A Tweet Or Two

"It's time to end the era of manufactured crises." —President Obama on #ImmigrationAction ofa.bo/j37r

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Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 24, 2015

Breaking News: As Republicans Concede, F.C.C. Is Expected to Enforce Net Neutrality nyti.ms/1FV1eTz

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The New York Times (@nytimes) February 24, 2015

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Why President Obama will ultimately win on immigration: on.msnbc.com/1adGHgf op-ed by @SimonWDC (Gregory Bull/AP) http://t.co/7sVRKETc8W

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  (@msnbc) February 24, 2015

Obama vetoes Keystone XL bill wapo.st/1B9OupE

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Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 24, 2015

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US Postal Service Honors Maya Angelou With Forever Stamp nbcnews.to/1Gmu64B http://t.co/W4o23BOcdd

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NBC BLK (@NBCBLK) February 23, 2015

10-year-old math prodigy studying to complete university degree bit.ly/1D87CAU http://t.co/YIB0LeKWOu

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Global Grind News (@GlobalGrindNews) February 24, 2015

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Remembering Jimmie Lee Jackson, whose death 50 years ago led to "Bloody Sunday" & VRA thenat.in/1EaHiub http://t.co/GgZfFFYMtH

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Ari Berman (@AriBerman) February 24, 2015

Family of Trayvon Martin "disappointed" in findings of DOJ invest, but "it has steeled our resolve" - @SeniABC http://t.co/yJKzc2Z7ny

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ABC News (@ABC) February 24, 2015

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The First Lady is challenging you, @NancyODell & @KevinFrazier. #GimmeFive ways the stars stay fit, and pass it on: amp.twimg.com/v/91e62d7f-533…

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The First Lady (@FLOTUS) February 24, 2015

Hey @FLOTUS, I see your #GimmeFive challenge and pass it on to @NickJonas! #LetsMove amp.twimg.com/v/0704c598-4d9…

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Ryan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest) February 24, 2015

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Every economic indicator performs better under Democrats. america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/… http://t.co/9uPHWgkIQf

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Sean McElwee (@SeanMcElwee) February 24, 2015

If you fail to recognize Obama's intelligence, integrity & sincerity, you may lack those qualities #ObamaLovesAmerica http://t.co/5vBoEE0efB

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Casey (@pari_passu) February 20, 2015

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#BHM Rebecca Lee Crumpler graduates from the New England Female Medical College the first Black woman as an MD #TDIH http://t.co/F5CpsQVaYJ

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The Crisis Magazine (@thecrisismag) February 24, 2015

This black man owns the ONLY #sequin manufacturing company in the US. ow.ly/JxtjP #BEHighSociety

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Black Enterprise (@blackenterprise) February 24, 2015

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John Lewis: Giuliani's Comments Show 'Scars and Signs of Racism' Still Present in U.S. bit.ly/1JInh2Q (VIDEO) http://t.co/2okNkNTXLz

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  (@Mediaite) February 24, 2015

Four arrested on terror charges. What is it about their faces that'll keep this story buried? m.heraldextra.com/news/local/cen… http://t.co/3TALalRAjJ

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CJ Werleman (@cjwerleman) February 23, 2015

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Perfect response by Zendaya to Giuliana Rancic’s and Kelly Osbourne’s racist comments. She is 18!!! Bravo!

http://t.co/q0fOYrv3gc

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  (@Zendaya) February 24, 2015

Zendaya Wrote A Powerful Defense Of Her Dreadlocks After Racist Comments On Fashion Police bzfd.it/1Fmy7ou http://t.co/xtn8e75nn8

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  (@BuzzFeed) February 24, 2015

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when Kylie Jenner got dreads they were "edgy" and "urban". Yet when Zendaya got them, they smell like "weed & oil". THIS IS WHY WE GET MAD.

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aquatic mistress (@momodamermaid) February 24, 2015

So don't sit up here and say "people should be able to experiment with whatever style they want" BECAUSE CLEARLY THIS RULE FAVORS WHITE PPL

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aquatic mistress (@momodamermaid) February 24, 2015

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rise and shine

White House live

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USA Today: President Obama, facing political problems over high gas prices, will announce a plan today “to increase oversight and crack down on manipulation in oil markets,” the White House announced.

“At a time when American consumers are feeling pain at the pump, it is critically important to ensure that illegal manipulation, fraud and market rigging are not contributing to gas price increases,” said the announcement.

Obama, along with Attorney General Eric Holder, is scheduled to discuss the plan at 11:10 a.m.

More here

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Cagle

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ThinkProgress: …. For most women, Romney maintains that a choice to work or to stay at home with the kids should be regarded as equally valid, his campaign made clear last week. But for poor women who receive government assistance, staying home is not an option — they should work….

A passage from Romney’s book, No Apology: The Case For American Greatness, elaborates on this. In it, he argues that children of “nonworking parents” will be conditioned to have “an indolent and unproductive life”…

…. While Romney’s sentiment is understandable and common among conservatives, it doesn’t fit easily with his view that all “all moms are working moms”…. If nonworking mothers on welfare produce “indolent and unproductive” children, then why doesn’t the same hold true for other women?

More here

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First Lady Michelle Obama participates in a Joining Forces event at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station, April 12 (Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

12:00 ET: Michelle Obama delivers remarks at a Democratic National Committee event in Nashville.

3:30: Michelle Obama arrives in Pittsburgh where she will be greeted by service members and their families from the 911th Airlift Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command and the 171st Air Refueling Wing.

4:30: Michelle Obama delivers remarks at a Democratic National Committee event in Pittsburgh.

