memeorandum: Pacific commander: US ‘ready today’ to respond to any North Korean aggression (Jeremy Herb/The Hill)

8:45 PM ET, April 9, 2013

Top Items:

David Corn / Mother Jones:

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 …

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: Yahoo! News, Politico, Power Line, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, PostPartisan, Mother Jones, Freedom's Lighthouse, Outside the Beltway, p m carpenter's commentary and The PJ Tatler, more at Mediagazer »

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: The Plum Line, Taylor Marsh, BizPac Review and Washington Free Beacon

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:

McConnell Accuses ‘Political Left’ Of Bugging His Office — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) accused the “political left” of bugging his campaign headquarters after a secret tape emerged of a strategy session regarding Ashley Judd's potential candidacy and her mental health.

Discussion: Daily Kos, Roll Call, ABCNEWS and msnbc.com

Ann Althouse / Althouse:
Secret recording of Mitch McConnell strategy session about how to go after Ashley Judd.

Discussion: Ed Driscoll and Instapundit

Politico: Mitch McConnell seeks FBI investigation

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

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Hot Air and CNN

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

Discussion: msnbc.com, The Fix, Hot Air, National Review, Roll Call and First Read, more at Mediagazer »

Jennifer Rubin / Right Turn:

The gun control vote and Harry Reid's problem — A senior Senate Republican observed today on the anti-gun legislation, “It's hard to say what [Sen. Harry] Reid will even bring up. He could opt for some watered-down nothing burger, I suppose. Hard to say, [but] he's in a conundrum.”

Discussion: Power Line

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, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite and BuzzFeed

Jennifer Bendery / The Huffington Post:
James Inhofe: Gun Debate Has Nothing To Do With Families Of Newtown Victims

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Daily Kos

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

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly and Weasel Zippers

Sam Hananel / Associated Press:
Obama To Nominate Three Candidates To Labor Board

Discussion: Associated Press, The Reality-Based Community and ACS Blog

Politico:
Joe Manchin says on verge of gun deal

Discussion: CNN

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

Discussion: Politico

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: Mediaite, Hot Air, The Hinterland Gazette, NewsBusters blogs, Hit & Run, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The PJ Tatler, The Raw Story, National Review and Balloon Juice

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 Other McCain, The Week, Taylor Marsh, Shakesville, New York Magazine and Gawker

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

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: National Review, Ed Driscoll, The Tell, Weasel Zippers, AEIdeas and Prairie Weather

The Century Foundation:
Margaret Thatcher: Right on HIV AIDS

Discussion: The Dish

Jeremy Herb / The Hill:

Pacific commander: US ‘ready today’ to respond to any North Korean aggression — North Korea poses a “clear and direct threat” to the United States, the chief of the U.S. Pacific Command told a Senate panel Tuesday. — But Pacific commander Adm. Samuel Locklear said the U.S. would be …

Discussion: CNN

CNN:
North Korea actions called ‘clear and direct threat’ to U.S. security

Discussion: Daily Express, Right Turn, Firedoglake and Piers Morgan

KTRK-TV:

Stabbing injures several on Lone Star College Cy-Fair campus … HOUSTON (KTRK) — Multiple victims have been injured in a stabbing attack on the Lone Star College Cy-Fair campus, with one person taken into custody. Authorities now believe there was only one attacker.

Discussion: Daily Mail and Hot Air

Joe Sutton / CNN:
Texas college locked down

Discussion: AMERICAblog and The Raw Story

Travis Waldron / ThinkProgress:

The 10 Jobs With The Biggest Gender Wage Gap — Today is Equal Pay Day, the day of the year when the typical female worker finally catches up to the wages the average male worker made last year. Women make 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, and though that gap has shrunk since President …

Discussion: Feministing and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

The White House:
Presidential Proclamation - Equal Pay Day

Discussion: CNSNews, Michelle Malkin, The Daily Caller, The Fix and The Gateway Pundit

Matea Gold / Los Angeles Times:

Organizing for Action loses bid to control website domain — WASHINGTON — Organizing for Action, President Obama's nonprofit advocacy organization, has sought to be nimble as it ramps up a national effort to back his agenda on gun control measures and immigration reform.

Discussion: Hot Air and Washington Free Beacon

Donovan Slack / Politico: Obama group loses domain dispute

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

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: Washington Monthly and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Politico:
New immigration attack: It's too pricey

Discussion: Colorlines and Balloon Juice

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

Jonathan S. Landay / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Obama's drone war kills ‘others,’ not just al Qaida leaders — WASHINGTON — Contrary to assurances it has deployed U.S. drones only against known senior leaders of al Qaida and allied groups, the Obama administration has targeted and killed hundreds of suspected lower-level Afghan …

Discussion: Firedoglake, New York Times, Shakesville, emptywheel, Hullabaloo and Politics, Power …

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.