The FBI released photographs of two Boston bombing suspects but neglected to say which subreddit tips should be sent to. Both suspects were relatively light-skinned and wore baseball hats, meaning you should contact authorities if you see anyone loitering in a Vineyard Vines and/or spitting dip into a bottle of Diet Mountain Dew. And Secretary of State John Kerry praised the Yankees for playing 'Sweet Adeline,' though we're pretty sure that's a retro euphemism for heroin. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Thursday, April 18th, 2013:
FBI RELEASES PHOTOS OF BOSTON BOMBING SUSPECTS - No Roof Man, no Running Away Man. HuffPost: "Authorities released photographs of two individuals -- identified as "Suspect 1" and "Suspect 2" -- wanted in connection to the pair of deadly blasts at the Boston Marathon finish line Monday. The images, revealed from behind two black poster boards, show the two individuals walking through a crowd near Boylston Street moments before the terror attack, which killed three people and wounded at least 180 others. 'These images should be the only ones that the public should use to assist us,' FBI Special Agent Richard DesLauriers said in a Thursday press conference, postponed from the previous evening. 'Suspect 1' is wearing a dark hat, 'Suspect 2' is wearing a white hat. 'Suspect 2' dropped a backpack at the site of the second explosion, DesLauriers said." [HuffPost]
@padrock: I'm very concerned...there are some gentlemen on this plane in polo shirts discussing Dave Matthews...
@ManWithoutPants5m: Oh my god Luke Russert did it.
RICIN SUSPECT IS BASICALLY THE ANTAGONIST OF A JOHN WU MOVIE - It's a shame Law & Order is off the air because this would make for a fantastic episode, plus they could ZOOM AND ENHANCE the Boston bombing suspects when they were done. Daily Beast: Early Wednesday evening, federal agents in Tupelo, Mississippi, arrested Paul Kevin Curtis,the man suspected of sending ricin-laced letters to President Obama, [Mississippi] Senator Roger Wicker, and a local judge...The first thing that bears mentioning is that Curtis is an Elvis impersonator. And not just Elvis--a glance at his YouTube channel reveals off-key renditions of Prince, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and others...Other than impersonations, Curtis seems to have spent his time trying to bring attention to what he believed was a Mafia-run plot to harvest organs from the hospital where he briefly worked. On a website believed to be run by Curtis, he writes that he’s trying to expose a 'conspiracy to ruin my reputation' that began the day 'I accidentally discovered arefrigerator full of dismembered body parts & organs wrapped in plastic in themorgue.' The site also promotes his ebook, called Missing Pieces, about an organ-harvesting ring." [Daily Beast]
If HuffPost's Radley Balko were better at handling his @replys on twitter, this could have all been avoided. This is a real tweet from Ricin man. "@kevincurtislive: @radleybalko please help me..I am in fear for my life after blowing whistle at largest rural healthcare org in the U.S. (Mississippi)"
PSLGOPL CHANNELING JAMES CARVILLE Our favorite paranoid, self-loathing GOP lobbyist is angry that Democrats failed to pass legislation he opposes: "Four Republicans voted for Gun Control. If Leader Reid had held his entire Conference [sic] the bill would have failed by one vote," PSLGOPL writes, taking a breather from turning the Zapruder film into .GIFs. This would’ve allowed the DSCC and OFA to begin a priceless effective smear campaign that EVERY GOP Senator was the one Senator who cast the deciding vote against the Newtown Families. Instead, Leader Reid kicked off the vicious cycle of losses and incompetence every President in modern history has dealt with in their 2nd term. I’ve read the stories about Obama and Reid being fuming pissed and casting blame, but if they want to channel their anger in the appropriate place, all they need to do is look in the mirror." Thanks, PSLGOPL!
