memeorandum: RUSSIAN SECURITY FORCES ATTACK PUSSY RIOT MEMBERS (Associated Press)

5:00 PM ET, February 19, 2014

Top Items:

Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:

Scott Walker, eyeing 2016, faces fallout from probes as ex-aide's e-mails are released — MILWAUKEE — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who has been eyeing a 2016 presidential run since his battles with labor unions made him a Republican star, is in the midst of dealing with the fallout …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, Post Politics, FOX6Now.com, Mediaite, BillMoyers.com, Althouse and The Reaction

Patrick Marley / JSOnline:

Unsealed email ties Scott Walker to secret email system — By Patrick Marley, Daniel Bice and Bill Glauber of the Journal Sentinel — Madison — Included in more than 27,000 emails unsealed Wednesday is one that for the first time directly ties Gov. Scott Walker to a secret email system used …

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Talking Points Memo, Politico, New York Times and John Doe Walker

Seni Tienabeso / ABC News:

Juror in ‘Loud Music’ Trial Wanted Murder Conviction … A juror in the controversial Florida “loud music” trial says there was no chance from the start of a murder conviction in the shooting of an unarmed teen at a gas station because several jurors were convinced Michael Dunn acted in self-defense.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Guardian, ThinkProgress, Hinterland Gazette and DamianPenny.com

Roger Simon / Politico:

Who are the real thugs? — Let's play a game. It's called: “Who's the Thug?” — It's the day after Thanksgiving 2012, and four teenagers are sitting in a Dodge Durango outside a convenience store in Jacksonville, Fla. — The Durango is red, which is unimportant. The teenagers are black, which is important.

Kathy Lally / Washington Post:

Whip-wielding Russian Cossacks attack Pussy Riot members near Sochi Olympics — SOCHI, Russia — Members of the performance-art group Pussy Riot were attacked on a public plaza Wednesday by Cossacks brandishing whips and discharging pepper spray, a day after police picked them up and held them for nearly four hours without charges.

Discussion: Mediaite and Towleroad News #gay

Associated Press:

RUSSIAN SECURITY FORCES ATTACK PUSSY RIOT MEMBERS — You are here — Home » Sochi » Russian security forces attack Pussy Riot members — SOCHI, Russia (AP) — Cossack militia attacked the Pussy Riot punk group with horsewhips on Wednesday as the artists …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, BuzzFeed, Booman Tribune, Mashable and The Other McCain

Margaret Talbot / New Yorker:

READING THE NUMBERS — Last week's report about the declining abortion rate in the United States was potentially good news for everyone, especially, one would think, for right-to-life groups. Most of them, though, weren't cheering. A statement from Americans United for Life called the report …

Discussion: Liberal Values and Booman Tribune

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: Early-Term Abortions and the Anti-Choicers

Christopher Aluka Berry / Reuters:

VW workers may block southern U.S. deals if no unions: labor chief — (Reuters) - Volkswagen's top labor representative threatened on Wednesday to try to block further investments by the German carmaker in the southern United States if its workers there are not unionized.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Washington Free Beacon

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:

The Endless Third-Party Fantasy — Since third-party fantasies reemerge every time there is evidence Americans hold their elected officials in minimum high regard, Brendan Nyhan provides a public service with a compendium of “here comes a third party!” predictions dating back to 2005.

Discussion: Right Turn, Yahoo! News and Politico

The City / thecitywire.com:

Poll: Cotton gains edge over Pryor, Ross and Hutchinson remain tied — A recent poll shows U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Dardanelle, gaining ground in his bid to unseat Democrat U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor. The poll results also show the Arkansas' governors race to be tied up, and U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Taegan Goddard's … and Washington Free Beacon

Peggy Noonan's Blog:

Our Decadent Elites — Watching Season 2 of “House of Cards.” Not to be a scold or humorless, but do Washington politicians understand how they make themselves look when they embrace the show and become part of its promotion by spouting its famous lines? Congressmen only work three days a week.

Discussion: The Raw Story, PJ Lifestyle, No More Mister Nice Blog and Ed Driscoll

Frank Newport / Gallup:

More Americans Now View Afghanistan War as a Mistake — Republicans most likely to say the war was not a mistake — PRINCETON, NJ — For the first time since the U.S. initially became involved in Afghanistan in 2001, Americans are as likely to say U.S. military involvement there was a mistake as to say it was not.

Discussion: American Prospect, Liberaland, Firedoglake, Politico and Hot Air

New York Times:

Ukraine Puts ‘Extremists’ on Notice After Deadly Clashes — KIEV, Ukraine — The security authorities in Ukraine offered the first indication on Wednesday that the deadly political violence afflicting Kiev had spread far beyond the city limits, announcing a crackdown on what the Interior Ministry called …

Discussion: BBC, Hit & Run, CNN, Mashable, The Daily Beast, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Lawfare, The Jawa Report, The Agonist and Mediaite

Washington Post:

Homeland Security is seeking a national license plate tracking system — The Department of Homeland Security wants a private company to provide a national license-plate tracking system that would give the agency access to vast amounts of information from commercial and law enforcement tag readers …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Hit & Run, Hot Air, The Week, Consumerist, Hullabaloo, Fox News, Shakesville and The PJ Tatler

