memeorandum: Japan holds the line in nuclear plant crisis (CNN)

11:06 PM ET, March 17, 2011

Top Items:

U.N. Approves Airstrikes to Halt Attacks by Qaddafi Forces — UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council approved a measure on Thursday authorizing “all necessary measures” to protect Libyan civilians from harm at the hands of forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Balloon Juice, ThinkProgress, The Daily Dish, ABCNEWS, CNN, Associated Press, Crooked Timber, New York Magazine, Washington Post, NO QUARTER, White House Dossier, Outside the Beltway, Guardian, Right Wing News, Gawker, National Review and Ross Douthat

Josh Rogin / Foreign Policy:

Lugar: No-fly zone requires declaration of war — The top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee argued against implementing a no-fly zone over Libya on Thursday, and also said that Congress must pass a formal declaration of war if the Obama administration decides to take that step.

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Weasel Zippers, Lawfare and Outside the Beltway

Josh Rogin / Foreign Policy:

Inside classified Hill briefing, administration spells out war plan for Libya — Several administration officials held a classified briefing for all senators on Thursday afternoon in the bowels of the Capitol building, leaving lawmakers convinced President Barack Obama is ready to attack Libya …

Discussion: The Daily Dish and Ben Smith's Blog

Abu Muqawama / cnas.org:

War — I got on a plane in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where I spent the morning trying to explain the war in Afghanistan to students and alumni of my high school — how the war started, why we are still there after nine years, how the war has changed since 2008, and where I see the war headed in 2011.

Discussion: The Daily Dish

Guardian:

Libya crisis: Britain, France and US prepare for air strikes against Gaddafi — UN security council expected to pass resolution calling for states to protect Libyan civilians as Gaddafi threatens counterattack — British, French and US military aircraft are preparing to defend …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, The Nation, Outside the Beltway, Hit & Run and Fox News

Wall Street Journal:
Egypt Said to Arm Libya Rebels

Discussion: Aljazeera, Guardian, Voice of America, The Volokh Conspiracy, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, normblog and Instapundit

BBC:
Libya: UK forces prepare after UN no-fly zone vote

Discussion: Fox News, Hot Air and Guardian

Max Boot / Commentary Magazine:
Qaddafi Can Still Be Ousted, but Only if We Act Now

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Democracy in America, New Atlanticist and Wall Street Journal

Washington Post:
U.N. approves ‘all necessary measures,’ including no-fly zone, to protect Libyans

Discussion: Politics Daily, Telegraph and The Daily Dish

Adam Entous / Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Seeks Range of Strikes on Libya at U.N.

Discussion: Salon, Armchair Generalist, New York Magazine and New York Times

Colum Lynch / Foreign Policy:
Security Council to pass resolution authorizing military intervention in Libya

Discussion: AmSpecBlog, Global Public Square, Eunomia, Newshoggers.com, This Just In, Gawker and Guardian

George Zornick / ThinkProgress:

During NPR Funding Debate, Rep. Jim McGovern Proposes No Federal Funding Should End Up At Fox News — Today, the House of Representatives will vote on a bill that would strip all federal funds from NPR. Conservatives have long targeted NPR because they believe it has a liberal bias …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The TrogloPundit, NPR, Fox News, Lean Left, RealClearPolitics Video Log and The Politico

Evan McMorris-Santoro / TPMDC:

Anthony Weiner Sarcastically Mocks GOP NPR Defunding Bill (VIDEO) — Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) thinks the House bill to defund NPR is completely ridiculous. And he thinks the Republicans who rushed it to the floor Thursday are wasting everyone's time. — The way he expressed his feelings to the nation?

Discussion: The Hill, CNN, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Lonely Conservative, Weasel Zippers and New York Magazine

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
HOUSE GOP CUTS OFF NPR.... Following an emergency session …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Caucus, CNN and Eschaton

Simon Maloy / Media Matters for America:

O'Keefe's Latest NPR Bombshell Instantly Falls Apart — Discredited conservative activist James O'Keefe is out with yet another NPR video, and its auteur took to Twitter to tease its SHOCKING REVELATION: — Yep, that's the big story, and in his narration to the tape O'Keefe delivers this breaking news …

Discussion: Brilliant at Breakfast and AMERICAblog News

Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller:
New O'Keefe tape shows George Soros has donated to NPR before last year

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs, NewsBusters.org blogs and The Jawa Report

James Poniewozik / Time:
NPR Sting: Edited Video Makes Schiller, O'Keefe Look Bad

Discussion: Colorado Independent, Wall Street Journal, The Reaction and Althouse

tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com:
Latest James O'Keefe NPR Tape Immediately Proves A Dud

Discussion: Associated Press, Media Matters for America and Truthdig

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Palin trails Sheen with independents — We've found a lot of brutal poll numbers for Sarah Palin so far in 2011: down in South Dakota, down in South Carolina, down in Arizona, only up by 1 point in Texas, only up by 1 point in Nebraska to name a few. But this has to be the worst- independent voters …

Discussion: The Raw Story, Mediaite, The Hill, The Moderate Voice, USA Today, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, LewRockwell.com Blog, Runnin' Scared, Indecision Forever, Liberal Values, Outside the Beltway, The Political Carnival, Conservatives4Palin, Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!, JammieWearingFool, Gawker and Booman Tribune

Pat Garofalo / Wonk Room:

House Budget Chairman Dismisses Social Security Reality: ‘That Just Boggles My Mind’ — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) appeared on MSNBC last night, where he strongly rejected the idea that Social Security cuts should be on the table during current budget talks.