DAILY DELANEY DOWNER - California's Employment Development Department has announced sequestration cuts to unemployment insurance. "More than 400,000 unemployed Californians will feel the impact of the federal government's sequestration spending cuts when their federal unemployment benefits are reduced nearly 18 percent beginning April 28," the department said yesterday. [EDD.Ca.gov]
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SENATE ACTUALLY PASSES SOME THINGS RELATED TO GUNS - Mike McAuliff: "The U.S. Senate managed to pass just two measures Thursday in the failing effort to craft legislation addressing gun violence, both of which are backed by many gun advocates. One was a provision to bar state and local governments from releasing information about gun ownership, sponsored by Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). It would penalize states and localities that reveal data on licenses, permits and locations of gun owners by docking 5 percent of the locality's community policing funding. The other was an amendment to improve mental health services in the United States. That measure -- a bill introduced by the Senate Health Committee earlier this month -- would boost resources, increase the emphasis on identifying mentally troubled students in schools and encourage studies and treatment on adult mental illness and violence and suicide... The measure passed 95 to 2. The only senators to oppose it were Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Barrasso's gun privacy amendment passed 67 to 30, with only Democrats opposed." [HuffPost]
Harry Reid officially pulled the bill: "Senate Majority Harry Reid (D-Nev.) formally pulled legislation to curb gun violence from consideration Thursday, after the Senate managed to pass just two of nine amendments to it -- both of which were backed by the gun lobby...Reid pulled the overall gun bill from consideration shortly before 3:00 p.m., but he vowed to bring it back.."It's only a matter of time before we bring this anti-gun violence measure back to the floor for a vote," Reid said. 'The stand of the Republicans is not sustainable. It's a question of how long they're going to stand firm, but it's not sustainable.'" [Ibid. ]
Via Politico, some color: "One senator told a White House official that it was 'Guns, gays and immigration - it’s too much. I can be with you on one or two of them, but not all three.'" [Politico]
DEM SENATORS EXPLAIN 'NAY' VOTES ON BACKGROUND CHECKS - The best explanation definitely goes to Max Baucus (and that's really quite an accomplishment in this instance), who offered up the political version of flashing a blank stare and intoning "MATT. DAMON." TPM: "Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) provided a pithy and geographical explanation for his opposition to the proposal that failed in the Senate on Wednesday. 'Montana,' Baucus said in explaining his vote, as quoted by the Los Angeles Times. Along with Baucus, Democratic Sens. Mark Begich (AK), Mark Pryor (AR) and Heidi Heitkamp also cast votes against the measure. In explaining his vote, Begich argued that it's 'dangerous to do any type of policy in an emotional moment.'" [TPM]
Mark Pryor experienced a social media "IS YOU IS OR IS YOU AIN'T MY CON-STIT-ENCY?!?" moment. HuffPost: "Pryor seemed proud of his vote for the amendment, and this was posted on his Facebook page not long after the vote: 'Questions about the Grassley amendment? This provision strikes the right balance between dealing with the real issues -- mental health, school safety, and gun trafficking -- while protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens...' Pryor got nearly 1,000 comments by late Wednesday, many expressing outrage. 'Good luck in your next primary ... we're done,' wrote Chris Sposato. 'I am sad for our state,' opined Mariah Hatta. 'SHAME on you. You're worthless. The kids of Sandy Hook will remember you forever,' wrote Phil Parker..." [HuffPost]
@mikememoli: Sen. Flake on those vowing political consequences for no vote on backd checks: "That's the beauty of a 6-year term."
Kelly Ayotte has problems: "U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte cast one of the deciding votes yesterday to sink legislation that would have required background checks for guns bought over the internet or at gun shows. 'I believe that restricting the rights of law-abiding gun owners will not prevent a deranged individual or criminal from obtaining and misusing firearms to commit violence,' Ayotte said...In a recent survey, 91 percent of New Hampshire adults said they support background checks at gun shows, while just 7 percent said they oppose such a requirement. The poll by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center was taken Jan. 30 to Feb. 5 and had a 4.1 percent margin of error." [Concord Monitor]
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HOUSE PASSES CISPA - The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or, "The FBI Wants To Know ABout Those 'I Was Thinking About You The Other Day!' Facebook Messages You Sent To Your Sophomore Year Girlfriend Act" passed resoundingly. Sabrina Siddiqui and Zach Carter: "The House of Representatives passed a broad cybersecurity bill Thursday that allows corporations to share customers' personal data with other firms and the U.S. government, even in cases in which a company has a signed contract explicitly vowing not to do so. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, known as CISPA, passed by a margin of 288 to 127, despite receiving a late veto threat from the Obama administration, which warned that the bill does not sufficiently protect civil liberties...The broad language of the bill, which imposes its standards above 'any other provision of law,' would effectively void privacy contracts between companies and their customers... Companies could not be held accountable for violating terms of service agreements or other arrangements in which they promise not to share customer information with other parties. Privacy and civil liberties advocates, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have blasted CISPA for overriding private contracts and authorizing both corporate and government access to personal information." [HuffPost]
WTF is up with Annie Kuster???