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:

Iowa Newspaper Drops Brent Bozell's Column, Nobody Complains — Nobody seemed to mind when an Iowa newspaper dropped Brent Bozell's syndicated column from its pages last weekend. — The Quad-City Times announced Saturday that it will no longer run the column after it was revealed …

Discussion: Quad City Times and The Raw Story

Lisa O'Carroll / Guardian:

Blair advised Brooks on phone-hacking scandal, court hears — Former prime minister suggested setting up ‘Hutton style’ inquiry, according to email from former News International chief — Read Rebekah Brooks's email to James Murdoch in full (PDF) — Tony Blair advised Rebekah Brooks to launch a …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Dish, The Daily Banter, Mediaite and The Awl, more at Mediagazer »

Andrew Cohen / The Atlantic Online:

Another Chance for the Justices to Say No to Prosecutorial Misconduct — Virginia prosecutors hid exculpatory evidence and defied a federal judge in a death-penalty case. Will the Supreme Court let them get away with it? — Justice Sonia Sotomayor is one of only two* current members …

Discussion: Hullabaloo

KFDM-TV:

Candidate For Orange County GOP Chairman Arrested On Assault Charge After Dispute At Polling Place — ORANGE COUNTY - A candidate for Orange County GOP Chairman was arrested Tuesday and released from jail on a $1,000 personal recognizance bond after he was charged with assaulting a man at an early voting location.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Raw Story and Mediaite

Chicago Tribune:

The IRS targets political speech again — Discouraging debate and curbing information … The Internal Revenue Service is used to being universally disliked every April 15. But this year, the widespread denunciations have started early, and for good reason.

Discussion: The Hugh Hewitt Show and CANNONFIRE

Brian Maffly / Salt Lake Tribune:

Utah lawmaker: Our atmosphere needs more carbon dioxide — Air quality » Bill would exempt CO2 and other “natural” gases from regulation. — | The Salt Lake Tribune — Arguing that we need more carbon dioxide, not less, in the atmosphere, Rep. Jerry Anderson, R-Price …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Daily Kos and Politico

Mariano Castillo / CNN:

Venezuelan opposition leader Lopez due in court after surrendering — iReport: Have you witnessed the protests in Venezuela? Share your experiences, but please stay safe. — (CNN) — Facing the largest anti-government protests in his 11 months in power, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro appears ready …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Mediaite, Firedoglake, US Department of State, Reuters, Washington Post, Hot Air, cokerdemdepriest and National Review

Emily DePrang / The Texas Observer:

Dem Candidate for Harris County DA Says Domestic Violence is ‘Overrated’ — Lloyd Oliver can't convince me that Harris County should prosecute fewer domestic violence cases, and it is driving him nuts. — “Family violence is so, so overrated,” he says, sitting across from me at a Starbucks.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and The Huffington Post

Peter Hamby / CNN:

Hillary Clinton surfaces as issue in Republican Senate race — Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) - Each one of Lindsey Graham's five underfunded Republican primary opponents have been struggling to gain traction in the race and emerge as the South Carolina senator's leading conservative opponent.

Discussion: Politico

Alexander Burns / Politico:

Mississippi 2014 Senate election: Anatomy of a takedown — Part of an occasional series on the hottest races of the 2014 midterm election. — OXFORD, Miss. — As Sen. Thad Cochran faces a potentially career-ending primary challenge, his strategy for victory is straightforward …

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Joshua Miller / The Boston Globe:

Scott Brown no longer under contract with Fox News — Ex-senator mum on whether he will run in N.H. — Former US senator Scott Brown, a frequent presence on Fox News, is no longer under contract with the widely watched cable station, a development sure to fan flames of speculation about his potential US Senate bid in New Hampshire.

Discussion: Post Politics, Talking Points Memo, Politico, Erik Wemple, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, ABC News and TheBlaze.com

NESTLÉ® USA:

Nestlé USA Announces Voluntary Recall of HOT POCKETS® brand Philly Steak and Cheese — Nestlé USA's Prepared Foods Division today announced the voluntary recall of HOT POCKETS® brand Philly Steak and Cheese in three different pack sizes and HOT POCKETS® brand Croissant …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, CNN, ThinkProgress, New Urban Legends, CBS Detroit, Bangor Daily News, Consumerist and CBS Miami

Kirsten Powers / USA Today:

Jim Crow laws for gays and lesbians? Column — Kansas legislation could make discrimination easy. — What's the matter with Kansas? A bill protecting the religious freedom of businesses and individuals to refuse services to same-sex couples passed the state House of Representatives last week.

Discussion: National Review, The Dish, The Heritage Foundation, Equality Matters, LGBTQ Nation and RedState

Michael S. Rosenwald / Washington Post:

‘We need the iPhone of guns’: Will smart guns transform the gun industry? — Video: Not long ago, smart guns — personalized weapons that only fired for authorized users — were seen only in the movies. Today, after millions of dollars and more than 10 years of research, there are finally smart guns for the public.

Discussion: Hot Air and The Daily Caller