memeorandum: Success in early states essential for Christie campaign? ; Jeb Bush's plans for his presidential bid in 2016 (Fox News)

3:45 PM ET, January 3, 2016

Top Items:

Les Zaitz / Oregonian:

Militia takes over Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters — Update at 9:15 p.m.: Statement from Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward: “After the peaceful rally was completed today, a group of outside militants drove to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, where they seized and occupied the refuge headquarters.

CNN:

Armed group's leader in federal building: ‘We will be here as long as it takes’ — (CNN)Armed protesters have taken over a building in a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon, accusing officials of unfairly punishing ranchers who refused to sell their land. — One them is Ammon Bundy …

Discussion: Raw Story, Washington Post, Politico, Slate, NBC News, Bearing Arms, KTLA and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Sundance / The Last Refuge:

Full Story on What's Going on In Oregon - Militia Take Over Malheur National Wildlife Refuge In Protest to Hammond Family Persecution... Grab a coffee, because this is soup-to-nuts. — Many people will awaken today to the news of approximately 100 to 150 armed militia taking control …

Discussion: protein wisdom, Vox Popoli and Jeff Goldstein

David Atkins / Washington Monthly:

The Armed Domestic Terrorists in Oregon Should Be Treated Just as ISIS Terrorists Would Be — The big story of the day is the armed seizure of an empty federal building in rural Oregon by a group of domestic terrorists, some of whom are the sons of federal tax cheat and freeloader Cliven Bundy.

Discussion: Mother Jones

Aaron Mesh / Willamette Week:

Anti-government militia member releases video pledging to drive to Oregon: “I want to die a free man.” — A group of anti-government militia members have occupied the headquarters and visitors center of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Ore., apparently seeking to provoke a standoff with the federal government.

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Gawker, Indian Country Today …, Slantpoint, ThinkProgress, addictinginfo.org, No More Mister Nice Blog and Talking Points Memo

Tara Culp-Ressler / ThinkProgress:

Armed Militia Seized A Federal Building. The Media Called Them ‘Peaceful.’ — After an armed militia seized a federal building in Oregon — and proclaimed they're willing to kill and be killed if necessary — the initial headlines about the incident suggested they're simply peaceful protesters exercising their right to assemble.

Discussion: Occupy Democrats, Guardian, KOIN-TV and Mashable

OPB:
Who Wants A Burns Standoff? Not The Sheriff, The Ranchers, Or Even Cliven Bundy

Discussion: Oregonian, Raw Story and KOIN-TV

Washington Examiner:
Three of Cliven Bundy's sons, militia seize federal building in Oregon

Discussion: Hot Air, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Raw Story

Nick Gass / Politico:

Trump: Clinton has ruined the world — Donald Trump pointed to Hillary Clinton as the cause of “so many” of the world's current problems in an interview to air Sunday, attacking, among other decisions, the then-New York senator's vote to authorize the invasion of Iraq in 2002.

Discussion: Yahoo Politics, Political Wire, Guardian and Raw Story

Bradford Richardson / The Hill:

Trump dares Bill Clinton to talk about women's issues — Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump is daring former president Bill Clinton to talk about women's issues on behalf of his wife's presidential campaign. — “I hope Bill Clinton starts talking about women's issues …

Discussion: Politico and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Raheem Kassam / Breitbart:
After The Trump Terror Vid, Can We Start Calling Her ‘Al Shabaab Media Advisor Hillary Clinton’?

Discussion: Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, Flopping Aces and Little Green Footballs

Alana Abramson / ABC News:
Trump Responds to Al-Shabaab Video: ‘I Have to Say What I Have to Say’

Discussion: Politico and abc13.com

Guardian: Clinton campaign hopes Bill will deliver a New Hampshire ‘comeback kid’ boost

Eugene Scott / CNN:

CNN to host Obama town hall on guns in America — Washington (CNN)President Barack Obama will join CNN's Anderson Cooper Thursday for an exclusive one-hour live town hall on gun control. — Obama will sit down with Cooper at 8 p.m. ET for the event, titled “Guns in America.”

Discussion: Mediaite, American Spectator, New York Times, Breitbart, Politico, Deadline, Talking Points Memo and Bearing Arms

Caitlin Yilek / The Hill:

Trump: I will veto Obama actions on guns — Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump told supporters Saturday that he will veto President Obama's actions on guns if elected to the White House. — “The Second Amendment, it's so great to me,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Biloxi, Miss.

Discussion: Mediaite

Associated Press: Vacation Over, Obama Looking at Ways to Reduce Gun Violence

Frank Bruni / New York Times:

Marco Rubio Doesn't Add Up — MATH was never my strongest subject, so maybe I'm just not crunching the numbers right. — But the more I stare at them, the less sense Marco Rubio makes. — Rubio as the front-runner, I mean. As the probable Republican nominee.

Discussion: Washington Post and Balloon Juice

Kevin Cirilli / Bloomberg Business:
Trump Backers Say Their New Hampshire Voter Database Is ‘Huge’

Discussion: Politico

Fox News:

Success in early states essential for Christie campaign? ; Jeb Bush's plans for his presidential bid in 2016 — This is a rush transcript from “Fox News Sunday,” January 3, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. — CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS HOST: I'm Chris Wallace.

Discussion: PoliticusUSA

Elliot Smilowitz / The Hill:

Trump: Iran deal was so bad it's suspicious — Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump says the nuclear deal with Iran is so bad, he is close to wondering whether it was done poorly on purpose. — “It's almost like there has to be something else going on,” he said Saturday night …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News