memeorandum: Obama Ready to Go Big on Budget Deal? (Kevin Drum/Mother Jones)

6:20 PM ET, July 7, 2011

Top Items:

Boehner: ‘Maybe 50-50’ Chance of a Debt Deal Reached Within 48 Hours — House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, speaks with reporters after a meeting with House Republicans on Capitol Hill on Thursday. — House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, informed fellow House Republicans on Thursday …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Hill, neo-neocon, The Atlantic Online, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, Booman Tribune, RedState, New York Magazine and FrumForum

Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:

In debt talks, Obama offers Social Security cuts — President Obama is pressing congressional leaders to consider a far-reaching debt-reduction plan that would force Democrats to accept major changes to Social Security and Medicare in exchange for Republican support for fresh tax revenue.

Discussion: TPMDC, The Moderate Voice, The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, The Hill, AARP, ThinkProgress, Doug Ross, oftwominds.com, Little Green Footballs, Booman Tribune, Pajamas Media, Hullabaloo, Los Angeles Times, Liberty Street, New York Times, MiamiHerald.com, Oliver Willis, Daily Kos, Capital Gains and Games blogs, The Talking Dog, Crooks and Liars, The Note, The Confluence, msnbc.com, Balloon Juice, Brilliant at Breakfast, The Caucus, The Raw Story, Outside the Beltway, CNN, The Heritage Foundation, American Power, Talking Points Memo, Shakesville, Connecting.the.Dots, Washington Monthly, Questions and Observations, No More Mister Nice Blog, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Gawker, Scarecrow's myFDL diary, The Sideshow, Wall Street Journal, The Western Experience, Indecision Forever, Prairie Weather, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Politico, Taylor Marsh, The Lonely Conservative, Political Punch and The Democratic Daily

Ezra Klein / Washington Post:

The budget deals of Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Obama, in one chart — There are two ways to read the current stalemate in the debt-ceiling negotiations. There's David Brooks's take, which is that watching Republicans pass up “the deal of the century” should leave conservatives convinced there's something wrong with the GOP.

Discussion: The American Conservative, James Pethokoukis, National Review, AmSpecBlog and The New Republic

Pew Research Center for the People and the Press:

Public Wants Changes in Entitlements, Not Changes in Benefits — GOP Divided Over Benefit Reductions — OVERVIEW — As policymakers at the state and national level struggle with rising entitlement costs, overwhelming numbers of Americans agree that, over the years, Social Security …

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, Outside the Beltway, Firedoglake, PewResearch.org, TPMDC, Prairie Weather, ThinkProgress and Ricochet Conversation Feed

New York Times:

Obama to Push for Wider Deal With G.O.P. on Deficit Cuts — WASHINGTON — Heading into a crucial negotiating session on a budget deal on Thursday, President Obama has raised his sights and wants to strike a far-reaching agreement on cutting the federal deficit as Speaker John A. Boehner …

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Senate Democrats fuming over Obama's apparent move on Social Security — Senate Democrats reacted angrily Thursday to a report that President Obama has proposed significant cuts to Medicare and Social Security in closed-door talks with GOP leaders. — Democratic lawmakers said they were dismayed …

Discussion: Firedoglake and Sky Dancing

Mike Lillis / The Hill:

Pelosi not informed in advance of Obama's broader reform plans — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was not informed in advance of President Obama's plans to include Social Security reform in the scope of the debt-ceiling talks, a House Democratic aide said Thursday.

Discussion: The Politico, Taylor Marsh and FrumForum

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Obama Aide On Social Security Cut Story: It ‘Overshoots The Runway’ (UPDATED)

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Post, TPMDC, Taylor Marsh, ThinkProgress, Daily Kos, Shakesville and AMERICAblog News

Mike Lillis / The Hill: Pelosi, Obama to meet privately on debt limit

Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:
Obama Ready to Go Big on Budget Deal?

