The AP is reporting that Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) will not seek reelection this year.
Ironically, Kennedy was first elected in 1994, one of very, very few Dems first elected that year.
Late Update: Here’s his announcement video.
Today in Monterey, California, Nathan Augustine, 35, pleaded no contest to arson charges after confessing to throwing a Molotov cocktail into the Creative Visions tattoo parlor after the tattoo artists refused to give him a tattoo with a swastika and crosshairs overlaid on President Obama’s face.
Augustine was apparently also responsible for a vandalism spree in the first half of 2009 in which swastikas and the phrases “kill Obama” and “death to Obama” were painted around the city.
There was also the restaurant Augustine firebombed after they didn’t give him a job.
The ATF busted the home of Massachusetts technology consultant Gregory Girard after they were tipped to the fact that he was stockpiling guns, explosives, military camouflage clothing, knives, handcuffs, bulletproof vests and helmets, night vision goggles, medicine, and six months’ worth of food supplies. According to police, Girard feared the imminent imposition of martial law and was preparing for “Armageddon.”
We have very little information so far. But President Clinton was hospitalized at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital this afternoon. It’s not clear whether it was on an emergency basis or not. But we have unconfirmed reports that it was for a heart related procedure.
Yesterday we told you about a new poll showing a clear majority of Americans supporting allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the US military. Now we have another poll which confirms that basic fact but also shows how sensitive the question is to just how you pose the question. You get dramatically different answers depending on whether the question refers to “gay men and lesbians” or “homosexuals.”
Put Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) down as another Republican who’s decided C-SPAN coverage of health care meetings may not be such a hot idea after all.
A lot of you have written in to see if we’re okay after the manhole explosion near our office. We appreciate the concern. But, honestly, I feel embarrassed getting the questions. Because even though we’re probably only maybe a couple hundred feet from where it happened, we didn’t even notice until someone saw smoke outside the window.
But TPM Reader DR across the street had a more hair-raising experience. Read More
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), on DC during this epic winter:
A city that was designed for travel by foot and horses loses some of its charm with modern traffic congestion. A deep snowfall is the perfect antidote, as it adds beauty, muffles sounds and discourages automobiles. The broad streets and sidewalks reveal their grandeur when covered with snow instead of cars
A sign of things to come?
The latest out of the Republican gubernatorial primary in Texas was that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison wasn’t just behind Gov. Rick Perry but was in danger of being overtaken by the Tea Party entrant Debra Medina. Today on Glenn Beck’s radio show, though, she mentioned she might be a 9/11 Truther.