowsmith
I started making pornography for women because there was a need. And now I want to do something about the need for more female MPsI'm Anna Arrowsmith, the Liberal Democrat PPC for Gravesend or, as many will know me, Anna Span, the UK's first female porn director. Take your pick.Since...
She swears, she drinks, she has extramarital flings... The modern MP's wife is unrecognisable from the simpering cheerleader of the past. So what has changed? And what impact will the other halves have on this year's election?When Alicia Collinson's husband, Damian Green, was first elected as a Conservative MP in...
Catherine Bennett | Talk to us about politics, not your lovely home life
The Cameron and Brown personality parade misses the point that voters care about issues, not characterRecently, on a day when no cameras were looking and he was surrounded by political nonentities, mainly mothers, an off-duty David Cameron was amazingly haughty to a friend of mine. Maybe it was just an...
Embarrassment for David Cameron over Tory hopefuls' lobbying links
Conservative drive to 'clean up politics' faces test over failure by several candidates to fully declare their work for lobby firms, says Nick MathiasonDavid Cameron's drive to clean up politics is facing an embarrassing public test after it emerged that a number of prospective Conservative MPs have failed fully to...
Mariella Frostrup has lunch with Alastair Campbell
Alastair Campbell discusses Twitter, Iraq and his Andrew Marr TV interview over lunch with Mariella FrostrupAs we're perusing the bistro-style menu of the Camden Brasserie, I ask Alastair Campbell if he cares about food. His answer is not the most promising kick-off for an OFM interview."I'm not a big food...
The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan
The Gutter McCarthyism Of Liz Cheney, Ctd
Thiessen claims that the John Adams comparison is bogus because the Boston Massacre soldiers "were Adams’ fellow countrymen - not foreign enemies of the state at war with his country." Were Jose Padilla and John Walker Lindh not fellow-countrymen? Was... ...
John Adams And The "Gitmo Nine" Ctd
by Chris Bodenner Yet another prominent Republican calls out the Cheneys: Peter D. Keisler, who was assistant attorney general for the civil division in the Bush administration, said in an interview that it was “wrong” to attack lawyers who volunteered... ...
The 8.8 Earthquake In Chile, Ctd
by Patrick Appel Via Soup real-time video and images from Chile. Enduring America is live-blogging. ...
Prof. Bainbridge believes that politicians like Sarah Palin and Scott Brown are indicative of a larger social shift: I think it says something bad about our culture that people like the Hiltons and Kardashians can vault into celebrity status without... ...
I'm not sure the role the Dish may have played in this, but Palin has now taken on Rush Limbaugh: Palin believes Limbaugh’s repeated use of the word “retard” yesterday was “crude and demeaning,” her spokesperson emails... It hardly has... ...
Hullabaloo
Saturday Night At The MoviesOf butcher boys and green-eyed ladiesBy Dennis HartleyChild of nature, friend of man.With Saint Patrick’s Day coming up in a few days, I thought I’d help you “get your Irish up” and drive the snakes out of your media room with my Top 10 recommendations…The Butcher...
Peas In A Podby digbyThis op-ed by Howell Raines, former editor of the NY Times, in which he wonders why the media refuse to confront their rivals FOX news as the propaganda arm it is has been getting a lot of circulation. Setting aside the sheer chutzpah of the man...
I have refrained from writing much about this because I'm so angry at the Catholic hierarchy at the moment that I'm afraid I might say something I'll regret. But I can't resist this, from Pam Spaulding:At one time you might have thought what you’re about to read was an ...
Kabuki Playby digbyMichael Isikoff and Michael Hirsh are on to something here, when they call Liz Cheney "Palin with a pedigree." I hadn't thought about it that way, but Cheney is also a somewhat youthful mother of five who sells herself as a living example of traditional family values...
They Never, Ever Quitby digbySay what you will about the right, but you have to admit that they are tenacious and use every opportunity, win or lose, to organize and advance their agenda:Several Religious Right activists and California state legislators have unveiled a new effort to take control of...
