memeorandum: McConnell campaign calls in FBI over secret recordings (CNN)

5:00 PM ET, April 9, 2013

Top Items:

Secret Tape: McConnell and Aides Weighed Using Judd's Mental Health and Religion as Political Ammo — A recording of a private meeting between the Senate GOP leader and campaign aides reveals how far they were willing to go to defeat the actor/activist. — On February 2, Mitch McConnell …

CNN:

McConnell campaign calls in FBI over secret recordings — (CNN) - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's re-election campaign is “working with the FBI” on how Mother Jones, a liberal magazine, obtained a recording of political aides meeting with McConnell and discussing opposition research on Ashley Judd …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, BizPac Review and Washington Free Beacon

Mother Jones:

Full Transcript and Audio of Mitch McConnell Campaign's Meeting on Ashley Judd — In a private meeting, the Senate GOP leader and campaign aides discussed using the actor/activist's mental health and religious views as political ammo. — On February 2, Sen. Mitch McConnell …

Discussion: Politico, Yahoo! News, The Daily Caller, PostPartisan, p m carpenter's commentary and The PJ Tatler, more at Mediagazer »

Ann Althouse / Althouse:

Secret recording of Mitch McConnell strategy session about how to go after Ashley Judd. — David Corn at Mother Jones has lots of audio clips and transcript, but he doesn't tell us who made the tape and gave it to him. Surveillance on a political campaign?

Discussion: Instapundit

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:
In Connecticut, Obama Rails Against GOP Threats To Filibuster Gun Control

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Politico and The Hill

Caitlin Dewey / Post Politics:
McConnell campaign asks for FBI investigation over leaked Ashley Judd tapes

Discussion: Roll Call, The Fix, First Read and msnbc.com

Politico: Mitch McConnell seeks FBI investigation

Kevin Robillard / Politico:
Secret tape: Mitch McConnell aides discuss Ashley Judd

Discussion: Roll Call, Outside the Beltway and The Daily Caller

Ginger Gibson / Politico:

Harry Reid cites father's suicide in gun debate — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid again took the Senate floor to make a very personal plea on Tuesday morning for a vote on gun control legislation. — The Nevada Democrat mentioned the suicide of his father, which happened in 1972.

Discussion: CNN, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers and BuzzFeed

CNN:
Reid to force a vote Thursday on debating gun proposals

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Piers Morgan

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Ayotte: 'I don't support a filibuster' for gun-control legislation

Discussion: Politico

Politico: Harry Reid: Gun deal deadline today

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
Michael Bloomberg group's gun-control scorecard will give lawmakers letter grades

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Virginian-Pilot, Hot Air, ABCNEWS, Politico, The Hill, CNN and First Read

Paul Krugman:

Did Thatcher Turn Britain Around? — There will presumably be a lot of commentary about Margaret Thatcher over the next few days, although probably nothing like the “Reagasm” of 2004. And there will in particular be many assertions that Thatcher turned around a moribund British economy.

Discussion: The Tell, Weasel Zippers, AEIdeas and Prairie Weather

The Century Foundation:
Margaret Thatcher: Right on HIV AIDS

Discussion: The Dish

David Brooks / New York Times:
The Vigorous Virtues — The 1990 Tory coup against Margaret Thatcher …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog

Tom Clark / Guardian:
Opinion on Margaret Thatcher remains divided after her death, poll finds

Discussion: Guy Fawkes' blog and Business Insider

Brian Alexander / NBC News:

Science proves women like men with bigger penises — “Penis size does affect attractiveness” — Below: — The human male possesses the Italian designer faucet of penises. They're pretty big, the biggest of any primate's relative to body size. And they're showy, too, right out there …

Discussion: The Week, Taylor Marsh, Shakesville, New York Magazine and Gawker

Melissa Harris-Perry / msnbc.com:

Why caring for children is not just a parent's job — My inbox began filling with hateful, personal attacks on Monday, apparently as a result of conservative reactions to a recent “Lean Forward” advertisement now airing on MSNBC, which you can view above. What I thought was an uncontroversial comment …

Discussion: NewsBusters blogs, Hit & Run, Mediaite, The PJ Tatler, The Raw Story, The Hinterland Gazette and National Review

PoliceOne:

PoliceOne's Gun Control Survey: 11 key lessons from officers' perspectives … In March, PoliceOne conducted the most comprehensive survey ever of American law enforcement officers' opinions on the topic gripping the nation's attention in recent weeks: gun control.

Discussion: The Truth About Guns, Hit & Run and Sense of Events

Rachael Bade / Reuters:
New gun control strategy: Tax 'em

Discussion: The Week, TheBlaze.com, Politico and Washington Free Beacon

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:

Former Tenn. Lawmaker Allegedly Drove 90 MPH While Masturbating Out Window — Three different women last week testified that a former Tennessee lawmaker exposed himself to them while driving at a breakneck speed, WJHL reported. — The accounts, each given independently last Thursday in a Kingsport …

Discussion: Gawker, Mediaite, Outside the Beltway and The Raw Story

BuzzFeed:

17 Things That Should Make Republicans Feel Old — Grand OLD Party. — The Ten year anniversary of this is today. — April 9, 2003. — And the 10 year anniversary of this is next month. — May 1, 2003. — Image by Larry Downing / Reuters — Ann Coulter is 51 years old.

Discussion: The Impolitic and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Donovan Slack / Politico:

Obama group loses domain dispute — Pro-Obama group Organizing for Action lost a bid to take over the domain name organizingforaction.net from a computer technician in Colorado, the LA Times reports. — The technician, Derek Bovard, registered the name in January and configured …

Matea Gold / Los Angeles Times:
Organizing for Action loses bid to control website domain

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon

Jennifer Jacobs / Des Moines Register:

Santorum doesn't think Supreme Court will rule in favor of same-sex marriage — He doesn't think it will rule in favor of same-sex marriage. — A “chastened” U.S. Supreme Court won't make the mistake of granting same-sex marriage rights, former presidential candidate Rick Santorum predicted in an interview Monday.

Discussion: The Hill, Taylor Marsh, Politico, msnbc.com, Business Insider, Advocate, Joe. My. God. and Shakesville

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Senate's Gang of Eight aiming to unveil immigration reform bill on Thursday — The Senate's Gang of Eight is aiming to release comprehensive immigration reform legislation on Thursday of this week, according to Senate sources. — A member of the group said the bill is virtually complete …

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Politico:
New immigration attack: It's too pricey

Discussion: Colorlines and Balloon Juice

Bloomberg:

The Myth of the Falling Bridge — There's more than a touch of Chicken Little in common arguments for more infrastructure spending. “The bridges are falling, the bridges are falling!” — Every four years, the American Society of Civil Engineers issues the U.S. an infrastructure “report card.”

Discussion: Hit & Run

David Adams / Reuters:

Exclusive: Beyonce, Jay-Z Cuba visit had U.S. Treasury Department OK - source — (Reuters) - A visit by American pop star Beyonce and rapper husband Jay-Z to Havana last week was a cultural trip that was fully licensed by the U.S. Treasury Department, a source familiar with the itinerary said on Monday.

Discussion: USA Today, New York Times, ThinkProgress, Politico, Patterico's Pontifications, Hit & Run, The Hill, TalkLeft, The Raw Story, Gawker, msnbc.com, TMZ.com, The Hinterland Gazette and The Week

Cindy Adams / New York Post:

Obama back in NYC for cash — He won a second term, but Barack Obama isn't done fund-raising. The president will appear at a cozy reception for fewer than 65 guests with tickets priced at $32,400 per couple at the Manhattan home of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and his designer wife Georgina Chapman …