Morning Read

FROM THE BLOGS:

The GOP's lose-lose proposition on race
The Washington Free Beacon's Sonny Bunch thinks that Republicans will always be criticized for making concerted efforts to reach out to ethnic minorities.

Remembering Iraq's liberation without revisionism
Commentary's Michael Rubin argues that a few of the Iraq War's critics are finding fault with its positive aspects.

Americans for Tax Reform call chained CPI a middle-class tax increase
Fire Dog Lake's Jon Walker writes that some Republican opposition to chained-CPI could help protect Social Security.

The president's morning after
The American Prospect's Jaclyn Friedman discusses President Obama's predicament in deciding whether or not to abide by a court ruling that says emergency contraception must be made available over the counter and without age restrictions.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

McConnell campaign says FBI has 'good leads' in bugging probe
The Senate Majority Leader's campaign office is continuing its investigation into how recordings regarding Ashley Judd were leaked from his office, The Hill's Alexandra Jaffe reports.

Man angry about regulations threatens to bomb White House
Pennsylvania native Krzystzof Wasik was arrested after telling a White House guard he had a bomb in his truck, The Hill's Julian Hattem reports.

MORNING READ:

Dear Senators: Stop listening to the NRA
Alec Macgillis at The New Republic says senators are getting cowed by a relatively small but influential lobbying group instead of listening to their constituents.

Obama making a stand for guns while McConnell hides behind filibuster

Crooks and Liars blogger Karoli says Obama is acting nobly on guns while Republicans are coming off as obstructionists.

Does the GOP have the votes to filibuster Reid’s gun-control bill?
Hot Air blogger AllahPundit explains why it might not be in the GOP's best interest - or even possible - to filibuster gun control legislation.

Administration's focus on cyber security and patents is backwards
Neil Stevens of Red State says that the Obama administration's America Invents Act is just a way to take money from programs that work to fund the president's "socialist" pet projects.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Obama calling senators to talk guns vote
The Hill's Amie Parnes reports on Obama's attempts to reach out to the Upper Chamber about gun legislation.

Ayotte: ‘I don’t support a filibuster’ for gun-control legislation
The Hill's Jonathan Easley reports on Sen. Kelly Ayotte's (R-N.H.) opposition to the planned gun-control legislation filibuster.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Minority view: Why is black unemployment so high?
Human Events' Walter Williams seeks out the reasons behind the unemployment gap between races.

How America got past the anti-gay politics of the 90s
Garance Franke-Ruta of The Atlantic discusses how citizens can come to terms with politicians who have "evolved" on their view of gay marriage over the past 20 years.

Taxing quotations
Thomas Purcell of Right Wing News ruminates on the meaning behind famous tax quotes on the IRS' website.

Why women's rights are moving backwards as gay rights advance
AMERICAblog's John Aravosis analyzes the successes and failures of the women's rights movement and the same-sex rights movement.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Newtown relatives to join Obama lobbying on gun control measures
The Hill's Amie Parnes reports that relatives of some of the slain children will travel to D.C. with the president as the White House looks to launch a week of gun-control talks and actions.

Obama running short of time to burnish legacy in second term
The next few weeks are crucial to the president's long term agenda on issues like immigration and gun control, The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Oklahoma lawmaker only worried about potential before birth
Kaili Joy Gray from Wonkette takes a satirical approach to Oklahoma state Rep. Mike Reynolds' belief that every fetus has unfathomable potential... until that fetus is born, at which point "their potential to society is irrelevant." 

New York Times piece mistakes projected cost of dementia
Dean Baker of Beat the Press describes how The New York Times' recent piece on dementia is an example of how "the Washington elite" continually "highlight and exaggerate costs associated with an aging population."

Obama Administration deviates from North Korean playbook
Hot Air's Allahpundit debates the best way for the United States to respond to North Korea's most recent threats. 

The view from the border: The Gang of 8 offer a failed plan
RedState blogger Repair_Man_Jack says that when it comes to immigration reform, the Gang of 8 needs guidance from "the people who actually enforce the border."

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Inhofe: Prepare pre-emptive strike 'right now' on North Korea
The Hill's Justin Sink reports on Sen. James Inhofe's (R-Okla.) immense distrust of the "deranged" Kim Jong Un.

Obama 'optimistic' on immigration reform; gun control 'tougher'
The Hill's Amie Parnes reports on a speech Obama gave to donors in Atherton, Calif., in which he expressed his optimism in passing immigration reform and his concerns on gun control.

FROM THE BLOGS:



The language at the center of the center of the immigration debate
Josh Vorhees of Slate looks at the decision by the Associated Press to drop the phrase "illegal immigrant" from its stylebook.

Congress can still mess up immigration reform
The Editors at Bloomberg outline the obstacles still facing immigration reform.

Why spend billions of dollars to map the human brain?
Dana Smith of The Atlantic saysPresident Obama has started an international brain mapping race.




