memeorandum: Yemen president makes TV speech (Ali Abdullah Saleh/Aljazeera)

2:45 PM ET, July 7, 2011

Top Items:

Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:

In debt talks, Obama offers Social Security cuts — President Obama is pressing congressional leaders to consider a far-reaching debt-reduction plan that would force Democrats to accept major changes to Social Security and Medicare in exchange for Republican support for fresh tax revenue.

Discussion: The Hill, The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, Crooks and Liars, ThinkProgress, Ben Smith's Blog, CNN, Oliver Willis, oftwominds.com, The Nation, The Moderate Voice, Hullabaloo, Los Angeles Times, Capital Gains and Games blogs, The Confluence, The Note, American Power, MiamiHerald.com, The Caucus, skippy the bush kangaroo, msnbc.com, Booman Tribune, Brilliant at Breakfast, No More Mister Nice Blog, Outside the Beltway, Washington Monthly, Questions and Observations, Talking Points Memo, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Connecting.the.Dots, Prairie Weather, Gawker, Scarecrow's myFDL diary, The Politico, Shakesville, The Sideshow, Daily Kos, Taylor Marsh, Weasel Zippers, Wall Street Journal, Indecision Forever, AMERICAblog News, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Political Punch, The Democratic Daily, Bark Bark Woof Woof, The Other McCain, Corrente, The Agonist, FrumForum and TPMDC

New York Times:

Obama to Push for Wider Deal With G.O.P. on Deficit Cuts — WASHINGTON — Heading into a crucial negotiating session on a budget deal on Thursday, President Obama has raised his sights and wants to strike a far-reaching agreement on cutting the federal deficit as Speaker John A. Boehner …

Billy House / NationalJournal.com:

Boehner: ‘Maybe 50-50’ Chance of a Debt Deal Reached Within 48 Hours — House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, speaks with reporters after a meeting with House Republicans on Capitol Hill on Thursday. — House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, informed fellow House Republicans on Thursday …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Atlantic Online, Hot Air, RedState, Outside the Beltway, Taegan Goddard's …, New York Magazine and FrumForum

Ezra Klein / Washington Post:

The budget deals of Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Obama, in one chart — There are two ways to read the current stalemate in the debt-ceiling negotiations. There's David Brooks's take, which is that watching Republicans pass up “the deal of the century” should leave conservatives convinced there's something wrong with the GOP.

Discussion: AmSpecBlog, The New Republic and Sky Dancing

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Senate Democrats fuming over Obama's apparent move on Social Security — Senate Democrats reacted angrily Thursday to a report that President Obama has proposed significant cuts to Medicare and Social Security in closed-door talks with GOP leaders. — Democratic lawmakers said they were dismayed …

Discussion: Firedoglake

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:

Obama Aide On Social Security Cut Story: It ‘Overshoots The Runway’ (UPDATED) … Social Security , Debt Ceiling , Debt Limit , Obama Social Security , Social Security Benefits , White House Debt Talks , Debt , Obama Social Security Cuts , Social Security Cuts , White House Debt Ceiling , White House Social Security , Politics News

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, ThinkProgress, AMERICAblog News and Corrente

John T. Bennett / The Hill:

Defense faces $700B spending cut — National security spending could be cut by as much as $700 billion in a deal to raise the debt limit, defense sources said. — That's almost twice the amount President Obama originally proposed. — Obama directed the Defense Department …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Prairie Weather, americanthinker.com and The Western Experience

Pew Research Center for the People and the Press:
Public Wants Changes in Entitlements, Not Changes in Benefits

Discussion: ThinkProgress, PewResearch.org, TPMDC and Ricochet Conversation Feed

Bob Cusack / The Hill:
Obama move on Social Security puts him at odds with Dem leaders Reid, Pelosi

Discussion: Washington Post, iOwnTheWorld.com and Swampland

New York Times:
Obama Says Debt Talks ‘Constructive,’ but Big Gaps Remain

Discussion: Brendan Nyhan, Political Insider and FrumForum

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Senate Dems rally around Conrad's left-leaning budget proposal, tax raises

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and Pajamas Media

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
The Big Break? Taxes Remain Major Unknown In Potential Grand Deficit Bargain

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Washington Monthly and Daily Kos

Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:
Obama Ready to Go Big on Budget Deal?

Discussion: CNN, Firedoglake, The New Republic, Washington Post, Modeled Behavior, The Note and The Page

BBC:

News of the World to close amid hacking scandal — Police are investigating allegations of phone hacking by the News of the World — This Sunday's issue of the News of the World will be the last edition of the paper, News International chairman James Murdoch has said.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, EU Referendum, Left Foot Forward, Reuters and Biased BBC, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:

Murdoch to Close Tabloid Amid Fury Over Hacking — LONDON — The mass-circulation tabloid at the center of the British phone hacking scandal is to be closed after a final, ad-free Sunday edition this weekend, according a statement by a top official at News Corp., James Murdoch, that acknowledged …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Wall Street Journal, Gothamist, The Lede, AllThingsD and Guardian, more at Mediagazer »

Telegraph:
Phone hacking: families of war dead ‘targeted’ by News of the World

Discussion: The Politico, CNBC, Guardian, Left Foot Forward, Public Intelligence, Washington Post, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, New York Magazine, msnbc.com, American Power and FrumForum

Peter Oborne / blogs.telegraph.co.uk:
David Cameron is in the sewer because of his News International friends

Discussion: Guardian, Guy Fawkes' blog, EU Referendum, Left Foot Forward, Los Angeles Times and The Lede

Sally Jacobs / Boston Globe:

