memeorandum: Portland residents panic as men armed with assault weapons ‘educate’ the city (David Edwards/The Raw Story)

3:15 PM ET, January 11, 2013

Top Items:

Jon Gillooly / mdjonline.com:

Gingrey speaks out on the issue of ‘legitimate rape’ and guns — SMYRNA — U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Marietta) tackled such sensitive topics as gun reform, abortion and rape during the Smyrna Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce breakfast which took place Thursday at the Smyrna Community Center.

Discussion: Politico, NationalJournal.com, The Atlantic Online, CNN, Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', The Hill, The National Memo, Washington Examiner, The Plum Line, The Maddow Blog, Outside the Beltway, NBC Politics and The Raw Story

Evan McMorris-Santoro / Talking Points Memo:

GOP Rep: Todd Akin ‘Partly Right’ On Legitimate Rape — “Legitimate rape” is back. Just a couple months after former Rep. Todd Akin's (R-MO) famous use of the phrase helped contribute to a double-digit loss in the 2012 Missouri Senate race, a Republican congressman and medical doctor …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Taegan Goddard's …, Hullabaloo and Daily Kos

Jgalloway / Political Insider:
Your daily jolt: Gingrey open to limits on mag clips, says Todd Akin was ‘partly right’

Discussion: Mediaite, Post Politics and The Hinterland Gazette

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Coins Against Crazies — So, have you heard the one about the trillion-dollar coin? It may sound like a joke. But if we aren't ready to mint that coin or take some equivalent action, the joke will be on us — and a very sick joke it will be, too. — Let's talk for a minute …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, The Moderate Voice, Business Insider, Wonkette, Applesauce, Smartypants, Patterico's Pontifications, News Desk, Corrente, JustOneMinute and NationalJournal.com

Rep. Jerrold Nadler / Economy & Budget:

The debt ceiling must go — Here is a stubbornly well-kept secret: the debt ceiling is arbitrary, doesn't affect the deficit, and serves no real function in keeping spending down. In addition, it has recently become a cudgel which extremist Republican legislators use to beat the rest of us into submitting to political blackmail.

Discussion: Washington Examiner and National Republican …

Paul Krugman:
Thinking About the Brink — The platinum coin discussion …

Discussion: Wonkblog, emptywheel, The Atlantic Online, p m carpenter's commentary and Washington Monthly

Reid J. Epstein / Politico:

White House gun plan: An end run around the NRA — President Barack Obama is trying an end run around the NRA — rallying groups as varied as churches, medical organizations, retailers and the Rotary Club to build support for new gun regulations. — It's an unusual strategy …

Discussion: CNN, Weasel Zippers, Right Wing News, The Plum Line and The Gateway Pundit

Kimberley A. Strassel / Wall Street Journal:
Strassel: The Real Gun-Control Consensus

Discussion: NRA-ILA News and American Power

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
White House may consider funding for police in schools after Newtown

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Joanne Jacobs, Hit & Run, Post Politics, The Huffington Post, National Review, Hot Air, The Fix, The Daily Caller, Right Turn, White House Dossier, The Other McCain, msnbc.com, New York Times and Washington Free Beacon

Evan McMorris-Santoro / Talking Points Memo:
Gun Control Crowd Wants To Be Called ‘Gun Safety’ Crowd

Discussion: Christian Science Monitor, The Mahablog and ABCNEWS

Los Angeles Times: Obama gun plan may feature background checks on all buyers

John Bresnahan / Politico:

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller won't run in 2014 — Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller will not run for reelection in 2014, passing up a bid for a sixth term and putting in play a Senate seat in deep red West Virginia. — In an interview with POLITICO, Rockefeller …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Power Line, The Maddow Blog, Daily Kos, CNN, Taylor Marsh, The Other McCain, The Daily Caller, Outside the Beltway and Business Insider

Alexandra Jaffe / Ballot Box:
Sen. Rockefeller to retire, giving GOP a prime pickup opportunity

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Breaking: Jay Rockefeller to retire in 2014