Rubio's immigration cowardice
The Daily Beast's Michael Tomasky suggests that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is keeping his options open when it comes to immigration reform to ensure his own presidential success

Attorney to Hannity: 'You've created a monster' with Ben Carson
Heather from Crooks and Liars commends talk show host and civil rights attorney Leo Terrell for calling out Hannity on his support for Ben Carson

Cruelest month - for taxpayers
RightWingNews blogger Debra Saunders says that "every day is April Fool's Day" during National Financial Capability Month

Limbaugh: Gay NFL players will distract from game
Rush Limbaugh says gay members of the NFL will cause a media frenzy that will take away from the real point of football

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Ben Carson blasts 'vicious,' white liberal critics as ‘the most racist out there’
The Hill's Jonathan Easley reports on Carson's response to those who criticized him for his controversial same-sex marriage remarks

UN approval of arms trade treaty sets up Obama, Senate showdown
The Hill's Julian Pecquet reports on the arms trade treaty that President Obama is expected to sign within the next few months

FROM THE BLOGS:

Yvonne Brill and the beef-stroganoff illusion
The New Yorker's Amy Davidson gives her take on the controversial New York Times obituary of the renowned rocket scientist.

Why Democrats don't want Hillary for 2016
David Frum writes on CNN that the former secretary of State carries political and financial baggage.

GOP still demanding full repeal of ObamaCare 
FireDogLake's Jon Walker writes about the continued effort by republicans to overturn the Affordable Care Act.

Should taxpayers pay for 'gender reassignment' surgery?
The Blaze's Meredith Jessup discusses HHS's change of heart after its potential decision to use taxpayer dollars to pay for sex exchange procedures went viral.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

White House to furlough 480 staffers 
The Hill's Amie Parnes reports on the decision to make staffers at the Office of Management and Budget take unpaid days off in light of the sequester.

Dem Sen. Bob Casey supports gay marriage, urges repeal of DOMA
The Hill's Justin Sink reports on the latest Democratic senator to have evolved on the issue of gay marriage.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Barack Obama’s great deception on ObamaCare premiums
Conservative Hideout's blogger Don says that Obama's promises on healthcare were nothing more than a "best guess."

Reason’s rebuttal to Jim Carrey: It takes a talking ass
Hot Air's Ed Morrissey is annoyed with Jim Carrey's comments on gun owners, and with opinionated celebrities in general.

Tracking Pope Francis
BagNews' Michael Shaw wonders why the candid photo of Pope Francis on the subway hasn't been circulated yet.

Report: Right-wing extremists ‘highly engaged’ with GOP on Twitter
Little Green Footballs' Charlie Johnson discusses a recent report finding similarities between the content of tweets by white nationalists and tweets by the conservative movement and Republican Party.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Pentagon cuts back furlough days for civilian workforce
The Hill's Jeremy Herb reports on the Pentagon's reduction of furlough days from 22 days down to 14 days for civilian employees.  

Obama’s gay marriage legacy
The Hill's Amie Parnes reports that despite Obama's light handed approach to gay marriage, he is still considered a trendsetter on the issue by gay rights groups.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Seven Scalia arguments about gays
Mother Jones’s Adam Serwer shares his 7 picks of what Justice Scalia has said about homosexuality in the past.

The definition of marriage
The American Conservative’s Daniel McCarthy examines marital etymology.

Gay marriage re-calculated
The New Republic’s Nate Cohn weighs in on Nate Silver’s latest model on regional attitudes towards gay marriage.

Is this the death of the anti-gay marriage movement?
Slate’s David Weigel thinks public opposition to gay marriage is on its last legs.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Sebelius says healthcare premiums could rise
The Hill’s Elise Viebeck on why Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius thinks the price of some insurance premiums could go up under the new law.

Military tuition restored
The Hill’s Jeremy Herb on the Pentagon’s reinstatement of tuition assistance for the military.

FROM THE BLOGS:



Across-the-board GOP victory in 2016?
Matt K. Lewis of The Daily Caller Says that Republicans could win the White House, Senate and hold the House in 2016.



Senators shift to gay-marriage support before court case
Nick Taborek and Danielle Ivory of Bloomberg discuss the growing support for marriage equality in the Senate.



The argument for 'marriage equality' is not a conservative one


RedState's Dana Loesch argues that gay marriage should never be championed by the right because the government should have no role in defining marriage.



What Rand Paul will likely filibuster next
Abby Ohlheiser of Slate says Sen. Paul's next target is gun-control legislation.



OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Supreme Court justices signal dodge on gay marriage ruling
The Hill's Sam Baker reports that the justices seemed hesitant to order a wide-sweeping ruling either for or against Proposition 8.


Poll: Colbert's sister leads Mark Sanford in likely House matchup
The comedian's sisters holds a slight advantage over the former disgraced governor, The Hill's Cameron Joseph reports.