memeorandum: Women delivering newspapers in Torrance shot in manhunt for ex-cop (Kate Mather/L.A. NOW)

11:50 PM ET, February 7, 2013

Top Items:

Panetta: Obama Absent Night of Benghazi — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta testified this morning on Capitol Hill that President Barack Obama was absent the night four Americans were murdered in Benghazi on September 11, 2012: — Panetta said, though he did meet with Obama …

Discussion: Nice Deb, The Daily Caller, Rush Limbaugh, Right Turn, The Mental Recession, The Gateway Pundit, Wizbang, Booman Tribune, nation.foxnews.com and his vorpal sword

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:

On Their Own — The White House left Ambassador Chris Stevens, Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, and Sean Smith on their own on September 11 in Benghazi. That is the upshot of today's Capitol Hill hearing featuring Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey.

Discussion: Power Line and Bookworm Room

Darlene Superville / Associated Press:
Michelle Obama to Attend Chicago Girl's Funeral

Discussion: CNN and Politico

Associated Press:
Panetta defends military response in Libya attack

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Hit & Run, Hot Air, Pat Dollard and Flopping Aces

Tim Mak / Politico:
Leon Panetta defends Pentagon response after Benghazi attack

Discussion: ABCNEWS

Kate Mather / L.A. NOW:

Women delivering newspapers in Torrance shot in manhunt for ex-cop — Two women who were shot by Los Angeles police in Torrance early Thursday during a massive manhunt for an ex-LAPD officer were delivering newspapers, sources said. — The women, shot in the 19500 block of Redbeam Avenue …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Boing Boing, Hit & Run, Los Angeles Times, Gawker and SayUncle

Daily Breeze:

Search for Christopher Dorner, suspect in 3 killings, leads to Big Bear — Authorities have confirmed a truck found burning in the San Bernardino Mountains belongs to Christopher Dorner. — A local law enforcement source said the truck, found near Big Bear Lake, is the one police across California have been searching for.

Discussion: Guardian

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
LAPD Spree Killer's Supposed Full Manifesto Shows Support For Gun Control And President Obama

Discussion: nation.foxnews.com and SOOPERMEXICAN

CNN:
Manhunt for ex-cop widens

Discussion: CBS Los Angeles, L.A. NOW, Represent!, Crime and Consequences Blog, Gawker, Poor Richard's News and Little Green Footballs

Joe Picard / The Hill:

Obama ‘prepared, eager and anxious’ for sequester fight with Republicans — LANSDOWNE, Va. — President Obama told House Democrats on Thursday that he is “prepared, eager and anxious” to produce the broad fiscal package that has eluded Washington. — A pugnacious Obama told House Democrats …

Discussion: CNN and Politico

Jake Sherman / Politico:

Some in GOP want sequester deal — GOP policy prescriptions to replace the massive spending cuts currently include: changing the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67, which GOP aides say would raise $110 billion, and changes to Medicare premiums, which would raise $35 billion.

Discussion: Firedoglake

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Dems will offer GOP spending cuts to avert doom

Discussion: New York Times, Daily Kos, Booman Tribune, Hullabaloo and The Maddow Blog

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
The Morning Plum: GOP resolve on sequester begins to crack

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Quinnipiac News + Events, Gawker, Daily Kos, Poor Richard's News and Angry Bear

Kevin Liptak / CNN:
Obama tells House Dems he wants ‘big deal’ on debt

Discussion: Politico

SOOPERMEXICAN:

News Media Scrub Cop Murderer's Manifesto of Pro-Obama, Hillary, MSNBC, CNN, Gay, and Anti-Gun Comments — I've been following closely the news story about Chris Dorner, who is now suspected of murdering three people, including one police officer, and shooting another two police officers.

Discussion: New York Times, Weasel Zippers, Twitchy, Hit & Run, CRIME, GUNS, AND VIDEOTAPE, Patterico's Pontifications, Philly.com, The Lonely Conservative, The PJ Tatler, Bob Owens, Council of Conservative …, American Power, protein wisdom and The Jawa Report

John Nolte / BREITBART.COM:
SUSPECTED MASS-MURDERER'S MANIFESTO ENDORSES HILLARY, OBAMA, GUN CONTROL, ELITE MEDIA

Discussion: Hot Air, Fire Andrea Mitchell! and The Gateway Pundit

Sarah Desprat / Twitchy:
Master murder-politicizer Piers Morgan: Don't politicize Dorner murder spree

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, The Daily Caller, Washington Times, Ed Driscoll and Jammie Wearing Fools

Ben Shapiro / BREITBART.COM:

SECRET HAGEL DONOR?: WHITE HOUSE SPOX DUCKS QUESTION ON ‘FRIENDS OF HAMAS’ — On Thursday, Senate sources told Breitbart News exclusively that they have been informed that one of the reasons that President Barack Obama's nominee for Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, has not turned …

Discussion: Power Line, Israel Matzav, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit, Weekly Standard, The PJ Tatler and The Right Scoop

Juana Summers / Politico:

Richard Burr jokes about waterboarding at Brennan hearing — For a serious topic that's been likened to torture — one used by the Chinese to extract confessions in the Korean War, as lawmakers said Thursday — members of Congress sure seem to like to joke about waterboarding.

