Romney Camp Dings Santorum On Puerto Rico
Obama Fumbles U.S., World History In Speech
Male Ex-MN Senate Aide Alleges Discrimination
TPM Editors’ Blog Opinions, Context & Ideas from TPM Editors
Rick's Self-Inflicted Wounds
Romney jumps on another of Rick Santorum's self-inflicted wounds: No, we're not going to make Puerto Ricans stop speaking Spanish.
Syria's Year Without A Spring
Striking images of Syria on the anniversary of the beginning of the unrest.
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Minnesota Sex Farm
Here are the facts. Leader of state legislature has affair with staffer. Affair is found out. Staffer is canned. Now staffer is suing.
Add two more facts. Staffer is threatening to reveal identities of all other legislators and staffers who are having affairs and haven't been fired. And the staffer's a man and the leader is a woman.
Here's the story.
Picture of the Day
Deadly Headline
Sen. Richard Lugar ruled ineligible to vote for his own reelection.
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Just Close Your Eyes
For women who don't want to get that mandatory ultrasound? Just don't watch, says Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett.
Whoa
In a major legal/political development, the state of Texas is taking the position that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional. Rick Hasen explains the significance.
Just Terrible
An exhaustive investigation of the botched prosecution of the late Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) finds egregious prosecutorial misconduct and mismanagement -- but concludes that the conduct of Justice Department prosecutors' falls short of criminal contempt. We've got the full report here.
BFFAA
Why Newt Gingrich is Mitt Romney's new best friend.
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What Say Ye, Howard Dean?
Former Gov. Howard Dean (D-VT) declined to comment on the subpoena of fellow MEK booster Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA) but did tell TPM's Ryan Reilly: "It's unfortunate because there's been a lot of misinformation in the mainstream media out there. When the blogs start repeating Iranian propaganda, we've got a problem."
There's Gold In Them Hills
Ron Paul. Still here.
Third Time's the Charm?
A new University of Maryland poll shows most Americans prefer diplomacy to a military strike in the escalating stand-off over Iran's nuclear program.
Aren't We Friends?
I bet Mitt didn't expect this when he sat down for an interview with Fox News.
What Could Go Wrong?
Bad boys, bad boys, watcha gonna do ...
One one-of-a-kind congressman defends his 'Cops' style ride-along/raid and videotape with US Marshals that sparked a DOJ investigation and hilarity all around.
Big Bet on Solar
National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) makes a big bet on solar.
Hooping It Up
It seemed kind of lame at first for President Obama to bring Prime Minister David Cameron to a NCAA tourney play-in game. For his first-ever basketball game, Cameron deserved better. But as it turned out last night in Dayton featured two record-setting comebacks, so Cameron got a good taste of March Madness. Photos of Barack and David.
Scattershot
The presidential polls are still really wild at the moment. We had the CBS/NYT and ABC/WaPo polls which showed sharp drops for President Obama. Since then we've had Ipsos and Bloomberg polls which have showed a very different picture. And today we have a Pew poll which shows President Obama with an eye-popping 12 point margin over Mitt Romney. Trend chart after the jump ...
Read More →He's Had Enough
Jon Stewart tells Fox News to "shut the f**k up."
She's No Fluke!
Our guide to the right's conspiracy theories on how Sandra Fluke became such a huge issue.
Venus Rising
Just when it seemed Mitt Romney had safely avoided making contraception an "issue" like some of his fellow Republicans, his comment yesterday that "we're going to get rid of" Planned Parenthood has once again placed women's health at the center of the presidential campaign debate.
Day In 100 Seconds: Bye Bye, Blago
Embattled former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich had one last change to blanket the airwaves before heading to prison.
NASA Releases Amazing Infrared Map Of The Sky
NASA on Wednesday released an amazing infrared map of the entire sky—at least as much as we can see.
