memeorandum: Meteorite explosion over Russia injures hundreds (Guardian)

10:10 AM ET, February 15, 2013

Top Items:

Meteorite hits central Russia, more than 500 people hurt — (Reuters) - More than 500 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, sending fireballs crashing to Earth, shattering windows and damaging buildings.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, The Gateway Pundit, The Verge, Mashable! and The Week

BBC:

Meteor strike injures hundreds in central Russia — The BBC's Daniel Sandford says people described a ball of fire in the sky — A meteor crashing in central Russia's Ural mountains has injured at least 500 people, as the shockwave blew out windows and rocked buildings.

Discussion: alan.com, Voice of Russia, News, NBCNews.com, Macleans.ca, Mediaite, AMERICAblog and NBC Southern California

New York Times:

Meteorite Fragments Are Said to Rain Down on Siberia — MOSCOW — Bright objects, apparently debris from a meteorite, streaked through the sky in western Siberia early on Friday, accompanied by a boom that damaged buildings across a vast area of territory. Hundreds of people were reported …

Discussion: IHT Rendezvous, rubber hose, The BRAD BLOG, Hit & Run, The Lede, Washington Free Beacon and The Agonist

Daily Mail:

Moment meteorite exploded in the sky above Russian town as doctors treat 950 people injured when sonic boom shattered windows — A terrifying meteorite shower left more than 950 people injured, buildings devastated and the mobile network wiped out when it hit Russia this morning.

Discussion: The PJ Tatler and Bob Owens

Howard Amos / Guardian:
Meteorite explosion over Chelyabinsk injures hundreds

Discussion: Quartz and TechCrunch

Associated Press:
Meteor falls in Russia's Chelyabinsk region; 700 injured

Discussion: WorldViews, Guardian and Hot Air

CNN:
Meteor blast injures hundreds

Discussion: The Jawa Report

Guardian:
Meteorite explosion over Russia injures hundreds

Discussion: TechCrunch

Paul Kane / Washington Post:

Senate Republicans filibuster Hagel nomination — Senate Republicans delivered a sharp rebuke to President Obama on Thursday when they began a filibuster of Chuck Hagel's nomination as secretary of defense. — The confirmation process stalled Thursday when GOP senators deprived Hagel …

Discussion: msnbc.com, New York Times, The Fix, The Atlantic Online, The Daily Caller, TalkLeft, Outside the Beltway and Post Politics

Hayes Brown / ThinkProgress:

McCain Says He's Opposing Hagel Because Hagel Was Mean To Bush — Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told us how he really feels about Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel on Fox News this afternoon, saying “people don't forget” when you cross your own party. — Speaking to Fox News host Neil Cavuto …

Discussion: The Maddow Blog and The National Memo

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Why Republicans are filibustering Chuck Hagel

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Politico, Slate, No More Mister Nice Blog, alan.com, Right Turn, Post Politics, Foreign Policy and U.S. Senator Susan Collins

Politico:
Why President Obama went all-in on Chuck Hagel

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon and BREITBART.COM

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
G.O.P. Senators Block Vote on Defense Post for Hagel

Discussion: NBC Politics, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The Week, The Agonist, Wall Street Journal, Weasel Zippers, dotCommonweal, NewsBusters, The Reaction and Outside the Beltway

Washington Post:
Senate Democrats to force vote to end debate on Hagel nomination

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, The Plum Line, The Lonely Conservative, The Dish, LewRockwell.com Blog, The Mahablog and Taking Note

Justin Sink / The Hill:
White House endorses Senate sequester plan, urges House Republicans to act

Discussion: The Reaction

Ian Swanson / The Hill:
Senate Republicans block Hagel nomination for Defense secretary

Discussion: Politico, The Maddow Blog, Outside the Beltway, Flopping Aces, Israel Matzav, Talking Points Memo and The Impolitic

David Weigel / Slate: “Friends of Hamas”: The Scary-Sounding Pro-Hagel Group That Doesn't Actually Exist

Politico:
Chuck Hagel blocked: Harry Reid says he doesn't have the votes

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Mother Jones, BuzzFeed, The Heritage Foundation, Salon, Fox News, Washington Examiner, CNN, Red Alert Politics, The Week, Hot Air, Washington Monthly, Taegan Goddard's …, NationalJournal.com, Shakesville, The Plum Line and neo-neocon

Judicial Watch:

JW Releases Confidential USDA Videos Revealing “Cultural Sensitivity Training” Program … Videos Reveal Indoctrination Program Requiring USDA Staffers to Bang on Tables, Chant, “The pilgrims were illegal aliens” — (Washington, DC) - Judicial Watch today released previously unseen USDA videos revealing …

Discussion: Power Line, The Lonely Conservative and Washington Examiner

Caroline May / The Daily Caller:

Confidential, expensive USDA sensitivity training: ‘The Pilgrims were illegal aliens’ [VIDEOS] — Footage of the United States Department of Agriculture's compulsory “Cultural Sensitivity Training” program reveals USDA employees being instructed to refer to the Pilgrims as “illegal aliens” …

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy and The Right Scoop

Jennifer Medina / New York Times:

Over a Decade, Maureen O'Connor Spent $1 Billion on Bets — LOS ANGELES — A former mayor of San Diego spent the last decade wagering more than a billion dollars at casinos across the country, eventually liquidating her savings, auctioning her belongings, selling off real estate …

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications and The Other McCain

Mike Lillis / The Hill:

Pelosi: Congressional pay cut undermines dignity of the job — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that she opposes a cut in congressional pay because it would diminish the dignity of lawmakers' jobs. — “I don't think we should do it; I think we should respect the work we do …

Discussion: Right Turn, Washington Examiner, The PJ Tatler, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers and The Lonely Conservative

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Rubio and the Zombies — The State of the Union address was not, I'm sorry to say, very interesting. True, the president offered many good ideas. But we already know that almost none of those ideas will make it past a hostile House of Representatives. — On the other hand, the G.O.P. reply …

Discussion: Prairie Weather

Jonathan Martin / Politico:

Lone Star rising — AUSTIN, Texas — California fancies itself as a trendsetter and Florida prizes its claim as a microcosm of America. — But when it comes to politics — both present-day battles and future trends — ground zero right now is the fastest-growing of the mega-states: Texas.

CBS Denver:

Parents Complain About School Ad Excluding Whites From Tutoring Program — AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - A school principal said no white children were allowed at an after-school tutoring program, and now some parents call it discrimination. — The principal at Mission Viejo Elementary in Aurora sent …

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications, The Daily Caller, Fox News and Weasel Zippers

Lloyd Grove / The Daily Beast:

Rahm Emanuel May Be Toying With 2016 Presidential Run — Obama's former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel might make a go for 2016, two well-connected Democrats tell Lloyd Grove—as long as Hillary doesn't. And the potty-mouthed Chicago mayor could win. — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel …

Discussion: Ballot Box, Chicago Sun Times and Weasel Zippers

Phil Plait / Slate:

BREAKING: Huge Meteor Blazes Across Sky Over Russia; Sonic Boom Shatters Windows [UPDATED] — Still frame from a dashcam video of a huge meteor over Russia. … Apparently, at about 09:30 local time, a very big meteor burned up over Chelyabinsk, a city in Russia just east of the Ural mountains …

Discussion: Quartz and The Maddow Blog