memeorandum: After immigration crackdown, Ga. and Ala. farmers unsure about crop size amid labor concerns (Associated Press)

6:15 PM ET, January 20, 2012

Top Items:

Wallacegw / CNN:

Fake CNN email used as dirty trick in South Carolina — CNN did not send out the email alert. — Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @politicalticker — It's not clear how many people received the fake email, though at least two members of the South Carolina GOP Executive Committee …

Discussion: The Politico, FITSNews, The Other McCain, Telegraph, 2012 Decoded, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, American Spectator, Outside the Beltway, Balloon Juice, TVNewser, The Daily Caller, Washington Post and Daily Kos

Frank Newport / Gallup:

Romney's National Lead Down to 10 Points — Romney 30%, Gingrich 20% in the latest Gallup Daily tracking — PRINCETON, NJ — Mitt Romney is a considerably weaker front-runner among Republican registered voters nationally than he was at the beginning of the week.

Discussion: CNN, ABCNEWS, Washington Post, 2012 Decoded, The Political Carnival, Indecision Forever, Daily Kos, The Caucus, The Daily Dish, Connecting.the.Dots and Opinion L.A.

Clemson University:

Clemson Palmetto Poll finds Gingrich leading, 20% of S.C. voters still uncommitted — CLEMSON, S.C. — With polls opening in less than 24 hours for the important South Carolina presidential primary election, the final Palmetto Poll shows Newt Gingrich leading over Mitt Romney in a gritty battle fraught …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Booman Tribune, Hot Air, weaskamerica.com, Guardian, Weasel Zippers, Trail Blazers Blog and Campaign 2012

Chuck Norris / WND:

MY ENDORSEMENT FOR PRESIDENT — Exclusive: Chuck Norris reveals his choice for Republican nomination — Our republic as America's founders created it is under assault from extremists outside our country and anti-constitutionalists inside our country. Combined with the flailing American economy …

Discussion: The Hill, Mediaite and Hot Air

Jonathan Martinand Alexander Burns / Reuters:

Why Newt Gingrich is surging in South Carolina — NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — The final debate before the South Carolina primary brought into sharp relief why Newt Gingrich is re-emerging as a contender and Mitt Romney is stumbling toward the finish line. — With a rousing denunciation …

Discussion: CNN, The Politico, Washington Post, Guardian, Wake up America, Hardball Blog, Outside the Beltway, Washington Wire, The Atlantic Online and Taylor Marsh

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Romney's ‘Prevent Defense’ Yielding Big Gains to Opponents

Discussion: Campaign 2012, American Prospect, A plain blog about politics, The New Republic, Outside the Beltway, Wonkette, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Mahablog and PoliPundit.com

Mitt Romney for President of the United States …:
“I THINK GRANDIOSE THOUGHTS”

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Althouse, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Swampland, Ricochet Conversations Feed, The Daily Caller, Outside the Beltway and Mail Online

Dr. Keith Ablow / Fox News:
Newt Gingrich's three marriages mean he might make a strong president — really

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Little Green Footballs, Wonkette and The Stranger …

Matt Stout / Boston Herald:
Sen. Scott Brown urges Romney, Gingrich — come clean

Discussion: The Hill and ThinkProgress

Kevinliptak / CNN:
Romney adviser: We could lose South Carolina

Discussion: Telegraph, American Spectator, The Daily Caller, Hot Air and The Politico

Kristin Ford / Faith in Public Life:
Catholic Leaders Challenge Gingrich and Santorum on Divisive Rhetoric Around Race and Poverty

Discussion: ThinkProgress and The American Independent

Marc Caputo / Naked Politics:
‘Cautiously optimistic’ Mitt Romney hints he could lose South Carolina, talks tax returns

Discussion: Guardian and Ricochet Conversations Feed

Peter Overby / NPR:
As ‘Citizens United’ Turns 2, SuperPACs Draw Protests

Discussion: Guardian, Hit & Run, Prairie Weather and The Huffington Post

Anita Kumar / Washington Post:
McDonnell to endorse Romney for president

Discussion: American Prospect, CNN and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Newt to GOP: Pass Medicare Part D or 'you don't deserve to govern'

Discussion: The Politico, American Spectator and National Review

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
How Gingrich connects

Discussion: Wake up America

Rick Hasen / Election Law Blog:

Breaking News: Supreme Court Decides Texas Redistricting Case, Reverses Lower Court — In a unanimous per curiam opinion, the Supreme Court (with Justice Thomas concurring separately in the judgment) has reversed the maps drawn by the three judge court and remanded to draw new maps under new standards.

Discussion: Reuters, Washington Post, Daily Kos, SCOTUSblog, Los Angeles Times, ACS Blog, Off the Kuff and Political Watch

Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:

Court rejects Texas maps, delays W.Va. map — UPDATE 12:09 p.m. Two hours after issuing its ruling on Texas's redistricting dispute, the Supreme Court put on hold a lower court's decision striking down the West Virginia legislature's new plan for electing that state's three members of the House of Representatives.

