memeorandum: NFL to adopt 15-yard penalty for use of racial slur? (Jason La Canfora/CBSSports.com …)

11:35 AM ET, February 23, 2014

Top Items:

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

Christie Puts the Gloves On — PORT MONMOUTH, N.J. — THERE'S nothing more amusing than a bully forced to be on his best behavior. — Chris Christie may be cutting back on his butter, but it wouldn't melt in his mouth at a town hall here Thursday. — For the first time since …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, No More Mister Nice Blog and ABC News

Associated Press:

Governors: Legalized Pot Buzz Just Smoke — All the buzz at the National Governors Association meeting over legalizing pot, some say, is just smoke. — Nearly three months after Colorado began selling recreational marijuana, the nation's governors are taking a cautious approach to loosening …

Discussion: Politico and CNN

Ashley Killough / CNN:

Who's ruling out a 2016 bid? — (CNN) - On CNN's “State of the Union,” four governors were asked Sunday whether they want to rule out a presidential bid. — Republican Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, considered a dark horse for the 2016 presidential race, didn't directly answer the question.

Discussion: Politico

Robert Costa / Post Politics:

Romney to fundraise with Christie in Boston — Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will fundraise alongside New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Thursday in Boston. — The joint appearance is a signal by Romney to the Republican establishment that he remains an ally …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Politico

Kirsten Powers / The Daily Beast:

Conservative Christians Selectively Apply Biblical Teachings in the Same-Sex Marriage Debate — What conservative Christians miss in the religious liberties debate swirling around same-sex marriage. — Conservative Christian groups in Arizona cheered the passage Thursday of legislation …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

New York Times:

Archrival Is Freed as Ukraine Leader Flees — KIEV, Ukraine — Abandoned by his own guards and reviled across the Ukrainian capital but still determined to recover his shredded authority, President Viktor F. Yanukovych fled Kiev on Saturday to denounce what he called a violent coup …

Discussion: BBC, Wall Street Journal, CANNONFIRE, Israel Matzav, Taylor Marsh, kyivpost.com, The Caucus, The Verge, Business Insider, Reuters, Towleroad News #gay, Forbes, The Political Carnival, rubber hose, The Lede, UPROXX and The Week

Mark Mardell / BBC:
Ukraine crisis: President's Kiev offices abandoned

Discussion: The Other McCain, Grim's Hall, The Gateway Pundit and kyivpost.com

Timothy Snyder / New York Review of Books:
Fascism, Russia, and Ukraine

Discussion: National Review, Ed Driscoll and The PJ Tatler

New York Times:

What the Stimulus Accomplished — Of all the myths and falsehoods that Republicans have spread about President Obama, the most pernicious and long-lasting is that the $832 billion stimulus package did not work. Since 2009, Republican lawmakers have inextricably linked the words “failed” …

Discussion: Daily Kos and PoliticusUSA

Jason La Canfora / CBSSports.com Sports News …:

NFL to adopt 15-yard penalty for use of racial slur? — John Wooten, head of the Fritz Pollard Alliance that monitors diversity in the NFL, said he expects the league's competition committee to enact a rule at the owner's meeting next month making it an automatic 15-yard penalty if a player uses …

ESPN:

NFL to penalize use of racial slur — The head of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which monitors diversity in the NFL, expects the league to institute a rule where players would be penalized 15 yards for using the N-word on the field. — John Wooten, the head of the Fritz Pollard Alliance …

Discussion: Hinterland Gazette and Talking Points Memo

Tim Carpenter / Topeka Capital-Journal:

Senate candidate Milton Wolf's Facebook posts questioned — Wolf challenging Roberts for Senate

Discussion: Hot Air and Taegan Goddard's …

CNN:

Sinaloa cartel chief ‘Chapo’ Guzman arrested — (CNN) — Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the boss of one of Mexico's most powerful drug trafficking operations, was arrested in Mexico, a U.S. official told CNN Saturday. — The official said Guzman, accompanied by a female …

Discussion: New York Times, The Week, Associated Press, UPROXX, Scared Monkeys and TalkLeft

Joe Sutton / CNN:

American student studying abroad found dead in Rome railroad tunnel — (CNN) — A U.S. student who went missing while studying abroad in Italy was found dead inside a railroad tunnel in central Rome, police there said Saturday. — Investigators are looking into the death of John Durkin …

Discussion: Scared Monkeys and Fox News Insider