memeorandum: Cease and desist: making false claims about the gateway effect (Clive Bates/The counterfactual)

3:03 AM ET, March 14, 2014

Top Items:

Ezra Klein's Queer New Hire — Brandon Ambrosino (Photo Courtesy of Media Matters) — On Tuesday, former Washington Post pundit (and Prospect alum) Ezra Klein sent a shock wave through the gay community by announcing he had hired gay anti-gay apologist Brandon Ambrosino to join him at Vox Media …

Discussion: The Dish, Towleroad News #gay, The Daily Caller, Gawker, Equality Matters, The Huffington Post, Booman Tribune and Talking Points Memo, more at Mediagazer »

Mark Joseph Stern / Slate:

Vox's Unbelievably Terrible New Hire — On Wednesday, Ezra Klein's new media venture, Vox, announced that it had hired Brandon Ambrosino as a writing fellow, presumably to cover the LGBTQ beat. Vox likely thought that by hiring Ambrosino, the outlet would be introducing a brash, unconventional new voice to a broader audience.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, Talking Points Memo and Equality Matters

John Aravosis / AMERICAblog News:

Hipster Homophobia: Ezra Klein's Vox hires Falwell-loving gay-bashing “gay” — Ezra Klein's new Web media venture, Vox.com, has just hired a controversial gay-bashing “gay” named Brandon Ambrosino to write for the new online publication. (Vox on Facebook, Vox on Twitter.)

Discussion: Politico, The Daily Caller and Washington Monthly

Ana Marie Cox / Guardian:

Paul Ryan's ‘inner city’ comment might mean he's racist, but he sure is classist — Does he think black people are lazy? He definitely thinks poor people are. And laws reinforce lawmakers with logic like that. — “We have got this tailspin of culture, in our inner cities in particular …

Discussion: his vorpal sword, ThinkProgress, Little Green Footballs, Talking Points Memo, The Reality-Based Community and Crew of 42

David Weigel / Slate:
Paul Ryan Accused of Racism for Suggesting That There's Endemic Poverty in Inner Cities

Discussion: Weekly Standard, The Federalist, The Reaction, BillMoyers.com, ThinkProgress, Politico, The Huffington Post, Mediaite and The Moderate Voice

Lauren Victoria Burke / Crew of 42:
Paul Ryan: Inner City Comments Had “Nothing to Do Whatsoever With Race”

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Daily Kos and Roll Call

Jamelle Bouie / The Daily Beast:
What Paul Ryan Gets Wrong About ‘Inner-City’ Poverty

Discussion: BuzzFeed, National Review, The Week, Booman Tribune and ThinkProgress

Alicia Mundy / Wall Street Journal:

Sen. Landrieu Steps Up Pressure on Kerry to Clear Keystone XL Pipeline — Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana intensified the pressure on Secretary of State John Kerry, a former Senate colleague, to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline. — During a hearing on the State Department's 2015 budget …

Discussion: Hot Air

Lachlan Markay / Washington Free Beacon:
Mary Landrieu's Koch Problem

Discussion: OpenSecrets.org and The PJ Tatler

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Morning Plum: Why Dems are tying Republicans to the Koch brothers

Discussion: Liberal Values, No More Mister Nice Blog, RedState, BillMoyers.com, PoliticusUSA, Daily Kos and The Huffington Post

Deirdre Walsh / CNN:

Pelosi: Alleged CIA spying on Senate committee ‘appalling’ — Washington (CNN) - House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday called recent allegations of CIA spying on the Senate Intelligence Committee “pretty appalling” and said the agency's response to the controversy has been “befuddling” so far.

Discussion: Politico

Deirdre Walsh / CNN:
Boehner invites Pope to address Congress

Discussion: Politico and Wall Street Journal

Ken Dilanian / Los Angeles Times:
CIA lawyer Robert Eatinger is no stranger to controversy

Discussion: The World's Greatest … and NO QUARTER USA NET

McClatchy Washington Bureau:
White House withholds thousands of documents from Senate CIA probe, despite vows of help

Discussion: The Intercept, Reuters, Real Clear Politics, Guardian, thenation.com/blogs/163255, susiemadrak.com, his vorpal sword, The Dish, Hit & Run, ThinkProgress, The Raw Story, Liberaland, The Hill, Hot Air and The Week

Jeane MacIntosh / New York Post:

Former NJ gov's son found dead in Mexico of apparent suicide — The son of former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine killed himself in a Mexico City hotel, sources told The Post on Thursday. — Jeffrey Corzine, 31, was the youngest of Corzine's three children with ex-wife and childhood sweetheart Joanne Corzine.

