memeorandum: Republican Senators Bob And Weave On Voting Rights Act (Sahil Kapur/Talking Points Memo)

7:35 PM ET, March 5, 2013

Top Items:

HUGO CHAVEZ, FIERY VENEZUELAN LEADER, DIES AT 58 — CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez, the fiery populist who declared a socialist revolution in Venezuela, crusaded against U.S. influence and championed a leftist revival across Latin America, died Tuesday at age 58 after a nearly two-year bout with cancer.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Hot Air, Ed Driscoll and The PJ Tatler

Lori Ziganto / Twitchy:

Foul: Rep. Serrano tweets rest in peace; Praises Chavez as ‘empowering the powerless’; Update: Doubles down, photo with Chavez — Appalling. — As Twitchy reported, the Venezuelan tyrant Hugo Chavez has died. Rep. Serrano (D-N.Y.) grossly tweeted the above, upon learning of the news that had most freedom-lovers relieved.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and American Glob

William Neuman / New York Times:

Chávez Dies, Leaving Bitterly Divided Nation — CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela died Tuesday afternoon after a long battle with cancer, the government announced, leaving behind a bitterly divided nation in the grip of a political crisis that grew …

Discussion: The Jawa Report, New Republic, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Outside the Beltway, Truthout Stories and Balloon Juice

CNN:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez dies — Army Lt. Col. Hugo Chavez, who led a 1992 attempted coup, speaks to reporters on March 26, 1994, after he was freed from jail. Chavez was freed after charges were dropped against him for leading the first of two attempted coups against the government …

Discussion: Mediaite, Business Insider, Taegan Goddard's …, The Daily Pulp, FP Passport, AEIdeas and Gothamist

Daniel Wallis / Reuters:
Chavez's breathing problems worsen, has severe new infection

Discussion: NBCNews.com, NewsBusters, The Heritage Foundation, Pat Dollard, Business Insider and Hit & Run

José De Córdoba / Wall Street Journal:
Venezuelan Leader Chávez Dies After Cancer Battle

Discussion: News Desk

BBC:
Venezuela's Hugo Chavez dies aged 58

Discussion: Babalú Blog, Mother Jones and Fausta's Blog

Simon Romero / New York Times:
Hugo Chávez | 1954-2013: Hugo Chávez, Venezuela's Leader, Dies at 58 — Obituary

Discussion: Politicker

Russell Goldman / ABCNEWS:
Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan President, Dead at 58

Discussion: Shot in the Dark

Adam Serwer / Mother Jones:

Obama Administration Says President Can Use Lethal Force Against Americans on US Soil — Drones: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know But Were Always Afraid to Ask — Here's Why Obama Won't Say Whether He Can Kill You With a Drone: Because He Probably Can — 8 Drones That Aren't Out to Kill You

Discussion: The Plum Line, The Daily Caller, Mediaite and Hit & Run

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

Holder: Obama could order lethal force in U.S. — President Barack Obama could order the use of deadly force against an American inside the United States, Attorney General Eric Holder said in a letter to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) released Tuesday. — Paul and other senators …

Discussion: CNN and Outside the Beltway

CNN:
CNN's GUT CHECK for March 5, 2013

Discussion: Washington Times and Politico

Scott Shane / New York Times:
Brennan Vote by Senate Intelligence Panel

Discussion: News Desk and Lowering the Bar

Mike Fleming Jr / Deadline.com:

Jon Stewart Taking Summer ‘Daily Show’ Hiatus To Direct ‘Rosewater;’ John Oliver To Sub — EXCLUSIVE: Jon Stewart will take a 12-week hiatus from hosting Comedy Central's The Daily Show to make his feature directing debut this summer. Stewart has written the script, and will direct Rosewater …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Mediaite, Taylor Marsh, Gawker and The Week, more at Mediagazer »

Brooks Barnes / ArtsBeat:
Jon Stewart to Direct Serious Film, Will Take Hiatus From ‘Daily Show’

Discussion: Red Alert Politics and The Raw Story

Benjy Sarlin / Talking Points Memo:

Jeb Bush Bashes Romney, Obamacare In New Book — Jeb Bush's new tome, “Immigration Wars: Forging An American Solution,” hit bookstores on Tuesday and is already making waves in the immigration debate and 2016 sweepstakes alike. — Bush's book, co-authored by Goldwater Institute director Clint Bolick …

Discussion: Latino Decisions, New Republic, msnbc.com, The Fix, American Prospect and Brad DeLong

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
Jeb Bush Disagrees With His Own Book Hours After It's Published

Discussion: Politico, The Moderate Voice, msnbc.com, Washington Examiner, Daily Kos, No More Mister Nice Blog, Naked Politics, Hot Air, USA Today, ABCNEWS, The Week, Taylor Marsh, First Read, The Maddow Blog and Taking Note

Beth Reinhard / NationalJournal.com:
Jeb Bush's Poorly Timed Flip -Flop on Immigration

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Talking Points Memo, First Read, Washington Monthly, National Review, MiamiHerald.com, Slate, The Reaction, The Dish, Balloon Juice, Post Politics, NBCNews.com and The Huffington Post

Benjy Sarlin / Talking Points Memo:
Is Jeb Bush Already Backing Down On A Path To Citizenship?

