memeorandum: Top Democrats reject new plan to cut Medicare spending (Rosalind S. Helderman/Washington Post)

11:50 AM ET, June 29, 2011

Top Items:

14th Amendment: Democratic Senators See Debt Ceiling As Unconstitutional … WASHINGTON — Growing increasingly pessimistic about the prospects for a deal that would raise the debt ceiling, Democratic senators are revisiting a solution to the crisis that rests on a simple proposition: The debt ceiling itself is unconstitutional.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, Politics, msnbc.com, Daily Kos, Outside the Beltway, Capital Gains and Games blogs and AmSpecBlog

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Dems fault Obama for not using bully pulpit — Senate Democrats are accusing President Obama of failing to use his bully pulpit effectively in the debt-ceiling fight. — They say most people are confused about the issue and don't understand they'd face an economic catastrophe if the $14.3 trillion ceiling isn't raised by Aug. 2.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Manu Raju / The Politico:

No holiday recess this week — President Barack Obama won't be able to make any recess appointments next week because GOP maneuvering has blocked the Senate from adjourning over the Fourth of July break. — Under the Constitution, each house of Congress must approve of the other adjourning for more than three days at a time.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and A plain blog about politics

Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:

Top Democrats reject new plan to cut Medicare spending — View Photo Gallery — The United States may have run up a huge debt, but it is not a poor country by any stretch of the imagination. The federal government owns roughly 650 million acres of land, a million buildings …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Politics, New York Times, The Hill, AMERICAblog News, Wall Street Journal and The Politico

Brian Brown / NOM Blog:

Reversing SSM in New York: The Campaign Begins — What can you do to restore marriage in New York? — The secretive, “emergency” process by which same-sex marriage was brought to New York last Friday night has left many outraged—even some supporters of same-sex marriage.

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, Towleroad News #gay, Good As You, Pam's House Blend and An Enduring Vision

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times: Obama's Position on Gay Marriage Faces New Test

The Politico:
President Obama meets the press

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Bloomberg, Hot Air and AMERICAblog News

Devin Dwyer / ABCNEWS:
Obama Gay Marriage Stance a Nod to 2012 Battlegrounds

Discussion: Towleroad News #gay

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
On same-sex marriage, Obama still has cold feet

Discussion: US Department of State, The Huffington Post and Towleroad News #gay

Associated Press:
Obamas to summer on Martha's Vineyard once more in August

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Obama's lunch stop includes ‘mountains’ of greasy food

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The Powers That Be

Elise Young / Bloomberg:

Christie Loses Support for Second Term as Residents Oppose Cuts — More than half of New Jersey residents say they wouldn't back Governor Chris Christie for a second term, disapproving of his choices on a range of policy and personal issues, from killing a commuter tunnel to using …

Discussion: GOP 12, The Politico, Capital Gains and Games blogs, The Mahablog and Eschaton

The Note:

Sarah Palin's Unlikely Supporter — ABC News' Sheila Marikar (@SheilaYM) reports from Pella, Iowa: — There's the stereotype of the Sarah Palin supporter, and then there's Sonnie Johnson. — The 30-year-old African-American mother and wife is featured in “The Undefeated” …

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, Taylor Marsh, Big Government, Conservatives4Palin, The Lonely Conservative, Victory Film Group, The Hill and CNN

Scott Conroy / Real Clear Politics:
Palin Vows “110 Percent” Commitment to Iowa — If She Runs

Discussion: Anchorage Daily News, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, New York Times, CNN, Hot Air, The Hill, The Atlantic Online, Guardian, Reuters, GOP 12, The Note and Victory Film Group

Seema Mehta / Los Angeles Times:
As film debuts in Iowa, Sarah Palin gives no hint of presidential plans

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots, Guardian and The Iowa Republican

Rob Shuter / PopEater:
Bristol Palin: Michele Bachmann ‘Dresses a Lot Like My Mom’

Discussion: GOP 12 and Mediaite

Ezra Klein / Washington Post:

Obama needs to create jobs, not fight for them — (Mark Wilson - Bloomberg) Ron Klain, former chief of staff to both Al Gore and Joe Biden, thinks President Obama needs to make more of a show of fighting for job-creating policies. “The greatest risk to the president will be if the American people believe …

Discussion: TPMDC, Washington Monthly, Eschaton and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Ron Klain / Bloomberg:
About Ron Klain — Ron Klain is a senior executive …

Discussion: Jared Bernstein

Ben Smith / The Politico:

Jewish Dems losing faith in Obama — David Ainsman really began to get worried about President Barack Obama's standing with his fellow Jewish Democrats when a recent dinner with his wife and two other couples — all Obama voters in 2008 — nearly turned into a screaming match.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, Hot Air, Pajamas Media, The New Republic and National Review

David Seifman / New York Post:

Rudy breaks vows — The gay car dealer who opened his home to Rudy Giuliani in 2001 during his humiliating divorce battle says the former mayor offered to preside at his wedding if same-sex marriage were ever legalized — but is now ducking his calls to make good on the offer.

Discussion: New York Magazine, Runnin' Scared, TPMDC and Joe. My. God.

Tim Mak / The Politico:

Rep. Kucinich's Syria visit raises eyebrows — Rep. Dennis Kucinich showed up in Syria this week and held a press conference in which he appeared to praise embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - who is ruthlessly crushing opposition to his government - as “highly loved and appreciated by the Syrians.”

