memeorandum: Dem says spending-cap bill ‘could cost me my Senate seat’ in 2012 (Josiah Ryan/Ballot Box)

4:20 PM ET, February 1, 2011

Top Items:

Mark Landler / New York Times:

Obama Urges Mubarak Not to Run Again — WASHINGTON — President Obama has told the embattled president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, that he should not run for another term in elections in the fall, effectively withdrawing American support for its closest Arab ally, according to American diplomats in Cairo and Washington.

John Kerry / New York Times:

Allying Ourselves With the Next Egypt — EVEN if the protests shaking Egypt subside in the coming days, the chaos of the last week has forever changed the relationship between the Egyptian people and their government. The anger and aspirations propelling a diverse range of citizens …

Discussion: The Politico, The Note, The Hill, Politics Daily, Washington Post, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, Guardian, Raw Story, Boston Globe, ThinkProgress, Washington Wire, BBC and Daily Kos

Los Angeles Times:

U.S. open to a role for Islamists in new Egypt government — But the Muslim Brotherhood must renounce violence and support democracy, the White House says. — Reporting from Washington — The Obama administration said for the first time that it supports a role for groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood …

Los Angeles Times:

U.S. envoy tells Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step aside — Frank Wisner, an envoy sent to Cairo at President Obama's request, tells Hosni Mubarak that he should not be part of the ‘transition’ that the U.S. has called for. ‘This message was plainly rebuffed,’ says a source.

Discussion: The Hill, Sky Dancing, This Just In, The Daily Dish, The Atlantic Online, Political Punch and POMED

Richard Cohen / Washington Post:

A democratic Egypt or a state of hate? — Things are about to go from bad to worse in the Middle East. An Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement is nowhere in sight. Lebanon just became a Hezbollah state, which is to say that Iran has become an even more important regional power, and Egypt …

Discussion: Salon, Questions and Observations, Swampland, normblog, Grim's Hall, Mondoweiss, Da Techguy's Blog and Firedoglake

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

How They're Attacking Obama — Matt Yglesias takes time out for some ideological point-scoring: … I honestly don't have a good enough recollection of 2003 to 2005 to gauge the accuracy of Matt's characterization. But it is interesting to me that President Obama is being attacked …

Discussion: driftglass

Fox News:
Egyptian President Mubarak Will Reportedly Step Down

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Jawa Report, Jihad Watch and The Other McCain

Gschwarzcnn / CNN:
Sources: Obama envoy urged Mubarak to drop re-election plans

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog and Washington Post

Eric Dondero / Libertarian Republican:
Egyptian Lt. Gen. Sami Enan to take over for Mubarak?

Discussion: The Other McCain, Hot Air and Danger Room

New York Times:
Largest Crowds Yet Demand Change in Egypt

Discussion: Aljazeera, The Daily Dish, Washington Post, Associated Press, ThinkProgress, Al Jazeera Blogs, The Lede, Guardian, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, FP Passport, Wonk Room, AOL News, The BLT, Prairie Weather, Telegraph and FrumForum, more at Mediagazer »

David Brooks / New York Times:
The Quest for Dignity — I wonder if sometime around 50 years ago …

Discussion: POMED

Daniel Levy / Foreign Policy:
Complicating the transition in US-Egyptian relations

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Mondoweiss, Harry's Place, Swampland, TPMCafe, Washington Monthly, Commentary and Salon

CNN:
Kerry: ‘Look beyond Mubarak era’

Discussion: The Politico

USA Today:
Egyptians fill Tahrir Square in massive rally

Discussion: Guardian, Hit & Run, ABCNEWS, newsfeed.time.com and Daily Kos

CNN:
Egypt braces for ‘march of millions’ as Mubarak cuts communications

Discussion: The Monkey Cage

Orin Kerr / The Volokh Conspiracy:

The Weak Link in Judge Vinson's Opinion Striking Down the Mandate — I agree with Ilya that “Judge Vinson's analysis of the Necessary and Proper Clause is a big improvement on Judge Henry Hudson's performance in the recent Virginia ruling striking down the mandate.”

Discussion: JustOneMinute, The Plum Line, Balloon Juice, White House.gov Blog, American Prospect, Concurring Opinions, Hit & Run, Ezra Klein, Daily Kos, TalkLeft, The Impolitic, ACS Blog, The New Republic and The Atlantic Online

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

HOW THE MEDIA COVERS HEALTH CARE RULINGS.... Four federal district courts have heard challenges testing the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. Two judges concluded the law is legally permissible, two came to the opposite conclusion. — But it occurs to me the public has heard quite …

Discussion: Ezra Klein, The Plum Line, Wake up America, Zandar Versus The Stupid, AMERICAblog News and The Reaction

Wall Street Journal:
The Constitutional Moment — Judge Vinson introduces ObamaCare to Madison and Marshall.

Discussion: Washington Post, Liberty Pundits Blog, Law Blog, Grim's Hall, Betsy's Page, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Cato @ Liberty

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
VINSON'S MOST STRIKING ERROR.... In his ruling on the Affordable …

Discussion: The Plum Line, Hit & Run, The New Republic and Greg's Opinion

Ezra Klein:
Wonkbook: What the Vinson ruling means

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, The Volokh Conspiracy, Slate, National Review, The New Republic, The Politico, A plain blog about politics and Hit & Run

Argus Leader:

Bill would require all S.D. citizens to buy a gun — Five South Dakota lawmakers have introduced legislation that would require any adult 21 or older to buy a firearm “sufficient to provide for their ordinary self-defense.” — The bill, which would take effect Jan. 1, 2012 …

Lila Rose / Big Government:

Shock Investigation: Planned Parenthood Advises ‘Pimp’ on Underage Sex Trafficking, Secret Abortions for Minors — Over the past four years, our investigative team has revealed repeated cases of Planned Parenthood affiliates covering up the statutory rape of underage girls and enabling sexual abusers.

