memeorandum: Emanuel Back on Ballot; Court Agrees to Hear Case (Monica Davey/New York Times)

8:05 PM ET, January 25, 2011

Top Items:

President Obama to Propose Partial Budget Freeze and Earmark Ban Tonight* — Pursuing a path of deficit reduction and government reform, President Obama will tonight in his State of the Union address call for a ban on earmarks and he will propose a five year budget freeze …

Ezra Klein:

What the speech has done already — The president won't give his annual State of the Union address until later tonight, but in an important way, the speech has already worked. For the past week or so, news report after news report has dutifully relayed the argument the president is planning …

Discussion: Blue Virginia

Shira Toeplitz / The Politico:

Harry Reid blasts Obama on earmarks — 'I think it's the wrong thing to do. I don't think it's helpful,' said Reid of an earmarks ban. AP Photo — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid blasted President Barack Obama on earmarks in advance of his State of the Union address Tuesday, when he's expected to call for a ban.

Discussion: Fox Nation and FrumForum

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:
McConnell: Sure I'll Work With Obama, As Long As He 'Is Willing …

Discussion: TPMDC, Daily Kos, Hullabaloo and Raw Story

New York Times:
Obama to Seek Partial Freeze in Spending as Deficit Move

Discussion: CNN, Taylor Marsh, Daily Kos, AOL News and The Politico

The Note:
Reid Reiterates Defense of Earmarks in Face of President's Proposed Ban

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, Reuters, National Review and TPMDC

Abdon M. Pallasch / Chicago Sun Times:

Supreme Court: Emanuel stays on ballot while his case is considered — The Illinois Supreme Court has ordered the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners to put Rahm Emanuel's name back on the mayoral ballot. — The court has not decided whether to hear Emanuel's appeal …

Discussion: Election Law, RedState, Politics Daily, Mediaite, The Volokh Conspiracy, Swampland, Political Byline, Daily Kos and Chicago News Cooperative

Chicago Tribune:

Judicial arrogance — With startling arrogance and audaciously twisted reasoning, two appellate judges ignored more than 100 years of legal precedent, invented a new definition of “residency” and ordered Rahm Emanuel off the Feb. 22 mayoral ballot. — With the election just four weeks away …

Discussion: The Caucus, Big Government, CBS Chicago, NBC Chicago, Pirate's Cove and New York Times

Mary Ann Ahern / NBC Chicago:
Court Will Hear Rahm's Case

Discussion: Chicago News Cooperative, Washington Wire, Michelle Malkin and Blue Crab Boulevard

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Breaking: Rahm back on ballot

Discussion: Washington Post, HillBuzz.org and Fox News

Matt Yglesias / Yglesias: Breaking the News — The basic phenomenon is nothing new …

Jess Bravin / Washington Wire:
Six on Supreme Court to Attend State of the Union

Discussion: Hit & Run

Monica Davey / New York Times:
Emanuel Back on Ballot; Court Agrees to Hear Case

Discussion: Clout St, TalkLeft and Election Law

David Kravets / Threat Level:
Obama Nominates RIAA Lawyer for Solicitor General

Discussion: Wonkette, SCOTUSblog and Instapundit, more at Techmeme »

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

CNN justifies airing Bachmann speech: “Tea Party has become major force in American politics” — CNN, which is taking some criticism from both sides for agreeing to air Michele Bachmann's response to Obama's speech tonight, sends over a statement justifying the move:

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Hill, Weigel, USA Today, Politics Daily, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos and GOP 12

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
GOP aides irked with CNN for airing Bachmann speech

Discussion: Politics Daily, The Politico, The Blotter, Washington Monthly, Crooks and Liars, Daily Kos, No More Mister Nice Blog, Talking Points Memo and The Fix

The Note:
Michele Bachmann's Tea Party State Of The Union Response Will …

Discussion: msnbc.com, Washington Post, Minneapolis Star Tribune and TPMDC

Alan Colmes' Liberaland:
Michele Bachmann Not Doing Republicans A Favor By Giving Tea Party SOTU Response

Discussion: Lez Get Real, Weigel, The Plum Line and Little Green Footballs

Paul Ryan / Facebook:

Preview of Chairman Paul Ryan's Republican Address to the Nation — “Americans are skeptical of both political parties, and that skepticism is justified - especially when it comes to spending. So hold all of us accountable. In this very room, the House will produce, debate, and advance a budget.