Security Clownsby digbySo, it looks like Michael Chertoff's DHS relied on wingnut organizations to keep them apprised of allegedly leftwing threats to the nation. And not just any rightwing organizations: David Horowitz's Frontpage Magazine's paranoid "Discover The Network" project.This does not surprise me in the least. Michael Chertoff...
Crooks and Liars
Have YOU put together your brain wave machine this weekend? [Sooo geeky I love it.] It's Daylight Saving time again. Don't forget to set your clocks forward an hour tonight. PS Our sincere condolences to Keith Olbermann on the loss of his father. Open thread below. ...
Late Night Music Club with Ella Fitzgerald
Title: All the Things You AreArtist: Ella Fitzgerald"All the things you are." Welcome Spring. What are you listening to this Saturday night? ...
Amy Holmes Plays Apologist for Bush Torture Lawyers
...
Driftglass and Blue Gal's Weekly Podcast: End Times for the GOP, Jesus, Buddha and Susie Bright
For your listening enjoyment here's this week's edition of the Driftglass and Bluegal podcast. A note from Bluegal: "Usually, this podcast is not exactly work safe, but this time we've mixed things up. This time, this podcast is exactly not work safe. Enjoy!" You can find previous editions of their podcasts...
Kelly O'Donnell Keeps Furthering Right Wing Media Meme That Massa Identical To Foley
...
Dems Done Negotiating With Stupak But C-Street Problems Aren't Going Away
As Rachel Maddow notes it looks like the Democrats have finally stopped trying to negotiate with Bart Stupak. Why it took them this long is beyond me. Stupak is now claiming that anyone who is against the language he wanted inserted into the health care bill is against babies and...
Politics Daily
History Revised, Teachers Sacked: The Book Wars in Texas and Beyond
It's been a brawl for years, this education culture war that seems to take on a particularly vicious turn in the heart of Texas. The latest and most important round, a drastic revision of the social studies curriculum standards to put a conservative spin on history and economics textbooks, was...
Burglarized but Unbowed: They Stole Nothing of Value
Filed under: Crime, Woman Up CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A home invasion. That's what they call it if the family is home when the robbers come. But even if you've stepped out for an hour (thank God for the dentist), it still feels like an invasion. Someone kicked in my door,...
Filed under: Woman UpThe outspoken director, actor and political activist Sean Penn is no stranger to controversy. Now, however, he's insulted the rectal cancer folks. At least, that's the conventional wisdom. But what did Penn actually say? In response to CBS reporter Lara Logan's question on how Penn felt...
Jerry Brown and Me: A Progressive's Lament
Filed under: Woman Up OAKLAND, California -- Jerry Brown has been part of the political landscape in my home state longer than I've been alive; by the time I was born, in 1985, he had already served two terms as governor, made two unsuccessful bids for the presidency, and one for...
Court Rules Vaccination Doesn't Cause Autism
Filed under: Health Care, Culture, Ethics, LawThe U.S. Court of Federal Claims has ruled that vaccinations -- or, more specifically, thimerosal, an additive in some vaccinations -- does not cause autism. The court considered three separate claims for damages, but ruled Friday in each of them that the vaccinations the...
The Iraq War: Suddenly, It's Not So Bad After All
Filed under: George W. Bush, IraqThat sound you hear is of Conventional Wisdom cracking on the Iraq war. A few weeks ago Vice President Biden stated that Iraq "could be one of the great achievements of this administration." (That's right; one of the greatest achievements of the Obama administration.) Then last...
The Swamp
Obama vs. Scott Brown: priorities
by Mark Silva Lost in all the political debate lately, President Barack Obama suggests, is the continuing challenge that failing public schools pose. "Debates in Washington tend to be consumed with the politics of the moment: who's up in the......
Sarah Palin: 10 things you may not know
by Mark Jacob Sarah Palin has inspired a run of nicknames. Sarah Barracuda, Caribou Barbie, Disasta from Alaska, Wasilla Godzilla, Thrilla from Wasilla, Moosealini, Dick Cheney in Lipstick, Dan Quayle with an Up-do, Snowjob Squareglasses, Pit Bull with Lipstick, Hockey......
