memeorandum: Bipartisan commission to examine national voting problems (Alexandra Jaffe/Ballot Box)

12:25 AM ET, February 13, 2013

Top Items:

CNN:

Medal of Honor recipient declines invitation to State of the Union — (CNN) - The former Army staff sergeant who was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama Monday is declining the first lady's invitation to be her guest at Tuesday's State of the Union address.

Discussion: Politico, ABCNEWS, The Daily Caller, Power Line, The Week, Shakesville and Scared Monkeys

ABCNEWS:

Energy Secretary to Skip State of Union Address — The White House says Energy Secretary Steven Chu will not attend President Barack Obama's State of the Union address. — Traditionally, one Cabinet member does not travel to the House chamber for the speech in order to preserve the government …

Discussion: CNN and Politico

Emily Goodin / The Hill:

Medal of Honor winner turns down invite to State of the Union — Former Army staff sergeant Clint Romesha, who was awarded the Medal of Honor at the White House on Monday, has declined the first lady's invitation to sit in her box on Tuesday night during the State of the Union address.

Discussion: Rush Limbaugh and CNN

Politico:

President Barack Obama State of the Union 2013 speech (full text) — President Barack Obama's speech for the 2013 State of the Union address, as prepared for delivery and provided by the White House. — Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, fellow citizens:

Discussion: CNN, Taegan Goddard's …, Guardian and Business Insider

Nick Wing / The Huffington Post:

Ted Nugent Preps For State Of The Union ‘Media Orgy,’ Some Laugh, Gun Control Advocates Salivate — State of the Union, State of the Union, Video, Ted Nugent, Ted Nugent Obama, Obama State Of The Union 2013, Sotu 2013, State Of The Union 2013, Ted Nugent Guns, Ted Nugent Sotu, Ted Nugent State Of The Union, Politics News

Discussion: Politico, The Hill, The Reaction, Sky Dancing, CANNONFIRE, CNN, Weasel Zippers and The Week

Tony Romm / Politico:
Obama issues cybersecurity executive order at SOTU

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and Quartz

CNN:
Excerpts: Obama's State of the Union remarks

Discussion: Politico, ABCNEWS, ABCNEWS and Truthdig

Talking Points Memo:
Obama To Call For Job Programs In State Of The Union (SPEECH EXCERPTS)

Discussion: Addicting Info

CNN:
First on CNN: NRA charges Obama's efforts will lead to gun confiscation

Discussion: Reuters

Dana Bash / CNN:
TRENDING: Boehner: the president lacks ‘guts’ and ‘courage’

Discussion: News Desk, Weasel Zippers and Hot Air

Sudip Bhattacharya / CNN:
White House State of the Union stream more like business presentation

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Politico

Lauren / CBS Los Angeles:

Officials: Christopher Dorner May Be Dead Following Deadly Standoff — SEVEN OAKS (CBSLA.com) — LAPD Cmdr. Andy Smith says that despite earlier reports, Christopher Dorner's body has not been recovered from a burned out cabin where he was reportedly holed up during a deadly shootout with authorities earlier today.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Associated Press, KTLA 5, CNN, Taylor Marsh, This Just In, L.A. NOW, CBS News, Michelle Malkin and Twitchy

Sam Schaefer / L.A. NOW:

Christopher Dorner in gun battle with authorities, source says — Christopher Dorner was engaged in a shootout with federal authorities in the Big Bear area Tuesday, a law enforcement source told The Times. — The shooting occurred after Dorner burglarized a home, tied up a couple and stole their car, the source said.

Discussion: Associated Press, The Other McCain, Gawker, ABCNEWS, Crooks and Liars, The Moderate Voice, The Raw Story, National Updates, Los Angeles Times, The Lonely Conservative, KTLA 5 and NPR

NBC Southern California:

Officials Deny Reports Dorner's Body Was Found in Cabin — Leading law enforcement agencies and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are denying earlier reports that the charred body of a fired LAPD officer wanted for at least three shooting deaths was discovered in a burned cabin in the Big Bear area Tuesday evening.

Discussion: L.A. NOW, NBCNews.com, Crime and Consequences Blog, Infowars and LewRockwell.com Blog

The Lede:

Conflicting Reports Over Fate of Christopher Dorner — Last Updated, 11:55 p.m. There were conflicting reports late on Tuesday about whether a body had been recovered from a a burned-out cabin in the San Bernardino Mountains where Christopher J. Dorner, the former Los Angeles police officer …

Discussion: New York Times and Althouse

Shelby Grad / L.A. NOW:

Christopher Dorner: Police demolish cabin, hear single gunshot — A single gunshot was heard as authorities moved into the cabin where Christopher Dorner was believed to be holed up. — According to a law enforcement source, police had broken down windows, pumped in tear gas and blasted a loud speaker urging Dorner to surrender.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Robert Lopez / L.A. NOW:
Christopher Dorner shootout: 1 deputy killed, 1 wounded, sources say