Discussion: msnbc.com

Budget Committee:

Excerpts from Chairman Paul Ryan's Republican Address to the Nation — WASHINGTON - Tonight, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) will deliver the Republican Address following the President's State of the Union message. Chairman Ryan will address the nation …

Discussion: The Hill, Hot Air, Hit & Run, FREEDOM EDEN, White House.gov Blog and The Huffington Post

Aharding / CNN:
GOP to hit Obama hard on economy

Discussion: ABCNEWS

Washington Wire:

Excerpts of Obama's State of the Union Address — Here are excerpts of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET: — THE WHITE HOUSE — Office of the Press Secretary — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Excerpts from President Obama's State of the Union Address

Discussion: AmSpecBlog and Commentary

Washington Post:
Obama: 'our generation's Sputnik moment'

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Gallup and Shakesville

Gschwarzcnn / CNN:
Excerpts from President Obama's State of the Union address

Discussion: The Politico

Tom Jacobs / Smart Journalism. Real Solutions …:

Sexy News Anchors Distract Male Viewers — New research finds when a female news anchor's sexual attractiveness is played up, male viewers retain less information. — SHARE AND ENJOY: — Scholars, critics and viewers have noted that some TV newscasts can be momentarily mistaken for Victoria's Secret specials.

Discussion: JammieWearingFool, Shakesville, Runnin' Scared, Mediaite, Poynter, The Daily Caller and The Wire, more at Mediagazer »

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:

Oops! Republican Asks Scalia About Constitutionality Of Earmarks — The latest in a recent string Constitution gaffes might make Republicans think twice about their earmark moratorium. — On Monday, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) hosted a seminar for (mostly Republican) House members on the Constitution.

Discussion: The Mahablog, The Political Carnival and ThinkProgress

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:

Scalia Slaps Down GOP's Tentherism — Yesterday, conservative Justice Antonin Scalia spoke to a gathering of mostly-Republican lawmakers about separation of powers under the Constitution. During that gathering, Scalia was asked to embrace one of the Tea Party's pet constitutional theories …

Discussion: Minneapolis Star Tribune

Ann Althouse / Althouse:

“History tells us” something that history doesn't tell us, say sociologists stumbling to protect Frances Fox Piven. — Here's the expression of “outrage” by the officers of the American Sociological Association: … So vigorous debate about Piven's ideas is really important …

Discussion: Instapundit, asanet.org, The Wire, YID With LID, Daily Pundit, Blue Crab Boulevard, Brilliant at Breakfast, The Anchoress, Fausta's Blog, American Power, Maggie's Farm and Pajamas Media

Eric Boehlert / Media Matters for America:
Piven Responds To Beck: “It Only Takes One Person Who Is A Little Deranged”

Discussion: Big Journalism and Balloon Juice

O. Kay Henderson / Radio Iowa:

Gingrich attacks “big city” critics of ethanol (Audio) — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich today dismissed the “big city” critics of corn-based ethanol and suggested the biofuels industry will be able to “stand on its own” without federal subsidies once all autos are “flexible-fuel” vehicles.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and The Page

Aaron Blake / The Fix:
Gingrich, Pence and Bachmann could beat history

Discussion: The New Republic

New York Times:

Broad Protests Across Egypt Focus Fury on Mubarak — CAIRO — Thousands of people calling for the end of the 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak clashed with riot police in this Egyptian capital on Tuesday, on a day of some of the most serious civil unrest in recent memory here.

Discussion: Eunomia, FP Passport, Guardian, Hot Air, BBC, english.ahram.org.eg, Time, The Lede, National Review, The Atlantic Online, News Desk, The Daily Dish, Boing Boing, Tablet Magazine, Pajamas Media and The Awl

Russell Berman / The Hill:

Pelosi spurns Cantor on seating — House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) invited Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to sit next to him at the State of the Union address — but the former House Speaker says she's already committed. — “I thank @GOPLeader for his #SOTU offer …

Discussion: The Politico, theblogprof, Hot Air, FrumForum, Pajamas Media, Weasel Zippers and HotAirPundit

Jeffrey Goldberg / The Atlantic Online:

Not The U.N.'s Most Helpful Employee — It turns out that “Palestine expert” on the UN Human Rights Council, the law professor Richard Falk, is something of a 9/11 Truther (sorry, Troofer). Here is what Falk had to say about 9/11 on his blog: … This has brought forth a strong condemnation …

Discussion: AOL News, Weasel Zippers and The Washington Note

Susan E. Rice / US Department of State:
Statement by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, YID With LID, Hot Air and The Investigative Project …

New York Times:

'98 Embassy Bomber Is Given Life Without Parole — Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, the first former Guantánamo Bay camp detainee to be tried in the civilian court system, was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday for his role in the 1998 bombings of two United States Embassies in East Africa.

Discussion: Washington Post, TalkLeft, News Desk, The Huffington Post, Balkinization, The Jawa Report, Law Blog, The Investigative Project …, National Review and Balloon Juice

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

Dem, GOP leaders reach tentative deal to drop “Constitutional option” — Filibuster reform update. — Multiple Senate aides on both sides say that Senators Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer and Lamar Alexander have reached a tentative deal to push forward with a less ambitious …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Politico, Open Congress, The Political Carnival, RedState and National Review

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

Various matters — (updated below) — The combination of a mild (I'm hoping) flu and the all-consuming fixation by many on Obama's speech tonight makes this a good time to raise several discrete matters worth noting: — (1) Last month, The New York Times' Charlie Savage reported that the DOJ …