memeorandum: NY Sen. Schumer wants ban on drug-like bath salts (Associated Press)

3:45 PM ET, January 30, 2011

Top Items:

Egypt shuts down Al Jazeera bureau — Network's licences cancelled and accreditation of staff in Cairo withdrawn by order of information minister. — The Egyptian authorities are revoking the Al Jazeera Network's licence to broadcast from the country, and will be shutting down its bureau office in Cairo, state television has said.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Political Punch, Crooks and Liars, Taylor Marsh, Reuters, Salon, Outside the Beltway, Newshoggers.com, Firedoglake, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Corrente, Associated Press, The Huffington Post and CNN, more at Mediagazer »

Issandr El Amrani / Arabist.net:

Manipulation — Something very fishy is taking place — the Egyptian people are being manipulated and terrified by the withdrawal of the police yesterday, reports (some of them perhaps untrue) of widespread looting, and yesterday's (during the day) relatively low military presence in the city.

Discussion: Informed Comment, Hullabaloo, The Daily Dish and Guardian

Jane Mayer / News Desk:

Who Is Omar Suleiman? — One of the “new” names being mentioned as a possible alternative to President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Omar Suleiman, is actually not so new to anyone who has followed the American policy of renditions for terror suspects. After dissolving his cabinet yesterday …

Discussion: Sky Dancing, Firedoglake, New York Times, Emptywheel, Crooks and Liars, zunguzungu, The Atlantic Online and Corrente

The Independent:

Robert Fisk: Egypt: Death throes of a dictatorship — Our writer joins protesters atop a Cairo tank as the army shows signs of backing the people against Mubarak's regime — The Egyptian tanks, the delirious protesters sitting atop them, the flags, the 40,000 protesters weeping and crying …

Discussion: Reuters, Sky Dancing, Guardian, Telegraph, Maggie's Farm, Cubachi and Wall Street Journal

Haaretz:

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood eyes unity gov't without Mubarak — Opposition group says excludes reigning President's National Democratic Party from talks; Mohammed ElBaradei: I have been mandated by the people. — By News Agencies — The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition group …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs and Reuters

Max Bergmann / ThinkProgress:

Secretary Clinton Calls For ‘Real Democracy’ In Egypt — For the first time during the uprising in Egypt, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who appeared on all the major Sunday talk shows this morning, called for Egypt to hold free and fair elections that would ensure “real democracy.”

Discussion: BBC and The Political Carnival

STRATFOR:
Red Alert: Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood

Discussion: Big Peace, American Power, The Western Experience, No More Mister Nice Blog, National Review, UrbanGrounds, Sister Toldjah, Atlas Shrugs, naked capitalism, Israel Matzav, Elder of Ziyon, Power Line and Al Jazeera Blogs

Anthony Shadid / New York Times:
Jubilant Protesters Hail ElBaradei

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Politico, Washington Post, Firedoglake, Mish's Global Economic …, Online NewsHour and Telegraph

Associated Press:
Fighter jets swoop over Cairo in show of force

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Global Voices in English and The Other McCain

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:
Working Group on Egypt Calls for Suspension of U.S. Aid

Discussion: Commentary, Washington Monthly, The Daily Dish, National Review, Right Turn, The Reality-Based Community and CNN

Bridget Johnson / The Hill:
Egyptian opposition figure criticizes Obama response: ‘Let go of a dictator’

Discussion: Hot Air

Reuters:
Egypt opposition backs ElBaradei as negotiator - Brotherhood

Discussion: News Desk, The Gateway Pundit and Weasel Zippers

Michael Slackman / New York Times:
Choice Likely to Please the Military, Not the Crowds

Discussion: Politics Daily, Guardian and The Daily Dish

Al Jazeera Blogs:
Live blog 30/1 - Egypt protests

Discussion: EA WorldView, The Lede, Sky Dancing, Taylor Marsh, Right Pundits, Boing Boing, AMERICAblog News and Mediaite

Jamal Halaby / Associated Press:
Jordan's opposition: Arabs will topple tyrants

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Examiner, Da Techguy's Blog, sisu, The Gateway Pundit, Cubachi, Jihad Watch and Liberty Pundits Blog

Amos Harel / Haaretz:
Egypt riots are an intelligence chief's nightmare

Discussion: Pajamas Media and The Volokh Conspiracy

Washington Post:
Unrest tests Egyptian military and its crucial relationship with U.S.