Discussion: Twitchy, The Verge, Little Green Footballs, Da Tech Guy's Blog, Mashable!, National Updates and Boing Boing

Lauren Lloyd / LAist:
Body Found in Burned Out Cabin Near Big Bear, Likely That of Christopher Dorner [UPDATED]

Discussion: L.A. NOW, Guardian and DCist

rubio.senate.gov:

Statement on my Vote Against the Violence Against Women Act — I believe we should have re-authorized the existing Violence Against Women Act that has helped reduce the annual incidence of domestic violence by more than 50 percent, among other successes. I also continue supporting the work …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, msnbc.com, his vorpal sword, Politico, Post on Politics and The Buzz Florida Politics Feed

ThinkProgress:

BREAKING: Senate Passes Violence Against Women Act, With No Help From 22 Republican Male Senators — The Violence Against Women Act reauthorization passed through the Senate on Tuesday afternoon, by a vote of 78 to 22. Of those opposing the legislation, all 22 were Republican men.

Discussion: Politico, The Atlantic Online, The Raw Story, Taylor Marsh, Angry Black Lady Chronicles and Talking Points Memo

Talking Points Memo:

Rubio Explains Vote Against Violence Against Women Act — Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), a rising star in the Republican Party and considered a top presidential contender in 2016, voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act Tuesday. The bill passed by the Senate Tuesday expanded VAWA …

Discussion: The National Memo, ACS Blog, Guardian and Daily Kos

Seung Min Kim / Politico:

Marco Rubio opposes Violence Against Women Act — Sen. Marco Rubio was among the 22 GOP senators who voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act - a law that the Florida Republican said he largely supports but couldn't ultimately vote to renew because of new provisions in the bill.

Discussion: Twitchy

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:
Senate Passes Expanded Violence Against Women Act

Discussion: The Maddow Blog and Addicting Info

Talking Points Memo:

Reid: I Won't Honor Holds On Hagel Nomination — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told reporters Tuesday that he will not honor any holds placed on the nomination of Chuck Hagel for secretary of defense. — He said he intends to hold a vote this week if Hagel is cleared by the Armed Serices Committee.

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times: Bitterly Divided Senate Panel Backs Hagel for Defense

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
What President Obama should (and shouldn't) say in the State of the Union

Josh Rogin / Foreign Policy:
Hagel will need 60 votes to get confirmed as defense secretary

Discussion: National Review and The Plum Line

Tim Mak / Politico:
Hagel nomination clears Senate committee

Discussion: CNN and Red Alert Politics

Paul Takahashi / Las Vegas Sun News:

Heart Attack Grill spokesman dies from heart attack — The second unofficial spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill in downtown Las Vegas has died from an apparent heart attack. — John Alleman suffered a heart attack last week as he waited at the bus stop in front of the restaurant …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Daily Caller, Techdirt, The Raw Story and NPR

Anon Relations:

Anonymous CALL TO IMMEDIATE ACTION! #opSOTU — Last year we faced our greatest threat from lawmakers. We faced down SOPA, PIPA, CISPA and ACTA. — And we won! — But that victory did not come easily. Nor did it come without a price. — Aaron Swartz was one of the leading voices …

Discussion: Post Politics, Runnin' Scared, NBCNews.com, Guardian, Mediaite, The Lonely Conservative, Mashable! and Truthdig

Suzi Parker / Washington Post:

Sarah Palin tries to stay relevant — CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post incorrectly reported that Sarah Palin planned to contribute to the Al Jazeera America news network. — The Sarah Palin Story is a cautionary tale about what can happen when politics and celebrity meet.

Noah Rothman / Mediaite:
Parody Website Fools The Washington Post Into Thinking Sarah Palin Heading To Al Jazeera

Discussion: Politico, Talking Points Memo, Red Alert Politics, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, NewsBusters blogs, FishbowlDC, The PJ Tatler, Nice Deb, Business Insider and The Daily Caller

Jed Graham / Investor's Business Daily:

The Deficit Chart That Should Embarrass Budget Hawks — Here's a pretty important fact that virtually everyone in Washington seems oblivious to: The federal deficit has never fallen as fast as it's falling now without a coincident recession. — To be specific, CBO expects the deficit …

Discussion: Reuters, The Atlantic Online, Calculated Risk, Wonkblog, Business Insider and New York Times

Kelly Whiteside / Associated Press:

IOC drops wrestling from 2020 Olympics — Wrestling, part of the first modern Olympics and a U.S. strength, was shockingly cut from the Summer Games on Tuesday, beginning in 2020. — The International Olympic Committee was expected to cut the sport of modern pentathlon but instead decided …

Discussion: BuzzFeed and protein wisdom

ABCNEWS:

Transcript: Marco Rubio's Republican Response — The Official Republican State of the Union Response by Marco Rubio (as prepared for delivery) — Good evening. I'm Marco Rubio. I'm blessed to represent Florida in the United States Senate. Let me begin by congratulating President Obama on the start of his second term.

Discussion: CNN, ABCNEWS and The Lonely Conservative