Discussion: Daily Kos and Hullabaloo

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Reid: GOP must give in on Planned Parenthood to get spending deal

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The Political Carnival

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Trump torches GOP presidential field

Discussion: CNN, The Politico, Indecision Forever and Fox News

Josiah Ryan / The Hill: Reid trashes House vote to defund NPR, adjourns Senate

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:

The Times Announces Digital Subscription Plan — The New York Times rolled out a plan on Thursday to begin charging the most frequent users of its Web site $15 a month in a bet that readers would pay for news they have grown accustomed to getting free. — Beginning March 28 …

Discussion: Mediaite, Little Green Footballs, Mashable!, Poynter, TechCrunch, Clusterstock, Outside the Beltway, Gothamist, New York Times, The Moderate Voice, Gawker and Tuned In, more at Mediagazer »

Felix Salmon:
The NYT paywall arrives

Discussion: The Daily Dish and Mashable!

New York Times:
Become a Digital Subscriber starting March 28.

Discussion: Yahoo! News, Mixed Media, AMERICAN DIGEST, Engadget, Poynter, TechCrunch, Wonkette, Runnin' Scared, AMERICAblog News, New York Magazine, Guardian and The Future of Capitalism, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:
A Letter to Our Readers About Digital Subscriptions

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, DealBook, Poynter, Guardian, TechCrunch, Deadline.com and TalkLeft, more at Mediagazer »

BBC:

Cable reaches Japan nuclear plant — Engineers at Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant have managed to lay a cable to reactor 2, the UN's nuclear watchdog reports. — Restoring power should enable engineers to restart the pumps which send coolant over the reactor.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Bloomberg, New York Times, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Hot Air, The Political Carnival, Jeffrey Lewis and Guardian

New York Times:
Danger of Spent Fuel Outweighs Reactor Threat

Discussion: Kyodo News, Knoxville News-Sentinel, Guardian, Climate Progress, New York Magazine, Colorado Independent and Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!

Joshua Hersh / The Daily:

Obama's indecision on Libya has pushed Clinton over the edge — Fed up with a president “who can't make his mind up” as Libyan rebels are on the brink of defeat, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is looking to the exits. — At the tail end of her mission to bolster the Libyan opposition …

Discussion: World Politics Review, Taylor Marsh, Liberal Values, Firedoglake, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, Ben Smith's Blog, Pajamas Media, Suburban Guerrilla and Shakesville

Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Hillary Clinton: No-fly zone would lead to bombing

Discussion: BBC, Liberty Pundits Blog and BBC

Keach Hagey / The Politico:

House passes bill to defund NPR — In the latest Republican attack on public broadcasting, the House passed a bill Thursday that would block federal funding from reaching NPR. — The vote — which passed 228 to 192, with one voting present — came a week after a video sting …

Discussion: The Note and TPMDC

Huma Khan / ABCNEWS:
House Republicans Pass NPR-Defunding Bill

Discussion: Political Punch and Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!, more at Mediagazer »

Fox News:
House Votes to Defund National Public Radio

Discussion: Michelle Malkin and Weasel Zippers

Connie Schultz / Plain Dealer:

Anti-teacher climate humbles the conservative husband of a Cleveland educator: Connie Schultz — It's a question on a lot of parents' minds these days: How do we teach character? — New York Times columnist David Brooks was in Cleveland on Monday to talk about his new book, “The Social Animal …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars

Jonathan Chait / The New Republic:

Never Anger A Man Named Erskine — Erskine Bowles has harsh words for the left: … A couple points here. First, I'm incredibly impressed that the reporter, Damian Paletta, transcribed Bowles' use of the word “dern,” rather than change it to “darn.” But is it really spelled “dern”?

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Yglesias, Salon, A plain blog about politics, Modeled Behavior, Washington Monthly, Taylor Marsh, Economist's View, Paul Krugman, Pajamas Media and Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality …

The Note:

Sen. Paul Unveils 5-Year Budget Plan: Eliminates Four Federal Agencies — ABC News' Mary Bruce reports: — Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., unveiled today his five-year path to a balanced budget, leaving several federal agencies behind. Among the items on the cutting room floor are the Departments …

Discussion: The Hill and Don Surber

Ann Althouse / Althouse:

Union thuggery against Althouse and Meade: “We will hang up wanted posters of you everywhere you like to go.” — “We will picket on public property as close to your house as we can every day. We will harrass the ever loving s**t out of you all the time. Campus is OCCUPIED. State street is OCCUPIED.

Discussion: The Other McCain, Winds of Change.NET, Pajamas Media, The Lonely Conservative, The Volokh Conspiracy and Instapundit

Michelle Malkin:

Mmm, mmm, mmm: NJ shuts down Barack Obama Elementary School — How fitting that a school named after our profligate, post-achievement president is shutting down thanks to fiscal mismanagement and non-achievement. — R.I.P., Barack Obama Elementary School (hat tip: reader Peter):

Discussion: APP.com and The Blaze

Sam Kazman / Wall Street Journal:

How Washington Ruined Your Washing Machine — The top-loading washer continues to disappear, thanks to the usual nanny state suspects. — It might not have been the most stylish, but for decades the top-loading laundry machine was the most affordable and dependable.

Discussion: Moonbattery