memeorandum: First lady Michelle Obama won't rule out plastic surgery, Botox (Associated Press)

11:40 AM ET, January 15, 2014

Top Items:

Ads Attacking Health Law Stagger Outspent Democrats — WASHINGTON — Democrats are increasingly anxious about an onslaught of television ads hitting vulnerable Senate and House candidates for their support of the new health law, since many lack the resources to fight back in the early stages of the midterm campaign.

Discussion: The Plum Line, Shakesville, The Fact Checker, Booman Tribune, Washington Free Beacon and Althouse

Politico:

The GOP's Obama obsession — It's just two weeks into 2014, but House Republicans are already convinced that the key to winning November's elections is to talk about President Barack Obama as much as possible. — In both public and private discussions, Obama remains the single-minded obsession of all top House Republicans.

Politico:

Obama's plan to save the Senate — President Barack Obama has a plan to save the Senate's tenuous Democratic majority: Sell a populist message, try to make Obamacare work better and raise lots of cash. — And unlike previous years when Senate Democrats were mostly left to fight on their own …

Discussion: Capitol Report, CNN, WJLA-TV and The Hill

Sam Baker / NationalJournal.com:

White House Moves Obamacare Goalposts Again — Another day, another self-imposed standard gets watered down. — President Obama speaks at Temple Emanu-El on Nov. 6, 2013 in Dallas, Texas. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images) — The White House is scaling back another self-imposed standard …

Discussion: Salon, Bloomberg, MetroTrends Blog and Business Insider

Reason:

They Lied — Obamacare's 12 false premises and broken promises — Peter Suderman from the February 2014 issue — On November 7, President Barack Obama made a first tentative stab at an apology for the fact that, despite his often-repeated assurances to the contrary …

Discussion: Conservatives4Palin and The Daily Caller

The Hill:

Democrats hope Obama meeting means more humility in 2014 — Frustrated Senate Democrats hope a meeting set to take place on Wednesday with President Obama will help them turn a corner with a White House they see as too distant and insular. — Aides say the new faces joining …

Discussion: Mediaite, Jammie Wearing Fools and Politico

Kathleen Hennessey / Los Angeles Times: Obama's visit to North Carolina may be awkward for Democratic senator

Justin Sink / The Hill:
WH: North Carolina trip 'isn't a campaign event'

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Public Policy Polling

Russell Berman / The Hill:
GOP to use economy as weapon

Discussion: First Read

Associated Press:
First lady Michelle Obama won't rule out plastic surgery, Botox

Discussion: ThinkProgress, TIME, CNN and Politico

National Review:
Insurance-Company Bailouts — Among the many legitimate criticisms …

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, AEIdeas and Real Clear Politics

Politico:

Jim Moran to announce retirement — Virginia Democratic Rep. Jim Moran will retire after 23 years in the House, according to multiple Democratic sources. — The retirement is the third for Democrats this week: On Monday, California Rep. George Miller said he would leave Congress after 40 years …

Discussion: Twitchy

Emma Dumain / Roll Call:
Virginia's Moran Announces Retirement From Congress

Discussion: National Review, Liberaland and Moe Lane

Ben Pershing / Washington Post:
Long-time Northern Virginia Democratic congressman Jim Moran to retire

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Capitol Report

Jessica Taylor / The Hill: Rep. Jim Moran won't seek reelection

Washington Post:

Christie faces speculation about aides' real motives in New Jersey bridge scandal — TRENTON, N.J. — Embattled New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) struggled Tuesday to regain his footing, giving an address in which he called upon the state to refocus on his agenda.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, CANNONFIRE and CBS New York

George Packer / News Desk:
The Trouble with Christie

Discussion: Washington Monthly, CNN, Balloon Juice and New York Times

Hunter Walker / Talking Points Memo:
Christie's Office Blasts ‘Wild-Eyed Conspiracy’ Theories In Bridge Scandal

Discussion: Taylor Marsh

Benjy Sarlin / msnbc.com:

This Democrat thinks he can win in 2016 as the anti-Obama — Brian Schweitzer, the former two-term Democratic governor of Montana, is rarely speechless. Once he gets going on a topic, he's almost impossible to stop. As he builds up steam, he'll slap his knee to emphasize his points.

Discussion: Wonkblog, The Daily Caller and ABC News

New York Times:

N.S.A. Devises Radio Pathway Into Computers — WASHINGTON — The National Security Agency has implanted software in nearly 100,000 computers around the world that allows the United States to conduct surveillance on those machines and can also create a digital highway for launching cyberattacks.

Discussion: The Switch, TIME, Techdirt, Gawker, Gigaom, The Verge, emptywheel, Mashable, Prairie Weather and The Reaction

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

Washington Post, Politico Editors To Meet After Bombshell Mike Allen Reports (UPDATE: Allen Speaks Out) — NEW YORK — Politico editor-in-chief John Harris and chief executive Jim VandeHei are expected to visit The Washington Post on Wednesday to discuss the paper's recent scrutiny …

Discussion: Politico, Poynter and Hullabaloo

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

WH delays another ObamaCare deadline — The Obama administration announced Tuesday that it was again extending the ObamaCare enrollment deadline for people with pre-existing conditions. — The administration said it will extend the Pre-Existing Conditions Insurance Plan (PCIP), slated to end January 31, until March 15.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, New York Post, Scared Monkeys, Right Wing News, Betsy's Page, Jammie Wearing Fools, Viking Pundit, First Read and TheBlaze.com

Tim Alberta / NationalJournal.com:

Conservatives Form Their Own Caucus Because the RSC Isn't ‘Hard-Core’ Enough — The most conservative House Republicans quietly build an invitation-only group, seeing the Republican Study Committee as devolving into a debate society. — Increasingly frustrated with the size and direction …

Discussion: Mediaite

The Hill:

Monsieur le Président plus one for White House state dinner — The French president's burgeoning sex scandal is emerging as a diplomatic headache for the White House amid uncertainty as to whom exactly François Hollande plans to bring to next month's state dinner.

Washington Post:

Senate report: Attack on U.S. compound in Benghazi could have been prevented — A long-delayed Senate intelligence committee report released on Wednesday spreads blame among the State Department and intelligence agencies for not preventing attacks on two outposts in Libya that killed four Americans …

Discussion: Hot Air and Jammie Wearing Fools

Office of Inspector General …:

Statement by David A. Montoya, Inspector General, on the Audit of New Jersey Post-Hurricane Sandy Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Plan — NEWS TYPE: — For Immediate Release — Contact: HUD OIG Public Affairs — Public.Affairs@hudoig.gov

Discussion: Politico, CNN, app.com, National Review, BuzzFeed and Talking Points Memo

Wall Street Journal:

Court Tosses FCC's ‘Net Neutrality’ Rules — Decision Clears Way for New Fees on Web's Heavy Bandwidth Users — WASHINGTON—A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday threw out federal rules requiring broadband providers to treat all Internet traffic equally, raising the prospect that bandwidth-hungry websites …