Discussion: The Huffington Post, TalkLeft, Orlando Sentinel, The New Republic, Modeled Behavior, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Firedoglake, Washington Post, msnbc.com, AmSpecBlog, Daily Kos and Swampland

Jamelle Bouie / The Nation:
With Entitlements on the Table, Obama Plans to Go Big on a Budget Deal

Discussion: Hullabaloo, The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, CNN and The Note

BBC:

News of the World to close amid hacking scandal — Police are investigating allegations of phone hacking by the News of the World — This Sunday's issue of the News of the World will be the last edition of the paper, News International chairman James Murdoch has said.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Telegraph, Guardian, Pajamas Media, New York Times, National Review, Truthdig, EU Referendum, Reuters, Left Foot Forward, Crooks and Liars and Biased BBC, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:

Murdoch to Close Tabloid Amid Fury Over Hacking — LONDON — The mass-circulation tabloid at the center of the British phone hacking scandal is to be closed after a final, ad-free Sunday edition this weekend, according a statement by a top official at News Corp., James Murdoch, that acknowledged …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Wall Street Journal, Telegraph, Guardian, No More Mister Nice Blog, GigaOM, AllThingsD, The Lede, Gothamist and Washington Monthly, more at Mediagazer »

Amelia Hill / Guardian:
Andy Coulson to be arrested over phone hacking tomorrow

Discussion: Brand Republic, Runnin' Scared, New York Magazine, New York Times, Mediaite, Harry's Place and Emptywheel, more at Mediagazer »

Sally Jacobs / Boston Globe:

Father spoke of having Obama adopted — US immigration files from '61 reveal Kenyan student's plan — President Obama as a young boy, with his father, who left when his son was 2. (Obama for America via Associated Press) — In the spring of 1961, President Obama's father revealed …

Discussion: Political Punch, Althouse, New York Magazine, Weasel Zippers, Taegan Goddard's …, The Hill, Babalú Blog, Salon, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, JammieWearingFool and The Daily Caller

The Daily Beast:

Elizabeth Smart, Network Pundit? — Amid the Casey Anthony frenzy, ABC News is close to unveiling its latest contributor. Howard Kurtz reports exclusively on the kidnap victim's new career. — Elizabeth Smart first came into our consciousness nearly a decade ago as a 14-year-old girl kidnapped from her Salt Lake City bedroom.

Discussion: Pajamas Media, Mediaite, TBogg, New York Magazine and Jezebel, more at Mediagazer »

Ashleigh Banfield / ABCNEWS:
Casey Anthony Ordered Back to Jail and Fined $4,000

Discussion: Guardian, This Just In and The Gateway Pundit

Timothy Williams / New York Times:
Casey Anthony to Be Released Next Week

Discussion: Guardian, TVNewser, Scared Monkeys and ABCNEWS, more at Mediagazer »

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

Why the Republicans Resist Compromise — The chart that I'm going to show you is one of the more important ones that we've presented at FiveThirtyEight in some time. It helps explain a lot of what's going on in American politics today, from the negotiations over the federal debt ceiling to the Republican presidential primaries.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Talking Points Memo

Alan I. Abramowitz / Sabato's Crystal Ball: Setting the Record Straight: Correcting Myths About Independent Voters

Reuters:

Exclusive: Treasury secretly weighs options to avert default — (Reuters) - A small team of Treasury officials is discussing options to stave off default if Congress fails to raise the debt limit by the August 2 deadline, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Daily Caller, ThinkProgress, The Heritage Foundation, americanthinker.com, The Mahablog, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Daily Pundit

Felix Salmon:
What happens on August 3? — Samuel Beckett's famous phrase …

Discussion: FrumForum and Credit Writedowns

David Brody / The Brody File:

Brody File Exclusive: GOP Presidential Candidates Will be Asked to Sign a Marriage Vow — The Brody File has learned that The Family Leader, an influential pro-family group in Iowa will ask each of the 2012 presidential candidates to sign a marriage pledge that professes everything …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Hill, GOP 12, TPMDC, Balloon Juice and Fox News

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
Iowa Group Asks Republican Candidates To Agree That Homosexuality Is A Choice, Pornography Should Be Banned

Discussion: Towleroad News #gay

New York Post:

‘Fast & Furious’ gets hotter for Holder — Don't look now, but the real action in Washington this week isn't the parti san wrangling over the debt ceiling but something — literally — even more incendiary: Operation Fast and Furious, which seems about to explode right in the face …

Discussion: Power Line, Weasel Zippers, Mudville Gazette, The Western Experience, Pajamas Media, Confederate Yankee, Cold Fury, National Review and Ricochet Conversation Feed

Stephanie Mencimer / MoJo Articles:

Why Jamie Leigh Jones Could Lose Her KBR Rape Case — Her story of a brutal attack in Iraq sparked a national outcry—but how much of it is true? — Post Comment — The allegations were explosive when they first hit in 2007: A 20-year-old woman named Jamie Leigh Jones alleged that four days …

Discussion: The Jawa Report and PointOfLaw Forum

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air: Another high-profile rape case collapsing?

