memeorandum: Turns out, the South is a pretty nice place to live (Tina Korbe/Hot Air)

9:55 AM ET, September 30, 2011

Top Items:

BBC:

Islamist cleric Anwar Awlaki ‘killed in Yemen’ — The US-born radical Islamist cleric and suspected al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki has been killed in Yemen, the country's defence ministry reported. — US administration officials confirmed the reports, according to US media.

Discussion: americanthinker.com, Wizbang, Scared Monkeys, Outside the Beltway, Harry's Place, The Other McCain and The Page

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

The due-process-free assassination of U.S. citizens is now reality — It was first reported in January of last year that the Obama administration had compiled a hit list of American citizens whom the President had ordered assassinated without any due process, and one of those Americans was Anwar al-Awlaki.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Right Wing News and The Agonist

New York Times:

U.S.-Born Qaeda Leader Killed in Yemen — SANA, Yemen — A missile fired from an American drone aircraft in Yemen on Friday killed Anwar al-Awlaki, the radical American-born cleric who was a leading figure in Al Qaeda's affiliate there, according to an official in Washington.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, The Hill, Politics, Hot Air, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and The BLT

CBS News:

Anwar al-Awlaki killed in Yemen … This Oct. 2008 file photo provided by Muhammad ud-Deen, shows radical American-Yemeni Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen. (CBS) — (CBS News) Updated at 6:43 a.m. Eastern. — Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born radical Islamic preacher who rose …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, The Jawa Report, Mediaite, CBS New York and The Crawdad Hole

Jake Tapper / Politics:

Officials Thought They Might Kill Awlaki on 9/11 Anniversary — “This is a great day for America,” says a senior administration official, pleased with the news that terrorist leader Anwar al Awlaki was killed today. — The Yemeni government today announced that an operation launched shortly …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, New York Magazine, Mediaite and Hot Air

Tim Mak / The Politico:

Peter King praises Obama for al-Awlaki killing — Rep. Peter King, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, had rare praise for President Obama following the “extraordinary victory” of the death of suspected terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki.

Discussion: Aljazeera and Danger Room

Sudarsan Raghavan / Washington Post:
Anwar al-Aulaqi, U.S.-born cleric linked to al-Qaeda, reported killed in Yemen

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy

Fox News:
U.S.-Born Terror Boss Anwar al-Awlaki Killed

Discussion: nation.foxnews.com and Jihad Watch

CNN:
U.S.-born Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki killed: Yemeni officials

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Moderate Voice, Weasel Zippers and The 1600 Report

Martin Chulov / Guardian: Anwar al-Awlaki is dead, says Yemen

Jonah Goldberg / National Review:

Wait, Is Malaise French for “Soft”? — Obama speaking in Orlando: … Interesting perspective. I wonder where America could have lost its competitive edge. It couldn't possibly have anything to do with a government that blows billions on green energy boondoggles while making it harder …

Discussion: Is This Blog On?, Pajamas Media and Cold Fury

Jared A. Favole / Washington Wire:

Obama: U.S. Has Become a ‘Little Soft’ — President Barack Obama on Thursday said the U.S. has lost some of its competitive edge and gotten a “little soft.” — Mr. Obama, in an interview with WESH-TV in Orlando, said his administration has been tough on the country's trading partners and tried to strengthen U.S. manufacturing.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, The Right Scoop, The Gateway Pundit and The Lonely Conservative

Steven Nelson / The Daily Caller:
Biden: Voters should blame Obama, not Bush, for economy

Discussion: Mediaite, Politics, The Hill, Sister Toldjah, Campaign 2012 and Don Surber

WESH-TV:
WESH, President Talk Jobs Act, NASA, Rail

Discussion: American Spectator, The Sundries Shack and nation.foxnews.com

Brian Montopoli / CBS News:
Joe Biden: The economy belongs to us, not Bush

Discussion: americanthinker.com, Hot Air, Michelle Malkin, Examiner, The Lonely Conservative, National Review and Pajamas Media

New Jersey Online:

Chris Christie seriously considering run for president in 2012 — BATON ROUGE — Gov. Chris Christie is seriously rethinking his months of denials and may launch a campaign for the White House after all, a source close to the governor said tonight. — In the last week, Christie …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Moderate Voice, Business Insider and Mediaite

Michael Kinsley / Bloomberg:

Requiem for a Governor Before He's in the Ring — Look, I'm sorry, but New Jersey Governor Chris Christie cannot be president: He is just too fat. Maybe, if he runs for president and we get to know him, we will overlook this awkward issue because we are so impressed with the way he stands up to teachers' unions.

