WeekendWire, Feb. 18

Planned Parenthood Funding
The House voted on Friday to end $330 million of funding for Planned Parenthood, money that the controversial health care provider uses to provide contraception and cancer screenings. Planned Parenthood is prevented by law to use its funding for abortions. More
When people think about Planned Parenthood, they think abortion, which is legal. According to its website, abortions make up about 3% of its total services. The vast majority of its work goes toward pregnancy prevention, cancer screenings and sexually transmitted infection testing.
The amendment was introduced by Indiana Republican Mike Pence and was passed despite an incredibly moving speech by California Democrat Jackie Speier, where she detailed an abortion she had because of a complication in a pregnancy. Head over to HuffPo to read a follow-up with the Congresswoman.

Middle East Uprisings Turn Violent
As expected, protests have spread across the Middle East. However, the protesters in places like Bahrain and Libya are not facing the relative restraint that the Egyptian military showed.
On Thursday, security forces fired on protesters and mourners in Bahrain, killing at least five people and injuring more than 230. In Libya, the leader’s regime, using snipers and helicopters, have killed nearly 20 protesters. More.

Giffords Update
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords continues to progress from her gunshot wound to the head, but her chief of staff said in an interview this week that the Arizona Democrat has not been told about the breadth of the attack. Giffords is able to carry on simple conversations, but her aide said the doctors believe it is unfair to tell her the gruesome details of the shooting because of her limited cognitive ability right now. More.

Tekka Maki, Hold the Tekka
David Martin wanted fish, no filler. He headed to A Ca-Shi, an all-you-can-eat buffet in Studio City, Calif., where he slurped up the raw fish but threw shade to the rice. When he went for seconds, the owner told him he had to eat the rice before he could get seconds. Martin said he couldn’t eat rice because he has diabetes. Now he is suing the restaurant for $4,000 in damages – clearly his first litigious rodeo – for the restaurant’s discriminatory policies that caused him "humiliation, embarrassment and mental anguish." More.
I wonder if all the Latinos I know that have mistaken wasabi for guacamole can sue Japanese buffets on the same grounds.

The Carmelodrama Continues
Now the deal to trade Carmelo Anthony to the New Jersey Nets might be back on. The New York Knicks deal also might be on. The trade will also likely include Denver son Chauncey Billups. I don’t like that. Anthony said today he's hopeful his situation gets worked out soon. Right.

Cheap Cat Carries Lots of Drugs
Federal agents seized more than $9 million worth of pure opium that was hidden in acrylic cats last month. You’d think with that much dope, the smugglers would have chosen a more classy vessel. For instance, my aunts always tell this story about their Middle Eastern foreign exchange student boyfriends during their disco days. As the story goes, the guys used to store cocaine in a porcelain duck. That’s class. More.