memeorandum: Once Again, the Fed Shies Away From the Exit Door (John B. Taylor/Wall Street Journal)

8:30 PM ET, July 12, 2013

Top Items:

Adam Weinstein / Gawker:

This, Courtesy of MSNBC, Is Trayvon Martin's Dead Body. Get Angry. — A reader of mine sent me this photo last night. As the murder trial of George Zimmerman wheezes to its conclusion, the TV networks dutifully pipe in live pool video from the courtroom, as if it is force-fed …

Discussion: The Raw Story, The PJ Tatler, The Week, The Dish, Mediaite, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Poynter and Pressing Issues, more at Mediagazer »

Erik Wemple:

Geraldo: Jurors would have ‘shot and killed Trayvon Martin a lot sooner than George Zimmerman did’ — On this morning's “Fox & Friends,” criminal-justice expert Geraldo Rivera fielded a question about a ruling in the George Zimmerman trial, under which the jury will be allowed to consider a manslaughter conviction.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Hinterland Gazette, ThinkProgress, Connecting.the.Dots and The Dish

Daniel J. Flynn / American Spectator:

Two Males, No Men — They don't make men like they used to. One can consult a Danish study that shows plummeting testosterone levels for scientific confirmation of this. Or, one could more easily turn on any cable news network's wall-to-wall coverage of the Zimmerman-Martin case …

Discussion: Rush Limbaugh and Balloon Juice

Jessica Chasmar / Washington Times:

‘Justice for Trayvon’: Audio released of DOJ member urging action against George Zimmerman — The legal watchdog Judicial Watch released an audio recording Thursday of a Department of Justice staffer urging Sanford, Fla., city officials and the minority advocacy group Dream Defenders …

Discussion: Rule of Law, Scared Monkeys, The Gateway Pundit, Jammie Wearing Fools, The PJ Tatler and Weasel Zippers

John Fund / National Review:
Obama's Alinskyite Administration

Discussion: CBS Miami, Booman Tribune and Sense of Events

Noah Rothman / Mediaite:
Geraldo: Al Sharpton And ‘Race Politics’ Forced Florida To Pursue ‘Weak’ Case Against Zimmerman

Discussion: Scared Monkeys and Crooks and Liars

Tara Culp-Ressler / ThinkProgress:

You're Allowed To Carry A Gun Into The Texas Senate Gallery, But Not A Tampon — An example of an item that's not permitted in the Texas Gallery. (Credit: Shutterstock) — On Friday afternoon, the Texas Senate will vote on a package of abortion restrictions that Republican lawmakers …

Discussion: Reuters, The Raw Story, RH Reality Check, Hullabaloo and National Review

Chris Tomlinson / Associated Press:

Tampons Seized In Security Checks At Texas Abortion Debate — AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrats in the Texas Senate on Friday questioned whether proposed abortion restrictions are constitutional and whether they would make it more difficult for women in the state to obtain health care.

Discussion: Associated Press, LifeNews.com, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Mediaite

The Texas Tribune:
Abortion Regulations Bill Nears Final Vote

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, The Daily Caller, The Other McCain, Gawker, BOR and The PJ Tatler

Katherine Haenschen / BOR:
HB2 Liveblog: Senate Vote, Stand With Texas Women Rally Today at the Capitol

Discussion: Yahoo! News, The Raw Story, AMERICAblog, Daily Kos, Jezebel and Jessica W. Luther

Wendy Davis / CNN:
Wendy Davis: Real Texans ready to fight

Discussion: PoliticusUSA and Daily Kos

Larry Gordon / Los Angeles Times:

Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security chief, to head UC — U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is being named the next president of the 10-campus UC system. (Alex Wong / Getty Images / July 18, 2012) — Janet Napolitano, the U.S. secretary of Homeland Security and former governor of Arizona …

Christian Beckner / Foreign Policy:
15 Top Slots At DHS Now Vacant With Napolitano's Resignation

Discussion: Reuters, The Hill, Politico, A plain blog about politics and The Raw Story

WikiLeaks:

Statement by Edward Snowden to human rights groups at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport — Edward Joseph Snowden delivered a statement to human rights organizations and individuals at Sheremetyevo airport at 5pm Moscow time today, Friday 12th July. The meeting lasted 45 minutes.

Justin Sink / The Hill:
White House: Obama to personally lobby Putin on Edward Snowden

Discussion: Politico, Boing Boing and The Daily Caller

Guardian:
Edward Snowden appears at Moscow airport and renews asylum claim - as it happened

Discussion: msnbc.com, Business Insider, The Hinterland Gazette, ThinkProgress, Reuters, Taylor Marsh and McClatchy Washington Bureau

USA Today:
Snowden has ‘no regrets,’ seeks asylum in Russia

Discussion: Guardian, Los Angeles Times, ACLU, Gawker, Firedoglake, The Agonist, Business Insider and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, more at Mediagazer »

Janegalt / Megan McArdle:

Why I Think the GOP Will Have Control in 2017 — My assertion that there's a 70% chance that the GOP controls White House, Senate, and House in 2017 has attracted a lot of pushback. And it's certainly possible that I'm wrong! Here's my thinking, for what it's worth:

Discussion: The Monkey Cage, New Republic and A plain blog about politics

Janegalt / Megan McArdle:
Should the Senate end the filibuster?

