memeorandum: Treasury announces 2011 deficit is second highest in history (Erik Wasson/The Hill)

1:15 AM ET, October 15, 2011

Top Items:

Christopher Robbins / Gothamist:

[UPDATE] HIV Positive Protester Says Cop Who Punched Him Should Get Tested — [UPDATE BELOW] During the chaotic Occupy Wall Street march through the financial district this morning, we witnessed a protester on William Street get punched in the face by a police officer, seemingly without provocation.

Discussion: City Room, New York Times, Gawker, New York Magazine, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Runnin' Scared, US Politics, Wonkette, Boing Boing, The Raw Story, Towleroad News #gay, Salon and Daily Kos

Linette Lopez / Business Insider:

Here Are Occupy Wall Street's Plans For A National Convention That Could Change The Face Of America — It's in the works. A massive Occupy Wall Street gathering with delegates from all over the country. And if these plans are carried out, Occupy Wall Street will be a major force to be reckoned with on Election Day 2012.

Discussion: Hit & Run, Hot Air and JammieWearingFool

Tim Mak / The Politico:

Geithner: Action against Wall St. coming — U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner suggested Friday that a new round of “dramatic enforcement actions” against Wall Street wrongdoing is coming. — “Stay tuned for that,” Geithner said. — Asked on CNBC about the Occupy Wall Street …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Pundits Blog, Balloon Juice, The Raw Story, CNN, Daily Kos, New York Magazine and Washington Post

Jesse / CBS New York:
Violence Breaks Out During ‘Occupy Wall Street’ March Toward New York Stock Exchange

Simone Wilson / The Informer:
Shepard Fairey, L.A. Street Artist, Designs Party Invite for Occupy Wall Street

Discussion: CBS New York, Gothamist, Weasel Zippers and Business Insider

A.Killough / CNN:

Anita Perry blames Obama for son's job loss — Pendleton, South Carolina (CNN) - Rick Perry's wife Anita said Friday that she could sympathize with the plight of the unemployed because her son was forced to resign his job to take a more active role on his father's presidential campaign.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Politico, Juanita Jean's, Mediaite, Dealbreaker, Outside the Beltway, The Caucus, The Hill, Trail Blazers Blog, Business Insider, msnbc.com and GOP 12

Kevinliptak / CNN:

Huntsman campaign nearly broke as GOP campaign heats up — (CNN) - Jon Huntsman's presidential campaign is verging on broke after burning through more than $4 million since the former Utah governor entered the race for the Republican nomination in June. — The Huntsman campaign …

Discussion: The Other McCain, The Political Carnival, Business Insider and Hot Air

Kevinliptak / CNN:
TRENDING: McCain to Perry: Get some rest

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog

Patrick Hynes / New Hampshire Journal:
Poll: Romney rocking, Cain creeping, Gingrich gaining

Discussion: Hot Air, Smart Politics, GOP 12 and National Review

Justin Sink / The Hill: Cain to join boycott of Nevada caucus

Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar / Associated Press:

Obama pulls plug on part of health overhaul law … WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration Friday pulled the plug on a major program in the president's signature health overhaul law - a long-term care insurance plan dogged from the beginning by doubts over its financial solvency.

Discussion: Washington Post, Michelle Malkin, Campaign 2012, Scared Monkeys, Hit & Run, Hot Air, Pajamas Media, The Right Sphere and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

Robert Pear / New York Times:

Long-Term Care Program Cut From Health Law — WASHINGTON — The Obama administration announced Friday that it was scrapping a long-term care insurance program created by the new health care law because it was too costly and would not work. — Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services …

Discussion: TalkLeft and Outside the Beltway

Brett Norman / The Politico:
Setback for long-term insurance plan

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Louise Radnofsky / Wall Street Journal:
Health-Law Program Dropped

Discussion: Firedoglake, MyFox Boston and The Lonely Conservative

The White House:

Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate Regarding the Lord's Resistance Army — TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE OF THE SENATE

Discussion: CNN, The Atlantic Online, Outside the Beltway and Political Mojo

New York Times:
U.S. Advisers to Aid in Fight Against Lord's Resistance Army

Discussion: The Agonist, The Lede and Althouse

Rush Limbaugh:
Obama Invades Uganda, Targets Christians

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Little Green Footballs

Luis Martinez / ABCNEWS:
Obama Sends 100 US Troops to Uganda to Help Combat Lord's Resistance Army