White House's Canadian/U.S. beer run
by Mark Silva This is a White House that knows a little -- Okay, maybe very little -- about beer diplomacy. But it knows this: Why send one case of brews, when two will do? President Barack Obama owed the......
Jobless today, deficit tomorrow: Woes
by Mark Silva In life, there is the short-term view. And the long-range view. For now, the No. 1 problem facing the United States is the lack of jobs -- so say 31 percent of Americans surveyed. Only 8 percent......
Hoyer on healthcare: 'We will' pass it
by Mark Silva House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, predicting that the House will pass the Senate-passed healthcare legislation as well as a package of changes this month, suggested today that public support for the president's agenda is growing. "That's our......
Obama Asian trip delayed, family stays
by Mark Silva and updated President Barack Obama's long-promised trip to Indonesia, where he spent some time as a boy, will be delayed by the ongoing fight over healthcare reform at home. And because of the delay -- with the......
Instapundit
SPRING FORWARD: Daylight Savings Time starts today.
SPRING FORWARD: Daylight Savings Time starts today....
ANOTHER “RUBE” SELF-IDENTIFIES: “We are shocked and stunned at the Administration’s tone and public…
ANOTHER “RUBE” SELF-IDENTIFIES: “We are shocked and stunned at the Administration’s tone and public dressing down of Israel,” Anti-Defamation League director Abraham Foxman said in a statement....
“MY INVESTIGATION REVEALS THAT WE’RE KINDA UNPOPULAR:” The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Admin…
“MY INVESTIGATION REVEALS THAT WE’RE KINDA UNPOPULAR:” The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration is investigating more than 70 threatening jokes or inappropriate statements made to IRS agents about the Feb. 18 attack on an IRS building in Austin, Texas. My feeling is that if the President can “joke” about...
IN SEARCH OF the perfect doughnut….
IN SEARCH OF the perfect doughnut....
BOX OFFICE FLOP? Matt Damon’s ‘Green Zone’ Could Open to Less Than $15 Million. “The moral o…
BOX OFFICE FLOP? Matt Damon’s ‘Green Zone’ Could Open to Less Than $15 Million. “The moral of the story? If you’re going to trash America and the troops, use Smurfs.” UPDATE: A real Green Zone film would look more like this report from Toby Harnden. How likely...
PHYLLIS CHESLER: Norway, Italy, Iran: The Islamist Takeover, The Push Back….
PHYLLIS CHESLER: Norway, Italy, Iran: The Islamist Takeover, The Push Back....
Daily Kos
Sunday Talk - Don't Know Much About History
Friday morning the Texas Board of Education voted to approve changing the state's social studies curriculum to make it more closely reflect the views of God's Own Party. Among the changes are: Replacing the heathen, Thomas Jefferson, with theologian John Calvin; Tearing down the wall between church and state;...
Tonight's Rescue Rangers are BentLiberal, srkp23, jlms qkw, watercarrier4diogenes, sunspark says, shayera and Got a Grip. This evening's selections for your edification are: bobswern discovered just which emperors were fiddling while Rome Wall Street burned thanks to the NYT: NY Fed, Ernst & Young Enabled Lehman; Others Involved....
S.E.G.O. -- Science Fiction You Might Have Read
Last week, Devilstower introduced the Saturday Evening Geek Out: S.E.G.O. -- Science Fiction You Should Be Reading, and while I don't have his expertise (or writing ability), I've been arguing with the likes of Larry Niven since the 70's when I was a SF geek in college (I went to...
Polling and Political Wrap-Up, 3/13/10
On this, the 60th birthday of American actor William H. Macy (who, it seemed, was featured in every movie that I watched between 1997 and 2002), we have a bursting-at-the-seams weekend edition of the Wrap.... THE U.S. SENATE CO-Sen: New PPP Poll Implies A Toss-Up In Bennet-Norton Duel...
