The Slatest

Slatest PM: U.S. Admits To Killing 4 Americans in Drone Strikes

Josh Voorhees — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:42:00 GMT

***Sign up here to receive The Slatest PM in your inbox daily.***

London Terror Suspect, Bloody and Holding a Cleaver, Talks to the Camera

Josh Voorhees — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:04:00 GMT

A gruesome scene unfolded on a London street today when two men killed a man believed to be a British soldier in what police have described as a "frenzied machete attack," and Prime Minister David Cameron suggested appeared to be an act of terrorism. The BBC, as you'd expect, has nearly wall-to-wall coverage of the incident, which you can find here.

What It Looks Like to Have an EF5 Tornado Pass Right By Your Shelter

Josh Voorhees — Wed, 22 May 2013 18:21:41 GMT

Charles Gafford III had taken refuge in his storm shelter on Monday when he realized there was a small gap that he could stick his cellphone through to film the powerful twister that tore through Moore, Okla. (Personally, I would have had a slightly different reaction to the discovery of the gap.) This is what he saw:

Report: Tsarnaev Friend Shot By FBI Was In Process of Confessing to 2011 Triple Murder

Josh Voorhees — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:58:00 GMT

UPDATE: ABC News brings us the latest unconfirmed news from Florida, where an FBI agent shot and killed a man with ties to Tamerlan Tsarnaev this morning after an interview turned violent:

Texas Judge Blocks Woman From Living With Lesbian Partner at Ex-Husband's Request

Josh Voorhees — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:14:00 GMT

Here's a story that's been bubbling up for a while but appears to have finally broken through to the larger news cycle, via the Associated Press:

Slatest PM: Door-to-Door Search for Survivors Draws to a Close

Josh Voorhees — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:31:00 GMT

***Sign up here to receive The Slatest PM in your inbox daily.***

Appeals Court Strikes Down Arizona's 20-Week Abortion Ban

Josh Voorhees — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:07:02 GMT

And the first of the recent string of strict state abortion laws falls, via the Associated Press:

GOP Senator Says Moore Aid Will Be "Totally Different" Than Sandy Bill He Voted Against

Josh Voorhees — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:59:00 GMT

Weigel touched on this earlier but it's worth highlighting again now that we have video and a current pull-quote. Oklahoma's two senators, Republicans Tom Coburn and James Inhofe, both voted against a federal aid packaged for those hit by the Superstorm Sandy. Given the damage in Moore, Okla., that has plenty of people wondering what the Sooner State senators will think of sending federal cash to the OKC suburb. Here's what Inhofe had to say during an MSNBC appearance this morning:

The Oklahoman: "Worse Than May 3rd"

Josh Voorhees — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:36:00 GMT

As anyone who's been watching any of the TV interviews coming out of Moore, Okla., probably knows by now, locals are understandably finding it nearly impossible to talk about yesterday's deadly twister without at least a reference to the powerful F5 tornado that ripped through the same town on May 3, 1999. That storm brought with it winds that topped 300 miles per hour and did more than an estimated $1 billion worth of damage. We won't know the full scope of the storm or its damage for some time, but for those on the ground the tale of the tape is already clear. Here's the front page of this morning's Oklahoman, the Sooner State's largest newspaper.

UPDATE: Oklahoma Officials Revise Tornado Death Toll Down to 24

Josh Voorhees — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:59:00 GMT

Tornado Survivor Finds Her Missing Dog in the Rubble of Her Home During a TV Interview

Josh Voorhees — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:28:00 GMT

Let's hope there are more stories like this coming out of Moore, Okla., where people continue to pick through the rubble of their town for family, friends, and pets who managed to survive the massive tornado. In the video below you'll meet Barbara Garcia, an elderly woman who rode out the storm by taking refuge in the bathroom of her since-destroyed home. Things get good—and may just get a little dusty in your office—at about the 1:35-mark when she discovers her missing dog, shaken but seemingly largely uninjured, in the rubble.* "Well I got God to answer one prayer to let me be OK, but he answered both of them because this was my second prayer," Garcia says, partly to the camera and partly to herself.

