memeorandum: ‘Monumental’ gay rights, religious liberties bills pass the Utah State Legislature (Ben Winslow/fox13now.com)

8:55 AM ET, March 12, 2015

Top Items:

Paul Waldman / The Week:

The media already bungled Hillary's ‘emailgate’ — Hillary Clinton found herself in a familiar place on Tuesday: amid a gaggle of excited reporters eagerly shouting questions at her about a matter they thought was of the highest importance and she thought was absurdly trivial.

Discussion: Daily Kos, Washington Monthly, Horizons and prospect.org/blogs …

Washington Post:

Some top Democrats are alarmed about Clinton's readiness for a campaign — Senior Democrats are increasingly worried that Hillary Rodham Clinton is not ready to run for president, fearing that the clumsy and insular handling of the nine-day fracas over her private e-mails was a warning sign …

Discussion: The Federalist, Betsy's Page, Hot Air, Liberal Values, National Journal, Weekly Standard, CANNONFIRE and Washington Times

Ben Kamisar / The Hill:

Hillary says ‘personal’ messages were deleted from email account — The political storm over Hillary Clinton's use of a private email account intensified Tuesday as she revealed that more than 30,000 “personal” messages have been erased from the server in her home.

Discussion: The Daily Banter, Washington Times and Politico

New York Times:

Democrats See No Choice but Hillary Clinton in 2016 — They shrug off questions about Hillary Rodham Clinton's email habits. They roll with the attacks on her family's foundation, the big checks from foreign governments, the torpid response of her not-yet-campaign.

Discussion: Bloomberg View, Washington Post and Weekly Standard

David Von Drehle / TIME:

The Clinton Way … Photograph by Spencer Platt-Getty Images

Discussion: Business Insider

Politico: A Hillary Clinton feeding frenzy in the GOP House

Kenneth P. Vogel / Politico:
Taxpayer tab for Clinton Inc.: $16 million

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, New York Magazine, Business Insider, The Hill and Techdirt

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:
Let's Give 'Em Something To Talk About

Discussion: Washington Post and No More Mister Nice Blog

Patrick Healy / New York Times:
Early in 2016 Race, Clinton's Toughest Foe Appears to Be the News Media

Discussion: RedState, Washington Post, US News and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »

Big Tent Democrat / TalkLeft:
eGhazi: Why Democrats and Hillary Clinton Need A Contested Primary

Discussion: CANNONFIRE, Daily Kos, NBC News and BuzzFeed

Brent Budowsky / The Hill:

GOP, Bibi hurt Israel, USA — While the recalcitrant rightist government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has left Israel more isolated in the world than at any time since 1948, Bibi's ill-advised recent speech to a joint session of Congress could reduce a historically nonpartisan …

Discussion: Politico

New York Times:

Republican Idiocy on Iran — After helping to ignite a firestorm over a possible nuclear agreement with Iran, Senator John McCain, a former Republican presidential candidate, is now sort of acknowledging his error. “Maybe that wasn't exactly the best way to do that,” he said on Fox News on Tuesday.

Discussion: CNN, Prairie Weather, The Week and Philly.com

New York Times:

Iran's Top Leader: GOP Letter Points to US ‘Disintegration’ — TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's supreme leader said Thursday that a letter from Republican lawmakers warning that any nuclear deal could be scrapped by the next U.S. president is a sign of “disintegration” in Washington.

Discussion: Political Wire and Mediaite

Kristina Wong / The Hill:
Kerry: ‘Utter disbelief’ at Iran letter

Discussion: American Spectator and Instapundit

Steve Benen / msnbc.com:
Kerry teaches Rubio the basics about the Middle East

Discussion: First Draft, ThinkProgress and Hullabaloo

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Hate mail: Senators seek to sabotage Obama's foreign policy

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, Concord Monitor, Politico, Baltimore Sun, Arizona Republic, Salt Lake Tribune, US News, White House.gov Blog, USA Today, Daily Kos and Courier-Journal

Susan Weich / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Two police officers are shot in Ferguson — FERGUSON • Two police officers were hit by gunfire early Thursday outside the Ferguson police department. — The shots were fired as police were confronting protesters who had gathered outside the police station.

