memeorandum: Vacancies and Partisan Fighting Put Labor Relations Agency in Legal Limbo (New York Times)

2:10 PM ET, July 16, 2013

Top Items:

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

7 Mind Blowing Moments From Zimmerman Juror B37′s First Interview — On Monday night, one of the jurors in the George Zimmerman trial offered shocking insight into how the group of six women reached its decision to acquit the defendant of all charges in the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

Discussion: NY Daily News, The Moderate Voice, National Review, The Hinterland Gazette, The Raw Story, Taylor Marsh, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Hit & Run, The Dish and skippy the bush kangaroo

David D. / UPROXX:

Here's The Story Of The Twitter Hero Who Single-Handedly Killed Zimmerman Juror B37′s Book Deal — A lot has been made about the controversial Zimmerman Trial Juror B37. First she appeared on Anderson Cooper and made comments expressing sympathy and support for Zimmerman.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Gawker, Mediaite, Hot Air, Above the Law, American Live Wire, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Agonist, BuzzFeed, Shakesville and GalleyCat

Hollywood Reporter:

Stevie Wonder Boycotting Florida Following Zimmerman Verdict (Video) — The singer refuses to perform in the state until its Stand Your Ground law is “abolished.” — Stevie Wonder won't be performing in Florida anytime soon. — In the wake of the George Zimmerman acquittal …

Discussion: Politico, The Hinterland Gazette, Weasel Zippers, Pat Dollard, protein wisdom and The Reliable Source

Richard Cohen / Washington Post:

Racism vs. reality — I don't like what George Zimmerman did, and I hate that Trayvon Martin is dead. But I also can understand why Zimmerman was suspicious and why he thought Martin was wearing a uniform we all recognize. I don't know whether Zimmerman is a racist.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Yahoo! News, Shakesville, Lawyers, Guns & Money, TheBlaze.com and The Daily Beast

William Saletan / Slate:

You Are Not Trayvon Martin — His death wasn't about race, guns, or your pet issue. It was about misjudgment and overreaction—exactly what we're doing now to the verdict. — Demonstrators hold signs in downtown Miami a day after the verdict to the George Zimmerman murder trial

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Questions and Observations, PJ Media, The Dish, Hot Air, Balloon Juice, The Week, BizPac Review, Instapundit, americanthinker.com, Mediaite, Change of Subject, Weasel Zippers, National Review, The Raw Story and the daily howler

Dana Ford / CNN:

Juror: ‘No doubt’ that Zimmerman feared for his life — (CNN) — One of the jurors who acquitted George Zimmerman said she had “no doubt” he feared for his life in the final moments of his struggle with Trayvon Martin, and that was the definitive factor in the verdict.

Discussion: UPROXX, BizPac Review, Scared Monkeys, GalleyCat, Piers Morgan, Gawker, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Jezebel and Balloon Juice

Matt Wilstein / Mediaite:

Rachel Jeantel Explains The Difference Between ‘N*gga’ And ‘N*gger’ To Piers Morgan — In the third part of Piers Morgan's extensive, exclusive interview with Trayvon Martin's friend Rachel Jeantel about her testimony in the George Zimmerman trial, the host asked his guest if there was anything she wished she'd said on the stand.

Discussion: RealClearPolitics Video Log, Scared Monkeys, americanthinker.com, BizPac Review and The Gateway Pundit

Ekow N. Yankah / New York Times:

The Truth About Trayvon — THE Trayvon Martin verdict is frustrating, fracturing, angering and predictable. More than anything, for many of us, it is exhausting. Exhausting because nothing could bring back our lost child, exhausting because the verdict, which should have felt shocking …

Discussion: the daily howler

Drudge Report:
JEANTEL WARNED ZIMMERMAN COULD BE GAY RAPIST TRAYVON: NOT THAT KIND OF WAY

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, RealClearPolitics Video Log, The PJ Tatler and Jammie Wearing Fools

BuzzFeed:
Zimmerman Juror Decides Not To Write Book About Trial

Discussion: ThinkProgress, addictinginfo.org, PolicyMic, Hollywood Reporter, Jezebel, Towleroad News #gay, Taylor Marsh, The Dish, TVNewser, The Hinterland Gazette, Anderson Cooper 360, Gawker, The Raw Story, Mediaite, TheBlaze.com and TalkLeft

The Atlantic Online:
How Stand Your Ground Relates To George Zimmerman

Discussion: Hit & Run, PolicyMic, The Dish, Gawker and Colorlines

Andrew Kirell / Mediaite:
Nancy Grace: George Zimmerman Going Back To Life Of ‘Driving Through Taco Bell,’ Eating ‘Churros’

Discussion: BREITBART.COM, The PJ Tatler, NewsBusters and Ed Driscoll

Washington Post:
Civil rights charges against Zimmerman would be difficult, Justice officials say

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, The Blotter, msnbc.com, Shakesville, Hot Air, Power Line, National Review and The Smoking Gun

Mike Lillis / The Hill:
House Dem calls for Judiciary Committee hearings on Trayvon Martin case

Discussion: The Other McCain, americanthinker.com, American Spectator and Salon

Patrick Goodenough / CNSNews:
Jesse Jackson Urges U.N. Human Rights Council to Investigate Trayvon Martin Shooting

Discussion: National Review and Weasel Zippers

Rev. Al Sharpton / The Huffington Post:
We Lost the Battle, But the War's Far From Over

