House GOP Passes Repeal Of CLASS Insurance Act
Facebook Files
For $5 Billion IPO
Indiana Becomes 23rd 'Right-To-Work' State
TPM Editors’ Blog Opinions, Context & Ideas from TPM Editors
Scramble
Unions scramble as Arizona Republicans move to rush through tough anti-Labor bills.
Enter The Twilight Zone
Benjy Sarlin reports from a gathering of young Las Vegas Republicans... who aren't into Ron Paul.
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CLASS Dismissed
The House GOP tries to take Ted Kennedy's CLASS Act off of life support.
Battle Royale
What's really behind the Komen Foundation cutting off funding to Planned Parenthood?
Poor Showing, Mitt
Take a wild guess as to what was the dominant cable news theme of the day.
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Hanging On The Telephone
Mean Girls, GOP-style.
Just Sit There And Look Pretty
Conservatives do a giant collective facepalm over Romney's "very poor" gaffe.
'Struggling' No More
When we last heard from freshman Rep. Sean Duffy (R) he was 'struggling' on his $174,000 congressional salary. But things are apparently looking up. And now he's introduced his own bill which includes a congressional pay freeze.
Finding the Real Killers Penis Hackers
As his career swirled the bowl, former Rep. Anthony Weiner's (D-NY) campaign paid $13,290 to a private investigator to investigate who had hacked his website and put penis pics on it.
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The Truth Can Finally Be Told
Did Romney's dog Seamus seek asylum in Canada after the crate on the roof incident?
Taking a Toll?
Obama moves into a big lead in Ohio in new poll.
Crooner
Michele Obama: Barack "Sings To Me All the Time." Watch.
Newt Over the Landmines
As I mentioned last night, Newt's big task right now is to hold on until March, when the mix of states in play become considerably more favorable to him. But the next big obstacle in his path is Nevada, where he'll have to fight like crazy to avoid coming in third behind Ron Paul.
Everybody Hates Them
Citizens United lawyer: I hate SuperPacs too.
Obama Rising
The President's approval numbers continue to slowly trend up. Now even Rasmussen has him in positive territory. The President's current TPM Poll Average is 46.3% approve, 49% disapprove. Chart after the jump ...
Read More →Those Offshore Accounts
The Romney campaign is still dodging questions about those offshore accounts.
Apathymentum?
Looks like GOP voter turnout actually fell compared to 2008's primary.
Meanwhile, that old firebrand Alan Grayson says the whole affair has done "lasting damage" to the party.
Can Newt Hold On?
So can Newt hold on? Not to win the nomination. That boat has sailed and is pretty much over the horizon. But can he hold on through February and still command enough media attention to credibly remain in the race?
Read More →They Put The Rich In Gingrich
Two daughters and a son-in-law of Sheldon Adelson's wife ponied up $1 million in 2011 for Newt Gingrich's super PAC, about half of its total funding, new FEC filings show. That was before Sheldon himself got in on the act this month.
Sullen Newt
According to Team Romney, Mitt received no call tonight from Newt congratulating him on the win.
Why Did Komen Cut Planned Parenthood Funding?
Who is responsible for the Komen Foundation’s controversial decision to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood?
Poll: Obama Taking Control In Key Swing State
The road to the White House still runs through Ohio. And the Obama campaign will like the latest poll numbers there.