Stupak Spurned: The Hissy Fits Escalate
The behavior of Bart Stupak over the last several months, but particularly the last few weeks, in the hcr debate has been deplorable. He refuses to acknowledge the reality that his crusade is built on a lie--the lie that there is federal funding for abortion coverage in the Senate bill....
Late afternoon/early evening open thread
What's coming up on Sunday Kos .... In honor of Women's History Month, Angry Mouse will explain what's wrong with Women's History Month. Page van der Linden will take you on a virtual tour of the Hanford Site in Washington State, with an updated look at the environmental...
Swampland
Why Does Glenn Beck Hate Jesus?
When Glenn Beck told listeners of his radio show on March 2 that they should "run as fast as you can" from any church that preached "social or economic justice" because those were code words for Communism and Nazism, he probably thought he was tweaking a few crunchy religious liberals...
Health Care: The Talking Points
If the House does succeed in passing this health care bill, that's a big step. But it is just the beginning of the battle for many members. The next thing the Democrats will have to do is convince a very divided and skeptical public that they did the right thing....
1,000 Words: Casual Friday Edition
From our White House Photo Blog: ...
We've got a new feature here on Swampland. It's a weekly podcast where you get to listen in to a few of our reporters talk about the stories they've been working on and the highlights of the week. Today's call features Karen and Kate discussing Arlen Specter's re-election battle and...
Still More on Bending the Rules
The Slaughter Solution? Another name might be the Dreier Doctrine. Don Wolfensberger, director of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Congress Project (and former staff director of the House Rules Committee), took a look at this whole business of self-executing rules a few years back. He argues that it's not at all unusual...
I'm convinced there are no new arguments in Washington; the only thing that changes is the side that is making them. As House Democratic leaders consider their options for passing the health care bill, there is going to be a lot of talk about the use of the "self-executing rule" --...
slate
Jean Ferrat, une identité nationale
Il ne l'a pas fait exprès, évidemment, il s'est éteint juste quand la vie s'est retirée de ses poumons malades, à l'hôpital de d'Aubenas, dernier souffle épuisé. Mais il est mort en compagnon de route. Lui, Jean Ferrat, 79 ans, l'un des rares sympathisants communistes de l'histoire de la chanson...
On ne va peut-être plus s'ennuyer en regardant la F1
Longtemps j'ai siesté de bonne heure, devant une course de F1. Mis à part les éléments extra sportifs qui faisaient la une des médias, il n'y avait pas grand-chose d'intéressant à se mettre sous la dent. Il était beaucoup plus amusant de chercher les photos controversées sur les pratiques sexuelles...
JO d'hiver de 2018: Annecy, cause (perdue) nationale
Au cas où vous ne le sauriez pas, la France est candidate à l'organisation des Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques d'hiver en 2018. Annecy a été choisie, en effet, pour porter les couleurs nationales lors d'un long processus qui aboutira au 6 juillet 2011 et à la désignation, à Durban, en...
Alice, de tous les côtés du miroir
Alice, le Chapelier Fou, le chat de Cheshire... Vous reconnaissez ces personnages? Normal. Nés dans l'imagination du non moins célèbre Lewis Carroll au XIXe siècle, on les retrouve depuis dans une myriade d'œuvres naviguant dans un nombre important de registres. Prenez «Matrix» par exemple, on y retrouve le lapin blanc,...
Le chanteur Jean Ferrat est décédé samedi «en tombant du lit» de l'hôpital d'Aubenas où il était entré pour y subir des examens. Jean Ferrat, 79 ans, s'était fait connaître dans les années 50 et 60, en mettant notamment en musique le poète Aragon. Né Tenenbaum, fils d'une famille juive modeste...
La pilule fait-elle vivre plus longtemps? Oui et non.
Les femmes qui se demandent quels sont les effets à long terme de la prise de la pilule contraceptive peuvent se rassurer. A en croire une étude publiée vendredi dans le British Medical Journal, les femmes qui ont commencé à utiliser ce moyen de contraception à la fin des années...
TalkLeft
Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead an hour before you go to bed. This is an open thread, all topics welcome. ...
