memeorandum: Alaska pot news guide: Marijuana becomes legal in Alaska (Molly Dischner/Associated Press)

11:45 PM ET, February 23, 2015

Top Items:

Kimberlee Kruesi / Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Idaho lawmaker asks if woman can swallow camera for gynecological exam before medical abortion — BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho lawmaker received a brief lesson on female anatomy after asking if a woman can swallow a small camera for doctors to conduct a remote gynecological exam.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Boing Boing, Spokesman.com, ThinkProgress, Raw Story, Mediaite, Associated Press and Shakesville

Kara Brown / Jezebel:
Male Politician Thinks that Your Vagina and Stomach are Connected

Discussion: FreakOutNation

The Hill:

McConnell moves to prevent Homeland Security shutdown — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took steps Monday to prevent a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security by splitting off legislation attacking President Obama's immigration actions from the funding fight.

Discussion: RedState and Politico

Politico:

Congress inches closer to cliff — For the fourth time, Democrats block a bill that seeks to reverse Obama's immigration order. — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to discuss the length of a short-term resolution to fund the Department of Homeland Security with GOP senators in a closed-door lunch Tuesday.

Discussion: Washington Post, ThinkProgress, New York Times, CNN, Bloomberg View and Daily Kos

Ashley Parker / New York Times:
Concerns Mount as Homeland Security Shutdown Looks Likely

Discussion: Firedoglake, NPR and Washington Monthly

Ewen MacAskill / Guardian:

Leaked cables show Netanyahu's Iran bomb claim contradicted by Mossad — Gulf between Israeli secret service and PM revealed in documents shared with the Guardian along with other secrets including CIA bids to contact Hamas — Binyamin Netanyahu's dramatic declaration to world leaders …

Discussion: New York Times, Hit & Run, Al Jazeera English, ThinkProgress and BuzzFeed

Associated Press:
Historic US-Iran nuclear deal could be taking shape

Discussion: Hot Air and Agence France-Presse

Ewen MacAskill / Guardian:
CIA attempted to contact Hamas despite official US ban, spy cables reveal

Discussion: Al Jazeera English and Mashable

Al Jazeera English:
The Spy Cables: A glimpse into the world of espionage

Discussion: Firedoglake, Guardian, Haaretz, Pamela Geller, Atlas Shrugs, Common Dreams, Gawker, ABC News, New York Magazine and Israel Matzav

Will Jordan / Al Jazeera English:
Mossad contradicted Netanyahu on Iran nuclear programme

Discussion: Common Dreams and The Times of Israel

David Wood / The Huffington Post:

VA Secretary Robert McDonald Falsely Claimed He Served In Special Forces — WASHINGTON — Robert McDonald, the secretary of veterans affairs, wrongly claimed in a videotaped comment earlier this year that he served in special operations forces, the most elite units in the armed forces …

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Times, The Daily Caller and Weekly Standard

ABC News:

VA Secretary Robert McDonald Apologizes for Misstating He Served in Special Forces … Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald apologized today for mistakenly saying in a videotaped exchange with a homeless man that he had served in the special forces, though his service was entirely with the 82nd Airborne Division.

Discussion: Mediaite and The Gateway Pundit

Amanda Marcotte / Slate:

Patricia Arquette's Feminism: Only for White Women — It's easy to laugh at the timid way that celebrities frequently wade into feminism, offering pat statements scripted by a team of public relations experts to be as nonoffensive as possible. But Patricia Arquette's performance …

Discussion: Salon, Truth Revolt, ThinkProgress, The Daily Caller, New York Magazine, Mashable and Bloomberg Business

Judd Legum / ThinkProgress:
Fox News Bashes Patricia Arquette For Advocating Wage Equality: ‘I Was Appalled’

Discussion: Salon, Daily Kos and Washington Post

Mollie Hemingway / The Federalist:
We Don't Have A Wage Gap Problem, But Hollywood And The White House Do

Discussion: Daily Signal, Hot Air, Slate, Fox News, Mediaite, The Daily Beast, US News, Truth Revolt, ABC News and The Gateway Pundit

Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig / The New Republic:
The Problem With Patricia Arquette's Oscar Speech

Discussion: Fusion, The Daily Beast, Washington Post, Guardian, The Atlantic Online, Hit & Run and USA Today

Charles C. W. Cooke / National Review:

The Media's Embarrassing Scott Walker Spectacle — The farcical game of the one-sided “gotcha” question — On Saturday afternoon, two of the Washington Post's crack political correspondents accosted Governor Scott Walker in the lobby of a JW Marriott hotel and asked him whether he believed that President Obama is “a Christian.”