Most Recent Latest news stories from TPM reporters
Unions Scramble As Arizona GOP Moves Quickly On Labor Bills
Union members were searching for a way out of the wilderness on Wednesday in Arizona as the Republican-controlled Senate moved ahead quickly on several bills that could devastate organized labor in the state. The measures caught many union leaders by surprise, being introduced on Monday night and passed in committee less than 48 hours later. At issue is a sweeping series of restrictions that would, among other things, ban unions that represent workers in state, county or city governments from engaging...Mitt Romney Receives A Much-Needed Friendly Welcome In Nevada
LAS VEGAS, NV -- Mitt Romney received a warm welcome in Nevada on Wednesday, firing up a rally at the warehouse of the Brady Linen company. The frontrunner was in need of a friendly face -- or thousand -- after a rough day in which he was pilloried from the left and right alike for saying that he was "not concerned about the very poor" because they have a government safety net. As he often does in his speeches, Romney played up his personal empathy with the average American family's economic...Young, Republican (And Not Into Ron Paul) In Las Vegas
Young Republican voters aren't hard to find on college campuses: just look for the "Ron Paul Revolution" stickers. But for the few college Republicans who aren't on board with the libertarian idol, it can be a frustrating experience. About a dozen such GOPers from the UNLV College Republicans gathered at a Vegas bar on Tuesday to watch the primary results trickle in from Florida. The group is a refuge for mainstream Republicans, who say they're an outgunned minority at a school whose right wing is...Long-Term Care On Life Support As House GOP Passes Repeal Of CLASS Act
"Where is your heart?" cried Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ). "Have you no heart?" Despite the congressman's plaintive objections during Wednesday's House debate, his Republican colleagues passed a bill 267-159 to repeal the ill-fated CLASS Act. The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports program, championed by the late Ted Kennedy, aimed to provide a long-term care insurance program. Wednesday's party-line vote deepens a partisan stalemate over how to fill that major hole in the U.S. health care...What's Really Behind Komen's Cuts To Planned Parenthood?
Who is responsible for the Susan G. Komen Foundation's controversial decision to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood? When the Komen Foundation made the announcement Tuesday it pointed to Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL). Stearns, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, launched an investigation last year into Planned Parenthood's finances, after House Republicans voted to defund the organization that provides a wide range of womens health...Romney Knows A Thing Or Two About Not Making Happy Loser Calls
The intensely personal and negative Florida primary took a step towards high school pettiness Tuesday night when it was discovered that Newt Gingrich did not call to congratulate Mitt Romney on his huge win. When Romney was asked about the situation Wednesday morning, he shrugged it off -- but also used the slight as an opportunity to take one last shot at the former House Speaker he so shellacked among Florida Republican voters. "I guess Speaker Gingrich doesn't have our phone number," Romney told...Conservatives Do Massive Facepalm Over Romney's 'Very Poor' Gaffe
Once again, Mitt Romney is on the defensive over his wealth on Wednesday after telling a CNN reporter that "I'm not concerned about the very poor, we have a safety net there." And once again, pundits on the right are smacking their foreheads in amazement the usually controlled candidate can't stop handing Democrats' more "rich guy" gaffes. "Facepalm," Michelle Malkin wrote of the incident, which she said "could easily have been a Saturday Night Live parody" Over at the National Review, Jonah Goldberg...Day In 100 Seconds: Romney's 'Very Poor' Day
Today was supposed to be the day Gov. Mitt Romney basked in the glow of his double digit win in the Florida Primary. Unfortunately, Romney's penchant for telling everyone exactly how he feels about the poor got in the way. Liberals and conservatives alike were astounded by a comment as tone-deaf as 'I'm not concerned about the very poor', but as Romney would say, 'thats just beanbags'. Er, politics.Lawmakers Want FTC To Look Closer At Facial Recognition Tech
It's not just Google's new privacy policy that has members of the U.S. House of Representatives on edge: Facial recognition technology -- such as that used by Facebook to provide photo-tagging suggestions -- is coming under increased scrutiny in Washington. Lawmakers said as much in a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Tuesday afternoon, calling upon the agency to "look further" into the technology. "Currently, there are a number of companies that have implemented both facial recognition...'Taco Mayor' On New Appointee: 'Is He Not Dark Enough For You?'
