memeorandum: Chaos at the Wisconsin Capitol tonight. (Ann Althouse/Althouse)

1:20 AM ET, March 10, 2011

Top Items:

Senate advances collective bargaining changes; Democrats to return after Assembly vote — By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel — Madison — The Senate - without Democrats present - abruptly voted Wednesday to eliminate almost all collective bargaining for most public workers.

Discussion: Power Line, New York Magazine, The Hill, The Plum Line, Michelle Malkin, Examiner, Taylor Marsh, Tennessee Guerilla Women and Sister Toldjah

Ezra Klein:

What happened in Wisconsin tonight — Here's what just happened in Wisconsin: The rules of the state's Senate require a quorum for any measures that spend money. That's how the absence of the Senate's Democrats could stymie Gov. Scott Walker's proposed budget law — it spent money, and thus it needed a quorum.

Discussion: The Plum Line, New Deal 2.0, Taegan Goddard's … and Booman Tribune

David Dayen / Firedoglake:

Anti-Public Employee Bill Passes Senate in Wisconsin; Only the Beginning of the Fight — Wisconsin's Capitol dome in Madison (photo: WxMom) — If you've been following along in my last post, you know the news: the Wisconsin State Senate rushed through and passed a bill …

Discussion: naked capitalism, AlterNet, National Review, Angry Bear, The Moderate Voice and Bloomberg

John McCormack / Weekly Standard:

Breaking: Without Democrats Present, Wisconsin Senate Voting on Largely-Intact Budget Repair Bill — Update 7:33 p.m.: As I was writing this up, the state senate voted 18-1 to pass the bill described below. — Update 7:38 p.m.: Wisconsin senate majority leader Scott Fitzgerald confirms …

Discussion: National Review and Pajamas Media

Lee Fang / ThinkProgress:

WI Senate GOP Leader Admits On-Air That His Goal Is To Defund Labor Unions, Hurt Obama's Reelection Chances — A prank call from a man purporting to be petrochemical billionaire David Koch to Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) a few weeks ago revealed that Walker had crafted his “budget repair” bill in a bid to crush the labor unions.

Discussion: Daily Kos, The New Republic, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, TPMDC and Hullabaloo

Ann Althouse / Althouse:

Protesters are locking the Capitol doors shut from the inside using metal handcuffs, Meade reports from the scene. — He told me that just now, by phone. He got out, and is warning others not to go in. Obviously, it's a terrible fire hazard to make it so people cannot get out of the building easily.

Discussion: Pajamas Media, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers and Instapundit

msnbc.com:

GOP rams anti-union bill through Wis. Senate — End run around Democratic senators who left state to prevent passage — Below: — NBC News and msnbc.com — MADISON, Wis. — Republicans pushed a provision stripping public employees of their collective bargaining rights through …

Discussion: Examiner, Associated Press, The Mahablog and Truthdig

Scott Walker / Wall Street Journal:

Why I'm Fighting in Wisconsin — We can avoid mass teacher layoffs and reward our best performers. But we have to act now. — In 2010, Megan Sampson was named an Outstanding First Year Teacher in Wisconsin. A week later, she got a layoff notice from the Milwaukee Public Schools.

Associated Press:
Wisconsin Senate Advances Bill Opposed by Unions

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Cubachi

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
Just Like That — In a brief meeting that lasted barely five minutes …

Discussion: TPMDC and First Draft

Michael A. Fletcher / Washington Post:
Republican Wisconsin senators bypass Democrats in vote on collective bargaining

Discussion: The Fix

Monica Davey / New York Times: Wisconsin Senate Limits Bargaining by Public Workers

Eric Kleefeld / TPMDC:
Wis. State Senate Passes Anti-Union Bill, In End-Run Around Dem Boycott

Discussion: Daily Kos

Ann Althouse / Althouse: Chaos at the Wisconsin Capitol tonight.

Fox News:
Wisconsin Senate GOP Votes to Strip State Workers of Collective Bargaining Rights

Discussion: UrbanGrounds

WISC-TV:
Source: Republican Senators Attempting To Pass Parts Of Budget Repair Bill

Discussion: Fox Nation, Wisconsin Radio Network and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Ed Lavandera / CNN:
Wisconsin Senate passes union limits despite Democratic walkout

Discussion: Pharyngula

Eric Kleefeld / TPMDC:
Wisconsin Conference Committee Passes New, Stripped-Down Anti-Union Bill

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Americans' Message to States: Cut, Don't Tax and Borrow

Discussion: Bloomberg, Boehner and UrbanGrounds

Mark Memmott / NPR:

NPR CEO Vivian Schiller Resigns — This follows yesterday's news that then-NPR fundraiser Ron Schiller (no relation) was videotapped slamming conservatives and questioning whether NPR needs federal funding during a lunch with men posing as members of a Muslim organization …

Simon Maloy / Media Matters for America:

Look At NPR's Coverage; Don't Privilege The Serial Liar — It seems that James O'Keefe won't be ignored. — The many-times discredited activist is back with yet another “sting” video, this one of NPR executive Ron Schiller speaking with what he believes to be perspective donors …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Riehl World View, Big Government, Pajamas Media and Guardian, more at Mediagazer »

Caroline May / The Daily Caller:
ADL calls for an apology from NPR executive

Discussion: PostPartisan, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Other McCain, NewsReal Blog and The Politico

Jim Romenesko / Poynter:
Ron Schiller decides not to join the Aspen Institute

Discussion: Washington Post, PostPartisan, AOL News, Hot Air, Mediaite and National Review

Adam Bernstein / Washington Post:

David Broder dies; Pulitzer-winning Washington Post political columnist — David S. Broder, 81, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Washington Post and one of the most respected writers on national politics for four decades, died Wednesday at Capital Hospice in Arlington of complications from diabetes.