Father spoke of having Obama adopted — US immigration files from '61 reveal Kenyan student's plan — President Obama as a young boy, with his father, who left when his son was 2. (Obama for America via Associated Press) — In the spring of 1961, President Obama's father revealed …

Discussion: The Hill, Political Punch, Taegan Goddard's …, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, New York Magazine, Salon, Althouse, Weasel Zippers, Babalú Blog, JammieWearingFool, The Daily Caller and Lynn Sweet

Wall Street Journal:

The Only Reform That Will Restrain Spending — All 47 Senate Republicans now support changing the Constitution to balance the federal budget. — Whatever happens when President Obama meets with congressional leaders of both parties at the White House today, no long-term solution is on the table …

Discussion: RedState, Ballot Box, FrumForum, National Review and The Lonely Conservative

Paul Broun / National Review:

Thinking Outside the Box: Let's Lower the Debt Ceiling — In the midst of our economic emergency, which is beginning to resemble a full-on Greece-style meltdown, every politician in America has taken to the soap box to say the exact same thing: We need to reduce our national debt and cut spending to get America back on track.

Discussion: Salon, Outside the Beltway, Confederate Yankee, Mother Jones, The Lonely Conservative, Balloon Juice and Zandar Versus The Stupid

Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Jim DeMint, Olympia Snowe: Amend Constitution

Discussion: FrumForum

New York Post:

‘Fast & Furious’ gets hotter for Holder — Don't look now, but the real action in Washington this week isn't the parti san wrangling over the debt ceiling but something — literally — even more incendiary: Operation Fast and Furious, which seems about to explode right in the face …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Pajamas Media, National Review, Mudville Gazette and Confederate Yankee

Reuters:

Exclusive: Treasury secretly weighs options to avert default — (Reuters) - A small team of Treasury officials is discussing options to stave off default if Congress fails to raise the debt limit by the August 2 deadline, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Felix Salmon, The Daily Caller, The Mahablog, The Heritage Foundation, americanthinker.com, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Daily Pundit and FrumForum

Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:
White House Paints Doomsday Default Scenario

Discussion: FrumForum

Timothy Williams / New York Times:

Casey Anthony to Be Released Next Week — Casey Anthony, who earlier this week was found not guilty of killing her daughter, was sentenced on Thursday to four years in jail for lying to investigators, but will be released next Wednesday after getting credit for time served.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Guardian, TVNewser, Scared Monkeys, Hot Air, The Western Experience and The Informer, more at Mediagazer »

Ashleigh Banfield / ABCNEWS:
Casey Anthony Ordered Back to Jail and Fined $4,000

Discussion: Guardian, This Just In, The Gateway Pundit and Gawker

Andrew Restuccia / The Hill:

House to vote on repealing light bulb efficiency standards — House Republicans introduced legislation that would repeal a light bulb efficiency law. — House Republicans introduced legislation Wednesday they hope to bring to the floor next week that would repeal a light bulb efficiency law.

Andrew Restuccia / The Hill:
GOP bill weakens light bulb efficiency law

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Right Wing News

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:

Michele Bachmann on Iowa TV: ‘Waterloo’ — Michele Bachmann is going up in Iowa with the first television ad of her presidential campaign, a 30-second spot titled “Waterloo” that Bachmann's team says will start running statewide today. — The bio spot, produced by Strategy Group Media …

Discussion: Washington Wire, The New Republic, Pajamas Media, CNN, FrumForum and RealClearPolitics Video Log

Tim Rogers / Christian Science Monitor:

Could Donald Trump reenter the presidential race? — During a visit to Panama to inaugurate the first Trump hotel and tower outside the US, real estate mogul Donald Trump called President Ricardo Martinelli an example for Washington. — Panama City, Panama

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and FrumForum

David Brody / The Brody File:

Brody File Exclusive: GOP Presidential Candidates Will be Asked to Sign a Marriage Vow — The Brody File has learned that The Family Leader, an influential pro-family group in Iowa will ask each of the 2012 presidential candidates to sign a marriage pledge that professes everything …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Hill, Ben Smith's Blog, GOP 12, TPMDC and Fox News

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

Why the Republicans Resist Compromise — The chart that I'm going to show you is one of the more important ones that we've presented at FiveThirtyEight in some time. It helps explain a lot of what's going on in American politics today, from the negotiations over the federal debt ceiling to the Republican presidential primaries.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Christian Heinze / GOP 12:

Pawlenty likes “Bad Romance” — Tim Pawlenty, weighing in on his favorite Lady Gaga songs while in Iowa. … T-Paw is often fond of saying he's not as exciting as Lady Gaga, but this is the first time he's gone deeper into Gaga. — Comes 2:10 in... You can watch the Gaga acapella performance here.

Discussion: USA Today and Gawker

Joseph E. Stiglitz / Slate Magazine:

The Great Recession, Part II — The world could be headed for another economic disaster if we continue to listen to free-market ideologues. — Just a few years ago, a powerful ideology—the belief in free and unfettered markets—brought the world to the brink of ruin.

Kate Sheppard / Mother Jones:

Brownback Taps Lawyer for Anti-Abortion Activists for State Medical Board — It's certainly no secret that Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) is a staunch opponent of abortion. It was his signature issue in the US Senate, a major campaign issue for him when he ran for the GOP presidential …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs

The Daily Beast:

Elizabeth Smart, Network Pundit? — Amid the Casey Anthony frenzy, ABC News is close to unveiling its latest contributor. Howard Kurtz reports exclusively on the kidnap victim's new career. — Elizabeth Smart first came into our consciousness nearly a decade ago as a 14-year-old girl kidnapped from her Salt Lake City bedroom.

Discussion: TBogg, New York Magazine and Jezebel, more at Mediagazer »