Slatest PM: The "Don't Tip Your Doorman $50 If You're a Billionaire" Edition

Josh Voorhees — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:25:25 GMT

***Sign up here to receive The Slatest PM in your inbox daily.***

Your Headline of the Day

Josh Voorhees — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:26:00 GMT

Your early leader for headline of the day belongs to the Los Angeles Times:

A Tumblr of Tumblr Users Going Nuts Over Yahoo Buying Tumblr

Josh Voorhees — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:57:00 GMT

Yahoo made it official Monday morning, confirming the weekend rumors that they were going to buy Tumblr for a whopping $1.1 billion. In her own Tumblr post, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer said they "promise not to screw it up," but that appears to have done little to ease the fears of Tumblr users who are convinced the acquisition is a death knell for their beloved blogging site.

Hate Crime in Greenwich Village: "Do You Want to Die Right Now?"

Josh Voorhees — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:48:00 GMT

A 33-year-old man with a criminal past was charged on Sunday with gunning down a gay man on a busy stretch of New York City's West Village, only blocks from what is considered to be the birthplace of the American gay rights movement. The alleged killer, police say, was motivated by only one thing: that his victim was gay.

AP CEO: Sources Are Reluctant To Talk After Phone Records Probe

Daniel Politi — Sun, 19 May 2013 18:25:20 GMT

The President and CEO of the Associated Press told CBS News that the Justice Department’s seizure of phone records was “unconstitutional” and has hurt the agency’s ability to report on the news. It’s not that the government doesn’t have the right to seize phone records, Gary Pruitt said, but the methodology was “so sweeping, so secretively, so abusively and harassingly overbroad" that it violated the Constitution.

White House Adviser Fires at Fox News Host for “Offensive” Benghazi Question

Daniel Politi — Sun, 19 May 2013 18:00:36 GMT

White House Senior Adviser Dan Pfeiffer made the Sunday talk show rounds and, as expected, fielded questions on the trifecta of scandals that has engulfed the White House: IRS targeting conservative groups, the attack in Benghazi, and the seizure of AP records. He mostly played defense, but Pfeiffer seems to have lost his patience a bit with Fox News host Chris Wallace, who repeatedly questioned him on the Benghazi attack and where the president was at the time. When asked whether Obama was in the Situation Room, Pfeiffer called the question “largely irrelevant.” And when Wallace continued pressing, Pfeiffer shot back: “The assertion from Republicans that somehow the president allowed this to happen or didn’t take action is offensive.”

Yahoo To Buy Tumblr for $1.1 Billion

Daniel Politi — Sun, 19 May 2013 17:53:10 GMT

The rumors were true after all. Yahoo’s board has approved a deal to buy blogging service Tumblr for a cool $1.1 billion in cash, according to the Wall Street Journal. The deal that would see Tumblr continue to operate as an independent business could be officially announced as early as Monday. Rumors that Yahoo was circling Tumblr were first reported by All Things D that said the purchase would be a way for the company to become “cool again” and attract the coveted 18-to-24-year-old demographic. Ad Week also reported on the rumors saying the acquisition could be what CEO Marissa Mayer has been looking for “to turn around Yahoo’s momentum.” The move could also help Yahoo make more advertising revenue.

Poll Shows Controversies Haven't Hurt Obama’s Approval Ratings

Daniel Politi — Sun, 19 May 2013 16:46:00 GMT

President Obama may have suffered one of the worst weeks of his presidency, but so far it seems the public isn’t letting the controversies that have engulfed the White House affect their view of the president. At the same time, the CNN/ORC International survey also suggests Republicans “are not overplaying their hand” when it comes to the controversies considering that Americans take the issues seriously.

North Korea Launches Four Short-Range Missiles Over the Weekend

Daniel Politi — Sun, 19 May 2013 16:00:00 GMT

North Korea launched a short-range projectile into water off its east coast Sunday, bringing to four the number of launchings carried out this weekend, reports Bloomberg. On Saturday, Pyongyang had launched three missiles, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry. So far, the purpose of the launches remains unknown. Although testing short-range missiles isn’t really that uncommon for Pyongyang, these latest tests come at a time when a tentative calm had emerged in the region after a period of heightened tension, points out the Washington Post.