memeorandum: Al Jazeera English Finds an Audience (Brian Stelter/New York Times)

11:30 AM ET, February 1, 2011

Top Items:

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 Hill, ThinkProgress, Washington Wire, Hot Air, Boston Globe, BBC, Washington Post, Fact Checker, Mish's Global Economic …, American Power, Daily Kos, The Angry Arab News Service/, Firedoglake, POMED and The Nation

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 …

Discussion: Bloomberg, Firedoglake, Right Turn, National Review, NewsReal Blog, New York Times, Weasel Zippers, Jihad Watch, American Power, Right Wing News, The Gateway Pundit and The Agonist

Douglas Hamilton / Reuters:

Israel shocked by Obama's “betrayal” of Mubarak — (Reuters) - If Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak is toppled, Israel will lose one of its very few friends in a hostile neighborhood and President Barack Obama will bear a large share of the blame, Israeli pundits said on Monday.

Discussion: Washington Post, Commentary, Daniel W. Drezner, Wonkette, World Policy Institute, Hot Air, Sic Semper Tyrannis, Political Punch, Newshoggers.com, Weasel Zippers, Jihad Watch, US Department of State, Israpundit and Little Green Footballs

Aljazeera:

Protesters flood Egypt streets — At least a million gather in Cairo's Tahrir Square as mass protests against President Mubarak are staged across country. — About 1,000,000 people have gathered for the planned “march of a million” in the Egyptian capital, calling for Hosni Mubarak, the embattled Egyptian president, to step down.

Discussion: Suburban Guerrilla, msnbc.com, POMED, Telegraph, Reuters and Firedoglake

Richard Cohen / Washington Post:
A democratic Egypt or a state of hate?

Discussion: normblog, Mondoweiss, Da Techguy's Blog, Firedoglake and PostPartisan

Wall Street Journal:
Mubarak Offers to Negotiate

Discussion: Hot Air and Political Punch

David Wood / Politics Daily: U.S. Spent Billions Arming Egypt; Would Schools and Jobs Have …

Marc Champion / Wall Street Journal:
Coptic Christians Worry About Future Without Mubarak

Discussion: Telegraph, Jihad Watch, Weasel Zippers, Forex Crunch and Hot Air

Caroline B. Glick / Jerusalem Post:
Our World: Clueless in Washington

Discussion: The Other McCain, American Power and Israel Matzav

Roger Cohen / New York Times:
Exit the Israel Alibi

Discussion: POMED and Eunomia

Stephen Dinan / Washington Times:

Judge uses Obama's words against him — **FILE** President Obama talks about his health care plan, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009, at Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth, N.H.(Associated Press) — In ruling against President Obama's health care law, federal Judge Roger Vinson used Mr. Obama's own position …

Discussion: The Politico, Sweetness & Light, The Crawdad Hole, Taylor Marsh, Cato @ Liberty, Scared Monkeys, RedState, Reuters, Patterico's Pontifications, Weasel Zippers, Chicago Daily Observer, ProfessorBainbridge.com, The Volokh Conspiracy, TPMDC and The Powers That Be

Wall Street Journal:

The Constitutional Moment — Judge Vinson introduces ObamaCare to Madison and Marshall. — 'If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, Betsy's Page and Blue Crab Boulevard

Stephanie Cutter / White House.gov Blog:

Judicial Activism and the Affordable Care Act — Today, a judge in Florida issued a decision in a case filed by 25 Republican Attorneys General and Governors striking down the Affordable Care Act. This ruling is well out of the mainstream of judicial opinion.

Julian Pecquet / The Hill:
With health reform in legal limbo, Dems consider their options

Discussion: The Hill

Kevin Sack / New York Times:
Federal Judge Rules Health Law Violates Constitution

Ezra Klein:
What happens if conservatives succeed in undermining the ACA?

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Mother Jones and The Right Sphere

Orin Kerr / The Volokh Conspiracy:
The Weak Link in Judge Vinson's Opinion Striking Down the Mandate

Discussion: TalkLeft

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
Tea Party Judge Roger Vinson ‘Borrows Heavily’ …

Discussion: Ezra Klein, The New Republic, Prairie Weather and Wonk Room

Ilya Somin / The Volokh Conspiracy:
Today's Florida District Court Ruling Striking Down the Obamacare Individual Mandate

Discussion: Ezra Klein, ACS Blog, Slate and Patterico's Pontifications

Jennifer Rubin / Right Turn:
Left unprepared for ObamaCare ruling

Discussion: Hit & Run, Liberty Pundits Blog, Sweetness & Light, Top of the Ticket, The Sundries Shack, The Plum Line, Fox Nation, Mother Jones and POWIP

Ethan Bronner / New York Times:

Jordan's King Dismisses Cabinet — RAMALLAH, West Bank — 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 in the streets of Egypt.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Joe. My. God.