CONSERVATIVE OPPOSITION TO IMMIGRATION REFORM MOUNTING - Jon Ward: "[Marco] Rubio, the Republican Florida senator who is spearheading [immigration] outreach to the Republican base and to conservative talk radio hosts, was unable to persuade one of the top radio figures on the right to support the Senate's immigration reform effort when he appeared on The Mark Levin Show Wednesday night. Levin posted a note on his Facebook page that said, 'Count me out: the border is NOT secured and Obama cannot be trusted, period.' Levin linked to a site that referred to Rubio as a 'slick used car salesman.' Levin said later Thursday morning that he wished he had not linked to the site criticizing Rubio... Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint, a former South Carolina senator who is a friend of Rubio's and was instrumental in helping Rubio get elected in 2010, posted an op-ed Thursday explaining why he thinks the Senate bill that Rubio is pushing is 'flawed.' DeMint foisted the term 'amnesty' -- the one-word wrecking ball that killed the 2007 immigration reform effort -- on the immigration reform legislation introduced by the Senate's 'gang of eight' this week." [HuffPost]
@elisefoley: House Judiciary chair. Goodlatte: "While the bill makes a good-faith effort to overhaul our broken immigration system, there are some flaws" ... Goodlatte says House Judiciary will hold a hearing on the gang of eight immigration bill.
Reporter Charlie Savage started a Tumblr of books in the Guantanamo prison library
THE NEW YORK POST: THE WORST? OR THE WORSTEST? - It's a good thing investigators are releasing the photos of the actual suspects, because the New York tabloid was a day away from saying Kerry/Gephardt are wanted for questioning. Katherine Fung and Jack Mirkinson: "The New York Post is once again finding itself in potential trouble after it published front-page photos of two men it says are being searched for in connection with the Boston bombings. The problem? They [aren't] suspects in the case. The Post has already been intensely criticized for both saying that many more people had died in the attacks than turned out to be true, and for pointing the finger at a Saudi man who turned out to have nothing to do with them. 'BAG MEN: Feds seek these two pictured at Boston Marathon,' the Post's front page headline blared. A clear photo of two men could be seen underneath. The Post's story said that the pictures are being circulated by investigators 'in an attempt to identify the individuals highlighted therein.'... Gawker reported that Reddit users have identified one of the men pictured as 'a Moroccan-American kid, a local high-school soccer player and track runner... who works at Subway and likes How High and The Hunger Games.'" [HuffPost]
BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - Rose the toddler doesn't need your damn help.
JOHN KERRY LIKES SPORT - This is going to hurt him in the Ghana caucuses. Paige Lavender: "Secretary of State John Kerry -- who served as a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts from 1985 to 2013 -- made a major gaffe Thursday when he botched the name of Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline,' a song that's a major part of Boston Red Sox tradition. Kerry called the song 'Sweet Adeline' Thursday morning while discussing the New York Yankees crowd's rendition as a tribute to those affected by the Boston bombing. Kerry later admitted to making the gaffe: 'I meant Sweet Caroline. I want to make sure everybody knows I can sing Sweet Caroline, but I ain't singing it now.'" [HuffPost]
COMFORT FOOD
- Person who is much cooler than you flies through a cave in a wingsuit. [http://bit.ly/11lBcjx]
- Relaxing time-lapse of Yosemite national park will help you forget for a moment or two just how awful this week has been. [http://slate.me/15ikEQa]
- "Movies That Have The Exact Same Plot If You Had To Describe It In One Sentence." [http://bit.ly/YZv195]
- The New Zealand Parliament spontaneously sung a traditional Maori love song after voting to legalize gay marriage. Meanwhile in our legislature... [http://bit.ly/11CByFa]
- The hottest new video game: Awkward Handshake. [http://bit.ly/10kI5aO]
- More time-lapse, this one of Lake Tahoe. [http://bit.ly/15gKm7w]
- Kitten scares dog, defying animal social constructs. [http://huff.to/17rM96z]
TWITTERAMA
@BenjySarlin: Free @NYPost headline for tomorrow: BROSAMA BIN LADEN?
@EdgeofSports: The "where was Tony Romo on Monday" tweets are flying fast & furious.
@DanAmira: After Terror Attack, It's Time to Panic and Change Our Way of Life #slatepitch
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