6:00: Michelle Obama delivers remarks at a Democratic National Committee event in Pittsburgh.

7:45: VP Joe Biden attends a campaign event in D.C.

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Cagle

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NYT: A year ago, few people outside the world of state legislatures had heard of the American Legislative Exchange Council, a four-decade-old organization run by right-wing activists and financed by business leaders. The group writes prototypes of state laws to promote corporate and conservative interests and spreads them from one state capital to another.

The council, known as ALEC, has since become better known, with news organizations alerting the public to the damage it has caused: voter ID laws that marginalize minorities and the elderly, antiunion bills that hurt the middle class and the dismantling of protective environmental regulations.

Now it’s clear that ALEC, along with the National Rifle Association, also played a big role in the passage of the “Stand Your Ground” self-defense laws around the country…..

That was apparently the last straw for several prominent corporations that had been financial supporters of ALEC. In recent weeks, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Intuit, Mars, Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have stopped supporting the group, responding to pressure from activists and consumers who have formed a grass-roots counterweight to corporate treasuries. That pressure is likely to continue as long as state lawmakers are more responsive to the needs of big donors than the public interest.

More here

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President Barack Obama and President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia participate in a presentation of land titles to the Afro-Colombian community at the Plaza de San Pedro in Cartagena, Colombia, April 15, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Charles Pierce: ….. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the Republican party, root and branch, from its deepest grass roots to its highest levels, has become completely demented. This does not mean that it is incapable of winning elections; on the contrary, the 2010 midterms, as well as the statewide elections around the country, ushered in a class of politicians so thoroughly dedicated to turning nonsense into public policy that future historians are going to marvel at our ability to survive what we wrought upon ourselves.

It is now impossible to become an elected Republican politician in this country if, for example, you believe in the overwhelming scientific consensus that exists behind the concept of anthropogenic global warming. Just recently, birth control, an issue most people thought pretty well had been settled in the 1960s, became yet another litmus test for Republican candidates, as did the Keystone XL pipeline, to which every Republican presidential candidate pledged unyielding fealty despite the fact that several prairie Republicans and an army of conservative farmers and ranchers are scared to death of the thing…..

More here

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Cagle

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Morning everyone (again) 😉

evening all

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Steve Benen: The general trend on initial unemployment claims over the last few months has been largely encouraging, and today’s report offers additional good news.

In fact, the new figures are the best since April 2008, and even exceeded positive expectations:

The number of Americans who filed requests for jobless benefits fell by 6,000 last week to 357,000, the U.S. Labor Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had projected claims would total 360,000, seasonally adjusted, in the week ended March 31. Claims from two weeks ago were revised up to 363,000 from 359,000. The average of new-benefit applications over the past four weeks, meanwhile, dropped by 4,250 to 361,750.

More here

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More here

Ugh:

President Obama signs the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act as Small Business leaders and members of Congress, including Eric Cantor, look on

President Barack Obama greets participants In the Roosevelt Room of the White House prior to signing the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, April 5 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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Washington Post: New numbers from a USA Today/Gallup poll of 12 swing states suggests that Mitt Romney is quickly losing support among independent voters – a voting bloc considered the crown jewel of the 2012 election.

Romney’s number in Gallup polling has dropped 10 points among independents since last fall, while President Obama’s number is up by nearly that same amount during the same time frame.

Romney’s struggles among independents are due almost entirely to the fact that independent women, who were voting for him over Obama by 5 points last fall, now favor the Democratic incumbent by a 51 percent-to-37 percent margin.

More here

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McClatchy

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ThinkProgress: PepsiCo, the world’s second largest beverage company, has ended its partnership with ALEC, the controversial right-wing group that lobbies for voter suppression efforts. Pepsi’s move, which actually came in January but was first reported this morning by NPR, may also have had a role in compelling Coca-Cola to drop its support for ALEC.

Yesterday, progressive advocacy group Color of Change announced a boycott effort targeting several other corporations that are still members of the group, which for years has partnered with elected officials at a state level to draft and pass controversial, far-right legislation. Just a few hours later, Coke announced that they too are severing ties with the ALEC.

More here

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The Week

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Actress Julianne Moore, who was just in town for the D.C. premiere of “Game Change,” will be back on Monday for an event at the White House.

Moore, who played Sarah Palin in the controversial HBO flick, will read to children at the annual Easter Egg Roll, the White House announced on Twitter. Actor Forest Whitaker, Disney star Bella Thorne and Robin Roberts of “Good Morning America” will also take part in the reading.

A bunch of celebrity chefs will also be on hand, including Andrew Zimmern, Richard Blais, Marcus Samuelsson, Carla Hall and Bryan Voltaggio. Other notables you might see wandering around the South Lawn: Andy Roddick, Michelle Kwan and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

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Ed Kilgore: You never know how these things are going to turn out, but I get the feeling that RNC Chairman Reince Priebus’ comparison of Democratic claims of a GOP “war on women” to a hypothetical “war on caterpillars” could be an iconic moment in the 2012 election cycle. No, it won’t necessarily change any votes right away, but it is likely to become a convenient symbol of the cavalier attitude the GOP has towards “women’s issues.”

More here

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Cagle

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I’m waaaaaaay behind with all this news today, apologies!

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In case you missed Hachikō’s update, she will be staying tonight with one of the great people here who offered to help. I’m sure when she gets a chance she’ll update us on her situation, the main thing, for now, is that she is safe.

snl, gop – jeez, it’s hard to tell the difference

smart alec

….with Alec Baldwin at the White House Correspondents Dinner, May 2010