Discussion: Politico, Los Angeles Times, Hot Air, Mediaite, Common Dreams, News One, Daily Kos, The Week and The Other McCain

Kate Munsch / Reuters:

Two police officers shot in Ferguson, Missouri, after chief quits — (Reuters) - Two police officers were shot during a protest outside Ferguson, Missouri, police headquarters early on Thursday, police said, just hours after the city's police chief quit following a damning U.S. Justice Department report into his force.

Discussion: PUNDIT PRESS

Carol D. Leonnig / Washington Post:

Secret Service agents investigated for driving car into White House barrier — The administration is investigating allegations that two senior Secret Service agents, including a top member of President Obama's protective detail, drove a government car into White House security barricades …

Discussion: New York Times, Politico, New York Magazine, Mediaite, Business Insider, NBC News, Fox News, NPR, Liberaland, Talking Points Memo and Balloon Juice

Jordan Fabian / The Hill: Secret Service probed for drunk-driving incident, report says

WTKR-TV:

Portsmouth Sheriff furious with judges after being told to remove American flag display from courthouse … Portsmouth, Va. - Portsmouth Sheriff Bill Watson says he is furious after a group of judges told him to take down an American flag display. — Sheriff Watson said his agency got …

Discussion: BizPac Review, The Gateway Pundit, CBS DC, The Daily Caller, Moe Lane, FOX2now.com and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Benjamin Hardy / ArkansasTimes:

Casting out demons: why Justin Harris got rid of kids he applied pressure to adopt — Rep. Justin Harris blames DHS for the fallout related to his adoption of three young girls, but sources familiar with the situation contradict his story and paint a troubling picture of the adoption process and the girls' time in the Harris household.

Discussion: Raw Story, USA Today, FreakOutNation, Political Wire, Daily Kos, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times and Little Green Footballs

Ron Noyes / Ben Swann Truth In Media:

Exclusive Audio: As POTUS, Sen. Graham Vows U.S. Military Force Against Non-Compliant Congress — Among the crowded field of potential Presidential candidates vying for the GOP's nomination, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is the latest to stump in New Hampshire. — Exclusive audio here:

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Vox, Mediaite, Raw Story and Hit & Run

Andrew Kirell / Mediaite:
Lindsey Graham Jokes: I'd Use the Military to Force Congress to Reverse Defense Cuts

Discussion: Hot Air and Joe. My. God.

Serena Saitto / Bloomberg Business:

Snapchat Is Raising Money From Alibaba at a $15 Billion Valuation — (Bloomberg) — Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. plans to invest in Snapchat Inc., the mobile application for sending disappearing photos, at a valuation of $15 billion, people familiar with the situation said.

Discussion: New York Times

John Lauerman / Bloomberg Business:

Columbia Will Shrink Journalism School as Media Woes Mount — (Bloomberg) — Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism will reduce its class size and cut about six positions from its staff as the news industry retrenches. — The school will gradually reduce enrollment …

Discussion: New York Magazine, more at Mediagazer »

Politico:

Foreign policy alters contours of GOP race — International issues have come front and center. — Politico Illustration / istock, AP and Getty images — Two days after signing the Senate GOP's letter to Iranian leadership Monday, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul found himself stretching to square …

Discussion: New York Times

Andrew Burton / National Review:

Suspicious Fires Twice Destroyed Key Sharpton Records — And he didn't comply with tax and campaign filing requirements. — As Al Sharpton ran for mayor of New York City in 1997 and for president in 2003, fires at his offices reportedly destroyed critical financial records …

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hot Air and Fox News Insider

Ben Winslow / fox13now.com:

‘Monumental’ gay rights, religious liberties bills pass the Utah State Legislature — SALT LAKE CITY — In emotional debates in the House, a pair of bills that attempt to balance gay rights and religious liberties passed. — Senate Bill 296 would add sexual orientation and gender identity …

Discussion: Towleroad News #gay and Joe. My. God.