memeorandum: Big US banks hurt by struggling consumers (Financial Times)

10:15 AM ET, October 18, 2011

Top Items:

Polling the Occupy Wall Street Crowd — In interviews, protesters show that they are leftists out of step with most American voters. Yet Democrats are embracing them anyway. — President Obama and the Democratic leadership are making a critical error in embracing the Occupy Wall Street movement …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Washington Post, The Strata-Sphere, ABCNEWS, Betsy's Page, Weasel Zippers, The Hill and Business Insider

New York Post:

Thieves preying on fellow protesters — It's a den of thieves! — Occupy Wall Street protesters said yesterday that packs of brazen crooks within their ranks have been robbing their fellow demonstrators blind, making off with pricey cameras, phones and laptops — and even a hefty bundle of donated cash and food.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, JammieWearingFool, Betsy's Page and MyFox Boston

Rick Hampson / USA Today:

Poll: Washington to blame more than Wall Street for economy — Most Americans blame Wall Street for the nation's economic predicament — but they blame Washington more. — And in the democracy that fancies itself the capital of capitalism, more than four in 10 people describe the U.S. economic system as personally unfair to them.

Discussion: ABC 7 Eyewitness News, Gallup, The Hill, The Politico, Informed Comment, The Economic Collapse, The Heritage Foundation and The Hill

Quinnipiac University:
New Yorkers Back Wall St. Protesters 3 …

Mj Lee / The Politico:
Donald Trump: Obama should put a stop to Occupy Wall Street protests

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Rolling Stone:
Why Occupy Wall Street Is Bigger Than Left vs. Right

Discussion: Big Journalism, The Daily Caller, ThinkProgress, WNYC News Blog, Mediaite, Business Insider, Hullabaloo, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Little Green Footballs, Rumproast and iOwnTheWorld.com

New York Times:
Bloomberg Says ‘Tent City’ Goes Beyond Free Speech

Discussion: ANIMAL, Wall Street Journal, Crooks and Liars, New York Magazine, City Room, Guardian, Business Insider and National Review

Taft Wireback / News-Record.com:
Occupy protesters look for new campsite

Discussion: The Politico, TalkLeft, USA Today and Pat Dollard

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Occupy Wall Street protesters to confront Obama on trip

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Laura Geller / WWBT-TV:

Thieves steal truck with President's equipment — HENRICO, VA (WWBT) - NBC12 has uncovered one of those stories that makes you think: “How in the world does that happen?!” A truck filled with President Obama's podiums and audio equipment was stolen in Henrico just days before his visit to Chesterfield.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, The Hill, Pajamas Media, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, Riehl World View, The Caucus, Outside the Beltway, The Gateway Pundit, ABCNEWS, The Hinterland Gazette, Sipsey Street Irregulars, Hot Air and The Lonely Conservative

Tim Mak / The Politico:

Report: Obama teleprompter stolen — A truck carrying President Obama's podium, teleprompter and audio equipment was stolen in Richmond, Va., a local news outlet reports. — Sources tell WWBT/NBC12 that around $200,000 of presidential equipment was stolen from a Richmond Marriott hotel location …

Discussion: americanthinker.com

NBC Washington DC:

Truck Full of Equipment for Obama Bus Tour Stolen in Virginia: Report — Presidential seals also in stolen vehicle — A truck carrying President Obama's Presidential seals, podiums and $200,000 worth of audio equipment is stolen north of Richmond. — President Obama's teleprompter …

Discussion: msnbc.com and Hotline On Call

New York Times:

Hamas Frees Israeli Soldier as Prisoner Swap Begins — JERUSALEM — The Islamist Palestinian group Hamas on Tuesday released an Israeli soldier captured more than five years ago, initiating an elaborate exchange as hundreds of Palestinian prisoners on Israeli buses began their journey …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Lede, Outside the Beltway, The BLT and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

Ernesto Londoño / Washington Post:

Gilad Shalit reunited with family in Israel; Palestinian prisoners freed — TEL NOF AIR FORCE BASE, Israel — Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit returned to Israel Tuesday morning after five years of captivity in the Gaza Strip, gaunt and frail-looking but apparently healthy.

