memeorandum: Consumer group accuses Hollywood of ‘threatening politicians’ (Brendan Sasso/The Hill)

4:10 AM ET, January 21, 2012

Top Items:

Chuck Norris / WND:

MY ENDORSEMENT FOR PRESIDENT — Exclusive: Chuck Norris reveals his choice for Republican nomination — Our republic as America's founders created it is under assault from extremists outside our country and anti-constitutionalists inside our country. Combined with the flailing American economy …

Discussion: The Hill, Pat Dollard, Mediaite, Balloon Juice, Riehl World View, Hot Air, Gawker, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Daily Caller

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Newt expands South Carolina lead — Newt Gingrich heads into South Carolina election day as the clear front runner in the state: he's now polling at 37% to 28% for Mitt Romney, 16% for Rick Santorum, and 14% for Ron Paul. — Gingrich's lead has actually increased in the wake of his ex-wife's controversial interview with ABC.

Discussion: today.yougov.com News, Taegan Goddard's …, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Booman Tribune, Hot Air, M.JOSEPH SHEPPARD'S …, The Reaction, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and RedState

Clemson University:

Clemson Palmetto Poll finds Gingrich leading, 20% of S.C. voters still uncommitted — CLEMSON, S.C. — With polls opening in less than 24 hours for the important South Carolina presidential primary election, the final Palmetto Poll shows Newt Gingrich leading over Mitt Romney in a gritty battle fraught …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Rod Dreher, ABCNEWS, Booman Tribune, The Huffington Post, The Hill, Guardian, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, The Caucus, National Review, Daily Kos, The Politico, Campaign 2012, Trail Blazers Blog and Public Policy Polling

Conn Carroll / Campaign 2012:

America hates Newt Gingrich — Unlike Mitt Romney, who occasionally beats President Obama in general election poll match ups, Newt Gingrich trails far behind President Obama in every survey. But just how bad are Gingrich's unfavorable among the general public compared to Obama and Romney?

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, FiveThirtyEight, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog and Outside the Beltway

Dr. Keith Ablow / Fox News:

Newt Gingrich's three marriages mean he might make a strong president — really — Former Speaker of the House and Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich was attacked Thursday in an interview on ABC News by his second wife Marianne. She accused him of beginning an affair …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Political Carnival, Little Green Footballs, Wonkette, No More Mister Nice Blog, Rod Dreher and The Stranger …

Ross Douthat:

The Momentum of Ideas — During last night's Republican debate, the candidates were asked to name something from the campaign that they would have done differently. Here was Newt Gingrich's answer: … I have, for my sins, watched Gingrich make his pitch across what feels …

Discussion: National Review, Rod Dreher, Swampland, Campaign 2012, The Atlantic Online and Althouse

Wallacegw / CNN:

Fake CNN email used as dirty trick in South Carolina — CNN did not send out the email alert. — Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @politicalticker — It's not clear how many people received the fake email, though at least two members of the South Carolina GOP Executive Committee …

Frank Newport / Gallup:

Romney's National Lead Down to 10 Points — Romney 30%, Gingrich 20% in the latest Gallup Daily tracking — PRINCETON, NJ — Mitt Romney is a considerably weaker front-runner among Republican registered voters nationally than he was at the beginning of the week.

Discussion: Pat Dollard, ABCNEWS, 2012 Decoded, Washington Post, CNN, Indecision Forever, The Political Carnival, The Daily Dish, Daily Kos, The Caucus and The Daily Caller

Trip Gabriel / New York Times:

A Test for Gingrich as Political Strategist — CHARLESTON, S.C. — If Newt Gingrich soars on his strong debate performances this week, overcomes the blowback within his party from attacking Mitt Romney as a corporate buyout king, and goes on to do well when South Carolina voters go to the polls on Saturday …

Discussion: The Caucus and TalkLeft

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
Santorum now the Iowa winner, officially

Discussion: Politics, CNN and FITSNews

A.Killough / CNN:
Colbert: Vote for Cain, he's on the ballot

Discussion: The Politico

Mark Blumenthal / The Huffington Post:
Newt Gingrich Surges In South Carolina, But Expect The Unexpected

Discussion: McClatchy Washington Bureau, Guardian, The BRAD BLOG and ABCNEWS

Emily Goodin / Ballot Box:
Florida debate uncertain without Romney commitment

Discussion: www2.tbo.com and Pat Dollard

Matt Stout / Boston Herald:
Sen. Scott Brown urges Romney, Gingrich — come clean

Discussion: The Politico, Hot Air, ThinkProgress and The Hill

Kristin Ford / Faith in Public Life:
Catholic Leaders Challenge Gingrich and Santorum on Divisive Rhetoric Around Race and Poverty