Discussion: United States Senator …, Hot Air, JammieWearingFool, CNN, The Jawa Report, Pajamas Media, American Spectator, Weasel Zippers and Guardian

Darren Samuelsohn / The Politico:

W.H. won't share Solyndra BB emails — President Barack Obama won't be sharing his BlackBerry messages with House investigators seeking communications about Solyndra, the White House told Hill Republicans on Friday. — White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler told House Energy …

Discussion: CNBC and The Page

Kevinliptak / CNN:

On Solyndra: President's Blackberry Off Limits — Washington (CNN) - Congress isn't getting a glimpse of what's on President Barack Obama's Blackberry - or any more internal White House communications related to the bankrupt solar company Solyndra, which received a $535 million loan guarantee from the federal government.

Discussion: Hot Air, Pat Dollard and Weasel Zippers

New York Times:

U.S. Bishop Is Charged With Failing to Report Abuse — KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A bishop in the Roman Catholic Church has been indicted for failure to report suspected child abuse, the first time in the 25-year history of the church's sex abuse scandals that the leader of an American diocese …

Discussion: Rod Dreher, Grasping Reality … and Gawker

Kansas City Star:
Bishop Finn, diocese indicted

Discussion: The Raw Story and Gothamist

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
Unprecedented — I've covered the sex abuse scandal …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

John Del Signore / Gothamist:

[UPDATE] Video: NYPD Scooter Runs Over National Lawyers Guild Legal Observer — [UPDATES BELOW] Here is disturbing video of a legal observer for the National Lawyers Guild getting run over by an NYPD scooter during this morning's Occupy Wall Street march. We're still trying to determine …

Discussion: Rumproast, skippy the bush kangaroo, Boing Boing, The Raw Story, Runnin' Scared and Daily Kos

Erik Wasson / The Hill:

Treasury announces 2011 deficit is second highest in history — The U.S budget deficit for fiscal year 2011 is $1.299 trillion, the second largest shortfall in history. — The nation only ran a larger deficit for the 2009 fiscal year, which included the dramatic collapse of financial markets …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, The Lonely Conservative and National Review

Washington Examiner:

Lesson of Perry's candidacy: Think before you run — What's wrong with Rick Perry? How did the successful, well-liked, long-term governor of one of America's largest states enter the Republican presidential primary race with great fanfare, zoom to the top of the polls, and then slide almost as quickly back into the pack?

Discussion: Rod Dreher, National Review and ABCNEWS

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Economist: Senate GOP jobs plan wouldn't help economy in short term, and could even hurt — Yesterday, Senate Republicans released an economic plan called the “Jobs Through Growth Act.” Senator Rand Paul said it would create five million jobs without specifying a time frame.

Discussion: Albany Times Union, ThinkProgress, Political Mojo, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, The Political Carnival, Washington Monthly, William K. Wolfrum Chronicles, Daily Kos and The Daily Caller

Steven Rattner / Steve Rattner:

The Irony of Lake Orion — President Obama is visiting the General Motors plant at Lake Orion today with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak to celebrate both the passage of the South Korean free trade agreement and also the evident success of his auto rescue program.

Discussion: Mediaite

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Obama takes victory lap with auto industry

Discussion: The Politico, Booman Tribune and Salon

First Read / msnbc.com:

Forget Iowa, Cain takes campaign to Tennessee — Herman Cain (R) speaks at a “Faith and Freedom” rally at Ohio Christian University Thursday. — By NBC's Andrew Rafferty — BARTLETT, Tenn. — With the Republican presidential primary season potentially beginning as early as December …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Devin Dwyer / ABCNEWS:

Clint Eastwood as VP? George H.W. Bush Considered It — George H.W. Bush, left, and Clint Eastwood are shown in these 1988 file photos. — George H.W. Bush, trailing Democrat Michael Dukakis in the heat of the 1988 presidential campaign, briefly but seriously considered Hollywood …

Discussion: MyFox Boston, Outside the Beltway and New York Magazine

Boston Globe:

Brown dismisses plagiarism flap as ‘silly’ — WASHINGTON - Senator Scott Brown today dismissed questions about how Elizabeth Dole's words about her childhood ended up being attributed to him on his own website, saying the issue was “getting a little silly.”

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Daily Kos and The Politico

Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:

The scapegoat strategy — What do you do if you can't run on your record — on 9 percent unemployment, stagnant growth and ruinous deficits as far as the eye can see? How to run when you are asked whether Americans are better off than they were four years ago and you are compelled to answer no?