Obama Finally Nominates a Liberal Appeals Court Judge
President Obama has nominated Goodman Liu, age 39, to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Finally, he's nominated a liberal. Goodwin Liu, 39, is an unabashed liberal legal scholar who, if confirmed, could become a force on the federal appeals court for decades. There's talk that in...
Ireland Releases Colo. Woman Held in Terror Probe
That was quick. While a slew of news articles are still writing about a Colorado woman, Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, held in Ireland over the plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist who mocked the prophet Mohammed, it turns out she's already been released. I guess there's still Jihad Jane for...
Rahmbo Unplugged or Compromiser In Chief?
Sunday's New York Times Magazine has an 8 page profile of Rahm Emanuel. If Emanuel’s philosophy is to put points on the board, to take what you can get and then cut a deal, to make everything negotiable except success, then the White House is testing the...
It's a beautiful day here, too nice to spend indoors. Here's an open thread, all topics welcome. ...
Monica Conyers' Sentencing Hearing
Monica Conyers, wife of Rep. John Conyers, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison this week for her part in a corruption case in Detroit. Her sentencing hearing did not go smoothly, and she unsuccessfully attempted to withdraw her gulity plea (begins on page 3.) Here's the transcript...
The Washington Independent
What’s That Word for People Who Will Do Anything for Money?
David M. Herszenhorn at The New York Times points out a curious thing happening in the midst of the debate over student lending reform: Although the plan to eliminate billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies to private lenders originated, by some accounts, with President Bill Clinton, it’s now former Clinton...
Tea Party Signs, Sponsored by the RNC
Alex Pappas reports: The Republican National Committee is paying for signs and political buttons used by Tea Party groups — despite widespread disagreement among the conservative, grassroots activists on whether the movement should work to elect candidates within the Republican party or steer clear from it. The items, paid for by the...
Family Research Council: Help Us Kill ObamaCare
Here’s the flip side of Ben Smith’s report today on evangelicals and Tea Parties — direct mail from the social conservative Family Research Council that tees off on health care reform and delivers, by and large, a message that could appeal to anyone in the Tea Party Movement....
A roundup of the top immigration stories of the week: - After hosting immigration reform advocates at the White House yesterday, President Obama met with Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to discuss plans for comprehensive immigration reform. The two senators have been working together to...
Clinton Losing Patience With Netanyahu
A recap: Vice President Biden flies to Israel this week and gets hit with word that Israel will expand settlements into Arab areas of Jerusalem. It’s widely seen as an insult. This afternoon, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley let it be known that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called Prime...
Chamber of Commerce (Again) Hopes to Scale Back Proposed Black Lung Benefits
With black lung disease on the rise in Appalachia, West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd (D) last year took action. As Democratic leaders were piecing together their sweeping health reform proposal, the nine-term Byrd attached language that would expand black lung benefits for coal miners and their families. It hasn’t been well...
msnbc.com: Politics
Kissinger leaves hospital in South Korea
Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is hospitalized after complaining of stomach pains, according to reports....
Despite brashness, Bunning still a hero in Ky.
Irascible Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning has been a pariah among his congressional colleagues. Back in the conservative swath of northern Kentucky he calls home, though, he's being heralded as a hero....
Utah lawmaker resigns amid hot tub scandal
Utah's House majority leader has resigned from the Legislature, two days after his confession about sitting nude in a hot tub with a teenage girl 25 years ago....
Newsweek: The GOP's losing health care strategy
Jonathan Alter on why the Republican "repeal the bill" approach will likely backfire during the midterm elections....
‘Insulted’ U.S. scrambles to save Mideast talks
Israel's relationship with the U.S., a defining feature of the troubled Middle East, is under severe strain with diplomats trying to save newborn peace talks with the Palestinians....
Ex-Edwards aide avoids jail over sex tape
A former aide to past presidential candidate John Edwards has avoided jail again in a dispute over a tape that allegedly shows Edwards and his lover in a sexual encounter....
Talking Points Memo
Non-sexual hot tubber resigns as Majority Leader of Utah State of House of Reps.... ...