Discussion: The Political Carnival, Business Insider and Balloon Juice

O. Kay Henderson / Radio Iowa:

Bill would forbid parents from getting no-fault divorce — Seven Republicans in the Iowa House are pushing a bill to prohibit parents of minor children from getting a “no fault” divorce and the proposal could be debated in a House committee this week. — A three-member subcommittee debated the bill today.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Politico, Shakesville, The Hinterland Gazette and The Raw Story

The Huffington Post:
Iowa GOP Lawmakers Try To Curtail Divorce, Worry It Makes Young Women More ‘Promiscuous’

Discussion: Daily Kos

Stephen Dinan / Washington Times:

Email tells feds to make sequester as painful as promised — The Obama administration denied an appeal for flexibility in lessening the sequester's effects, with an email this week appearing to show officials in Washington that because they already had promised the cuts would be devastating, they now have to follow through on that.

Discussion: Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Michelle Malkin, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers, NetRight Daily, The PJ Tatler and Pat Dollard

Bernie Becker / The Hill:

House spending bill requires Saturday mail delivery — The new House GOP spending bill directs the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail six days a week, against the wishes of the nation's postmaster general. — A House Appropriations aide confirmed that the spending measure …

Discussion: Washington Times, Outside the Beltway and National Review

Mike Lillis / The Hill:

House Dems back down from strongly opposing GOP spending bill — House Democratic leaders have decided against uniting their party's rank and file in opposition to a Republican spending bill that would fund the government. — House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said the GOP's continuing resolution …

Discussion: The Plum Line, The Maddow Blog, Reuters, Hullabaloo, Taylor Marsh and Politico

Rachel Weiner / Post Politics:

Bob McDonnell not invited to speak at CPAC — Chris Christie isn't the only Republican governor getting snubbed by the Conservative Political Action Conference. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was not invited, according to someone close to CPAC who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Discussion: Politico, Reuters, Roll Call, The Maddow Blog, Hot Air and Washington Post

Ramesh Ponnuru / Bloomberg: Do Conservatives Actually Want to Win Elections?

Roger Simon / Politico:
Simon: GOP yearning for crazy

Discussion: CNN and The Daily Caller

Adam Snider / Politico:

TSA allowing knives back on planes — The Transportation Security Administration will soon allow small knives and baseball bats on flights for the first time since the Sept. 11 attacks, drawing criticism from flight attendants who say the change is “poor and shortsighted.”

Jeff Plungis / Bloomberg:
TSA Will Permit Knives, Golf Clubs on U.S. Planes

Discussion: Business Insider, Red Alert Politics and Mother Jones

John Feehery / The Hill:

Tag-teaming Obama — Don't tell the Tea Party, but the tag team of John Boehner and Mitch McConnell are currently mopping the floor with Barack Obama. — The president convincingly won a second term in November, but since that time, the congressional Republican leadership has outfoxed …

Discussion: CNN, Politico and The Other McCain

Steve Benen / The Maddow Blog:
A tale of two falsehoods — Education Secretary Arne Duncan …

Discussion: The Plum Line, Politifact.com Truth …, Daily Kos, Washington Monthly and Weasel Zippers

FBI:

FBI Seeks Public's Assistance in Identifying, Locating Unmanned Aircraft and Operator … On Monday, March, 4, 2013, at approximately 1:15 p.m., the pilot of Alitalia Flight #608 spotted a small, unmanned aircraft while on approach to John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Wired and The Raw Story

Aaron Cooper / CNN:
Pilot reports spotting ‘drone’ over Brooklyn

Discussion: BuzzFeed, ABCNEWS, Runnin' Scared, Gawker and Red Alert Politics

Yahoo! News:

Zimmerman Stuns Court, Waives Right to ‘Stand Your Ground’ Hearing in Trayvon Martin Case — ABC News - Zimmerman Stuns Court, Waives Right to ‘Stand Your Ground’ Hearing in Trayvon Martin Case (ABC News) — George Zimmerman's attorneys stunned court observers Tuesday when they waived …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and National Review

Molly K. Hooper / The Hill:

GOP centrists balk at Ryan Medicare shift — House Republican centrists are furious that GOP leaders are considering abandoning their pledge not to change Medicare retirement benefits for people 55 years and older. — According to several sources, a handful of centrist GOP lawmakers attending …

Discussion: CNN, New Republic, Politico, The Plum Line, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, AEIdeas and Daily Kos

Amie Parnes / The Hill:

White House cancels tours due to sequester — The White House announced Tuesday that it was canceling tours of the executive mansion beginning on Saturday until further notice due to “staffing reductions resulting from sequestration.” — An e-mail sent to lawmakers from the White House visitor's office …

Discussion: Politico, CNN, msnbc.com and Pat Dollard