Discussion: TEXAS REDISTRICTING, Election Law Blog, Greg's Opinion and Swampland

Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Supreme Court Rejects Judge-Drawn Maps in Texas Redistricting Case

Discussion: Firedoglake, ProPublica, ABCNEWS, msnbc.com, Election Law Blog and Washington Monthly

Robert Barnes / Washington Post:
Supreme Court sides with Texas on redistricting plan

Discussion: American Prospect and NewsBusters.org

Alex Isenstadt / The Politico:
SCOTUS kills judge-drawn Texas map

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Kevinliptak / CNN:
Judge-drawn Texas redistricting map tossed out by Supreme Court

Discussion: RedState

ThinkProgress:

Obama Administration Approves Rule That Guarantees Near-Universal Contraceptive Coverage — Our guest blogger is Jessica Arons, Director of the Women's Health and Rights Program at American Progress. — Today, in a huge victory for women's health, Health and Human Services Secretary …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Salon, The Gateway Pundit, Hullabaloo and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Julian Pecquet / The Hill:

Health plans ordered to cover birth control without co-pays — Most healthcare plans will be required to cover birth control without charging co-pays or deductibles starting Aug. 1, the Obama administration announced Friday. — The final regulation retains the approach federal health officials proposed …

Discussion: The Politico, Washington Monthly, Little Green Footballs, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Lonely Conservative

Nando Di Fino / Mediaite:

NBC's Chuck Todd Blasts Stephen Colbert: ‘He Is Making A Mockery Of The System’ — Appearing at a Winthrop University panel Thursday, MSNBC host and NBC White House correspondent Chuck Todd ripped into Stephen Colbert and his not-yet-official run, suggesting that Colbert might …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, No More Mister Nice Blog, Balloon Juice, Rumproast and Big Journalism

Todd Leopold / CNN:

Singing legend Etta James dies at 73 — Etta James, here performing at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2009, died Friday, January 20, due to complications from leukeimia, said her longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon. The singer was 73. — HIDE CAPTION — Etta James through the years

Discussion: THEROOT.COM, Washington Post, TalkLeft, Gothamist and The Democratic Daily

Tanya Somanader / ThinkProgress:

Romney: I Won't Release My Tax Returns Because 'I Don't Want To Give The Democrats A Nice Little Present' — GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney endured a hail of boos during the CNN debate last night when he refused to commit to releasing his 2011 tax returns.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Towleroad News #gay and Daily Kos

Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:
Four Years Ago, Romney's Wealth Was Not an Issue

Discussion: The Mahablog

Jennifer Martinez / The Politico:

SOPA and PIPA dead, for now — House and Senate leaders abandoned plans to move on SOPA and PIPA on Friday — the surest sign yet that a wave of online protests have killed the controversial anti-piracy legislation for now and maybe forever. — SOPA sponsor Lamar Smith …

Discussion: The Verge, Gothamist, Balloon Juice, Outside the Beltway, Wake up America and RedState, more at Techmeme »

Aaron / Senate Democrats:
Reid Statement On Intellectual Property Bill

Discussion: House Judiciary Committee, The Democratic Daily, Political Mojo, The Hill, Policy Blog, GigaOM, The Daily Caller, Swampland, Threat Level, The Caucus, Techdirt, Colorlines, Wake up America and The Politico, more at Mediagazer »

Sydney Morning Herald:

Love online: 100,000 Grindr users exposed in hack attack — The Grindr app, left, and founder Joel Simkhai's profile. — A popular “meat-market” smartphone app that spawned a sexual revolution in Australia's gay community has been compromised by a Sydney hacker, potentially exposing …

Discussion: Gawker, Towleroad News #gay, AKSARBENT and The Raw Story

Associated Press:

After immigration crackdown, Ga. and Ala. farmers unsure about crop size amid labor concerns — ATLANTA — It's unclear whether farmers in Georgia and Alabama will face a shortage of workers due to tough new laws targeting illegal immigration, but some producers said they have begun changing …

Discussion: ThinkProgress

Robert Wright / The Atlantic Online:

How to Smear a Washington Think Tank — Suddenly lots of people are asking whether calling someone an “Israel-firster” is anti-Semitic. The occasion for these reflections is a controversy—the subject of a Washington Post piece yesterday—surrounding the liberal think tank the Center for American Progress.

Discussion: New York Post and Washington Post

Tjfang / CBS San Francisco:

Bankrupt Solyndra Caught Destroying Brand New Parts — FREMONT (CBS 5) — After filing for bankruptcy last year, Fremont solar company Solyndra still owes American taxpayers half a billion dollars. But CBS 5 caught them destroying millions of dollars worth of parts.

Discussion: Hit & Run, Hot Air and Atlas Shrugs

Washington Post:

U.S. preparing to close embassy in Syria — AP - A policeman walks in front of the damaged U.S. embassy after pro-government protesters attacked the compound in July. The embassy will be shuttered unless the embattled regime provides enhanced protection. — The Obama administration …

Discussion: msnbc.com and The Heritage Foundation

ABCNEWS:

Obama Sings Soul Tune in Harlem — Shortly after taking the stage tonight for a fundraiser at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem, President Obama broke into song. — Obama, standing behind the presidential podium, thanked his hosts and the performers who preceded him, including soul singer Al Green.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Gothamist, Mashable!, alicublog and The Impolitic