Discussion: TheBlaze.com

Lester Chambers / KTVU-TV:
Legendary musician attacked after dedicating song to Trayvon Martin

Discussion: PolicyMic, ThinkProgress, Examiner and addictinginfo.org

Eugene Robinson / Washington Post:
Black boys denied the right to be young

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Althouse and msnbc.com

Sarah Bloomquist / WPVI-TV:
‘Kill Zimmerman’ painted on business before arson in Downingtown

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The PJ Tatler

Graham Winch / HLNtv.com:
Prosecutor to HLN: Zimmerman is a ‘murderer’

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, National Review and TalkLeft

Washington Post:

Senate reaches tentative deal to avert filibuster showdown — Senators reached a tentative deal Tuesday on averting a constitutional showdown over confirming President Obama's agency nominations. — “We may have a way forward on this, I feel fairly confident,” Majority Leader Harry M. Reid …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Reuters, Post Politics, The Fix, New Republic, Wonkblog, Crooks and Liars, Hot Air and New York Times

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:

Reid Rejects McConnell's Offer To Drop His Nuclear Threat — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) late Monday rejected an offer by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to permit seven pending presidential nominees to come to a vote if Reid promises not to weaken the filibuster by a simple majority vote.

Discussion: Politico, Washington Monthly, The Raw Story, Taylor Marsh and Daily Kos

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:

Nuclear Option Averted: Senators Strike Tentative Deal To Confirm Nominees Without Reforming Filibuster — Senate leaders struck a tentative deal in the 11th hour to confirm seven presidential nominees to executive positions without the use of the nuclear option.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and The Volokh Conspiracy

Politico:

Senate reaches tentative deal on nuclear option — Senators have reached a tentative deal to avert the “nuclear option” on filibuster rules. — Under the proposal, which the White House has not yet agreed to, President Barack Obama would pull two nominees to the National Labor Relations Board …

Discussion: CNN, Roll Call, Washington Post, Outside the Beltway, Heritage Action for America, Daily Kos and The Heritage Foundation

New York Times:
A Step to Majority Rule in the Senate

Discussion: Yahoo! News, The Plum Line, Hullabaloo, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Booman Tribune, New Republic, Roll Call and Prairie Weather

David Weigel / Slate: For the Umpteenth Time, Senate Caves on Filibuster Reform With Good Deal for Majority Party

Paul Kane / Post Politics:
Reid announces tentative deal to avert rules showdown

Discussion: Yahoo! News and The Fix

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:
Republicans Cave: Seven Top Government Jobs Will Be Filled

Discussion: CNN

Washington Times:

EXCLUSIVE: Feds admit improper scrutiny of candidate, donor tax records — Justice has declined to prosecute any of the cases — The Treasury Department has admitted for the first time that confidential tax records of several political candidates and campaign donors were improperly scrutinized …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Betsy's Page, Hot Air, americanthinker.com, National Republican … and Washington Free Beacon

Bernie Becker / The Hill:
IRS accused of disclosing tax records of political candidates, donors

Discussion: American Spectator

Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:

Rand Paul, Ted Cruz join Kirsten Gillibrand push on military sexual assault — Sens. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have joined an upstart effort to remove the chain of command from military sexual assault cases, POLITICO has learned. — The tea party favorites give the bill's lead sponsor …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Yahoo! News, The Daily Caller, CNN, The Raw Story, First Read, Taylor Marsh, Taegan Goddard's …, msnbc.com and The Reaction

David Brooks / New York Times:

Men on the Threshold — As every discerning person knows, “The Searchers” is the greatest movie ever made. It is loosely based on the real story of Cynthia Ann Parker, who was abducted from her East Texas home in 1836 when she was 9 years old by Comanche raiders, who then raised her and kept her for 24 years.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money and Shakesville

Lauren / CBS Los Angeles:

CBS2/KCAL9 Reporter, Photographer Attacked During Crenshaw Protests — LEIMERT PARK (CBSLA.com) — A CBS2/KCAL9 photographer and reporter were assaulted Monday night while covering a George Zimmerman protest. — “While covering the disturbances in the Crenshaw District Monday night …

Discussion: Twitchy, Atlas Shrugs, Los Angeles Times, The Gateway Pundit and BuzzFeed

Los Angeles Times:
Zimmerman verdict: Protesters storm Wal-Mart in Crenshaw area

Discussion: Pew Research Center …, americanthinker.com and msnbc.com

Peter Baker / New York Times:

In Second Term, Obama Is Seen as Using ‘Hidden Hand’ Approach — WASHINGTON — In the nearly two weeks since Egypt's military seized power, President Obama has promoted a better federal bureaucracy, given a medal to George Lucas of “Star Wars” fame and had former President George Bush to the White House for lunch.

Discussion: The Monkey Cage, Weekly Standard, Althouse, TheBlaze.com and National Review

Politico:

PPP finds McAuliffe up by 4 in Va.—NRCC renews Obamacare delay attacks—Virginia Dems hit Cuccinelli on Medicare in new TV ad—DSCC goes after McConnell on gridlock—Madigan won't run for Ill. governor — EXCLUSIVE—PPP FINDS MCAULIFFE LEADING IN VIRGINIA: A new Virginia survey from Public Policy Polling …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Taegan Goddard's …, Ballot Box and The Hill