Discussion: Booman Tribune

Susan Walsh / The Reliable Source:
White House summer interns: It never hurts to have connections

Discussion: Yahoo! News and ABC News

David Brooks / New York Times:

Pass the Bill! — It's beginning to look as though we're not going to get an immigration reform law this year. House Republicans are moving in a direction that will probably be unacceptable to the Senate majority and the White House. Conservative commentators like my friends Bill Kristol …

Discussion: Right Turn, The Dish, American Prospect, Taking Note, Zandar Versus The Stupid, National Review, Washington Monthly, Prairie Weather and Taegan Goddard's …

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

Oh, snap! The GOP misfires on food stamps. — There was a rare moment of candor on the House floor this week. — Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Tex.), a committee chairman and the man who led House Republicans to their majority in 2010, was explaining why he and his colleagues decided to drop the food stamp program from the farm bill.

Discussion: Associated Press, The Atlantic Online, PostPartisan, americanthinker.com, Taylor Marsh, The Impolitic, Campaign for America's Future, The Plum Line, Daily Kos and Post Politics

New York Times:
In the House, a Refusal to Govern

Discussion: Campaign for America's Future, The Reaction, Washington Wire, The Plum Line, Weekly Standard, The Week, Daily Kos and Taking Note

ThinkProgress:

Iowa Supreme Court: It's OK To Fire A Woman For Being Too Attractive — Joseph Diebold is an intern with ThinkProgress. — Standing by a December decision, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday that a male dentist who fired a female assistant because she was too attractive and threatened his marriage did not commit sex discrimination.

Discussion: Associated Press, Jezebel and Shakesville

Jeff Eckhoff / Des Moines Register:
Iowa Supreme Court re-do: Still think ‘Irresistible employee’ fired for personal reasons, not discrimination

Discussion: Associated Press, The Raw Story and Taegan Goddard's …

Maura Dolan / Los Angeles Times:
Gay marriage opponents ask California court to deny wedding licenses

Discussion: Towleroad News #gay, Advocate and Good As You

KETK NBC:

Jars of urine, feces confiscated at TX capitol as abortion bill voting takes place — AUSTIN, TEXAS (DPS) — The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) today received information that individuals planned to use a variety of items or props to disrupt legislative proceedings at the Texas Capitol.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers, National Review and Hot Air

Josh Barro / Business Insider:

Implosion Of Virginia Governor Shows Why We Need To Pay Elected Officials More — Is Gov. Bob McDonnell's (R-Va.) fall from grace really so surprising? — Alex Burns of Politico expresses incredulity that McDonnell has apparently tossed away his presidential ambitions by accepting gifts …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Bearing Drift

Alexander Burns / Politico:
Bob McDonnell's stunning fall from grace

Discussion: CNN, The Other McCain and Washington Monthly

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:

Concerning “Libertarian Populism” — Like any political tradition associated with the defense of privilege, American conservatism has been the object of many efforts to give it a popularizing makeover. There was the “Modern Republicanism” of the Eisenhower era, which was a useful device …

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Delusions of Populism — Have you heard about “libertarian populism” yet?

Discussion: Ross Douthat, Hit & Run, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Monkey Cage, Prairie Weather, Sky Dancing, Business Insider, Paul Krugman, The Reaction and ThinkProgress

Charlie Savage / New York Times:

Holder Tightens Rules for Obtaining Reporters' Data — WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., who has been criticized for the Justice Department's aggressive tactics in secretly obtaining phone logs and e-mails of reporters as part of leak investigations, on Friday announced …

Discussion: Reuters, Politico, The Verge, Yahoo! News, Mediaite and Daily Kos, more at Mediagazer »

Matthew Continetti / Washington Free Beacon:

Phonyism — On Thursday the New York Times published a front-page, 1,400-word story on the political ambitions of a 26-year-old man who grew up in Ohio, graduated from Brown, married rich, and moved to New York City. And then moved to Garrison, New York, in the Hudson River Valley.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, The Lonely Conservative, America Rising and Yahoo! News

BuzzFeed:

9 Harsh Political Realities Of Sharknado — 1. Sharknados are caused by global warming. — “Global warming IS the reason...” says a reporter in the film before being eaten live on camera. — 2. Sharknados are terrible for small business. — Multiple small business establishments were destroyed in the tragic film.

Discussion: Mediaite and The PJ Tatler