Discussion: Business Insider

Benjamin Goad / The Hill:

Business groups stunned as Obama gives millions overtime — Business groups and congressional Republicans are blasting regulations President Obama will announce Thursday that could extend overtime pay to as many as 10 million workers who are now ineligible for it.

Discussion: Politico, The Moderate Voice, CNN, Mediaite, Questions and Observations, Hot Air, Shakesville and The PJ Tatler

New York Times:

Russia Massing Military Forces Near Border With Ukraine — MOSCOW — Russia's Defense Ministry announced new military operations in several regions near the Ukrainian border on Thursday, even as Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany warned the Kremlin to abandon the politics of the 19th …

Discussion: president.gov.ua, Business Insider, Washington Monthly, Weekly Standard, JustOneMinute, The Daily Caller, The PJ Tatler, VodkaPundit, New York Magazine, Outside the Beltway, Real Clear Politics and Reuters

Clive Bates / The counterfactual:

Cease and desist: making false claims about the gateway effect — I am totally exasperated by nonsensical spin about the so-called gateway effect from pseudo-scientists, misguided officials, prohibitionists and propagandists. — Unable to take any more, I decided to write to Professor Stanton Glantz …

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Susan Crabtree / Washington Examiner:

John Kerry: Russia has until Monday to reverse course in Ukraine — JOHN KERRY RUSSIA PENNAVE FOREIGN POLICY EUROPE UKRAINE EU CRIMEA — Secretary of State John Kerry warned of serious repercussions for Russia on Monday if last-ditch talks over the weekend to resolve the crisis in Ukraine failed …

Discussion: Hit & Run and Guardian

Jeff Goodell / Rolling Stone:

Bill Gates: The Rolling Stone Interview — The richest man in the world explains how to save the planet — At 58, Bill Gates is not only the richest man in the world, with a fortune that now exceeds $76 billion, but he may also be the most optimistic. In his view, the world …

Discussion: Politico, The Daily Caller and Little Green Footballs

Salvador Rizzo / New Jersey Online:

Hecklers ejected after disrupting Christie town hall in Mount Laurel — MOUNT LAUREL — Angry protesters turned up at Gov. Chris Christie's town hall today, shouting criticisms about the governor's handling of the George Washington Bridge scandal and Hurricane Sandy relief funding.

Discussion: Mediaite, CNN, Politico, ABC News, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Liberaland and The Raw Story

Burgess Everett / Politico:

Jobless deal came down to wire — Senators struck a bipartisan deal on Thursday to revive expired long-term jobless benefits following months of dramatic stops-and-starts on the issue. — After an afternoon of frantic negotiations, five senators from each party announced a deal …

Discussion: National Review and Daily Kos

Noah Rothman / Mediaite:

Ron Paul: Putin Has ‘Law on His Side’ with Crimean Invasion — Former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) appeared on the Fox Business Network's The Independents on Wednesday night where he was asked for his thoughts about the worsening situation in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.

Discussion: The PJ Tatler and Hit & Run

Steve Peoples / Associated Press:

GOP FORMER SEN. BROWN SEEKS STAFF FOR NH RUN — You are here — Home » United States Senate » GOP former Sen. Brown seeks staff for NH run — BOSTON (AP) — Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown has begun seeking campaign staff while aggressively courting New Hampshire's political elite …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Talking Points Memo

Austin American-Statesman:

2 dead after car crashes into SXSW crowd — According to Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo, at about 12:30 a.m. Thursday, an APD officer who is part of a DWI task force attempted to stop a driver of a gray Toyota sedan at a Shell gas station on the Interstate 35 frontage road.

Discussion: KWTX-TV, Associated Press, The Moderate Voice, Rolling Stone, Deadline.com, The Week and Poynter

Alec Macgillis / The New Republic:

Obamacare Is Hurting Democratic Candidates Because Republicans Are Hurting Obamacare — The Democrats last night narrowly lost the special election for the Florida congressional seat held for years by the late Republican Bill Young, and the pundits' verdict is clear: it's Obamacare that done it.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, Democratic Strategist, National Review, Los Angeles Times, The Week and NBC News