Dan Balz / Washington Post:
David Broder's remarkable life and career

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, DownWithTyranny!, The Moderate Voice, Ben Smith's Blog, PostPartisan and The New Republic

James Hohmann / The Politico:
David S. Broder, dean of political writers, dies at 81

Discussion: CNN and Eduwonk

James C. McKinley Jr / New York Times:

Vicious Assault Shakes Texas Town — CLEVELAND, Tex. — The police investigation began shortly after Thanksgiving, when an elementary school student alerted a teacher to a lurid cellphone video that included one of her classmates. — The video led the police to an abandoned trailer …

Discussion: DISSENTING JUSTICE, New York Magazine, Shakesville, Feministing, ECHIDNE of the snakes, Hair Balls, Feministe and AOL News

Mac McClelland / Mother Jones:

The New York Times' Rape-Friendly Reporting — From today's New York Times: … This story from Cleveland, Texas, is beyond horrifying. Obviously. Unfortunately, further injustices have now been heaped on the victim (and the movement to end rape culture) by the article's writer and editor.

Discussion: Shakesville

Zaid Jilani / ThinkProgress:

As King Targets Muslims, There Have Been Almost Twice As Many Plots Since 9/11 From Non-Muslim Terrorists — Tomorrow, Rep. Peter King (R-NY), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, will hold hearings singling out the Muslim American community for supposedly aiding and abetting domestic radicalization and terrorism.

Discussion: Associated Press, American Power, In the Arena, The Jawa Report and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Ruth Marcus / Washington Post:
Islamic radicalism: The questions that Rep. Peter King is right to ask

Discussion: Politics Daily, Daily Kos, AmSpecBlog, Opinion L.A., Right Turn, George's Bottom Line, American Spectator, New York Times and Betsy's Page

Jordy Yager / The Hill:
Democrats plead with Rep. King to cancel hearing on US Muslims

Discussion: The Politico, CNN, The Note and Weasel Zippers

Mike Carter / Seattle Times:

Man charged with attempted MLK Day bombing linked to neo-Nazi group — A Stevens County man charged with the attempted bombing along the route of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in Spokane has links to a neo-Nazi group, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Discussion: Firedoglake, KHQ-TV, Wall Street Journal, ABCNEWS, Outside the Beltway, No More Mister Nice Blog, Los Angeles Times, TPMMuckraker, Shakesville, Philly.com, FrumForum and Daily Kos

Spokesman.com:
Suspect in MLK bomb tied to racist movement

Discussion: Hatewatch, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Crooks and Liars, msnbc.com, TPMMuckraker, New York Magazine and Emptywheel

Kevinliptak / CNN:

Gingrich planning May presidential announcement — Washington (CNN) - In a conference call Wednesday with former staffers and supporters former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said “we are leaning toward a yes” on a presidential run, CNN has learned. — Leaning heavily.

Discussion: Mediaite, USA Today, bjkeefe, Political Insider, The Politico, msnbc.com, GOP 12, AmSpecBlog and The Note

Dan Amira / New York Magazine:
Newt Gingrich Cheated on His Wives for America

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, FrumForum, The Brody File, The Daily Dish, ECHIDNE of the snakes and The New Republic

David Brody / The Brody File:
Newt Gingrich tells The Brody File he 'felt compelled to seek God's forgiveness'

Barbara Kay / National Post:

The day Sarah Palin kneecapped feminism — The feminist revolution began as a necessary reform movement, but unfortunately evolved into a marxism-imbued, revolutionary one. Second-wave feminism's focus soon shifted from women's equal rights (which are limited to those defined by law) …

Discussion: The Other McCain

Christian Heinze / Ballot Box:
Palin vs. Christie: GOP rock-star feud

Discussion: Riehl World View, Outside the Beltway and FrumForum

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Palin would base campaign in Scottsdale — The prospect of Sarah Palin running for president is, increasingly, dismissed by a political class that sees her facing weak poll numbers — especially in key early states — and doing nothing to correct them or to buil the infrastructure for a run.

Discussion: Politics Daily, Liberal Values, Politicususa, No More Mister Nice Blog, Conservatives4Palin, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Public Policy Polling, National Review and GOP 12

Dave McKinney / Chicago Sun Times:

Gov. Pat Quinn signs bill repealing Illinois death penalty — SPRINGFIELD — Acting on perhaps the most significant issue he will ever face, Gov. Quinn Wednesday signed landmark legislation to repeal the state's “seriously broken” death penalty and then commuted the death sentences of the 15 men on Death Row.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and NPR Topics

Elizabeth Jensen / Media Decoder:

Like NPR, PBS Met With Fictional Donors — NPR was not the only media organization duped by the Republican provocateur James O'Keefe. — PBS confirmed Wednesday that like NPR, one of its executives attended a lunch with people who posed as members of the Muslim Education Action Center Trust, a fictional group.

Discussion: Associated Press, The Wire, Mediaite, Little Green Footballs, New York Magazine and The Other McCain