Discussion: Big Journalism, NewsReal Blog, Sister Toldjah, The Blast, Pundit & Pundette and JammieWearingFool

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Video: Planned Parenthood offering advice to pimps? Update: Did PP call the feds? — Live Action released another undercover expose of Planned Parenthood today, this time at the Perth Amboy, New Jersey clinic. Posing as a pimp and a prostitute, the pair asked the PP manager how best …

Discussion: National Review, RedState, PERRspectives, TPMMuckraker, Liberty Pundits Blog, Moe Lane, Verum Serum, Patterico's Pontifications, Da Techguy's Blog, Moonbattery, Nice Deb, LifeNews.com, Pajamas Media and La Shawn Barber's Corner

Jeremy Schulman / Media Matters for America:
HOAX VIDEO EXPOSED: Planned Parenthood Already Reported “Sex Trafficking” To FBI

Discussion: Daily Kos and Hullabaloo

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

A VISION OF FOREIGN POLICY THAT ONLY BECK CAN PROVIDE.... Over the last year or so, Fox News' Glenn Beck has lost about a third of his audience, which is a pretty significant drop, and may very well lead the deranged media personality to think of ways to bring viewers back.

Discussion: Media Matters for America

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

“This Is Important Stuff” — Above is a Glenn Beck clip that Michael Moynihan calls “the dumbest thing ever broadcast on (non-cable access) television.” If you've never tuned into Beck's show, it's worth watching, because you might be under the misimpression that he's just a Bill O'Reilly-style blowhard …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Rumproast, Wonkette and Greg's Opinion

Gschwarzcnn / CNN:

Senate to hold vote on repeal of health care law — By: CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash — Washington (CNN) - Senate leaders from both political parties have agreed to hold a vote on legislation repealing President Barack Obama's health care overhaul - a top priority of GOP congressional leaders.

Discussion: The Politico, Politics Daily and The Note

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
GOP leader McConnell to force Senate vote on healthcare repeal

Discussion: The Political Carnival

John Hudson / Los Angeles Times:

Rachel Maddow and NBC Struggle With Satire — WASHINGTON, DC - The Internet's finest satirists hooked a big fish in the media world last night. In an embarrassing segment on her MSNBC show, Rachel Maddow slammed conservatives for attacking President Obama's Egypt policies.

Discussion: Mediaite, NewsBusters.org blogs, Cubachi, The Daily Caller and Examiner

Larry O'Connor / Breitbart.tv:
MSNBC's Maddow Reports Internet Spoof Story as Fact

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The Gateway Pundit

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Romney: I won't apologize for my Massachusetts health reforms — Mitt Romney (R) said Tuesday he wouldn't apologize for the healthcare plan he created as governor of Massachusetts. — Romney waged a defense of his state's healthcare plan, perhaps his biggest hurdle to clear if he hopes …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, Ezra Klein, CNN, No More Mister Nice Blog, AOL News, Swampland and Weasel Zippers

George's Bottom Line:
Mitt Romney: No Apology for Individual Health Care Mandate

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Note, USA Today, Sky Dancing, Right Turn, Ballot Box, Daily Kos, ABCNEWS and Politics Daily

New York Times:

Jordan's King Dismisses Cabinet as Tremors Spread Through Region — AMMAN, Jordan — King Abdullah II of Jordan fired his government in a surprise move on Tuesday, in the face of a wave of demands of public accountability sweeping the Arab world and bringing throngs of demonstrators to the streets of Egypt.

Discussion: CNN, AOL News, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, TalkLeft, EA WorldView, Outside the Beltway and The Monkey Cage

Agence France Presse:

Synagogue torched in Tunisia: Jewish leader — TUNIS — Arsonists set fire to a synagogue in the southern Gabes region of Tunisia, a leader of the local Jewish community said Tuesday. — “Someone set fire to the synagogue on Monday night and the Torah scrolls were burned,” Trabelsi Perez told AFP …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online

David Perel / The Huffington Post:

Technology & Psychology: The Never-Before-Revealed Details of Why John Edwards Finally Confessed to Affair — It took two years, thousands of man hours and a cross-country chase to catch John Edwards cheating. — That was the easy part. — Even after gathering and publishing overwhelming proof …

Discussion: USA Today and Cheap Talk

Jonathan Dienst / NBC New York:

Exclusive: Wall Street Execs On New Terror Threat Info — To view this video you must to have Flash Player 9.0 or later installed. Click to download the most recent version of Flash. — Security officials are warning the leaders of major Wall Street banks that al Qaeda terrorists in Yemen …

Discussion: TBogg and Gawker

Andy Barr / The Politico:

Huck hunts ducks, weighs 2012 — Huckabee weighed his 2012 decision during a recent duck hunting trip with some of his top political lieutenants, POLITICO has learned. — Huckabee hosted the duck hunt for several of his closest friends and adviser, including Hogan Gidley …

Discussion: GOP 12

Shane D'Aprile / Ballot Box:

Sen. Webb raises $12K in final quarter of 2010 — Sen. Jim Webb's (D-Va.) latest fundraising numbers won't do much to ease the concerns of Virginia Democrats, worried that the senator isn't doing nearly enough to gear up for a 2012 challenge from former Sen. George Allen (R-Va.).

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and National Review