Discussion: The Foundry, Associated Press, Prairie Weather and The Daily Beast

New York Times:
Obama Presses for Change but Not a New Face at the Top

Discussion: Yglesias, Commentary, Guardian, Sky Dancing, Fox News, Mediaite, The Angry Arab News Service/ and ThinkProgress

Leila Fadel / Washington Post:
More Egyptian protesters demand that White House condemn Mubarak

Discussion: Haaretz and Outside the Beltway

Martin Indyk / msnbc.com:
MTP Exclusive: Time has come for Mubarak to go, says Indyk

Discussion: CNN and Israel Matzav

Laura Rozen / The Politico:
Ex-officials urge Obama to suspend aid to Egypt

Discussion: Democracy Now, Xinhua News Agency, Sky Dancing, Carnegie Endowment …, Guardian, Newshoggers.com, ThinkProgress, Wall Street Journal, American Power and Taylor Marsh

theblogprof:

Comedy Gold! Chris Matthews, who derides Palin as stupid, says Panama Canal is in... EGYPT! — Chris Matthews is in de Nile. He has been deriding Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann as being a couple of bubble-headed idiots. A flashback not from years but from mere days ago:

Discussion: Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Scared Monkeys, UrbanGrounds, Left Coast Rebel, Instapundit, NewsBusters.org blogs and Proof Positive

John / Power Line:

Chris Matthews's Obsession — Sometimes you get the feeling that liberal pundits are all going around the bend together, in a grand carnival of craziness. Take Chris Matthews, who began his report on the riots in Egypt with this rant: — Here is the transcript, for those who just can't stand to watch Matthews:

Discussion: Right Pundits

Noel Sheppard / NewsBusters.org blogs:
Palin and Bachmann Nitpicker Chris Matthews Says Panama Canal Is In Egypt

Discussion: Fausta's Blog, Mediaite, Don Surber, Fox Nation and M.JOSEPH SHEPPARD'S …

Jennifer Chambers / Detroit News:

California man arrested with explosives outside Dearborn Islamic center — Dearborn - A California man, accused of being in possession of explosive materials outside the Islamic Center of America on Ford Road, has been charged with making a terrorist threat.

Discussion: Raw Story, JammieWearingFool and Weasel Zippers

MyFOX Detroit:
Terrorist Threat At Local Mosque

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Kate Zernike / New York Times:

Tea Party Gets Early Start on G.O.P. Targets for 2012 — Leaders of more than 70 Tea Party groups in Indiana gathered last weekend to sign a proclamation saying they would all support one candidate — as yet undetermined — in a primary challenge to Senator Richard G. Lugar, the Republican who has represented the state since 1977.

Discussion: Hullabaloo, The Impolitic and A plain blog about politics

Kim Severson / New York Times:

A Chicken Chain's Corporate Ethos Is Questioned by Gay Rights Advocates — ATLANTA — The Chick-fil-A sandwich — a hand-breaded chicken breast and a couple of pickles squished into a steamy, white buttered bun — is a staple of some Southern diets and a must-have for people …

Discussion: Gawker and Liberty Pundits Blog

Christine Brim / Big Peace:

Muslim Brotherhood Deception: They Say Different Things in English and Arabic — Over the next few days, here are 2 websites to compare - the Muslim Brotherhood's English language and Arabic websites. First, the Muslim Brotherhood website in English - complete with the word “freedom” …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Mondoweiss and The Gateway Pundit

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Obama taps aide to lead ‘reorganization’ of federal gov't — President Obama tapped an aide to lead a “reorganization” of the federal government, communications director Dan Pfeiffer said Sunday. — Obama named Jeffrey Zients, a former CEO of the Advisory Board Company who serves …

Discussion: JammieWearingFool

Dan Pfeiffer / White House.gov Blog:
Jeff Zients Will Lead Reorganization of Federal Government

Discussion: Federal Eye

Associated Press:

NY Sen. Schumer wants ban on drug-like bath salts — ALBANY, N.Y. — U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer of New York says he wants the federal government to ban new designer drugs known as bath salts that pack as much punch as cocaine or methamphetamines. — The small, inexpensive packets of powder …

Discussion: International Liberty, AOL News and JammieWearingFool

Ynetnews:

Israeli reports of ‘friendly atmosphere’ in Cairo — Tour guide Amos Abidov visits Egypt with 30 students, says no plan to come home early. ‘We go to restaurants, take taxis, sit in cafes’ — Ziv Reinstein — “We are in Cairo and have no plans to return to Israel sooner,” …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online