Discussion: New York Magazine, Runnin' Scared and FP Passport

Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:
Kucinich has language problem in Syria

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and FrumForum

Pamela Constable / Washington Post:

Taliban hotel attack kills at least nine, rattles Afghan capital — KABUL — Kamel Khan, 32, a businessman, was chatting with two friends on the poolside terrace of the hilltop Intercontinental Hotel Tuesday night when he heard a burst of gunfire and looked up.

Discussion: Global Public Square and Simply Left BehindThe …

Tim Mak / The Politico:

Clinton: Stimulus wasn't big enough — Former President Bill Clinton said he likes the economic stimulus - it just wan't big enough. — “I think the stimulus did as well as it could have done — there just wasn't enough of it,” Clinton told reporters on Tuesday.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Simply Left BehindThe …

Richard Wolf / USA Today:

Debt-limit delay would jeopardize Social Security payments — WASHINGTON — Social Security payments to millions of retirees and people with disabilities could be threatened if President Obama and Congress can't agree to increase the government's debt limit by Aug. 2, a new analysis shows.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Politics and ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*

Toronto Sun:

Lennon was a closet Republican: Assistant — John Lennon was a closet Republican, who felt a little embarrassed by his former radicalism, at the time of his death - according to the tragic Beatles star's last personal assistant. — Fred Seaman worked alongside the music legend from 1979 …

Discussion: Breaking news and opinion … and Weasel Zippers

BBC:

Greece passes key austerity vote — The BBC's Jon Sopel describes the battle between the police and rioters as one of “cat and mouse” — The Greek parliament has voted in favour of a drastic package of austerity measures intended to save the country from defaulting on its debts.

Discussion: Firedoglake, New York Times, Guardian and New York Magazine

Jeff Shesol / New York Times:

Should Justices Keep Their Opinions to Themselves? — ARE there really only nine Supreme Court justices? — It seems that everywhere you look, you see one popping up: giving speeches, signing books, leading workshops, posing for pictures at charity functions.

Discussion: Washington Post and Prairie Weather

Jack Doyle / Daily Mail:

The joke of ‘secure Britain’: Vile banned militant extremist strolls through Heathrow immigration as 200 Somalian criminals are allowed to stay due to human rights — European Court ruling stems from appeals by two asylum seekers convicted of offences including burglary, making threats to kill and drug dealing

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Guardian, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Harry's Place and Jihad Watch

Marjorie Connelly / The Caucus:

Republican Voters Lack Enthusiasm for Presidential Contenders, Poll Shows — Republican voters are not satisfied with the candidates running for the Republican nomination and wish they had more choices, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. None of the candidates currently hoping …

Discussion: The Hill, Prairie Weather and FrumForum

Live Action News & Opinion:

VIDEO: Do Women Need Planned Parenthood? — Medicaid Misinformation: Planned Parenthood Caught on Tape Lying About Indiana Healthcare — Live Action Launches “Standing with Indiana” Petition — June 29, 2011 - Undercover phone calls released today show Planned Parenthood …

Discussion: LifeNews.com, Hot Air and Big Government

Michael Isikoff / msnbc.com:

Presidential candidate has often blasted growing welfare programs — Below: — While Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn., has forcefully denounced the Medicaid program for swelling the “welfare rolls,” the mental health clinic run by her husband has been collecting annual Medicaid payments totaling …

Discussion: National Review, NewsBusters.org blogs, Right Wing News and Associated Press

Craig Whitlock / Washington Post:

Adm. McRaven: Obama administration has no plan for captured terrorists — The top military official involved in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden said Tuesday that the Obama administration has no clear plan for handling terrorist leaders if they are caught alive outside a war zone.

Discussion: Pajamas Media, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, Lawfare, Fox News and Washington Wire

Biz Stone:

It's So Obvious — Believe it or not, Jason is the smartest of the trio. — My career in developing large scale systems that allow people to express themselves and communicate started in 1999 with Xanga. I left after a couple years and got more academic about the democratization of information on the web.

Discussion: Guardian, L.A. Times Tech Blog, The Atlantic Online, Fortune, AllThingsD, GigaOM and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »

Julian Ryall / Telegraph:

North Korea shuts down universities for 10 months — North Korea has shut down its universities for the next 10 months and sent students to work in factories, agriculture and the construction sector as it struggles to rebuild its economy. — North Korea's “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-il

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs and FrumForum

Michael Scherer / Swampland:

Obama Won't Declare ‘Mission Accomplished’ on the Recovery. Should He Defend It at All? — Stanley Greenberg, the Democratic pollster who helped elect President Bill Clinton, South Africa's Nelson Mandela and Israel's Ehud Barak, says all of his clients have had the same, sometimes terrible …

Nelson D. Schwartz / New York Times:

Bank of America Near $8.5 Billion Deal on Mortgage Securities — Bank of America is near to a deal to pay $8.5 billion to settle a suit by investors who purchased mortgage securities that soured, handing a victory to a group of money managers including Pimco and BlackRock as well as the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Discussion: TalkLeft, Wall Street Journal, Law Blog and Calculated Risk

Tim Mak / The Politico:

Price of U.S. wars: $4.4 trillion? — The final bill for U.S. military involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan could be as high as $4.4 trillion, according to a comprehensive new report Tuesday. — In the 10 years since American troops were sent into Afghanistan …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway