memeorandum: Moscow bomb: a massive boom, and then a wave of heat (Tom Parfitt/Guardian)

7:40 AM ET, January 25, 2011

Top Items:

Josh Gerstein / The Politico:

Report: George W. Bush aides violated Hatch Act — During the 2006 midterm elections, White House political aides to President George W. Bush engaged in widespread violations of a federal law which limits partisan political activity by government employees, a long-running federal investigation has found.

Discussion: USA Today, Firedoglake, Raw Story, Outside the Beltway and The Political Carnival

Jake Tapper / Political Punch:

White House Says Chinese Folk Song Played During State Dinner Was Not An Insult; Experts Divided — Ivories that were tickled last Wednesday night at the White House are, to some conservative media, no laughing matter. — At the White House State Dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao …

Discussion: Human Events, Speakeasy, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, HotAirPundit, Asiaone and The Daily Caller

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Carol Browner to leave White House — Carol M. Browner, President Barack Obama's energy adviser, plans to leave the White House in coming weeks, White House officials said Monday night. — Browner, who is Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, was EPA administrator …

Discussion: Hot Air, New York Times, The Caucus, Grist, Wall Street Journal, Wonkette, Michelle Malkin, The Hill, Political Punch, Politics Daily and Washington Post

Evan Perez / Wall Street Journal:
White House Lawyer Tapped for Solicitor General

Discussion: The Fix and Weekly Standard

Eric Lipton / New York Times:
Bush White House Broke Elections Law, Report Says

Discussion: The Caucus and Oliver Willis

Jake Tapper / Political Punch:
Pre-State of the Union, Democratic Talking Heads Briefed at White House

Discussion: American Thinker and Daily Kos

Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:

Obama won't endorse raising retirement age or reducing Social Security benefits — President Obama has decided not to endorse his deficit commission's recommendation to raise the retirement age, and otherwise reduce Social Security benefits, in Tuesday's State of the Union address …

Discussion: Texas on the Potomac, The Hill, New York Times, Swampland, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, The Democratic Daily, Virginian-Pilot, TPMDC, The Moderate Voice, The Huffington Post, AMERICAblog News, Daily Kos and Economist's View

Russell Berman / The Hill:

Rep. Eric Cantor: ‘No bailout of the states’ — House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) issued a new threat against a federal bailout for ailing state governments Monday as GOP leaders girded for a confrontation with President Obama over spending. — Heading into Tuesday's State of the Union address …

Discussion: The Politico

CNN:

Top Senate Budget Republican not ruling out government shutdown — Washington (CNN) - Most Republicans demanding to slash federal spending won't entertain the idea of taking a possible standoff with President Obama so far that the government shuts down. — But the top Republican …

Discussion: Reuters, The Politico and The Note

CNN:
House conservatives keep pressure on GOP leaders on spending

Discussion: The Politico, Ben Smith's Blog, Hullabaloo and The Atlantic Online

The Note: Sen. Sessions on Obama Initiatives: 'Can't See How We Could …

Abdon M. Pallasch / Chicago Sun Times:

Rahm Emanuel booted off ballot in 2-1 Appellate Court decision — Rahm Emanuel was thrown off the ballot for mayor of Chicago today by an appellate court panel, a stunning blow to the fund-raising leader in the race. — An appellate panel ruled 2-1 that Emanuel did not meet the residency standard to run for mayor.

Clout St:
Emanuel asks Illinois Supreme Court for emergency stay

Discussion: TalkLeft, JONATHAN TURLEY, Chicago Tribune, Daily Kos and TPMDC

Monica Davey / New York Times:
Ruling Blocks Emanuel's Bid in Chicago Run

Discussion: The Reaction, CNN, Tablet Magazine and USA Today

Garance Franke-Ruta / The Atlantic Online:
Could Rahm Emanuel Run as a Write-In?

