memeorandum: Obama administration quietly bracing for debt supercommittee failure (Anne E. Kornblut/Washington Post)

10:40 AM ET, November 16, 2011

Top Items:

OWS Protester: In a Few Days You're Going to See What a Molotov Cocktail Can Do to Macy's — Just in time for the Thanksgiving Day parade! The headlined quote comes at about a minute in, but there is plenty more of the sort of “non-violent” talk OWS has become known for leading up to this point.

Discussion: RedState and The Lonely Conservative

James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:

Better Late Than Never — After almost two months, Mayor Bloomberg finally cleans Obamaville. — After loitering for nearly two months, New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg finally took action overnight, clearing out so-called protesters who had turned Zuccotti Park, a privately owned …

Discussion: New York Times, City Room, CBS New York, Jammie Wearing Fools and RedState

New York Times:

Jolted, Wall St. Protesters Face Challenge for Future — Emergency-service trucks rumbled up Broadway to positions on two sides of Zuccotti Park. Powerful klieg lights blinked on, illuminating about 220 protesters in tents and sleeping bags. The one-square-block plaza was as bright as day.

Discussion: News Desk, City Room, PolitickerNY, Booman Tribune, Associated Press, Guardian, naked capitalism and Mashable!

Joanna Molloy / NY Daily News:
Despite Bloomberg's actions, there's no silencing Occupy Wall Street

Discussion: Jammie Wearing Fools, Village Voice, Simply Left BehindThe …, Countdown with Keith Olbermann and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Mike Lillis / The Hill:
Dems criticize eviction of Occupy protesters

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Weasel Zippers

NY Daily News:
Bravo to Bloomberg's Occupy Wall Street eviction from Zuccotti Park, finally reclaiming public space …

Discussion: Telegraph, Salon.com, Media Decoder, nyc.gov, The Huffington Post, Nation Now, Opinion L.A., Washington Post and ThinkProgress, more at Techmeme »

John Del Signore / Gothamist:
City Claims Occupy Wall Street Protesters Were Stockpiling Weapons, Fights Court Order To Reopen Park

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, americanthinker.com, NY Daily News, New York Times, OWS Exposed, The Atlantic Online, Hot Air and City Room

New York Post:
Judge rules OWS protesters can't return to Zuccotti Park with tents, overnight gear

Discussion: Campaign 2012, Pat Dollard, Jammie Wearing Fools and Weekly Standard

James Downie / Washington Post:
Bloomberg's disgraceful eviction of Occupy Wall Street

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Above the Law, Balkinization, The Political Carnival, PolitickerNY, Taylor Marsh, Weasel Zippers and Firedoglake, more at Mediagazer »

Josh Harkinson / Mother Jones:
Exclusive Video: Inside Police Lines at the Occupy Wall Street Eviction

Discussion: BBC, Hullabaloo, Guardian, naked capitalism, Poynter, Political Mojo, New York Times, Business Week, MoJo Articles and Firedoglake, more at Mediagazer »

Bloomberg:

Gingrich Said to Be Paid at Least $1.6 Million by Freddie Mac — Newt Gingrich made between $1.6 million and $1.8 million in consulting fees from two contracts with mortgage company Freddie Mac, according to two people familiar with the arrangement. — The total amount is significantly larger …

Discussion: GOP 12, msnbc.com, The Moderate Voice, FrumForum, The Hill, Iowa Caucuses, The Huffington Post, The Caucus, Outside the Beltway, A plain blog about politics, Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, The Other McCain, The Big Picture, ABCNEWS, Business Insider and Bloomberg

Ryan J. Reilly / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPM2012 — Report: Housing ‘Historian’ Newt Gingrich Was Paid $1.6M By Freddie Mac

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The PJ Tatler, Balloon Juice and The Political Carnival

Clea Benson / Bloomberg:
Gingrich Said Paid by Freddie Mac to Win Allies

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Washington Post, THE WESTERN EXPERIENCE, Los Angeles Times, The Political Carnival, Political Mojo, ABCNEWS, The Other McCain, The Hill, The Page, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Daily Kos

Thomas Tobin / NBC Washington DC:

Bullet hits White House Window — Round of Ammunition Stopped by Ballistic Glass — The Secret Service is investigating how a bullet hit an exterior window of the White House. A round was stopped by ballistic glass behind the historic exterior glass. The Secret Service also tells News4 …

Discussion: Mediaite, Mikeb302000, Towleroad News #gay and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Pierre Thomas / Yahoo! News:

DC Shooting Suspect Could Be Threat to Obama, Police Say — ABC News has learned authorities are increasingly concerned that a man sought in connection with a bizarre shooting incident on the Washington Mall last week may pose a threat to President Obama. — The Secret Service now suspects …

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Outside the Beltway and Jammie Wearing Fools

Erik Wasson / The Hill: White House opposes GOP-led balanced budget amendment

Associated Press:
Secret Service says bullet hit White House

Discussion: The Hill, The Politico, Michelle Malkin, CNN, PolitickerNY, Gizmodo and Business Insider

New York Times:

Paterno Turns Home Over to Wife for $1 — STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Joe Paterno transferred full ownership of his house to his wife, Sue, for $1 in July, less than four months before a sexual abuse scandal engulfed his Penn State football program and the university.

