memeorandum: Did ethics staff taint Waters probe? (John Bresnahan/The Politico)

11:45 PM ET, July 18, 2011

Top Items:

Josh Gerstein / The Politico:

Priebus: Obama video may be ‘crime’ — Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is accusing President Barack Obama of committing “an apparent crime” when he recorded a video in the White House as part of a raffle to raise money for his reelection campaign.

Discussion: Politics

CBS News:

Poll: 71% shun GOP handling of debt crisis — CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto. — Americans are unimpressed with their political leaders' handling of the debt ceiling crisis, with a new CBS News poll showing …

Sam Youngman / The Hill:

Obama officially threatens to veto Republicans' ‘cut, cap and balance’ bill — The White House on Monday warned President Obama will veto GOP legislation to “cut, cap and balance” spending and the budget. — In a statement of administration policy, the White House Office of Management …

Discussion: CNN, Michelle Malkin, The Hill, The Moderate Voice, The Politico, Pajamas Media, Don Surber, AMERICAblog News and The Mahablog

David Rogers / The Politico:

Debt ceiling debate turns ‘scary’ — Washington's frayed nerves showed through Monday amid tough talk on the right, a White House veto threat, canceled weekend passes and the top Senate Democrat likening default to a “very, very scary” outcome even for those “who believe government should be small enough to drown in a bathtub.”

Discussion: The Caucus, Weasel Zippers and The Note

Ross Douthat / New York Times:
The Republican Retreat — In the negotiations over the debt ceiling …

Discussion: The New Republic, Daily Kos, Washington Post, Balloon Juice, Sky Dancing, Washington Monthly, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Politico

Molly K. Hooper / The Hill:
Reid: Saturday workdays for Senate

Discussion: The Politico and Reuters

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
White House: Budget cuts to president's office hurt debt efforts

Discussion: Reuters, Michelle Malkin, Weasel Zippers, Pajamas Media and New York Post

Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:
White House rejects linking debt limit to balanced budget, threatens veto

Discussion: Keith Hennessey, The New Republic, Pajamas Media, The Daily Caller and FrumForum

Robert Costa / National Review:
Ryan Urges ‘United Front’

Discussion: Washington Post, A plain blog about politics, The Camp Of The Saints and Verum Serum

Guardian:

News of the World phone-hacking whistleblower found dead — Death of Sean Hoare - who was first named journalist to allege Andy Coulson knew of hacking - not being treated as suspicious — Sean Hoare, the former News of the World showbusiness reporter who was the first named journalist …

Amelia Hill / Guardian:

Police examine bag found in bin near Rebekah Brooks's home — Former NI chief executive's husband denies bag - containing computer, paperwork and phone - belonged to his wife — Detectives are examining a computer, paperwork and a phone found in a bin near the riverside London home of Rebekah Brooks …

Discussion: Daily Kos, Mediaite, Roger Ailes and Boing Boing

John F. Burns / New York Times:
Tabloid Scandal a Fresh Threat to Cameron's Survival

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, CNN, News Desk, Guardian, The Nation, The Confluence, Zandar Versus The Stupid, New York Magazine, Telegraph, Daily Kos and FrumForum, more at Mediagazer »

Bloomberg:

News Corp. Said to Consider Chase Carey as CEO — News Corp. is considering elevating Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey to chief executive officer to succeed Rupert Murdoch, people with knowledge of the situation said. — A decision hasn't been made and a move depends in part …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Raw Story, Mixed Media, Mediaite, Raw Replay and Gawker, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:

Murdoch Aides Long Tried to Blunt Scandal Over Hacking — LONDON — Two days before it emerged that The News of the World had hacked the cellphone of a murdered schoolgirl, igniting a scandal that has shaken Rupert Murdoch's media empire, his son James told friends that he thought the worst of the troubles were behind him.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Tom Watson, msnbc.com, Salon, New York Magazine, The Atlantic Online, Marbury, Balloon Juice, Guardian and Felix Salmon, more at Mediagazer »

Bloomberg:
Murdoch Struggles for Control as Scandal Grows

Discussion: Guardian, New York Magazine, TechCrunch, Mixed Media, The Huffington Post, Felix Salmon, New York Times, Company Town, The Wrap, TVNewser, The Wire and Firedoglake, more at Mediagazer »

The Politico:

Default could ‘sink the whole boat’ — The warnings are apocalyptic. “Armageddon,” President Barack Obama intones. “Catastrophic,” Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner insists. “Calamitous,” Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke admonishes. — But suppose — just suppose …

Discussion: CNN, Daily Kos and The Atlantic Online

Tanya Somanader / ThinkProgress:
GOP Rep. Rokita Refuses To Raise The Debt Ceiling Even If It Means ‘The Economy Might Get Worse’

Discussion: The Note, Washington Monthly and Mother Jones

Lee Fang / ThinkProgress:

Congressman Who Harassed Elizabeth Warren Showered With Donations From Banks And Predatory Lenders — Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) playing a Nintendo Wii in his office — Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) gained infamy in May when he went on a childish tirade against Professor Elizabeth Warren …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and Daily Kos