Gina Kolata / New York Times:

First Study of Its Kind Shows Benefits of Providing Medical Insurance to Poor — When poor people are given medical insurance, they not only find regular doctors and see doctors more often but they also feel better, are less depressed and are better able to maintain financial stability …

Discussion: NPR, ThinkProgress, JammieWearingFool, Orlando Sentinel, San Francisco Chronicle, Liberal Values, Balloon Juice and The Huffington Post

nber.org:
The Oregon Health Insurance Experiment: Evidence from the First Year

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Atlantic Online, National Review, Bloomberg, The New Republic, Economix and Online NewsHour

Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:

GOP Congressman: House Republicans Have Privately Discussed Impeaching Obama Over Debt Ceiling — Last month, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner suggested that the debt ceiling is unconstitutional because of Section 4 of the 14th Amendment, which states that “the validity of the public debt of the United States...shall not be questioned.”

Discussion: Prairie Weather, Washington Monthly and Zandar Versus The Stupid

Michael McAuliff / The Huffington Post:

Orrin Hatch: The ‘Poor’ Should Do More To Shrink Debt, Not The Rich (VIDEO) … WASHINGTON — Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) voted against beginning debate on a measure that would have the Senate declare the rich should share the pain of debt reduction Thursday, a day after arguing that it's the poor and middle class who need to do more.

Discussion: ThinkProgress and TPMDC

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:

Michele Bachmann on Iowa TV: ‘Waterloo’ — Michele Bachmann is going up in Iowa with the first television ad of her presidential campaign, a 30-second spot titled “Waterloo” that Bachmann's team says will start running statewide today. — The bio spot, produced by Strategy Group Media …

Discussion: Mediaite, The New Republic, Washington Wire, Pajamas Media, The Daily Caller and FrumForum

Josef Adalian / New York Magazine:

MSNBC Nixes Chris Matthews's Cameo in Aaron Sorkin's Pilot About Cable News [UPDATED] — While he was writing the pilot script for his new HBO project More As This Story Develops, Aaron Sorkin reportedly spent some time on the set of Hardball With Chris Matthews.

Discussion: Big Hollywood, Company Town, Glittarazzi and Gawker, more at Mediagazer »

Tim Rogers / Christian Science Monitor:

Could Donald Trump reenter the presidential race? — During a visit to Panama to inaugurate the first Trump hotel and tower outside the US, real estate mogul Donald Trump called President Ricardo Martinelli an example for Washington. — Panama City, Panama

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Mediaite and Outside the Beltway

Karl Smith / Modeled Behavior:

Are there Too Many Homes in America Ctd / There Will Be Inflation / This is the Story of 2012 — A chart on rental vacancies from Ries via Calculated Risk — So what do we see directly: Rental vacancies are falling. The rental market is tightening up. We should expect higher rents and thus higher inflation in the near future.

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Free exchange

The Politico:

Romney cash haul sparks GOP fears — The Republican presidential fundraising reports are still coming in, but a clear winner has already emerged: Barack Obama. — Whoever claims the GOP nomination is going to find it close to impossible to keep pace with the president's fundraising juggernaut.

Discussion: Washington Post, Religion Dispatches and Daily Kos

Directorblue / Doug Ross:

LulzSec doc drop: Arizona Officials Say Hezbollah Operating in Mexico — A document drop by LulzSec has revealed an ominous bulletin from police officials in Tucson, Arizona. In short, law enforcement is advised to be on the lookout for Hezbollah terrorists operating in the traditional smuggling corridors …

Discussion: Public Intelligence, The Jawa Report, Atlas Shrugs and Pajamas Media

Linda Byron / KING-TV:

Jailed for cashing Chase check at Chase bank — AUBURN, Wash. - Buying his own home was a big accomplishment for construction worker, Ikenna Njoku, of Auburn. He's only 28 years old. — “I was really excited. For the first time, I actually got to buy a lawn mower, mow my lawn and everything,” said Njoku.

Discussion: The Consumerist, The Raw Story, Crooks and Liars and Suburban Guerrilla

Andrew Restuccia / The Hill:

House to vote on repealing light bulb efficiency standards — House Republicans introduced legislation that would repeal a light bulb efficiency law. — House Republicans introduced legislation Wednesday they hope to bring to the floor next week that would repeal a light bulb efficiency law.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Right Wing News and The Lonely Conservative

Joseph E. Stiglitz / Slate Magazine:

The Great Recession, Part II — The world could be headed for another economic disaster if we continue to listen to free-market ideologues. — Just a few years ago, a powerful ideology—the belief in free and unfettered markets—brought the world to the brink of ruin.