memeorandum: Swanson Predicts the Future: Homeschooled Children Will be Given to Pedophiles, Gays Will Burn Christians at the Stake (Miranda Blue/Right Wing Watch)

9:35 PM ET, January 31, 2013

Top Items:

Rosie Gray / BuzzFeed:

Ted Cruz Grills Chuck Hagel With Out-Of-Context Al-Jazeera Clip — But the clip didn't show exactly what Cruz said it did. — View Video › — Texas Senator Ted Cruz made the most of his five-minute questioning opportunity at Chuck Hagel's Secretary of Defense confirmation hearing …

Discussion: alan.com and Business Insider

David Weigel / Slate:

Ted Cruz's Bogus Attack on Hagel — Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) (L) talks with committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) (R) as they and former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) arrive for Hagel's confirmation hearing to become the next secretary of defense on Capitol Hill January 31, 2013 in Washington, DC.

Discussion: Gawker and A plain blog about politics

Chris Good / ABCNEWS:

Chuck Hagel, GOP Senators Butt Heads at Defense Secretary Confirmation Hearing — Facing a rocky confirmation process, Chuck Hagel today defended his record before his former Senate colleagues, including an openly impatient Sen. John McCain. — “I'm on the record on many issues …

Discussion: Politico, The Atlantic Online, CNN, The Caucus, Taylor Marsh, Connecting.the.Dots, alan.com and The Reality-Based Community

Rebecca Berg / BuzzFeed:

Chuck Hagel's Ill-Received Performance Puts Confirmation In Flux — “There's a possibility Republicans could block his nomination, especially after today's performance,” Senate Republican aide says. — Image by Pete Marovich/MCT — WASHINGTON — Chuck Hagel's chances of becoming …

Discussion: NationalJournal.com, The Fix, Hot Air and National Review

David Taintor / Talking Points Memo:

Ted Cruz Goes After Hagel Over Al Jazeera Appearance (VIDEO) — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Thursday tore into defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel over an appearance the former senator made on Al Jazeera in 2009. — At the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Hagel's nomination …

Discussion: Business Insider

Rosie Gray / BuzzFeed:
An Off-Kilter Chuck Hagel Fumbles On Iran

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon and Capital New York

Washington Free Beacon:
Hagel's 7 Worst Moments in Round One

Discussion: Doug Ross, Israel Matzav, National Review and The Gateway Pundit

David Taintor / Talking Points Memo:
McCain, Hagel Clash Over Troop Surge In Iraq (VIDEO)

Discussion: Reuters, The Maddow Blog, Crooks and Liars and Wonkette

Lori Ziganto / Twitchy:
‘Cruzed’! Senator Cruz crushes Hagel; Chuck Todd, other lapdogs try to save Hagel, slam Cruz

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and American Power

Stephanie Gaskell / Politico:
A résumé check: Is Chuck Hagel up to the job?

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Los Angeles Times, CNN, Hot Air, Israel Matzav, New York Times, Right Turn, First Read and msnbc.com

Josh Rogin / Foreign Policy:
The Chuck Hagel confirmation whip count

Discussion: Sunlight Foundation …, The Plum Line, Washington Post, TomDispatch, The Week, Washington Free Beacon, Washington Monthly, The Right Scoop, The Daily Dish, BuzzFeed and AEIdeas

Chris Morran / The Consumerist:

Waitress Who Posted No-Tip Receipt From “Pastor” Customer Fired From Job — Earlier this week, we posted a story about a restaurant customer who not only chose to deny the waitress a tip, but also wrote “I Give God 10% Why do you Get 18?” on the receipt. Now we've learned that the server who posted the receipt online has been fired.

Discussion: Truthdig, Unfogged, The Raw Story, AMERICAblog, CBS St. Louis and Gawker

Agoldberg / The Smoking Gun:

Pastor Apologizes For Snide Remark On Meal Receipt — St. Louis woman says she got waitress fired for online leak — The St. Louis pastor responsible for the credit card receipt heard 'round the Internet termed her snide scribblings a “lapse in my character and judgment,” …

Discussion: Gawker, Mock, Paper, Scissors, alan.com, The Gateway Pundit and Joe. My. God.

Jonathan Easley / Ballot Box:

Geraldo contemplating run for Senate — Television personality and radio host Geraldo Rivera announced Thursday he's “truly contemplating” a run for Senate in New Jersey. — “I mention this only briefly, fasten your seatbelt,” Rivera said on his radio show.

Discussion: Truthdig, New Jersey Online, The Political Carnival, CNN, Washington Monthly, TVNewser, Politico, Shakesville, Hot Air, Mock, Paper, Scissors, Roll Call and Post Politics

Andrew Kirell / Mediaite:
Geraldo Rivera Looking To Run For Senate As Republican In New Jersey

Discussion: Washington Wire and NBC Latino

Numbers / Pew Research Center for the People …:

Majority Says the Federal Government Threatens Their Personal Rights — Views of Congress: Problem Lies with Members, Not the System — OVERVIEW — As Barack Obama begins his second term in office, trust in the federal government remains mired near a historic low, while frustration with government remains high.