Most Recent Latest news stories from TPM reporters
Romney Campaign Dings Santorum: No, Puerto Ricans Don't Have To Stop Speaking Spanish
The Romney campaign says Rick Santorum was wrong to demand Puerto Rico make its official language English if they wish to become a U.S. state. "Puerto Rico currently recognizes both English and Spanish as the official languages of the commonwealth," said Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul, CNN reports. "Governor Romney believes that English is the language of opportunity and supports efforts to expand English proficiency in Puerto Rico and across America. However, he would not, as a prerequisite forEl that ...Details Of Witness Relationship With Underage Girl Hidden, Report Into Stevens Prosecution Says
Federal prosecutors handling the investigation of the late Sen. Ted Stevens knew one of their key witnesses had been accused of having sex an underage girl. They knew that the girl had signed a false affidavit stating she did not have sex with that witness, Alaska oil businessman Bill Allen, after the girl's roommate -- a prostitute who had introduced Allen to the then-15-year-old girl -- threatened to blackmail him. Information they withheld about that allegation would have raised additional doubts...Day In 100 Seconds: Blago Says Goodbye
It was a bittersweet day for anchors across the spectrum, but Fox's Shep Smith in particular, as one-man controversy machine Rod Blagojevich began his 14 year stint in a Colorado prison There was one last chance to blanket the airwaves with quotes and assertions from the man himself, as well as reminiscence of all the antics we're going to miss Watch: ...NASA Releases Amazing All-Sky Infrared Map
NASA on Wednesday released an amazing infrared map of the entire sky -- at least as much of the infrared sky as we can see using the best tool that was available for the job: NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), an unmanned satellite orbiting the Earth that was launched in 2009 and completed its surveying in February 2011. It took scientists another year and change to sort through WISE's data -- some 2.7 million images, each one snapped every 11 seconds -- and put together the incredible...Staffer Who Had Affair With MN Senate Leader: I Was Fired Because I'm Male
The saga continues over former Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch's (R) "inappropriate relationship" with a subordinate staffer. Michael Brodkorb, who served as Koch's executive assistant and communications director, claims that he was fired after the relationship was discovered because of his gender. He also says he has proof that other female staffers who had relationships with legislators were allowed to keep their jobs.An 'Obamacare' Cost Explosion? Hardly -- GOP Distorts CBO Report
Republicans and conservative media are cherry-picking a figure in a new Congressional Budget Office spending estimate (PDF) to assert that the cost of "Obamacare" has nearly doubled to $1.76 trillion. But the claim ignores the corresponding savings during the additional period of the spending projection, thus distorting the actual cost estimates of the law. "The new CBO projection estimates that the law will cost $1.76 trillion over 10 years -- well above the $940 billion Democrats originally claimed,"...Out Of Favor In Washington, Blunt-Style Bills Catch Fire In The States
Over the last few weeks, Republicans have quietly backed away from the controversial Blunt Amendment and other legislative efforts to allow employers to deny contraception coverage to women. "I think Republicans know that it hasn't served them well," Sen. Chuck Schumer told TPM at the time. Apparently, state-level Republicans didn't get the memo. Several state legislatures were inspired rather than dissuaded by the contraception debate in Washington, and are considering their own versions of the Blunt...County Elections Board Disqualifies Lugar's Residency And Voter Registration
Updated March 15, 3 p.m. ET Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN) has just been thrown a curveball in his re-election race: The Marion County (Indianapolis) Election Board has ruled in a party-line 2-1 decision that both he and his wife are no longer eligible to vote where he is currently registered. The Indianapolis Star reports that the decision, with two Democrats voting to disqualify and the Republican voting against, was in fact made at the recommendation of the board's staff attorney. The attorney's...Tremont Electric Strives To Turn Physical Activity Into Backup Batteries
NEW YORK -- Sixteen years after he first came up with the idea on a hike and numerous setbacks later, Aaron LeMieux, founder and CEO of sustainability focused startup company Tremont Electric, is finally ready to debut version 2.0 of his company's only product to date: the nPower PEG, a flashlight-shaped backup battery meant to help provide clean power to people's handheld electronics in a jam. "We're in a very transitional period," said LeMieux, an avid hiker, mechanical engineer and former startup...Obama Mangles U.S., World History In Energy Speech
President Obama got a laugh out of a Maryland audience on Thursday when he mocked the Republican Party in a speech, comparing their skepticism of alternative energy to the "Flat Earth Society" in Christopher Columbus' day and President Rutherford B. Hayes' apparent dismissal of the telephone. But while Obama thinks the GOP is in need of a science lesson, he may need to bone up on history himself. In mocking the GOP, Obama cited an anecdote about Hayes in which, upon using the telephone for the first...New GOP Medicare Privatization Plan: Obamacare For Seniors Only?
