memeorandum: Harry Reid just told Asian Americans they're not ‘smarter than anybody else.’ He does stuff like this a lot. (Aaron Blake/Washington Post)

3:35 PM ET, August 22, 2014

Top Items:

Zeke J Miller / TIME:

Harry Reid's Joke to Asians: You're Not Smarter Than Everyone Else — “One problem that I've had today is keeping my Wongs straight” — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid drew laughter from an Asian audience Thursday with a pair of Asian-themed jokes. — “I don't think you're smarter …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, Washington Free Beacon, Business Insider, Gawker, TPNN, The Gateway Pundit and National Review

Laura Myers / Las Vegas Review-Journal:

Asian chamber spurns Reid, endorses Hutchison — U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., speaks during the Asian Chamber of Commerce's monthly lunch at the Gold Coast casino-hotel in Las Vegas Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014. (Erik Verduzco/Las vegas Review-Journal) — U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, D-Queens …

Discussion: Hit & Run, Mediaite and Pat Dollard

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:

Reid apologizes for Asian jokes — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Friday issued an apology for cracking two Asian-themed jokes during a speech Thursday night at the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce. — “My comments were in extremely poor taste and I apologize.

Discussion: OnPolitics and Mediaite

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Harry Reid just told Asian Americans they're not ‘smarter than anybody else.’ He does stuff like this a lot.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The PJ Tatler and PUNDITGUY

Burgess Everett / Politico: Harry Reid apologizes to Asians over ‘Wong’ comment

CNN: Reid cracks Asian jokes, apologizes

Eli Lake / The Daily Beast:

Obama vs. ISIS: This Time It's Personal — When ISIS beheaded an American journalist, it meant to intimidate—and provoke—the United States. It should be careful what it wishes for. The gloves just came off. — The Obama administration signaled Thursday that the United States has begun …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Los Angeles Times

Kristina Wong / The Hill:

Defense secretary: ISIS threat 'beyond anything we've seen' — The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is beyond “just a terrorist group” and poses a greater threat than Al Qaeda, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday. — “This is beyond anything that we've seen,” he said during a briefing …

Discussion: NewsBusters blogs, Washington Free Beacon, Hot Air, TPNN and Taylor Marsh

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Missouri Dem: ‘Rand Paul was right’

Discussion: Fox News

Spencer Ackerman / Guardian:
Apocalyptic Isis beyond anything we've seen, say US defence chiefs

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Washington Free Beacon and The Dish

Washington Post:

Washington Post editorials will no longer use ‘Redskins’ for the local NFL team — THIS PAGE has for many years urged the local football team to change its name. The term “Redskins,” we wrote in 1992, “is really pretty offensive.” The team owner then, Jack Kent Cooke, disagreed, and the owner now, Daniel M. Snyder, disagrees, too.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, Gawker, National Review, Mediaite, American Spectator, FishbowlDC, Mashable, Poynter and The Daily Banter

Annys Shin / Washington Post:

Washington Post editorial board stops using the word ‘Redskins’ — The Washington Post editorial board said Friday it will stop using the word “Redskins” when referring to Washington's football team, joining a growing list of other commentators who have renounced the term because they believe it disparages Native Americans.

Discussion: Politico, CBS DC and USA Today

Don Emmert / GlobalPost:

Full text of the last email the Islamic State sent to the Foley family — The last time James Foley's parents heard from their son's captors was on Aug. 12. They received this message. — BOSTON, Mass. — American journalist James Foley was murdered by Islamic State militants …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Guardian, CNN, The Huffington Post, Business Insider, Politico, Hot Air, Mashable, Daily Mail, Reuters, Clash Daily, Al Jazeera America, RT, New York Times, TalkLeft, The Other McCain and RedState

Adam Taylor / Washington Post:
The logic of not paying ransoms

Discussion: Liberaland, New York Times, Guardian, Clash Daily, Balkinization, Bloomberg View, abc7.com and Conservatives4Palin

Charles Krauthammer / National Review:
Time to Stop ISIS — The Islamic State has grown because it seemed unstoppable.

Discussion: VodkaPundit

James Warren / NY Daily News:

Obama lands in the rough among critics over second day of golf after James Foley was executed by ISIS — The President, who is vacationing in Massachusetts, took to the links for a second straight day. Obama was slammed for picking up a putter just minutes after delivering a somber speech about the death of journalist James Foley.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Taegan Goddard's … and National Review

New York Times:
A Terrorist Horror, Then Golf: Incongruity Fuels Obama Critics

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, VodkaPundit, BREITBART.COM, The Daily Banter, Gawker, Truth Revolt, Power Line, Daily Mail and The PJ Tatler

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:

Breaking: Obama Admin Offers Hobby Lobby Workaround On Birth Control — The Obama administration rolled out a plan on Friday to protect access to copay-free birth control for women in response to the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby ruling. — A new “proposed rule” by the Department of Health …

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Glenn Thrush / Politico:

How Al Sharpton became Obama's man on race — How Al Sharpton became Obama's go-to man on race. — A few days after 18-year-old Mike Brown was gunned down in Ferguson, Missouri, White House officials enlisted an unusual source for on-the-ground intelligence amid the chaos and tear gas …

Discussion: The Federalist and Booman Tribune

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:
Steve King Goes Off About Ferguson And The Congressional Black Caucus

Discussion: Shakesville, Mediaite and Washington Monthly

Ryanschuessler / Ryan L. Schuessler:

I will not be returning to Ferguson — I had been on the ground helping Al Jazeera America** cover the protests and unrest in Ferguson, Mo., since this all started last week. After what I saw last night, I will not be returning. The behavior and number of journalists there is so appalling …

Discussion: RedState, Guardian, The Daily Caller, Gawker, Mediaite and Hot Air, more at Mediagazer »

Michael R. Gordon / New York Times:

Russia Moves Artillery Units Into Ukraine, NATO Says — WASHINGTON — The Russian military has moved artillery units manned by Russian personnel inside Ukrainian territory in recent days and is using them to fire at Ukrainian forces, NATO officials said on Friday.

Discussion: Guardian, Hit & Run, Hot Air, Balloon Juice and The Daily Caller

Bloomberg:
Russian Aid Convoy Without Consent Deemed Invasion by Ukraine

Discussion: Washington Post, Weekly Standard, Hot Air and Bloomberg View

LeighAnne Manwarren / Daily Oklahoman:

More victims are possible in Oklahoma City police sex crime case — Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw was arrested about 3 p.m. Thursday. He is accused of sexually assaulting at least six women while on patrol in the Springlake division. — An Oklahoma City police officer …

Discussion: Shakesville, KFOR-TV, CBS Detroit and The Raw Story

David Sirota / Salon:

The U.S. government's creeping war on journalists — A new poll reveals that three quarters of reporters agree the public isn't getting the information it needs — As states move to hide details of government deals with Wall Street, and as politicians come up with new arguments to defend secrecy …

Discussion: Hullabaloo

BooMan / Booman Tribune:

A Gun Distinction Without a Difference — It seems to be hugely important to gun rights supporters that people understand the difference between fully automatic and semiautomatic weapons. And it appears to greatly irritate them when they hear people fail to accurately distinguish between the two.

Discussion: Eschaton