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1.) Does Obama want to take away your gun … magazine? — Almost certainly not, but there is apparently concern by employees of top-gun culture magazines that their owner, a major Obama donor, plans to gut the publications. TheDC’s Patrick Howley reports:
“Employees of Obama donor Leo Hindery Jr.’s media conglomerate Intermedia Partners, which now owns most of the top gun-culture media outlets in the country, believe that Hindery plans to gut and destroy all of them as part of a business plan that has already led to numerous layoffs and the virtual shuttering of prominent television production facilities in Minnesota and Montana. Hindery, an Obama donor who was considered for the secretary of commerce job in the Obama administration, is managing partner of Intermedia Partners. The New York-based media private equity fund owns Intermedia Outdoor Holdings, which publishes 17 hunting, fishing, and shooting magazines, including Guns & Ammo, Handguns, Gun Dog, Rifle Shooter and Shooting Times.”
This is good news for entrepreneurs. If there is a market for gun-culture magazines and if Hindrey really guts his gun-culture magazines, there will be a market void to be filled.
2.) Who cares about sequestration? — Not the American public, apparently. TheDC’s Alex Pappas reports:
“Sequestration is the dominant topic of conversation in the halls of Congress. But according to one indicator, the constituents back home don’t really seem that worried about the looming automatic cuts set to go into effect Friday — cuts that President Barack Obama has been saying could have terrible consequences. Despite Obama’s dire warnings about what will happen if the across-the-board cuts known as the sequester goes into effect, The Daily Caller has learned that the switchboards in Congress are not lighting up very much with calls from concerned citizens.”
Perhaps that’s because when the word sequestration is mentioned, most Americans zone out. But is sequestration a good thing? TheDC Morning says no. For one, the cuts barely touch Medicare, which is far and away the main driver of our long-term debt. If you don’t deal with Medicare, you’re not dealing with our looming fiscal calamity. Period. But the concern is that the public will think and Congress will act like something has actually been accomplished now that the sequester cuts have gone into effect. That could hurt the cause of pursuing entitlement reform. So that’s one concern. Additionally, the cuts to the Defense Department could threaten our position in the world. That’s not good. But the real question is: Now that the sequester cuts have gone into effect, is there even anyone alive to read this?
3.) Trust, but verify — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has just implemented a very controversial program. The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Robby Soave report:
“The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will conduct unannounced inspections of classes to confirm that they exist, following revelations about decades of fraudulent classes involving student athletes and the African-American studies department. With an outside review board scheduled to visit the campus in the spring, UNC administrators are determined to make sure all scheduled classes are meeting at their appointed times, and featuring real conversations between instructors and students. Administrators have even considered taking pictures while classes are in session to obtain proof of existence.”
Wow. TheDC Morning is unsure how it feels about this. On one hand, it sort of makes sense that classes that are supposed to exist actually exist. But on the other hand, should college students really be expected to have a schedule filled with all real classes and no fictional classes? This isn’t fascist Italy.
4.) Defining intimidation down? — Earlier this week, Bob Woodward’s description of a recent interaction with a White House staffer led to claims that the White House was trying to intimidate him over his reporting on the sequester, which contradicted the White House’s narrative on the subject. But evidence emerged Thursday that suggested intimidation might be a stretch. TheDC’s Matt Lewis reports:
“But today, things look different. P0litico has posted the exclusive email from Gene Sperling to Woodward. It begins, ‘I apologize for raising my voice in our conversation today.’ (Frightening, I know!) Sperling’s email eventually does say, ‘I know you may not believe this, but as a friend, I think you will regret staking out that claim.’ But this is clearly not a veiled threat of retaliation, but rather a warning that the reporter was about to get the story wrong. When Woodward tells of being warned he would ‘regret’ challenging Obama, it sounds ominous. But if Politico’s reporting today is correct, it seems much more innocuous than that.”
That email wouldn’t even intimidate the cowardly lion from the Land of Oz. But don’t judge quite yet! Woodward says there is more to his claim, saying on “Hannity” Thursday night that he was also yelled at for 30 minutes by Sperling. Now you can judge.
5.) Tweet of Yesterday — Will Rahn: Be sure to check out my new HBO series “Bois,” the story of three twentysomething guys in Brooklyn and their roommate W.E.B. DuBois
6.) Today in North Korean News — BREAKING: “Seriously Burnt KPA Officer and HIS Family Completely Cured”