Felicia Sonmez / Post Politics:
Code Pink protests bring Brennan hearing to halt

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative, Crooks and Liars and Suburban Guerrilla

Noah Rothman / Mediaite:

Dem. Senator To CIA Head Nominee: Should Obama Let Americans ‘Surrender Before Killing Them?’ — In recent days, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) has expressed his suspicion about the Obama administration's policy of legally justifying drone strikes on Americans who are deemed to have joined Al Qaeda.

Discussion: Associated Press and Hot Air

Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic Online:
As Neocons Defend Obama, Allies Doubt Him on Drones as Never Before

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Lawfare, CNN, Taking Note, CANNONFIRE, Flopping Aces, The Week, Taylor Marsh and Washington Monthly

Ashley Killough / CNN:
Poll: Americans back drone attacks, but not on U.S. citizens abroad

Discussion: AEIdeas and Weasel Zippers

Jennifer Jacobs / Des Moines Register:

Congressman Steve King: Help fight Karl Rove's crusade against me — Republican Congressman Steve King is going on the offensive, asking supporters for money to help him ward off GOP forces he thinks are trying to quash him - including Republican power player Karl Rove.

Discussion: The Fix, Ballot Box and Post Politics

Politico:
Karl Rove vs. tea party for GOP's future

Discussion: New York Times, Goblinbooks, Daily Kos and The Stranger …

Chris Good / ABCNEWS:
The New GOP Civil War

Discussion: The Huffington Post and The Agonist

National and Local Weather Forecast …:

Winter Storm Nemo: Potential Historic Blizzard Looms — Potentially Historic Storm: Snow Impact — Winter Storm Nemo is now poised to become the latest example of a powerful, potentially historic, February storm. — We lay out the forecast of heavy snow on this page …

Discussion: Guardian, The Dish, The Week and Suburban Guerrilla

Miriam Valverde / Sun-Sentinel:

“Breastaurants” Tilted Kilt, Twin Peaks coming to area — Hooters Girls are getting more competition. At least two new “breastaurant” chains are working on plans to open in South Florida this year, also featuring scantily clad women. — Next month, the Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery will open …

Discussion: Vodkapundit

John McCormack / Weekly Standard:

Cardinal Dolan: Obamacare Still Forces Americans to Provide ‘Illicit Coverage,’ Even for Their Children — Last week, the Obama administration rolled out what it calls an “accommodation” for religious institutions subjected to the Obamacare mandate that forces American employers to provide …

Discussion: nation.foxnews.com and CNN

Dana Halferty / Medium:

Damsel, Arise: A Westboro Scion Leaves Her Church — Just after 11 last Sunday morning at Old First Reformed Church in Brooklyn, the Rev. Dr. Daniel Meeter is starting the Sunday service as he always does. He runs through the opening salutation and the collect for the day …

Discussion: Good As You, AMERICAblog, Mediaite, Religion Dispatches, Advocate and The Stranger …

Megan Phelps-Roper / Medium:
Head Full of Doubt / Road Full of Promise

Discussion: Joe. My. God., Mashable!, Guardian, Wonkette, Towleroad News #gay and Gawker

Catherine Rampell / New York Times:

Profound Weight of Layoffs Is Seen in Work Trends Survey — Layoffs have touched nearly every American household in some fashion over the last few years, according to new survey data to be released Thursday by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University.

Discussion: Economix and NPR

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:

GOP, Dems call for repeal of $30 billion medical device tax — A bipartisan group of 180 House members — consisting of about 40 percent of the House — has reintroduced a bill to end the 2.3 percent tax on medical devices that was imposed under President Obama's healthcare law.

Discussion: Hot Air and The Incidental Economist

Zack Beauchamp / ThinkProgress:

Brennan ‘Unaware’ Of Any Evidence That Torture Led To Bin Laden — There is no evidence that torture was an effective source of gathering intelligence against al-Qaeda, according to John Brennan, President Obama's nominee for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Discussion: alan.com

Gatemouth / Room Eight:

Exclusive: Lena Dunham—Born Again Political Virgin — LENA DUNHAM (in a video supporting President Obama's re-election): Your first time shouldn't be with just anybody. … The actual story of the cherries jubilee celebrating the loss of Lena Dunham's virginity is somewhat less romantic.

Discussion: Politico, Mediaite, Red Alert Politics, PopWatch, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, BREITBART.COM, Gawker and BuzzFeed

Benjamin R. Freed / DCist:

Occupy D.C., Thy Damage Is Nearly Undone — Good news for admirers of a formerly emerald patch of downtown D.C. that is gradually getting back to its verdant self. A year and two days after U.S. Park Police pushed the Occupy D.C. protest encampment out of McPherson Square …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Weasel Zippers and Politico