Discussion: Blogcritics, ABCNEWS, Ben Smith's Blog and The Note

National Archives and Records Administration:

National Archives Discovers Date Change on Lincoln Record — Thomas Lowry Confesses to Altering Lincoln Pardon to April 14, 1865 — Washington, DC...Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero announced today that Thomas Lowry, a long-time Lincoln researcher from Woodbridge, VA …

Discussion: New York Times, Blue Crab Boulevard, Ben Smith's Blog, LewRockwell.com Blog, In The Agora and Civil War Memory

Molly K. Hooper / The Hill:

Scalia: No plans to attend Obama's State of the Union address — Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia told The Hill on Monday evening that he does not plan on attending the State of the Union address on Tuesday. — The conservative-leaning jurist said that he hasn't “gone to the State …

Discussion: Fox News and The Politico

Robert Barnes / Washington Post:

Supreme Court won't be fully represented at State of the Union — The Supreme Court finds itself again in the political limelight, a place most justices try to avoid. — A combination of events, concluding with the question of which justices will attend President Obama's State …

Discussion: The Hill

Charlie Savage / The Caucus:
Obama Selects Donald Verrilli as Solicitor General

Discussion: Mother Jones and The Volokh Conspiracy

The Politico:

Left laments Barack Obama's move to center — President Barack Obama plans to play up a bright future with congressional Republicans by channeling his 2008 campaign message of post-partisanship in his State of the Union address — but the liberal wing of his party isn't quite seeing the light.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, JammieWearingFool and New York Magazine

Alex Wagner / Politics Daily: Obama's State of the Union: Meditations on an Emergency

Chris Johnson / Washington Blade:
Gibbs dodges question on Obama's early marriage support

Discussion: Mediaite, Lez Get Real, AMERICAblog Gay and Pam's House Blend

Jim Miklaszewski / msnbc.com:

NBC: U.S. can't link accused Army private to Assange — Military also denies allegations that Bradley Manning is being mistreated — Below: — U.S. military officials tell NBC News that investigators have been unable to make any direct connection between a jailed army private suspected …

Discussion: Informed Comment, Emptywheel, Associated Press, Outside the Beltway, Guardian and The Nation

Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:

Clarence Thomas revises disclosure forms — Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has amended 13 years' worth of disclosure reports to include details of wife Virginia Thomas's sources of income, documents released on Monday show. — The documents indicate that Thomas's wife, who goes by Ginni …

Discussion: Politics Daily

ABCNEWS:

Justice Clarence Thomas Amends 20 Years of Disclosure Forms With Wife's Employers — Virginia Thomas' Place of Employment Had Been Omitted From Justice's Reports — Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas amended 20 years worth of financial disclosure forms today after a liberal watchdog group questioned …

Discussion: CNN

Kos / Daily Kos:

Poll: Cut Social Security benefits or raise payroll cap? Not even close — Public Policy Polling for Daily Kos. 1/20-23. Registered voters. MoE 3.1% (No trend lines) … Raise — payroll cap Cut benefits — All 77 10 — Dem 84 4

Discussion: Wonk Room and ThinkProgress

Bob Herbert / New York Times:
Raising False Alarms

Discussion: Daily Kos

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

AZ lawmaker: Roe v. Wade a factor in shootings — The aftermath of the Arizona shootings have featured disputes over the role that gun laws or political rhetoric could have played in the violence. — But an Arizona lawmaker offered another source of blame: Roe v. Wade.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and TPMDC

Michelle Malkin:
The March for Life 2011: America's REAL rally to restore hope and sanity

Discussion: The Anchoress, LifeNews.com, Pundit & Pundette, Weasel Zippers, The Daily Register, The Other McCain, National Review and Cubachi

Jamison Foser / Media Matters for America:
CNN's Erick Erickson Suggests “Mass Bloodshed” …

Discussion: alicublog and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Paul Krugman:

The War on Demand — Something really strange has happened to the debate over economic policy in the face of the Great Recession and its aftermath — or maybe the real point is that events have revealed the true nature of the debate, stripping away some of the illusions.

Discussion: Grasping Reality …, Modeled Behavior and Yglesias

William Saletan / Slate:

Is it OK to abort a viable fetus? An answer to pro-choicers on Kermit Gosnell. — Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia abortionist, has been charged with butchering viable babies, causing a woman's death, and endangering other patients. A grand jury report details his alleged crimes.

Discussion: American Power, Washington Examiner, American Prospect, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Awl and The Daily Dish

Steven Ertelt / LifeNews.com:
Kermit Gosnell Drugged, Tied Up Woman Before Forced Abortion

Discussion: Liberty Pundits Blog and Hot Air

CNN:

CNN Poll: Americans more optimistic on state of nation — Washington (CNN) - Hours before President Barack Obama gives his State of the Union address before Congress, a new national poll indicates a surge in optimism about the state of the nation. — According to a CNN/Opinion Research …

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

Loughner pleads not guilty to attempted murder charges — Jared Lee Loughner pleaded not guilty on Monday to three charges of attempted murder for allegedly trying to kill Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and two of her aides. — The Associated Press reported that Loughner, 22 …

Discussion: The Politico