A.M. Links: Filibuster Ends After Highlighting Civil Liberties, Holder A-OK With Swartz Prosecution, North Korea Threatens Nuclear Strike

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  U.S. Department of Justice

  Sen. Rand Paul and allied senators ended a filibuster blocking a vote on John Brennan's nomination to head the CIA after almost 13 hours. The filibuster drew wide attention to due process, executive power and extra-legal assassination — issues that rarely grace the Senate. In response, the administration says it'll explain its drone policy, after all.

• Providing further evidence that Eric Holder is the worst person in the world, the Attorney General endorsed prosecutorial conduct in the Aaron Swartz case.
• ACLU chapters in 23 states seek data from police departments on the militarization of law enforcement. Call it an assessment of the state of the police state.
• North Korea threatens to launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States, or at least against a Pizza Hut in Seoul. Beware!
• Former Rep. Gabriel Giffords reiterated her demand for background checks before gun purchases — by private individuals, that is, not by the goverment agencies who slaughter in wholesale lots.
• Fresh on the heels of a new round of U.S. aid, an Egyptian court suspended parliamentary elections scheduled for April. Strong work, folks!
• The Detroit City Council insists it doesn't need emergency management and can handle the city's finances. Then the members stiffed the take-out delivery guy.

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