Peter Schroeder / The Hill:
Elizabeth Warren to ‘think’ about Senate run against GOP's Scott Brown

Discussion: Firedoglake, The White House, Bloomberg, Hot Air, The Huffington Post, CNN, The Politico, Associated Press, Sky Dancing, Washington Post and Taylor Marsh

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:
Federal Judges Are Retiring At Twice The Rate New Judges Are Being Confirmed

Discussion: The Hill, Law Blog, The Political Carnival and New York Times

Joe Weisenthal / Politics:

Wynn CEO Goes On Epic Anti-Obama Rant On Company Conference Call — Who doesn't love a good rant? — We certainly do, and as usual, Steve Wynn, the CEO of casino company Wynn Resorts, delivered on his company's quarterly conference call today. — Via Seeking Alpha, here's the crux of it:

Discussion: Wizbang and Weasel Zippers

Rasmussen Reports:
48% Think Major Cuts in Defense Spending Won't Put America At Risk

Discussion: The Heritage Foundation and Hot Air

Wall Street Journal:

Borders Forced to Liquidate, Close All Stores — Above, the exterior of a closed store in San Rafael, Calif. — Borders Group Inc. said it would liquidate after the second-largest U.S. bookstore chain failed to receive any offers to save it. — Borders, which employs about 10,700 people …

Discussion: Eunomia, CBS Minnesota, AllThingsD and New York Magazine, more at Techmeme »

Molly Ball / The Politico:

Sarah Palin film to get wider release — The producers of the pro-Sarah Palin documentary “The Undefeated” say they are following up a better-than-expected opening weekend with plans to expand to more cities soon. — Details weren't yet available Monday, but the movie's distributor …

Discussion: Conservatives4Palin

Wes Little / CNN:
‘Palinistas’ pleased with ‘The Undefeated’

Discussion: Conservatives4Palin and Victory Film Group

John Nolte / Big Hollywood:
‘Eunuchs’: Did Anyone Notice Bill Maher Trashing Sarah Palin's Children as ‘Family of Inbred Weirdos’?

Discussion: The Daily Caller and The Gateway Pundit

George Packer / New Yorker:

EMPTY WALLETS — In the midst of the debt crisis in Washington, D.C., Danny Hartzell backed a Budget rental truck up to a no-frills apartment building that is on a strip of motels and pawnshops in Tampa, Florida. He had been laid off by a packaging plant during the financial crisis of 2008 …

Discussion: News Desk

Marie Diamond / ThinkProgress:

Bachmann Predicted The World Would End In 2006: ‘We Are In The Last Days’ — As GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann (R-MN) surges in the polls, more information is coming to light about her past that reveal the depths of her political and religious extremism.

Discussion: Salon and Little Green Footballs

Judson Berger / Fox News:

NIH-Backed Study Examined Effects of Penis Size in Gay Community — The federal government helped fund a study that examined what effect a gay man's penis size has on his sex life and general well-being. — The study was among several backed by the National Institutes of Health …

Discussion: LGBTQ Nation and Wonkette

Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller:
Feds pay for study of gay men's penis sizes

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller:

New O'Keefe investigation uncovers Medicaid fraud [VIDEO] — Conservative filmmaker James O'Keefe released the first installment in a new video investigation Monday morning, this one focused on Medicaid fraud. The first video in the series shows government employees in Ohio assisting two men …

Discussion: Hot Air, AmSpecBlog, RedState, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit and Confederate Yankee

New York Post:

Uncle Sam, sugar daddy — Forget all the numbers being tossed around in Washington — the millions and billions and trillions of dollars being taxed, borrowed, printed and spent as the country approaches the Aug. 2 debt-ceiling deadline. — Forget the political jockeying for position between …

Discussion: National Review

Brian Tashman / Right Wing Watch:

Tea Party Nation: “We Must Stand With The Bachmanns” Against Gay Rights — Tea Party Nation has increasingly voiced a militant opposition to gay rights, endorsing activists who maintain that LGBT equality will destroy America and that anti-LGBT bullying is “healthy.”

Discussion: Washington Blade, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Pam's House Blend, ThinkProgress and Towleroad News #gay

Manu Raju / The Politico:

Tom Coburn unveils $9 trillion plan — Sen. Tom Coburn has returned to his roots, unveiling a politically volatile package that would take an ax to federal agencies, dramatically overhaul entitlement programs and raise tax revenues — slicing a staggering $9 trillion from the national debt over 10 years.

Discussion: CNN, The Hill, Hot Air, Gretawire and Big Government

Center for American Progress:

Infographic: '60s Retro Budget Plan by Republicans Unfit for Today — Gutting Federal Spending to 1966 Levels Is Untenable — The Republican-led House of Representatives this week will consider a proposal that would restrict federal spending to the arbitrary level of 18 percent of gross domestic product.

Discussion: TPMDC, ThinkProgress, Jared Bernstein, Crooks and Liars, The Gavel and cbpp.org