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1.) Danny Glover is still alive — Paul Krugman just received the much coveted Danny Glover endorsement for Treasury Secretary. Also, by vocally supporting Krugman, Glover thoughtfully reminded us that he still exists. TheDC’s Caroline May reports:
“Hollywood actor and liberal activist Danny Glover is trying to send a message to President Barack Obama: ‘Nominate Paul Krugman for Treasury Secretary.’ … ‘Press speculation has centered on candidates likely to support the Wall Street agenda of cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits and other domestic spending rather than government policies to create jobs,’ the ‘Lethal Weapon’ actor wrote. ‘We want President Obama to nominate Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman, who opposes austerity and wants the government to focus on creating jobs,’ he added.”
A quick glance at the films the Hugo Chavez-loving actor has been in over the last few years reveals that had he been cast in the amateurishly produced anti-Islam film “The Innocence of Muslims,” it perhaps would have been a step up for him. As for Krugman for Treasury Secretary, TheDC Morning suspects that America will mercifully be spared that.
2.) Here comes Hagel — President Obama is expected to nominate Chuck Hagel today to replace Leon Panetta as Defense Secretary. TheDC’s Jeff Poor reports he won’t get a particularly welcome reception on the Hill:
“On Sunday’s broadcast of CNN’s ‘State of the Union,’ South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham criticized President Barack Obama’s reportedly planned nomination of former Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel to be the next secretary of defense. … ‘[I] like Chuck Hagel,’ Graham began. ‘He served with distinguish in Vietnam as an enlisted man — two Purple Hearts. But quite frankly, Chuck Hagel is out of the mainstream of thinking, I believe, on most issues regarding foreign policy. … ‘Chuck Hagel, if confirmed to be secretary of defense, would be the most antagonistic secretary of defense towards the state of Israel in our nation’s history,’ Graham continued. ‘Not only has he said you should directly negotiate with Iran, sanctions won’t work, that Israel must negotiate with Hamas, an organization, terrorist group that lobs thousands of rockets into Israel. He also was one of 12 senators who refused to sign a letter to the European Union trying to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.'”
TheDC Morning believes that President Obama wants to use the Republican senator as political cover to cut the Defense Department down a size. Get ready for fireworks at the hearings.
3.) Ron Johnson, agency cutter — Get Ron Johnson a Ginsu knife so he can begin to slice and dice. TheDC’s Alex Pappas reports:
“As the debate over raising the country’s debt ceiling starts to heat up, Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is calling for new budget cuts in all federal agencies as a way to rein in spending. ‘I’m happy to start cutting agencies,’ Johnson said in a phone interview with The Daily Caller last week. …’In business if you’ve got a department that’s not performing properly, you cut its budget and they’re forced to become more efficient,’ Johnson said, citing his own business experience before Wisconsin voters sent him to the Senate in 2010. ‘I think that’s what you pretty much have to do with some of these agencies.'”
At the end of the day, though, cutting agencies won’t matter all that much. The money is in the entitlement programs, as Johnson knows.
4.) Welfare waste — American taxpayer dollars are ending up in unexpected places, TheDC’s Caroline May reports:
“An investigation into where welfare recipients are using their Electronic Benefit Transfer cards has revealed that some are withdrawing taxpayer money from EBT-friendly ATMs at strip clubs and liquor stores. The New York Post, looking at a database of 200 million EBT records from January 2011 to July 2012 obtained through a Freedom of Information request, discovered that some people receiving government benefits have been using their EBT cards to withdraw cash at several questionable New York establishments: Hank’s Saloon, a porn shop called Blue Door Video, the Patriot Saloon, the Club Eleven strip club, the Club Heat strip joint and Drinks Galore.”
5.) Tweet of Yesterday — Jose Canseco: It was finally time to let everyone know my other side of my intellect. I’m glad all you followers have inspired me to show u my smart side
6.) Today in North Korean News –BREAKING: “Cuban Embassy Members Visit Pyongyang Maternity Hospital”
VIDEO: George Will says fiscal cliff deal a triumph over “liberalism”