Eugene Robinson / Washington Post: Chris Christie's big problem

Latest from Crain's New York Business:

Veteran agitators flock to Occupy Wall Street — The city's most experienced agitators—the labor and community groups that typically organize local marches, rallies and sit-ins—have been largely missing from the Occupy Wall Street protest that is in its 13th day at Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan.

Discussion: UPI, Weasel Zippers, The Huffington Post, Teamster Nation, Runnin' Scared, Firedoglake, New York Magazine, JammieWearingFool and The Raw Story

Chris Bowers / Daily Kos:
Occupy Wall Street growing rapidly

Discussion: Toronto Star, naked capitalism, Newshoggers.com, Corrente, Teamster Nation, Hullabaloo and Raw Replay

Matt Sledge / The Huffington Post:
NYC Transit Union Joins Occupy Wall Street

Discussion: Seeing the Forest, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/* and Crooks and Liars

Linette Lopez / Business Insider:
A Massive Union Just Voted To Side With The Wall Street Protesters

Discussion: Big Government, Shakesville, Corrente, Teamster Nation, Booman Tribune, Guardian, The Gateway Pundit and Firedoglake

Kevinliptak / CNN:

90 percent of Americans say economy stinks — New York (CNNMoney) - Three years after a financial crisis pushed the country deep into recession, an overwhelming number of Americans - 90% - say that economic conditions remain poor. — The number, reported Friday in a new CNN/ORC International Poll …

Discussion: The Politico and Weasel Zippers

Andrew Taylor / Associated Press:
House GOP Unveils Plan To Cut NPR, Job Training And Education Programs

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
The other big jobs fight

Discussion: Campaign 2012, democracyarsenal.org, Firedoglake, Reuters and Daily Kos

Tina Korbe / Hot Air:

Turns out, the South is a pretty nice place to live — When I first moved to Washington D.C., my dad jokingly warned me not to hype home too much. “If they find out just how nice we have it down here, all your new East Coast friends will want to move to the South and our cost of living will go up,” he teased.

Discussion: Instapundit and National Review

CNN:

Texas Rep. Ron Paul brings in over $5 million in 3rd quarter — (CNN) - Rep. Ron Paul's Republican presidential campaign brought in over $5 million the past three months. — The third quarter number is up from the $4.5 million the congressman from Texas raised in the quarter lasting from April through June.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online

Chris Vanocur / KTVX-TV:

EXCLUSIVE: Matheson may run in different district — SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Just when you thought Utah's redistricting process may have run out of twists and turns, well, hold on. — Thursday morning, Second District Democratic Congressman, Jim Matheson dropped a bit of a political bombshell.

Discussion: Ballot Box

Eric Dash / New York Times:

Outsize Severance Continues for Executives, Even After Failed Tenures — The golden goodbye has not gone away. — Just last week, Léo Apotheker was shown the door after a tumultuous 11-month run atop Hewlett-Packard. His reward? $13.2 million in cash and stock severance …

Discussion: Prairie Weather and Brilliant at Breakfast

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:

Durbin says Democrats don't currently have the votes for Obama jobs bill — Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said, at the moment, Democrats in Congress don't have the votes to pass President Obama's jobs bill, but Durbin added that that situation would change.

Discussion: Fox News, wlsam.com, Outside the Beltway and Hot Air

Dallas Voice:

Investigation clears gay Fort Worth teacher — Kristopher Franks set to return to work Friday after 4-day leave stemming from allegations of improper behavior — nash@dallasvoice.com — FORT WORTH — Gay Western Hills High School teacher Kristopher Franks, put on paid administrative leave on Monday …

Discussion: Holy Bullies … and Towleroad News #gay

Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:

GOP kingmakers in Iowa: Support for Rick Perry is weakening — Republican kingmakers in Iowa say that support for Rick Perry has weakened as he struggles to gain traction among social conservatives and proponents of border-control reforms. — “When Perry came in, a lot of people were leaning …

Discussion: Iowa Caucuses