memeorandum: LePage Spins Windmill Conspiracy Theory (Mike Tipping)

9:00 PM ET, April 18, 2013

Top Items:

Teen: I Am Not the Boston Marathon Bomber — The teenage boy authorities once investigated as possibly being connected to the Boston Marathon bombing told ABC News today he was shocked to see his face pop up on television and all over social media. — Salah Barhoun, 17 …

Discussion: Daily Kos, FP Passport, Business Insider, ABCNEWS, Outside the Beltway, Pat Dollard, BuzzFeed, Mediaite, The PJ Tatler and The Week

New York Post:

Authorities circulate photos of two men spotted carrying bags near site of Boston bombings — Investigators probing the deadly Boston Marathon bombings are circulating photos of two men spotted chatting near the packed finish line, The Post has learned. — In the photos being distributed …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Mediaite, Infowars, ABCNEWS, Poynter, Riehl World News, Business Insider, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Gateway Pundit, Israel Matzav, New York Times, Michelle Malkin, Hot Air, Blazing Cat Fur, Doug Ross, Weasel Zippers, Los Angeles Times and Capital New York

MyFoxBoston:

FBI releases images of two marathon bombing suspects — The FBI released images and surveillance video of two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings. — In a press conference Thursday, FBI officials said the public will play a critical role in identifying the men accused of committing the bombings.

Discussion: Power Line, The Gateway Pundit, Pat Dollard, The Right Scoop and Weasel Zippers

FBI:

Resources — If you have visual images, video, and/or details regarding the explosions along the Boston Marathon route and elsewhere, submit them on https://bostonmarathontips.fbi.gov/. No piece of information or detail is too small. — You can also call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), prompt #3, with information.

Barry Petchesky / Deadspin:

The Boston Bombing Witch Hunt Bags Another Innocent Kid — On Monday, the New York Post doggedly stuck to its claim that 12 were killed in the Boston Marathon bombings. On Tuesday, CNN (among others) reported that a suspect had been arrested, before walking that all the way back.

Discussion: Salon, Techdirt, Poynter, No More Mister Nice Blog, Gawker, The Week, The Hinterland Gazette, CBS DC, Business Insider, Joe. My. God., The Dish, Charles Apple, Capital New York and Shakesville

Boston Globe:

Authorities have clear video images of two suspects in Boston Marathon bombings, official says — Authorities have clear video images of two separate suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings carrying black bags at each explosion site and are planning to release the images today in an appeal …

Discussion: Yahoo! News, U.S. News, The Hill, USA Today, CBS DC, Riehl World News, Telegraph, Taylor Marsh, msnbc.com, CBS Boston, Pat Dollard and The Boston Marathon

Josh Margolin / New York Post:

Two men probed in Boston Marathon bombings cleared by investigators — Investigators have now cleared the two men whose pictures were circulated last night in an email among law enforcement officials, sources told The Post today. — Authorities determined neither had any information or role …

Discussion: Politico, Right Wing Watch, Jihad Watch and Poynter

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Romney: Boston Marathon bombers ‘demented’ — Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney expressed disbelief Thursday over the act of terror that rocked his home state of Massachusetts earlier in the week. — “Why would people be so demented, so stunted in their intellectual capacity …

Discussion: CNN and Politico

Max Read / Gawker:
The Post's ‘Person of Interest’ Is a Local High-School Track Runner

Discussion: Guardian, The League of Ordinary …, Business Insider, NPR, JustOneMinute, The Raw Story, Capital New York, The Week, Jihad Watch, Atlas Shrugs and Deadspin, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:
F.B.I Releases Video of Boston Bombing Suspects

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, The Democratic Daily, Outside the Beltway, Mashable and U.S. News

Fox News:
FBI releases video, photos of Boston Marathon bombing suspects

Discussion: Doug Ross, Riehl World News, Infowars and The Reaction

Jake Tapper / The Lead with Jake Tapper:
Confusion over Saudis in Boston following marathon attack

Discussion: Salon, The PJ Tatler, Hullabaloo and Atlas Shrugs

Daniel D'Addario / Salon:
Post editor on “Bag Men” cover: “We did not identify them as suspects”

Discussion: Gawker, Mediaite, Infowars, Poynter, Guardian, Pat Dollard and Capital New York, more at Mediagazer »

Todd Eastham / Reuters:

George Soros, enigmatic financier, liberal philanthropist dies at XX — (Reuters) - George Soros, who died XXX at age XXX, was a predatory and hugely successful financier and investor, who argued paradoxically for years against the same sort of free-wheeling capitalism that made him billions.

Discussion: Quartz, Weekly Standard, The Lonely Conservative, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, Mashable, The Dish, Outside the Beltway, Business Insider, Ed Driscoll and FP Passport

Tarini Parti / Politico:

Harry Reid: ‘Pause and freeze’ on gun control — President Barack Obama and Democrats have decided to “hit a pause and freeze” on gun control legislation, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday afternoon. — Reid officially pulled gun legislation from the floor …

Discussion: CNN and The Plum Line

Jonathan Cohn / New Republic:
The Angriest Obama We've Ever Seen

Discussion: Wonkblog, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Week, The Monkey Cage, The Other McCain, The Plum Line, Ballot Box, ThinkProgress and New York Times

Aviva Shen / ThinkProgress:
Morning Joe Host Shames Senators Who Killed Gun Reform: 'We're The 90 Percent And We're Going To Win'

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Maggie's Farm, Crooks and Liars and Rumproast

Anne Bartlett / Post Politics:
Reid pulls gun bill from consideration

Discussion: Althouse, Washington Post, The PJ Tatler, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, Lynn Sweet, The Hinterland Gazette and The Spectacle Blog