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Roll Call and Daily Kos

Shauna Johnson / WV MetroNews:
McKinley watching Capito

Discussion: Post Politics, The Fix, National Review and Ballot Box

KPTV-TV:

Men armed with rifles walk through Portland to ‘educate’ — Two men carrying assault rifles on their backs said they were simply exercising their Second Amendment right, but police said they scared plenty of people. — Calls started coming in to 911 dispatchers shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Gawker and Shakesville

David Edwards / The Raw Story:

Portland residents panic as men armed with assault weapons ‘educate’ the city — Two men walked the streets of Portland armed with assault weapons earlier this week because they said they wanted to “educate” residents, who reacted by fleeing and calling police.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Balloon Juice

Anemona Hartocollis / New York Times:

New York City to Restrict Prescription Painkillers in Public Hospitals' Emergency Rooms — Some of the most common and most powerful prescription painkillers on the market will be restricted sharply in the emergency rooms at New York City's 11 public hospitals, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg …

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Infowars and Vodkapundit

Colin Campbell / Politicker:

Bloomberg Slaps Down Criticism of Painkiller Restriction Plan — Yesterday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and city officials unveiled a new initiative to limit supplies of prescription painkillers in the city's emergency rooms as a way to combat what they described as a growing addiction problem in the region.

Discussion: The Jawa Report, The Spectacle Blog and National Review

BBC:

France confirms Mali intervention — President Francois Hollande says French troops are taking part in operations against Islamists in northern Mali. — French troops “have brought support to the Malian army to fight against the terrorists”, Mr Hollande said.

Discussion: Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', National Review and The Agonist

Reuters:
France launches air strike in Mali

Discussion: Hit & Run and Weasel Zippers

Alex Seitz-Wald / Salon:

Bachmann still hasn't paid presidential campaign staffers — Five Iowa staffers say they've waited 375 days for payment, but refuse to sign the gag order the campaign demands — Over a year after she dropped out, Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann has refused to pay five staffers …

Discussion: msnbc.com, Wonkette, The Raw Story, The Daily Caller and Gawker

Christian Newswire:
Michele Bachmann Refuses to Pay Iowa Presidential Staffers After 375 Days

Discussion: OpenSecrets.org, The Immoral Minority, Post Politics and Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'

WCTI-TV:

Lesbian couple: Restaurant owner hands them letter condemning homosexuality — NEW BERN - — A lesbian couple said an owner of a restaurant handed them a letter condemning homosexuality as they were walking out of the building. — Ariel and Shawnee McPhail said they went into The Stingray Café …

Discussion: Good As You, The Raw Story, Towleroad News #gay and Gawker

Jim DeMint / Washington Post:

Conservative ideas need a new message — Jim DeMint represented South Carolina in the Senate from 2005 to 2013 and in the House from 1999 to 2005. — The U.S. Senate reached an all-time low — a hard mark to achieve — last week as I said my goodbyes to rejoin the real world.

Discussion: p m carpenter's commentary, Right Wing Watch, The Heritage Foundation, The Agonist and Booman Tribune

Tracy Clark-Flory / Salon:

Alisa Valdes: Anti-feminist romance not so romantic — Alisa Valdes' book “Feminist and the Cowboy” is about a man who taught her to “submit.” Now she says he abused her — It's a romance-memoir about a hardcore feminist who falls in love with a cowboy who teaches her to reconnect with her …

Discussion: The Raw Story, The Atlantic Online and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Mashable!:

Facebook Charging $100 to Message Mark Zuckerberg — We knew Facebook was eager for new revenue streams. We just didn't know they were this eager. — If you try to send founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg a message on Facebook, Mashable discovered Thursday, the social network will offer …

Discussion: Guardian, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, The Verge, The Week and AllThingsD

Evan McMorris-Santoro / Talking Points Memo:

Gun Appreciation Day Leader: If Blacks Had Guns, They Would Not Have Been Slaves — Larry Ward, chairman of the national Gun Appreciation Day gun rights advocates have planned for the weekend of President Obama's second inauguration, told CNN Friday that there never would have been slaves in America if black people had guns.

Discussion: Wonkette