Julian Pecquet / The Hill:

New healthcare fight is joined as White House's 2010 law implodes — Congressional Republicans on Monday called for the immediate repeal of a major component of the 2010 healthcare reform law as the issue blew up in the administration's face. — The seemingly unworkable long-term care benefit contained …

Discussion: ThinkProgress and The Politico

Julian Pecquet / The Hill:
Obama opposes repeal of healthcare program suspended last week

Discussion: Washington Post, JustOneMinute, Associated Press, Betsy's Page, Townhall.com, Campaign 2012, Hit & Run, The Spectacle Blog, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, Patterico's Pontifications, Liberal Values, Director's Blog and ThinkProgress

John Hinderaker / Power Line:

“Christopher Columbus Was the First Zionist” — Someone leaked a batch of emails that have been exchanged by leaders of the Occupy Wall Street group. I've only dipped into them briefly, but some are pretty entertaining. This thread reminded me of my days as a leftist …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

James King / Valley Fever:

Herman Cain Was Joking About Electrified Border Fence...Err, He Might Be Serious...Err, He Doesn't Want to Offend Anyone — Presidential candidate Herman Cain met with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio this afternoon, but he was late to the meeting because of an unknown security threat.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and The Huffington Post

Frank Newport / Gallup:

Record-High 50% of Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana Use — Liberals and those 18 to 29 most in favor; Americans 65 and older most opposed — PRINCETON, NJ — A record-high 50% of Americans now say the use of marijuana should be made legal, up from 46% last year.

Wall Street Journal:

New Mortgage Plan Floated — Underwater Borrowers Current on Payments Would Get Help — State and federal officials are pushing a plan that could help some “underwater” borrowers get refinancing assistance in the latest government bid to break a legal impasse with big banks …

Discussion: The Page and Calculated Risk

Bill Keller / New York Times:

Good News! No, Really! — Bored by the soggy sleep-ins and warmed-over anarchism of Occupy Wall Street? Fed up (Fed Up!) with the presidential Race to the Bottom? Depressed by the warning signs of the next Depression? — I bring relief. Like Nurse Jackie scavenging in the medicine chest …

Discussion: Democracy in America and FishbowlDC

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
What are those OWS people so angry about?

Discussion: TalkLeft, Angry Bear, Grasping Reality …, Balloon Juice and Washington Monthly

CBS News:

Climate change pushing coffee to extinction? — PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO — Millions of people enjoy a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, but a group of scientists says that daily ritual could be on its way to extinction. — The driving force behind the new information is coffee giant Starbucks …

Discussion: Don Surber, NewsBusters.org blogs and Michelle Malkin

And Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:

Perry Campaign's Payment for Private Jet Raises Questions — In the first two weeks of Rick Perry's presidential campaign, his aides turned to Brian D. Pardo, a Texas businessman under investigation by federal securities regulators, to use his Cessna Citation X business jet to fly to campaign events.

Ann Althouse / Althouse:

WI Assemblyman Mark Pocan confronts CEO president Roger Clegg, calling him “some guy” who “came all the way from Virginia” to tell us what “all us flyover country folk don't know.” — I've already blogged a few times about the report of the Center for Equal Opportunity — here, here …

Discussion: American Power

Larry O'Connor / Big Government:

White House Denies **Was President Obama Really Sitting in Front of an Assembly Line in this Video? — UPDATE: The White House has responded to our inquiry and they deny that this week's weekly address video was shot in front of a green screen. They also explained that the production line …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs and Pajamas Media

WMUR:

Republicans Call For Romney To Join Nevada Boycott — State Leaders Say Front-Runner Taking NH For Granted — CONCORD, N.H. — State Republican leaders are urging presidential candidate Mitt Romney to join a boycott of the Nevada caucus in an effort to get that state to change its schedule.

Discussion: GOP 12, Washington Post and The Daily Caller

Walter Pincus / Washington Post:

United States needs to reevaluate its assistance to Israel — As the country reviews its spending on defense and foreign assistance, it is time to examine the funding the United States provides to Israel. — Let me put it another way: Nine days ago, the Israeli cabinet reacted to months …

Discussion: Suburban Guerrilla and Sic Semper Tyrannis

Tanya Somanader / ThinkProgress:

Cantor To Give Speech On Income Inequality And ‘How We Make Sure The People At The Top Stay There’ — As the 99 percent movement protests spread across the globe, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) finally agreed yesterday that “there is too much income disparity” …

Discussion: Salon.com, Salon, The Politico, Daily Kos, INSTAPUTZ and Washington Monthly

Michael Muskal / Los Angeles Times:

Hillary Clinton again says she won't run for president in 2016 — (Michael Loccisano / Getty Images / October 14, 2011) — Hillary Rodham Clinton, the woman seemingly born to become the first female president of the United States, on Monday again ruled out a race for the top office in 2016 …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Truthdig and Guardian

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

K Street money flowing into deficit panel — Members of the deficit-reduction supercommittee have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from special-interest groups, including a significant chunk from healthcare interests that want the panel to fail. — Healthcare political action committees gave …

Dave Levinthal / The Politico:

K Street suffers from Twitter jitters — There are no smoke-filled backrooms in cyberspace — or even a spot for a simple hallway conversation. — So some lobbyists are shocked these days to walk into congressional offices and find staffers communicating not by phone but through Facebook.

Discussion: Whiskey Fire