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Federalist, BREITBART.COM, PBS NewsHour, Washington Examiner, If You Only News and Ed Driscoll

Cameron Joseph / The Hill:
Walker fundraises off ‘gotcha’ questions

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Robert Tracinski / The Federalist:
Scott Walker Is a Threat to the Existing Social Order

Discussion: NewsBusters, Rush Limbaugh, BuzzFeed, Ed Driscoll and Politico

Steve Schmadeke / Chicago Tribune:

Sex assault charges tied to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ movie — A University of Illinois at Chicago student leader was charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old female student in what Cook County prosecutors said Monday was part of a re-enactment of scenes from the film “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

Discussion: Jezebel, FOX6Now.com and The Gateway Pundit

Erica Demarest / DNAinfo Chicago:
Alleged Rapist Tells Police He Was Acting Out ‘50 Shades of Grey’

Discussion: Clash Daily

Adam B. Vary / BuzzFeed:

Glenn Greenwald Thought NPH's Snowden Oscars Joke Was “Stupid And Irresponsible” — The journalist had some strong words for the 87th Academy Awards' host, who said, “Edward Snowden couldn't be [there] for some treason.” — Dirk Wilutzky, Laura Poitras, and Glenn Greenwald …

Discussion: PandoDaily, The Daily Banter, Hit & Run, The PJ Tatler, Salon and The Huffington Post, more at Mediagazer »

Amy Davidson / New Yorker:
Why “Citizenfour” Deserved Its Oscar

Discussion: BillMoyers.com, FishbowlDC and Althouse

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Why the Bill O'Reilly charges aren't sticking — Fox News host Bill O'Reilly almost certainly exaggerated his experiences during the Falklands War and its aftermath in 1982, as several CBS News staffers who were with him at the time attest. He wasn't actually in a “war zone” or “combat situation …

Discussion: BillOReilly.com, Guardian, Raw Story, The Hugh Hewitt Show, The Last Tradition, FAIR Blog, Gawker, TVNewser, The Daily Banter, Talking Points Memo, Mashable, Lawyers, Guns & Money and CNNMoney

Yehuda Remer / Truth Revolt:

James O'Keefe: ‘I Am Afraid For My Life On This One’ — Conservative journalist filmmaker James O'Keefe on Saturday tweeted an ominous message to those who follow him and his influential work. — “We have a story we're going to release this coming week and I've never thought …

Discussion: FOX News Radio

Ross Ramsey / The Texas Tribune:

UT/TT Poll: In Texas, Walker Ties Cruz; Clinton Soaring … UT/TT Poll - February 2015 - Summary UT/TT Poll - February 2015 - Methodology — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has erased U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's strong lead among Texas Republicans in the volatile and still-developing race …

Discussion: Hot Air, Politico, OnPolitics, Talking Points Memo and Fox News

Benjamin Weiser / New York Times:

Palestine Groups Are Found Liable at Manhattan Terror Trial — The Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization were found liable on Monday by a jury in Manhattan for their role in knowingly supporting six terrorist attacks in Israel between 2002 and 2004 in which Americans were killed and injured.

Discussion: Reuters, Israellycool, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Israel Matzav, Pamela Geller, Atlas Shrugs and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Seven in 10 Americans Continue to View Israel Favorably

Discussion: Washington Post, Hot Air, Daily Signal, Politico, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Associated Press:

Lawmaker with lavish decor billed private planes, concerts — 2 photos — WASHINGTON (AP) — Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock, a rising Republican star already facing an ethics inquiry, has spent taxpayer and campaign funds on flights aboard private planes owned by some of his key donors, The Associated Press has found.

Discussion: Mediaite

Molly Dischner / Associated Press:

Alaska pot news guide: Marijuana becomes legal in Alaska — JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Questions to ponder as Alaska legalizes marijuana: — HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? — Alaskans voted 52-48 percent in November to legalize marijuana use by adults in non-public places.

Discussion: FOX News Radio

Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:

Comcast, Al Sharpton Hit With $20 Billion Racial Discrimination Lawsuit — The National Association of African-American Owned Media alleges that Sharpton and other advocates have been bought off. — Al Sharpton — Even though the FCC hasn't yet ruled on the proposed merger between Comcast …

Discussion: Atlanta Daily World, Rush Limbaugh, Hot Air, American Spectator, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Allen West Republic

The Advocate:

Baton Rouge man returning home to check on kids, accidentally shoots, kills 13-year-old baby-sitter — A Baton Rouge man was working on his handgun Saturday night when it accidentally discharged, killing a 13-year-old boy who was baby-sitting his kids. — The incident began …

Discussion: FreakOutNation, Talking Points Memo and Raw Story