The Slatest

By Josh Voorhees

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Posted Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013, at 3:53 PM ET

GOP leaders have tapped Sen. Marco Rubio to offer their party's response to President Obama's State of the Union

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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Boy Scouts Punt Decision on Gay Ban: Associated Press: "Faced with intense pressure from two flanks, the Boy Scouts of America said Wednesday it needed more time for consultations before deciding whether to move away from its policy of excluding gays as scouts or adult leaders. Possible changes in the policy — such as a proposal to allow sponsors of local troops to decide for themselves on gay membership — will not be voted on until the organization’s annual meeting in May, the national executive board said at the conclusion of closed-door deliberations. As the board met over three days at a hotel in Irving, near Dallas, it became clear that the proposed change would be unacceptable to large numbers of Scouting families and advocacy groups on the left and right. Gay-rights supporters said no Scout units should be allowed to exclude gays, while some conservatives, including religious leaders whose churches sponsor troops, warned of mass defections if the ban were eased."

Culture Box: The debate over gays is really a debate over scouting’s soul.

Snow and Rain Won't Stop 'Em, But Saturdays Will: Wall Street Journal: "The U.S. Postal Service is moving to end Saturday mail delivery as part of a strategy to curb losses at the agency, which swelled to $15.9 billion in the most recent fiscal year. Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe said Wednesday that the Postal Service will halt Saturday mail delivery to homes and businesses Aug. 5, but continue to deliver packages and Express Mail that day. Post office boxes would continue to receive mail Saturdays as well. The change will result in a $2 billion annual savings for the agency, it said."

Rubio's Moment: NBC News: "Florida Sen. Marco Rubio will deliver Republicans' response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday, GOP leaders announced Wednesday. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., selected Rubio -- an influential Latino conservative who was first elected in 2010 -- to speak for Republicans in their official response to the president's speech. The State of the Union response slot is often seen as a potential launching platform for politicians who harbor national ambitions; fittingly, Rubio is one of the most-hyped figures in the GOP, and is thought to have designs on the party's presidential nomination in 2016. The honor carries a degree of risk, however: many past figures to deliver their party's response have been panned for their performance."

The Slatest: Your New Monopoly Token Is a Cat. Of Course It Is.

Happy Tuesday and welcome to The Slatest PM. Follow your afternoon host on Twitter at @JoshVoorhees and the whole team at @slatest.

The Slatest: How Beyoncé's Publicist Succeeded by Failing

Looking Ahead to Tomorrow: National Journal: "John Brennan, President Obama's pick to head the CIA, faces a frustrated Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, where he will be grilled on the Obama administration's increased use of drones and the harsh interrogations that took place during the Bush administration. Brennan was a top aide to former CIA director George Tenet during the time just after the 9/11 attacks when harsh interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding, were being used. He has since said he opposed the program. ... The hearing could shed further light on the drone attacks, which have been carried out from Yemen to Pakistan but are rarely discussed publicly by administration officials."

By Abby Ohlheiser

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Posted Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013, at 3:14 PM ET

A Pakistani demonstrator holds a burning US flag during a protest in Multan on January 8, 2013, against the drone attacks in Pakistan's tribal areas.

Photo by S.S Mirza/AFP/Getty Images

fter NBC News's scoop this week on the Department of Justice memo outlining the administration's justification for killing American citizens who have joined al-Qaida or "an associated force" of the terrorist organizations, attention turned to the legal basis for the Obama administration's policy. Turns out, the drone war appears well within the realm of law—at least as its read by proponents of the policy. Specifically, the laws passed after 9/11 that have governed the U.S.'s approach to fighting terrorism for the past decade.

By Josh Voorhees

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Posted Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013, at 1:11 PM ET

One of the seven images Beyonce's publicist was hoping her fans wouldn't see

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

One of Beyoncé's publicists made a questionable PR decision yesterday afternoon when she reached out to BuzzFeed to request the site replace a handful of "unflattering" photos that it had published in an incredibly BuzzFeed-y post title, The 33 Fiercest Moments From Beyoncé's Halftime Show. "I am certain that you will be able to find some better photos," the publicist wrote, before adding the seven specific shots she'd most like to see disappear.

You can probably guess what followed next: A little more than two hours later the website went live with its hard-hitting follow-up, The "Unflattering" Photos Beyoncé's Publicist Doesn't Want You To See, and, just like that, the Internet was off and running. Gawker followed with its own post, complete with those very same "unflattering" photos, and large swaths of the rest of the Web soon followed.

By Josh Voorhees

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Posted Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013, at 11:02 AM ET