memeorandum: Executive Still Hiding Its Phone Dragnet Self-Authorization, While Making Sure We Know It Has It (emptywheel)

6:25 PM ET, September 6, 2014

Top Items:

Mike Allen / Politico:

BRUNCH EDITION - 59 days to midterms — BENNY JOHNSON's new job - OBAMA PUNTS ON IMMIGRATION — WENDY DAVIS discloses abortion of third daughter - JOE SCARBOROUGH signs NBC deal —CHRIS CHRISTIE is 52 — EXCLUSIVE: Benny Johnson, the BuzzFeed “viral politics editor” who was fired for plagiarism in July …

Discussion: Gawker, Washington Post and The Huffington Post, more at Mediagazer »

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:

Ex-BuzzFeed Editor Fired For Plagiarism Gets Second Chance At Conservative National Review — A little more than a month after he lost his job at BuzzFeed for widespread plagiarism, Benny Johnson has landed on his feet at National Review. — Politico's Mike Allen reported Saturday …

Discussion: The Raw Story and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Peggy Fikac / MySanAntonio.com:

Davis discloses terminating pregnancy in her memoir — AUSTIN - Sen. Wendy Davis, in her memoir due out next week, discloses the most personal of stories preceding her nationally marked fight against tighter abortion restrictions: a decision she and her then-husband made 17 years ago to end a much-wanted pregnancy.

Discussion: Mediaite, Politico, Jezebel and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Michael Barbaro / New York Times:
Christie's Trip Looks Like a Campaign for President

Discussion: The PJ Tatler

Jim Kuhnhenn / Associated Press:

WHITE HOUSE: OBAMA TO DELAY IMMIGRATION ACTION — WASHINGTON (AP) — Abandoning his pledge to act by the end of summer, President Barack Obama has decided to delay any executive action on immigration until after the November congressional elections, White House officials said.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, Hinterland Gazette, Washington Post, National Review, Daily Signal, Power Line, RedState, The PJ Tatler, The Daily Caller, The Week, Business Insider, Mediaite, Washington Times and Associated Press

Michael D. Shear / New York Times:

Obama Delays Immigration Action, Yielding to Democratic Concerns — WASHINGTON — President Obama has bowed to the concerns of Senate Democrats up for election this fall and will delay until late this year executive action that would reshape the nation's immigration system without congressional approval …

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Outside the Beltway, Daily Kos and Business Insider

emptywheel:

Executive Still Hiding Its Phone Dragnet Self-Authorization, While Making Sure We Know It Has It — Back in February, Ron Wyden got then acting OLC head Caroline Krass to admit that Jack Goldsmith's May 6, 2004 Stellar Wind authorization remained active. Although they could rely on it at any time …

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post:

Legal memos released on Bush-era justification for warrantless wiretapping — The Justice Department released two decade-old memos Friday night, offering the fullest public airing to date of the Bush administration's legal justification for the warrantless wiretapping of Americans' phone calls and e-mails …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Talking Points Memo, The Hill and Hullabaloo

Mario Trujillo / The Hill:

Cruz: Strip citizenship from Americans in ISIS — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is slated to introduce legislation next week that would revoke the U.S. citizenship of anyone fighting or providing support to terrorist groups working to attack the United States. — Cruz said he is filing …

Discussion: New York Times and Vox Popoli

Helene Cooper / New York Times:
Obama Enlists 9 Allies to Help in the Battle Against ISIS

Discussion: Washington Post, defense.gov and The Moderate Voice

Adam Kredo / Washington Free Beacon:
Cruz Moves to Stop American ISIL Fighters from Reentering the U.S.

Discussion: Pamela Geller, Atlas Shrugs, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Independent Journal Review

Wall Street Journal:

Joan Rivers: The Entertainer — There was nobody like her. Some people are knockoffs or imitations of other, stronger, more vivid figures, but there was never another Joan Rivers before her or while she lived. She was a seriously wonderful, self-invented woman. — She was completely open and immediately accessible.

Discussion: neo-neocon, Booman Tribune, Ed Driscoll and Roger Ailes

Stephen Ohlemacher / Associated Press:

IRS SAYS IT HAS LOST EMAILS FROM 5 MORE EMPLOYEES … WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS says it has lost emails from five more workers who are part of congressional investigations into the treatment of conservative groups that applied for tax exempt status. — The tax agency said in June …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and The PJ Tatler