ThinkProgress: The Senators Who Supported Background Checks Represent Nearly Two-Thirds Of Americans

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Dem senator: Gun bill ‘virtually meaningless’ without background checks

Discussion: CNN and Politico

Senator Max Baucus / Mike Pompeo:

Pompeo writes to Senator Baucus about Obamacare “Train Wreck” — “No one in the country bears more responsibility for the complexity of this law than you.” — 107 Cannon House Office Building — Washington, DC 20515 — 511 Hart Senate Office Building — Washington, DC 20510

Discussion: The Hill, Michelle Malkin, Hot Air, Hit & Run and Great Falls Tribune

Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:
Obamacare Has Its Problems, But It's Basically On Track

Discussion: Hit & Run, The PJ Tatler, The Hill, Via Meadia and Eschaton

The Huffington Post:
Regal Entertainment Group's Obamacare Policy Leads To Facebook Backlash (PHOTOS)

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, ThinkProgress and Deadline.com

Scott Wong / Politico:

Roger Wicker had hired ‘Elvis’ facing threat charges — Sen. Roger Wicker said he had once hired and met the Elvis impersonator who was charged Thursday with sending poison-laced letters to President Barack Obama and the senator. — Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, told reporters the suspect …

Discussion: The Hill, Associated Press, CNN and The Greenroom

TIME:
Paul Kevin Curtis and the Weird History of Domestic Ricin Terrorism

Discussion: Rumproast, The Week, New York Times, Outside the Beltway and Ed Driscoll

Jason Howerton / TheBlaze.com:

EXCLUSIVE: SAUDI NATIONAL ONCE CONSIDERED ‘PERSON OF INTEREST’ MAY BE DEPORTED ON ‘SECURITY’ GROUNDS — AND HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FRAMED — Editor's note: Please see the Editors' UPDATES we will be placing in order of most-recent below. TheBlaze's Jonathon M. Seidl contributed to this report.

Discussion: Walid Shoebat, Pat Dollard, BuzzFeed, Atlas Shrugs, Infowars, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, protein wisdom and Right Wing Watch

Ian Swanson / The Hill:
Saudi student hurt in Boston bombing not a suspect, not being deported

Discussion: BREITBART.COM, Little Green Footballs and The Daily Caller

Jim White / emptywheel:

John Galt Kills Texans in Massive Fertilizer Plant Explosion — Google Maps satellite view of West Fertilizer and its proximity to West Middle School, along with many houses and apartments. — Who needs pesky safety regulations or zoning laws when there is money to made running a fertilizer plant?

Discussion: CANNONFIRE, New York Times, CBS Dallas and Towleroad News #gay

Bryce Covert / ThinkProgress:
West Texas Fertilizer Plant Hadn't Been Inspected In The Past Five Years

Discussion: The Week, ABCNEWS, Dallas Morning News, susiemadrak.com, The Impolitic, New Republic and msnbc.com

Kevin Williamson / National Review:

A Note about Gabby Giffords — While Ms. Giffords certainly has my sympathy for the violence she suffered, it should be noted that being shot in the head by a lunatic does not give one any special grace to pronounce upon public-policy questions, nor does it give one moral license to call people …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Lonely Conservative, msnbc.com, Hit & Run, The Impolitic, Instapundit and alicublog

Evan Hurst / Truth Wins Out:

Former ‘Ex-Gay’ Superstar John Paulk Finally Renounces His ‘Ex-Gay’ Past — Paulk Must Now Begin The Hard Work Of Atoning For The Damage He Has Done To LGBT People, And Anne Paulk And The Religious Right Must Stop Peddling The Lie Of The Paulks' “Fairy-Tale ‘Ex-Gay’ Marriage” Immediately, Says Truth Wins Out

Discussion: Joe. My. God. and Good As You

PQ Monthly:
Is John Paulk ready to renounce his ex-gay gospel?

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Advocate, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Queerty

Evan McMorris-Santoro / BuzzFeed:

Biden Pledges More Executive Action On Guns “Later This Week” — On conference call with stakeholders, Biden says Obama will carry the gun control fight forward on his own. Updated: The White House says it is only implementing some of the executive actions Obama announced in January.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, Infowars, Pat Dollard, Mediaite, Weekly Standard, Moonbattery and Hit & Run

Chicago Tribune:

Sinkhole swallows 3 cars on Southeast Side: ‘I am lucky’ — A sinkhole on the Southeast Side of Chicago swallowed three cars this morning, one of which was caught on tape. (WGN-TV) — Staff report — One person was hospitalized after a sinkhole swallowed three cars in the South Deering neighborhood …

Discussion: BuzzFeed, The Daily Caller, U.S. News, Riehl World News, The Hinterland Gazette and AMERICAblog

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

Holder gets stormy reception from House panel — The fact there is no love lost between Attorney General Eric Holder and House Republicans was on clear display again Thursday afternoon at a stormy House appropriations panel hearing which culminated with the subcommittee's chairman declaring …

Sarah Mimms / NationalJournal.com:

DCCC Piles On in South Carolina — Just one day after the National Republican Congressional Committee pulled its support for former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's special election campaign, its Democratic counterpart is going up on the air in the First District.

Discussion: Roll Call, The National Memo and Outside the Beltway

Mickey Kaus / The Daily Caller:

Krauthammer Got Played — Gang of 8 Fakery, Part 1: Remember that wacky Charles Krauthammer column from a month ago-the one that began by shredding the Marco Rubio amnesty plan but wound up endorsring it? Krauthammer's reasoning at the time was strange, but (barely) defensible.

Discussion: Hot Air, Washington Monthly and Mediaite