Discussion: ThinkProgress and The American Independent

Dylan Byers / The Politico:
Mitt Romney leaves NBC Florida Republican debate uncertain

Discussion: Politics, Daily Kos and Naked Politics

Shushannah Walshe / ABCNEWS:
Santorum: Newt Has ‘Issues of Character’

Discussion: Hot Air and Wonkette

Marc Caputo / Naked Politics:
‘Cautiously optimistic’ Mitt Romney hints he could lose South Carolina, talks tax returns

Discussion: GOP 12, Guardian and Ricochet Conversations Feed

United States Department of Health and Human Services:

A statement by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius — In August 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services issued an interim final rule that will require most health insurance plans to cover preventive services for women including recommended …

Discussion: Religion Dispatches, Daily Kos and The Raw Story

N.C. Aizenman / Washington Post:
Obama administration gives groups more time to comply with birth control rule

Discussion: United States Senate …, Salon, Political Mojo and Crooked Timber

Orin Kerr / The Volokh Conspiracy:

How Should the Supreme Court Rule on the Individual Mandate? — Commenter Brandon, a frequent critic of my posts on the individual mandate, offers the following question tonight in a comment thread: … I wasn't planning to blog on this. But because Brandon asks so nicely, I thought I would respond.

Discussion: The Other McCain and Hit & Run

Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Supreme Court Rejects Judge-Drawn Maps in Texas Redistricting Case

Discussion: msnbc.com, Reuters, ProPublica, Washington Post, Taegan Goddard's …, ABCNEWS, SCOTUSblog and Firedoglake

Wall Street Journal: Justices Bar Texas Court's Election Map

Alex Isenstadt / The Politico:
SCOTUS kills judge-drawn Texas map

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, CNN and RedState

Nando Di Fino / Mediaite:

NBC's Chuck Todd Blasts Stephen Colbert: ‘He Is Making A Mockery Of The System’ — Appearing at a Winthrop University panel Thursday, MSNBC host and NBC White House correspondent Chuck Todd ripped into Stephen Colbert and his not-yet-official run, suggesting that Colbert might …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Democratic Daily, Balloon Juice, Daily Kos, Firedoglake, No More Mister Nice Blog, Indecision Forever and Big Journalism, more at Mediagazer »

Brendan Sasso / The Hill:

Consumer group accuses Hollywood of ‘threatening politicians’ — Consumer group Public Knowledge on Friday accused the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and its head, former Sen. Chris Dodd, of trying to intimidate lawmakers into supporting a pair of controversial anti-piracy bills.

Discussion: RedState, Techdirt, The Moderate Voice and Big Government, more at Mediagazer »

Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:

Our Mr. Brooks Climbs The Romney Family Tree — The applause came from deep in the plush leather armchairs gathered by the fireplace in the clubroom of the Premature Fogies Club. It was warm and sustaining, as was the morning brandy. People touched the patches on his master's blazer as he walked by.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and New York Times

David Brooks / New York Times:
The Wealth Issue — Mitt Romney is a rich man, but is Mitt …

Discussion: Rod Dreher, Eunomia and Hot Air

Mark Steyn / Orange County Register:

No more ‘women and children first’ — When Western civilization hits the iceberg, will the response be more like that of the crew on the Titanic or that on the Costa Concordia? — Text: Next Article » — Orange Punch Blog | Brian Calle's blog | Political Cartoons |

Discussion: AMERICAN DIGEST and Ed Driscoll

Todd Leopold / CNN:

Singing legend Etta James dies at 73 — Etta James, here performing at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2009, died Friday, January 20, due to complications from leukeimia, said her longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon. The singer was 73. — HIDE CAPTION — Etta James through the years

Discussion: Washington Post, THEROOT.COM, News One, TalkLeft, The Democratic Daily and Gothamist

New York Times:
Etta James, Powerful Voice Behind ‘At Last,’ Dies at 73

Discussion: Guardian and Rolling Stone

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Left to Obama: Time for constitutional amendment against Citizens United — With unprecedented amounts of cash set to flood the airwaves this year, campaign finance reform advocates have slowly began to coalesce around a far-fetched idea: How about a constitutional amendment to ban big money in politics?

Discussion: Political Mojo and The Huffington Post

Ben Fischer / bizjournals:

Supreme Court's Antonin Scalia sounds off at law gathering … Justice Antonin Scalia said Thursday he is prepared to discard a major precedent in abortion law when considering a future challenge to state regulations that require extra staff and expensive equipment at abortion clinics, such as one approved in Virginia last year.

Discussion: LifeNews.com and Shakesville