CNN:

Jordan's king dismisses government, appoints new PM — (CNN) — The king of Jordan dismissed his government Tuesday and appointed a new prime minister with orders to implement political reform. — The dismissal follows several protests calling for change in Jordan …

Discussion: AmSpecBlog, Parker Spitzer, World Threats and POMED

Associated Press:

Jordan's King Dismisses Cabinet After Protests — AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan's Royal Palace says the king has sacked his government in the wake of street protests and has asked an ex-army general to form a new Cabinet. — King Abdullah's move comes after thousands of Jordanians took to the streets …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, The Daily Dish and FrumForum

Agence France Presse:

Jordan king fires govt, names new PM after protests — AMMAN — King Abdullah II of Jordan on Tuesday sacked the government of Samir Rifai and named Maruf Bakhit as prime minister with orders to carry out “true political reforms,” the palace said, after weeks of opposition protests demanding change.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and Weasel Zippers, more at Mediagazer »

The Note:

Mitt Romney To Obama: ‘Press The Pause Button’ On Health Care — In the wake of yesterday's ruling by a federal judge in Florida declaring the new health care law unconstitutional, potential 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney vigorously defended a similar plan he helped pass as governor of Massachusetts in 2006.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Political Punch, The Politico and The Page

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

Discussion: Politics Daily, Right Turn, Ballot Box, USA Today and ABCNEWS

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Health care challenges could rescue Romney

Discussion: The New Republic and The Atlantic Online

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Romney: I won't apologize for my Massachusetts health reforms

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Matt Viser / Boston Globe:
Romney rips Obama in new paperback

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Politico, TPMDC and GOP 12

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 …

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Ben Smith's Blog, The Greenroom, Taegan Goddard's …, The Daily Caller, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Proof Positive, Pajamas Media and Instapundit

Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
S.D. pols want mandate & #8212; for guns

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and Raw Story

The Official Google Blog:

Some weekend work that will (hopefully) enable more Egyptians to be heard — Like many people we've been glued to the news unfolding in Egypt and thinking of what we could do to help people on the ground. Over the weekend we came up with the idea of a speak-to-tweet service …

Al Jazeera Blogs:
Live blog Feb 1 - Egypt protests

Discussion: Firedoglake, EA WorldView, The Daily Dish, NO QUARTER, New York Times, Aljazeera, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, newsfeed.time.com and Informed Comment

al-bab.com:
'Tell Mubarak we don't need his damn Internet'

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Newshoggers.com and Balloon Juice

Guardian:
Million-strong protest urges Mubarak to go

Discussion: The Daily Dish, The Independent, Danger Room, New York Times, AOL News, Global Voices in English and The Other McCain

Kyle Trygstad / Roll Call:

Denny Rehberg to Announce Senate Bid Saturday — Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) will announce Saturday he is challenging Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.). — “It's happening Saturday,” said a knowledgeable Montana GOP political operative. “He's running. There is a lot of support and enthusiasm back home, and Denny knows he can win.”

Discussion: The Fix, CNN, Ballot Box, Billings Gazette, Online NewsHour, TPMDC and Hotline On Call

Alexander Burns / The Politico:
Cuellar first to pay up DCCC dues …

Discussion: msnbc.com, The Fix and Taegan Goddard's …

Michael Barbaro / New York Times:

Bush Child, in a Break, Endorses Gay Marriage — The Bush dynasty is no stranger to generational conflict: father and son differed over deposing Saddam Hussein, raising taxes and the role of the United Nations. — Now it is father and daughter who find themselves at odds over a weighty issue.

Discussion: Runnin' Scared, CBS News, Wonkette, CNN, Mediaite, Gawker, AOL News, Hot Air, The Political Carnival, The Moderate Voice and Joe. My. God.

Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Bush daughter Barbara supports gay marriage

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

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: Hot Air, National Review, Liberty Pundits Blog, JammieWearingFool and La Shawn Barber's Corner

Andrew Martin / New York Times:

Government's Dietary Advice: Eat Less — The latest nutrition guidelines released Monday by the federal government reiterate much of the advice from previous years: eat less salt and saturated fats, eat more fruits and vegetables and whole grains. — But there is a startling difference.