In an incident that’s being widely reported on the internet, 16 year-old pop superstar Justin Bieber was accused of assaulting a 12 year-old boy during a game of Laser Tag on Friday. Most news accounts of the incident indicate that, according to the Laser Tag facility’s staff, Bieber was singled out and cornered by a group of players, and that Bieber accidentally struck the boy in an attempt to get away. However, TMZ is reporting that the 12 year old who made the assault accusation called Bieber “faggot,” and that Bieber did not strike him.

Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan would probably prefer that her sexual orientation not be the subject of a heated national debate, but since CBS News flung that door open, the genie just won’t go back into the bottle. In fact, the Wall Street Journal’s use of a softball-themed dog whistle seems to have set the genie on fire in a fireworks factory, and an overly-cautious White House is drawing attention to it like a blaring red fire engine. Kagan’s silent defiance is understandable, but she’s now in a position to do a lot of good.

The right-wing echo chamber is gearing up to take another shot at unseating “Safe Schools Czar” Kevin Jennings. Their last volley, in which a smear involving NAMBLA made it onto Fox News, failed to gain Van Jones-style traction, so they’ve dressed an even weaker smear up as a report by “independent researchers,” and slapped it under and audacious headline.

With the resignation of Van Jones and the sinking of ACORN, the right-wing noise machine sits on a mighty perch. The mainstream media shows every sign of capitulating to their new pimp, at the ready to swarm whatever prey is selected for them. The latest victim-to-be is the Obama administration’s “Safe Schools Czar,” Kevin Jennings. Before I get to deconstructing the mountain of smears against Kevin Jennings, let me tell you what he has done.

ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos appeared last night on Sean Hannity‘s Fox News show to discuss, mostly, safe schools czar Kevin Jennings. Here’s some background on Jennings, who has been a frequent target of Hannity.

Stephanopoulos’ appearance not only drove home the point that a mainstream media figure thought the FNC host was overreaching, but proved on yet another occasion the willingness of the ABC host to go head-to-head with a Fox Newser.