For TARP Before He Was Against It
It's tricky going through the revolving door twice without getting hung up. Republican Dan Coats was the senator from Indiana then became a lobbyist and now wants to return to his old seat, succeeding Evan Bayh. On the campaign trail,... ...
Did Dobson get dumped from Focus on the Family because his son (who Dobson wanted to succeed him running the theocracy) is divorced?... ...
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In the spirit of Eric Massa's non-sexual groping, top Utah legislator introduces non-sexual naked hot-tubbing.... ...
Who are the House Dems saying they're going to vote "no" on Health Care Reform even after they voted yes back in November? Here's our list.... ...
Firedoglake
Sunday Talking Heads: March 14, 2010
Math geeks of the world unite, it's Pi Day. Special thanks to artist Nathan Mazur (and Neatorama) for the tasty illustration. Make sure you set your clocks ahead for Daylight Savings Time, you don't want to miss your favorite bobbleheads....
Late Late Night FDL: Barney Bear’s Victory Garden
Barney Bear's Victory Garden. This Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon was originally released on December 26, 1942....
Late Night: “Nonresponsibility,” Or, How to Set a Proper Papal Moral Example
The Vatican, today. The pope’s spokesman has launched a vigorous counter-attack against a report linking Benedict XVI to a sex abuse cover-up while he was archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1981. Father Federico Lombardi appeared to suggest in an interview on Vatican Radio that the pope, who also...
Were The Torturers Bypassing OLC in July 2004?
It appears that early in July 2004, the White House dictated to DOJ what torture methods would be approved. And only after Congress got involved did the White House agree to niceties like OLC opinions....
Exposé Shows Rubio Spent Big in Rise to Top
I don't know if this will derail Marco Rubio in the Republican primary - if I had to guess it won't - but the biggest papers in Florida just looked back at his record and found a huge slush fund for both political and personal activities, maintained through special interest...
Meet the New Iraqi Government Coalition, (Probably) the Same As the Old Coalition
So the election results are trickling in slowly from the Iraqi parliamentary elections, and the coalition led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is expressing confidence that they will come away with the largest share of the votes -- a confidence that may or may not be related to the gradually...
Think Progress
In recent weeks, the number of Democratic lawmakers willing to join Rep. Bart Stupak’s (D-MI) crusade to bring down health care reform unless Congress amends the Senate bill’s abortion language keeps shrinking. Stupak began the debate with that 15 to 20 supporters; that number is down to fewer than a...
Motivated by unprecedented GOP obstruction this year in the U.S. Senate, Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) recently announced a proposal to revamp the Senate’s filibuster rules at the start of the next Congress. Citing Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution, Udall would like to revamp the 60-vote requirement for cloture...
Church Uses Marquee To Speak Out Against Beck: ‘Sorry Mr Beck, Jesus Preached Social Justice’
This week, Christian religious leaders have been criticizing Fox News host Glenn Beck for his controversial remarks that churches that promote social and economic justice are somehow dangerous. “If you have a priest that is pushing social justice, go find another parish,” said Beck. Progressive Christian group Sojourners has even...
Texas Board of Education cuts Thomas Jefferson out of its textbooks.
The Texas Board of Education has been meeting this week to revise its social studies curriculum. During the past three days, “the board’s far-right faction wielded their power to shape lessons on the civil rights movement, the U.S. free enterprise system and hundreds of other topics”: – To avoid exposing...
Huckabee Inadvertently Argues For Health Insurance Mandate: ‘Everybody Has To Live’
Included in both the House and Senate health care reform bills each chamber passed last year is a mandate for individuals to buy health insurance. Offering support for the measure, President Obama has compared the idea to states’ requirements that those who drive cars must purchase auto insurance. “Under my...
City Removes Spanish-Language Census Sign After ‘Angry’ Citizens And Lawmakers Raise A Fuss
Until recently, downtown Prescott, AZ had two large banners encouraging people to participate in the 2010 Census — one in English and the other in Spanish. However, the Spanish-language banner has been taken down “after at least four dozen citizens and two city council members questioned its appropriateness“: City of Prescott...