Discussion: Politico, CBS DC, Weasel Zippers and Americans for Limited …

Jacob Sullum / Hit & Run:
Poll Finds Most Americans Support Treating Marijuana Like Alcohol; Even More Think the Feds Should Let States Do So

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Seung Min Kim / Politico:

Senate passes debt ceiling, no-budget no-pay bill — With little fanfare Thursday, the Senate agreed to suspend the nation's $16.4 trillion debt ceiling until May 19, postponing the specter of default that threatened the nation as early as February. — The vote was 64-34.

Discussion: Business Insider

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Carney: ‘Ridiculous’ to criticize defunct White House jobs council

Discussion: Politico, CNN, ABCNEWS and The PJ Tatler

Josh Lederman / Associated Press:
Obama's Jobs Council Shutting Down Thursday

Discussion: The Huffington Post, AEIdeas, Hot Air, Michelle Malkin, Weasel Zippers, Mother Jones and Washington Free Beacon

Christopher Baxter / New Jersey Online:

Lautenberg calls Menendez predicament ‘too bad’ — New Jersey's United States senators, Frank Lautenberg (left) and Robert Menendez (right) appear at a press conference in Washington earlier this month. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) — WASHINGTON — Frank Lautenberg said today …

Discussion: The Hill, The Fix, Mediaite, Taegan Goddard's …, nation.foxnews.com and The Week

The Daily Caller:
Dominican prostitute: Sen. Bob Menendez ‘likes the youngest and newest girls’

Discussion: The Other McCain, Hot Air, The PJ Tatler, Weasel Zippers, nbcnewyork.com, The Gateway Pundit, Weekly Standard, Washington Examiner, Twitchy and latinorebels.com

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

At Hill hearing, Wayne LaPierre tries to manhandle facts and logic — Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association's chief executive, arrived for his hearing on Capitol Hill in the organization's trademark fashion: violently. — When he and his colleagues stepped off the elevator …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Prairie Weather, The Fix, Post Politics and Guardian

Kasie Hunt / First Read:
Biden: New gun controls won't likely end shootings

Discussion: Hot Air and The PJ Tatler

Patrick Gavin / Politico:

Tough questions follow Al Gore book tour — If you thought Al Gore was a media darling, you haven't seen his latest book tour. Although Gore has been selective in which outlets he appears on to promote his new book, “The Future,” they haven't treated the former vice president with kid gloves.

Discussion: TheBlaze.com

Spokesman.com:

Idaho senator compares health exchange to Holocaust — BOISE - As the debate over Idaho Gov. Butch Otter's proposed state health insurance exchange heats up, a North Idaho senator has sent out a mass email and posted a message on Twitter comparing the role of insurance companies to …

Discussion: alan.com, Associated Press, AMERICAblog and The Raw Story

Tara Culp-Ressler / ThinkProgress:
Idaho Republican Compares Obamacare To The Holocaust

Discussion: Rumproast

Wall Street Journal:

Chinese Hackers Targeted Wall Street Journal Computers — The Wall Street Journal said its computer systems had been infiltrated by Chinese hackers for the apparent purpose of monitoring the newspaper's China coverage. — The infiltration at the Journal, along with reports …

Discussion: Mediaite, BBC, Mashable!, Poynter, ABCNEWS and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »

The Boston Globe:

Globe reporter Glen Johnson joins Kerry's staff — Boston.com politics editor Glen Johnson is resigning to take a post as a senior State Department adviser, working for John F. Kerry. — Johnson, 50, a 27-year journalism veteran who has covered five presidential elections, said his focus would be on strategic communications.

Discussion: Politico, CNN, Washington Examiner and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »

Miranda Blue / Right Wing Watch:

Swanson Predicts the Future: Homeschooled Children Will be Given to Pedophiles, Gays Will Burn Christians at the Stake — Kevin Swanson of Generations Radio has a dark view of what will come if Colorado passes a bill allowing civil unions for same-sex couples.

Chuck Bennett / New York Post:

Tawana Brawley served with court order to pay man she accused of rape in 1987 — Rape-hoax $lap — Infamous hoaxster Tawana Brawley — whose outrageous rape lie 25 years ago inflamed racial tensions nationwide — yesterday was finally slapped with a court order to settle a hefty defamation case against her.

Discussion: Scared Monkeys and The Gateway Pundit

Wall Street Journal:

Some Unions Grow Wary of Health Law They Backed — Labor unions enthusiastically backed the Obama administration's health-care overhaul when it was up for debate. Now that the law is rolling out, some are turning sour. — Union leaders say many of the law's requirements will drive …

Discussion: ALIPAC, Hot Air, Hit & Run, Weasel Zippers, Power Line, Associated Press, Law Blog, The Spectacle Blog, The PJ Tatler and Questions and Observations

Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:

The White House's curious silence about Obama's claim of skeet shooting — President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy using the skeet range at Camp David. — The New Republic: “Have you ever fired a gun?” — President Obama: “Yes, in fact, up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time.”

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Cold Fury, The Daily Caller and TheBlaze.com

Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic Online:

How Conservatives Sabotage Their Own Cultural Criticism — A case study in which National Review contributors discuss the merits of rap. — Flickr/Slippy Slappy — Every so often, conservatives lament that the music, books, movies, television shows, and video games that shape social norms …

Discussion: The Week, Ricochet Conversations Feed and Ed Driscoll

Jonathan Martin / Politico:

David Vitter takes flak for Marco Rubio comments — Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) associates, furious about fellow Republican Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) calling the Floridian “nuts” and “naïve” over his immigration reform efforts, are hitting Vitter where it hurts.