memeorandum: Mayor Calls For Budget Cuts To Offset Millions In Occupy LA Costs (CBS Los Angeles)

9:40 AM ET, December 22, 2011

Top Items:

Amie Parnes / The Hill:

Obama shows he's confident he's beating GOP in payroll tax fight — President Obama, who has been on the losing end of several hard-fought battles with House Republicans, is showing that he thinks he's winning the latest tax fight. — While the White House—which has made it known …

Discussion: The Caucus, New York Times and Booman Tribune

Paul Kane / Washington Post:

House Republicans face pressure on extension of payroll tax cut — House Republicans faced mounting pressure Wednesday from critics inside and outside the party who worry that their standoff with President Obama over whether to extend a payroll tax cut could do lasting damage to the GOP.

Discussion: The Hill, Daily Kos, Prairie Weather, SQUATLO RANT, Wonkette, New York Magazine and Next Media Animation

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Rove: Republicans should fold in payroll tax cut standoff

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, Daily Kos, GayPatriot, Washington Wire, Liberal Values, National Review, ThinkProgress and Campaign 2012

Justin Sink / Ballot Box:
Payroll tax debate a juggling act for GOP presidential contenders

Discussion: The Politico

ABCNEWS:
Capitol Stand-off: Republicans Caving?

Discussion: CBS News, New York Times, Gawker, Washington Wire, The Week, The Mahablog, The Reality-Based Community, ProfessorBainbridge.com, Daily Kos, National Review and Booman Tribune

Jennifer Epstein / Reuters:
With family away, Obama, Bo shop

Discussion: White House.gov Blog, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers and Bob Owens

Stephen C. Webster / The Raw Story:
Boehner's office cuts off C-SPAN cameras as GOP takes verbal beating

Discussion: Mediaite, Sunlight Foundation Blog, ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*

Tommy Christopher / Mediaite:

Mitt Romney bin Busted: ‘Candidate Like Myself’ Would Have Done Bin Laden Raid (Except 2007 Mitt) — At Christmastime, it's comforting to know that a Mitt Romney interview is the gift that keeps on giving. On Wednesday's The Daily Rundown, host Chuck Todd drew a lot out of the candidate with his deceptively easygoing style.

Discussion: The Humble Libertarian, The Reality-Based Community and US Politics

The Politico:

Mitt Romney Rx: A bloody nose — Here is one way to look at Mitt Romney's challenge from Newt Gingrich: As one more humiliation delivered by Republican activists who have made clear over and over that they would really, really prefer to fall in love with someone, anyone, whose name is not Mitt Romney.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and Hot Air

ABCNEWS:
Mitt Romney Says ‘Yes’ To Deporting President Obama's Uncle

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

msnbc.com:
Romney to Gingrich: If you can't stand the heat, wait until Obama's Hell's kitchen

Discussion: The Caucus

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Gingrich challenges Romney to one-on-one debate over attack ads

Discussion: GOP 12, The Politico, Hot Air, Reuters and CNN

James Crugnale / Mediaite:

Rep. Ron Paul Gets Irked By Newsletter Questions, Walks Out Of CNN Interview — Ron Paul walked out of an interview with CNN's Gloria Borger following a heated exchange over the controversy regarding racist newsletters sent in his name during the 1990s. Borger asked the Congressman if he had ever read the newsletters.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, GOP 12, Indecision Forever, The Atlantic Online, The Humble Libertarian, National Review, The Page, Business Insider, Little Green Footballs and The PJ Tatler

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Paul abandons interview concerning controversial newsletters

Discussion: CNN, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and American Power

CBS Los Angeles:

Mayor Calls For Budget Cuts To Offset Millions In Occupy LA Costs — LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The City of Los Angeles reportedly faces millions of dollars in expenses brought about by the Occupy LA movement. — City agencies have been ordered to calculate what was spent on the Occupy LA protests.

Discussion: americanthinker.com, Weasel Zippers, Sister Toldjah and The Gateway Pundit

Kate Linthicum / Los Angeles Times:

Some Occupy L.A. protesters may get a lesson in free speech — Prosecutors say they can avoid court trials by paying $355 to a private company for an educational program. The irony is not lost on the anti-corporate activists, who see it as patronizing. — Los Angeles police officers arrest …

Discussion: cab drollery and Associated Press

BBC:

At least 63 killed in co-ordinated Baghdad attacks — Rafid Jabboori of the BBC's Arabic Service: “The worst day in 2011” — A wave of apparently co-ordinated bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, has killed at least 63 people and injured around 185, say officials.

Discussion: The Jawa Report and FP Passport

New York Times: Explosions Rock Baghdad Amid Iraqi Political Crisis

Daniel Jacobson / Gossip Cop:

Matt Damon Blasts Obama: “One-Term President With Balls” Would Be Better — Matt Damon rips President Obama in Elle magazine, blasting his leadership qualities and saying he'd prefer “a one-term president with some balls who actually got stuff done.” — The actor, a longtime supporter …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, THEROOT.COM, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, The Lonely Conservative and The Daily Caller

Betsy Rothstein / FishbowlDC:

Lawmaker Says Michelle Obama Has ‘Large Posterior’ — Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.), known for his cantankerous ways and for not speaking to media unless it's his idea, was overheard at the Delta Crown lounge at Reagan National Airport today talking on his cellphone about an incident …

Discussion: Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit and Weasel Zippers

Betsy Rothstein / FishbowlDC:
Sensenbrenner Aide Responds to Big Butt Allegation

Discussion: The Raw Story and nation.foxnews.com

Dorothy Rabinowitz / Wall Street Journal:

What Ron Paul Thinks of America — It seemed improbable that the best-known American propagandist for our enemies could be near the top of the pack in the Iowa contest, but there it is. — Ron Paul's supporters are sure of one thing: Their candidate has always been consistent …

Discussion: GOP 12, USA Today, LewRockwell.com Blog, Melanie Phillips, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, American Power, The Right Scoop, Wizbang and Washington Post

Charlie Savage / New York Times:

$335 Million Settlement on Countrywide Lending Bias — The Justice Department on Wednesday announced the largest residential fair-lending settlement in history, saying that Bank of America had agreed to pay $335 million to settle allegations that its Countrywide Financial unit discriminated …

Discussion: naked capitalism, Truthdig, The Huffington Post and Firedoglake

The United States Department of Justice:
Justice Department Reaches $335 Million Settlement to Resolve Allegations of Lending Discrimination …

Discussion: Washington Post and The Politico

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

U.S. Satisfaction in 2011 Ranks as Second Lowest Since 1979 — On average, 17% were satisfied with national conditions, ahead of only 2008's 15% — PRINCETON, NJ — Throughout 2011, an average of 17% of Americans said they were satisfied with the way things are going in the United States.

Discussion: The Politico, Pirate's Cove and Business Insider

Floyd Norris / New York Times:

A Central Bank Doing What It Should — “Talk tough, and open the vaults.” — That should be the slogan of Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank. — In recent weeks, the new president publicly insisted the central bank would never do any of the things that Germany opposed.

Discussion: Vox Popoli

ProPublica:

How Democrats Fooled California's Redistricting Commission — This spring, a group of California Democrats gathered at a modern, airy office building just a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol. The meeting was House members only — no aides allowed — and the mission was seemingly impossible.

Discussion: Big Government, Hotline On Call, Political Mojo and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Wall Street Journal:

Fewer Ports in a Global Storm — The world economy faces a shortage of super-safe financial assets, bonds for which there is almost no risk of default and for which the market is so big that investors can buy and sell them readily. — When anything is in short supply, its price rises.

Discussion: FT Alphaville and Brad DeLong