You're a Republican senator. How do you sell a plan to privatize Medicare? One way is to fashion the massive overhaul as an extension of the private system members of Congress enjoy -- the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan -- and then trumpet the merits of that system over existing Medicare. "We have to convince [seniors] this is something better," said Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), flanked by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Rand Paul (R-KY), authors of a new Medicare privatization plan, at a Capitol...Walker Raises $200K In Palm Beach, Praises Local Officials On Pension Cuts
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) paid a visit Wednesday to Palm Beach, Florida, to raise money for the recall election against him later this spring -- with some hefty-sized checks. The Palm Beach Daily News reports that Walker raised $200,000, plus more in pledges, at a luncheon organized by town council president David Rosow, attended by about ten guests with checks as high as $25,000. Also, Walker paid a visit to the town hall council chambers, congratulating them on cutting employee pensions and...Dems Hammer PA Governor Over Ultrasound Comments
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett (R) offered up some advice for women who don't want to have a mandatory ultrasound before they terminate their pregnancy: Don't look at it. Now Democrats are pouncing, holding up the line as evidence of the GOP's continuing insensitivity toward women. The quote in question came after Corbett was asked at a press conference whether "making [women] watch" an ultrasound went "too far." "I don't know how you make anybody watch," Corbett said. "You just have to close your...Texas Uses Voter ID Case To Launch Assault On Voting Rights Act
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has amended the state's lawsuit against the federal government over the rejections of their voter ID law to include a direct strike at the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act. Abbott argues in the amended complaint that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, amended by Congress in 2006, "exceeds the enumerated powers of Congress and conflicts with Article IV of the Constitution and the Tenth Amendment." "For the Department of Justice to now contend that Texas...Colbert: GOP Contest Like 2008 Without Black People Or Women
The southern Republican contests this week didn't settle the GOP nominating contest as some hoped. Which is good news for Stephen Colbert, who is putting off his inevitable love for Mitt Romney as long as possible. "Long, slow and painful, thank you, Jesus!" Colbert said Wednesday. "This is great. The Democrats had the same situation when they won last time in 2008. Now, Republicans get that Hilary vs. Obama magic, minus any women or black people. Or magic." Romney is having trouble sealing the deal...Jon Stewart Compares Fox News To A Bunch Of Crying Babies
While CNN and MSNBC were knee-deep in Republican primary coverage Tuesday night, Fox News had a bigger story to cover: President Obama's sinking poll numbers. "Fox News, the Republican party's their team," Jon Stewart said Wednesday. "I'd imagine it's difficult for them watching their own party tear itself to pieces." But they did their best, by ignoring the election for the early part of the night. The mashed-up Fox News clips might not mean much to the average Daily Show viewer. So Stewart translated ...Report Says DOJ Prosecutors Engaged In 'Systematic Concealment' In Ted Stevens Case
Updated: 10:40AM An independent report released Thursday concluded that Justice Department prosecutors engaged in "systematic concealment" of information that would have benefited the defense of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) and that they allowed false testimony to be introduced. The over 500-page report does not recommend prosecuting any of the lawyers for criminal contempt even though they failed to fulfill their constitutional duties. "It should go without saying that neither Judge Sullivan, nor any...Twin Creeks Aims To Cut Solar Panel Cost In Half
Twin Creeks, a start-up company headquartered in San Jose, CA, aims to revolutionize the solar industry by combining old Soviet technology and newfangled American innovation to enable the production of flexible, ultra-thin solar cells at half the cost of the current industry standard. Twin Creeks is doing this by selling copies of its first, and to date, only, product: Hyperion, a room-sized particle accelerator that slices off wafers of silicon, the most common ingredient in solar cells, at the...Today On The Trail: March 15, 2012
Here are ten things you need to know today. New poll shows President Obama back up: A new Fox News survey shows Obama leading both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum in head-to-head match-ups. The two Republicans have a bit of a favorability problem: Romney has a 39% approval level; for Santorum, it's 35% who approve versus 47% who disapprove. Casey looks strong in Pennsylvania: Though first-term Senator Bob Casey's approval ratings aren't great, voters pick him far above any Republican challenger in the...How Newt Gingrich Is Killing Rick Santorum
The calls for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to exit the Republican race for president got more serious on Wednesday, the day after he lost two states in the deep South to former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. When the Mississippi and Alabama primaries went to the former senator, it struck a major blow to the idea that Gingrich could continue on a "southern strategy," since he didn't take two of the most southern states after his Georgia win. The story all along has been about the battle...Editor & Publisher
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