The mayor who responded to a federal investigation into his town's alleged abuse of Latino residents by saying he might eat tacos for dinner is back for seconds. After a reporter with the New Haven Register observed during a long interview with East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. that the sole minority member of an eight-member committee seeking to improve the police department was Puerto Rican (while most members of the town's growing Latino community are Ecuadorian), Maturo asked why anyone would have...'Struggling' Sean Duffy Now Advocating Congressional Pay Freeze
Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) has come a long way since a town hall meeting last year where he said he was "struggling" to get by on his $174,000 congressional salary. In fact, Duffy is doing so well that he introduced a bill last week to extend a current pay freeze for federal employees -- and freeze salaries for members of Congress. The military is not included in the pay freeze. "At a time when the American taxpayer isn't getting a pay increase, it doesn't make sense for them to pay for a pay increase for...Brown-Warren Ceasefire Already Breaking Down
Remember that pledge made by Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren, to limit outside groups' involvement in the race? It is now facing the first significant test by other groups -- who are going around the deal's blind spots. As the Boston Globe reported on Tuesday, an anti-Brown group called RethinkBrown has rolled out on its web site a new section critical of Brown's votes on key issues, and calling him a serial fence-sitter and flip-flopper who waits to see which way an...Did Health Care Reform Hurt The Private Insurance Part Of Medicare? Apparently Not
The Obama administration announced Wednesday that the Medicare Advantage program, which allows seniors to receive health coverage through a private insurer, is enjoying lower costs and more customers as a result of the health care reform law. Medicare Advantage enrollment has risen 10 percent over the last year while average premiums have fallen by 7 percent, said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. She also pointed out that similar improvements were seen the previous year. The...Wis Dems Announce Candidates In The Other Recalls
Wisconsin Democrats on Tuesday rolled out their line-up for another front in the massive wave of state recalls: Three candidates for the state Senate. In fact, control of the chamber will be up for grabs in recalls for the second time, once state election officials finish the ongoing process of reviewing and certifying the signatures. Last month, Democrats turned in over a million signatures to trigger a recall against Republican Gov. Scott Walker -- nearly twice the 540,208, or 25 percent of the total...D'oh! Romney Says 'I'm Not Concerned About The Very Poor'
Mitt Romney, fresh off an energizing Florida victory, fell into old habits Wednesday by handing his opponents yet another quote for the "aloof rich guy" oppo file. "I'm not concerned about the very poor, we have a safety net there," Romney said on CNN. "If it needs repair, I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich, they're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90, 95 percent of Americans who, right now, are struggling, and I'll continue to take that message across ...Long Gone From Congress, 'Tickler' Eric Massa Still Pays Wife With Campaign Cash
Eric Massa may be long gone from the US House, but that hasn't stopped the confessed congressional tickler from using leftover campaign cash to pay his wife a nice monthly salary. The former New York congressman resigned two years ago amid a bizarre scandal in which he admitted to tickling and roughhousing with male staffers while insisting it wasn't sexual. But as the NY Observer noted on Wednesday, Massa has continued to pay his wife Beverly a regular salary from his old campaign account. Federal...Report: Weiner Paid Private Investigators To Look Into Twitter Crotch Shot 'Hack'
A $13,290 payment to a private investigation firm for "legal services" appears on the Federal Election Commission report filed by former Rep. Anthony Weiner's campaign, a payment sources tell the New York Daily News was for an investigation into who "hacked" Weiner's Twitter account to post a photo of his underwear-clad lower torso. Weiner, of course, later admitted that the photo (and others that emerged) were sent by him, forcing his resignation in June after records of his other online communications...File-Sharing Website The Pirate Bay Brushes Off Guilty Verdict
Four backers of the eponymous file-sharing website The Pirate Bay were denied an appeal to the Swedish Supreme Court on Wednesday, which upheld a 2010 appeals court guilty verdict of abetting copyright infringement. "The Supreme Court has today decided to reject the request from two of the plaintiffs to seek a preliminary ruling from the European Court of Justice and will not hear an appeal in the so-called Pirate Bay case," the Swedish Supreme Court said in a statement, AFP reported, "The appeals. ...Ohio Poll: Obama Ahead As Romney Stumbles
A new poll from Public Policy Polling (D) shows that while former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is sewing up the Republican nomination, the process is dragging him down in key swing states -- PPP numbers from Ohio show that a 56 percent majority of general election voters now view Romney unfavorably, which leads to a seven point deficit in a matchup with President Obama. Obama leads Romney 49 - 42 in the new Ohio poll, a state where the political ground has shifted greatly over the last few months...Citizens United Lawyer: I Hate Super PACs Too
The Republican lawyer on the case that arguably helped pave the way for the creation of so-called "super PACs" told TPM this week that he hopes politicians will realize that the contribution limits on their campaigns are putting them at a huge disadvantage, and will pass legislation dashing such restrictions. An odd position for a key player in the opening of the anonymous-campaign-cash floodgates to have? James Bopp Jr. says no. "I'm very hopeful and actually expect that incumbent politicians are...Editor & Publisher
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