Discussion: Associated Press and Outside the Beltway

Allentown Morning Call / Morning Call:

McQueary on alleged rape: ‘I did stop it,’ did have discussions with police — 2011 file photo of Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver coach Mike McQueary. McQueary is seen here during Penn State action against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. (HOWARD SMITH / US PRESSWIRE / November 15, 2011)

Discussion: CBS News, McClatchy Washington Bureau, Deadspin, News Desk, USA Today, msnbc.com, Hot Air, TalkLeft, The Smoking Gun and New York Post

Sara Ganim / PennLive.com:
Mike McQueary says he stopped attack on child and told PSU police of Sandusky sex abuse allegations

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Outside the Beltway and The Daily Dish

Jennifer Bendery / The Huffington Post:

Harry Reid: Grover Norquist Is Thwarting Super Committee … WASHINGTON — A new wave of pessimism colored super committee talks on Tuesday as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) blasted anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist for meddling with the panel's progress and suggested that the American public “impeach” him.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, The Hill, Sky Dancing, Suburban Guerrilla and Daily Kos

Brian Beutler / tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com:

TPMDC — Top GOPer On Super Committee Says No New Revenue, Games Out Strategy If Panel Fails — It's hard to see how the Super Committee can possibly reach a consensus by this time next week after Republican co-chair Jeb Hensarling's appearance on CNBC Tuesday night.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Bloomberg, The Hill, Washington Post, Zandar Versus The Stupid, Brilliant at Breakfast, Firedoglake and US Politics

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Democrats gain upper hand in deficit-reduction negotiations

Discussion: New York Times and Prairie Weather

Steven Thomma / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Poll: Gingrich scores best vs. Obama among voters today — WASHINGTON — Newt Gingrich is the strongest Republican candidate when matched head to head against Democratic President Barack Obama, according to a McClatchy-Marist Poll released Tuesday. — The former speaker of the House …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Washington Examiner, Don Surber, Washington Post, The Page, TBogg, Hot Air, Taegan Goddard's …, Melanie Phillips and The Huffington Post

Mike Dorning / Bloomberg:

Obama Loses to Romney in New Hampshire Poll — Driven down by economic forces, President Barack Obama is running poorly in New Hampshire, a state he carried in 2008 and one that has been a swing state in recent presidential elections. — Obama trails Republican Mitt Romney among likely …

Discussion: ABCNEWS and The Hill

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Cain's Fall, Gingrich's Rise Result in Tie for High Intensity Score

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere and The Moderate Voice

Michael D. Shear / New York Times:

Candidates' Gaffes Dismay Some Republicans — The Republican presidential candidates have served comedians a full platter of laughs this year — a steady diet of gaffes, misstatements, puzzled looks and long, awkward pauses. — To a remarkable degree, the candidates have turned …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Business Insider and The Caucus

Ezra Klein / Washington Post:
The Democrats' peculiar negotiating strategy

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Hullabaloo

Ramesh Ponnuru / Bloomberg:
Republicans Lose Way by Misreading Bush History: Ramesh Ponnuru

Discussion: The Spectacle Blog, driftglass, Washington Post and Daily Kos

Digby / Hullabaloo:

Oh. Homeland security AND the FBI — “If you build it” update: … Obviously unconfirmed, but in light of what the Oakland mayor said this morning, certainly not unlikely. — I'm not surprised by this, but I am curious as to how they are going to justify the federal government's interest?

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Associated Press, Balloon Juice, The Moderate Voice and Discourse.net

Rick Ellis / Examiner:
‘Occupy’ crackdowns coordinated with federal law enforcement officials

Discussion: Sky Dancing, The Raw Story, Wonkette, Business Insider, Informed Comment, AlterNet, The Big Picture, msnbc.com, ThinkProgress, Gregg Levine's myFDL diary and www.thetakeaway.org

Frank Newport / Gallup:

Americans Tilt Toward Favoring Repeal of Healthcare Law — Nation is divided on whether ensuring health coverage is the government's responsibility — PRINCETON, NJ — Given a choice, 47% of Americans favor repealing the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, while 42% want it kept in place.

Discussion: ThinkProgress and The Politico

Elisabeth Bumiller / New York Times:

Some Troops to Stay in Iraq as Trainers, Top Officer Says — WASHINGTON — Some United States forces will remain as military trainers on 10 bases in Iraq even after an end-of-year deadline for all American troops to be out of the country, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff …

Charles Hoskinson / The Politico:
Leon Panetta defends Obama on Iraq

Discussion: LewRockwell.com Blog and CNN

The Right Scoop:

Rush defends Herman Cain over collective bargaining and Libya — Rush played the audio clips of Herman Cain yesterday with the Journal Sentinel, pointing out that Herman Cain did get the Libya answer right when he finally got to his answer. And when it comes to federal employees not being able …

Discussion: msnbc.com and Hot Air