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Sundown: Hagel Passes Senate Committee Vote

Plus Obama’s Israel itinerary and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue

by
Adam Chandler
February 12, 2013
Jonah Lehrer Speaking at the Knight Foundation(Screengrab)
Jonah Lehrer Speaking at the Knight Foundation(Screengrab)

• By a count of 14-11, Secretary of Defense nominee Chuck Hagel passed the Senate Armed Services Committee vote just moments ago. A full Senate vote on Hagel’s nomination is expected to take place on Thursday. [AP]

• President Obama will lay three wreaths in Israel and spend two hours in Ramallah on his upcoming trip to Israel. Check out a full itinerary here. [YNet]

• Jonah Lehrer, whose fabrications were first covered here, gave an apologetic speech today at the Knight Foundation’s Media Learning Seminar. For his short speech, Lehrer was handsomely remunerated to the tune of $20K. [Romanesko]

• In light of the report blaming Hezbollah for last July’s terror attack in Burgas, Bulgaria, members of the European Jewish Parliamant (who knew?) called on the foreign ministers of the European Union to make no distinction between Hezbollah’s military and political wings. [JTA]

• It’s the anniversary of the premiere of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Close your eyes, listen, and imagine yourself in a Woody Allen flick, a United Airlines commercial, or at a Times Square Happy Hour.

Adam Chandler was previously a staff writer at Tablet. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Slate, Esquire, New York, and elsewhere. He tweets @allmychandler.