memeorandum: Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, Qaeda No. 2, Is Said to Be Dead (Mark Mazzetti/New York Times)

10:40 AM ET, August 28, 2011

Top Items:

Do We Really Need a National Weather Service? — As Hurricane Irene bears down on the East Coast, news stations bombard our televisions with constant updates from the National Hurricane Center. — While Americans ought to prepare for the coming storm, federal dollars need not subsidize their preparations.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, NY Daily News, This Just In, Guardian, Watts Up With That? and AMERICAblog News

Yahoo! News:

Obama takes charge at hurricane command center — US President Barack Obama warned the US east coast was in for a “long 72 hours” as he led his government's response to Hurricane Irene at a disaster command center in Washington. — Obama on Saturday chaired a meeting at the National …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Power Line, Nation Now, msnbc.com, Balloon Juice, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, americanthinker.com, Outside the Beltway, ABCNEWS, Washington Post, Weasel Zippers, The Other McCain, Scared Monkeys and Wonkette

Brad Johnson / ThinkProgress:

Right Wing Tries New Tactic To Soften Bush's Katrina Debacle: Say Obama's Leadership On Irene Is Just For Show — The President of the United States oversees the national response to Hurricane Irene — With the threat of Hurricane Irene to millions of Americans from the Carolinas to New England …

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Ed Henry / Fox News:

Biden Golfed in Hours Preceding Hurricane — Delaware was pounded by Hurricane Irene on Saturday night, but Vice President Biden got in one last round of golf in his home state before the heavy stuff started coming down, Fox News has learned. — Biden played golf at a Wilmington-area course …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Fred Barnes / Weekly Standard:

Obama's Enablers — Meet the mainstream media. — As a rule, the press is the scourge of presidents. They're expected to endure unending scrutiny, mistrust, and badgering—plus hostility if they're Republicans—by a hectoring herd of reporters and commentators in the mainstream media.

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative and White House Dossier

Darlene Superville / Associated Press:
Obama: Getting Through Irene Will Be ‘Tough Slog’

Discussion: CNN and The Lonely Conservative

A.Killough / CNN:
TRENDING: Ron Paul: We don't need FEMA

Discussion: The Politico, The Moderate Voice and No More Mister Nice Blog

Kamalwallace / This Just In:
Live blog: Hurricane death toll at 9; New York closes bridge entrance, port

Discussion: newsfeed.time.com, Guardian, CNN, USA Today, ThinkProgress and New York Times

CNN:
Strong winds, heavy rain lash N.C. coast

Discussion: The Monkey Cage, newsfeed.time.com, This Just In, Gothamist, Fox News, Hot Air, Guardian and The Moderate Voice, more at Mediagazer »

msnbc.com:
Hurricane Irene slams into NJ, shuts down NYC

Discussion: New York Times, The Democratic Daily, The Other McCain, Nation Now, The Lonely Conservative, Scared Monkeys, Guardian, PhotoBlog, Crooks and Liars and Solitary Watch

Mandy Van Deven / Salon:

Why won't America embrace the left? — In two centuries, the movement's history in America is plagued by failure. An expert explains why — What has the left really accomplished over the past two centuries? FDR's New Deal remains one of the great American success stories.

Discussion: The Other McCain, Taylor Marsh and The Lonely Conservative

Mark Mazzetti / New York Times:

Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, Qaeda No. 2, Is Said to Be Dead — WASHINGTON — A drone operated by the C.I.A. killed Al Qaeda's second-ranking operative in the mountains of Pakistan this month, an American official said Saturday, further weakening a terrorism network shaken by the killing of Osama bin Laden this year.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, americanthinker.com, Hot Air, Wonkette, Balloon Juice and Attackerman

Yahoo! News:
US official: Al-Qaida's No. 2 killed in Pakistan

Discussion: CBS News

Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:

BREAKING: Perry Says He Hasn't ‘Backed Off Anything’ In His Book, Still Thinks Social Security Is Unconstitutional — ThinkProgress filed this report from Des Moines, IA. — During a campaign stop in Des Moines, Iowa today, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) reaffirmed all the views expressed in his book Fed Up! …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog

Mother Jones:

Rikers Island Prisoners Left Behind to Face Irene — “We are not evacuating Rikers Island,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a news conference Friday. Bloomberg annouced a host of extreme measures being taken by New York City in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Irene …

Discussion: Gawker, newsfeed.time.com, New York Times, Guardian, Facing South, New York Magazine, Runnin' Scared, Focal Point, Truthdig, The Impolitic and Gothamist

New York Times:
Damage and Flooding Scar Atlantic Seaboard

Discussion: The Democratic Daily, Metropolis, Runnin' Scared, Gothamist, The Daily Dish, New York Magazine and The Huffington Post, more at Mediagazer »

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Cheney book: Bush authorized leak on Iraq — Dick Cheney writes in his forthcoming book, “In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir,” that he was surprised to learn that President George W. Bush had personally authorized a leak about Iraq strategy to a Washington Post columnist …

Discussion: The Political Carnival

Ynetnews:

Islamists hold anti-Israel march in Berlin — Al-Quds Day march led by Iranian clerics, radical Jews; Israel fans rally nearby — Muslim hatred in heart of Europe: More than 1,000 Muslims marched Saturday in Berlin and chanted anti-Israel slogans to mark al-Quds Day, set by Iran following the Islamist revolution in the country.

Discussion: Jihad Watch

John Lewis / New York Times:

A Poll Tax by Another Name — Correction Appended — AS we celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, we reflect on the life and legacy of this great man. But recent legislation on voting reminds us that there is still work to do. Since January, a majority of state legislatures …

Discussion: Balloon Juice and Daily Kos