memeorandum: There Is No Foreclosure Fraud Settlement Term Sheet (David Dayen/Firedoglake)

10:10 PM ET, February 10, 2012

Top Items:

Jake Tapper / ABCNEWS:

Obama to Offer ‘Accomodation’ on Contraception Rule — With the White House under fire for its new rule requiring employers including religious organizations to offer health insurance that fully covers birth control coverage, ABC News has learned that later today the White House …

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

GOP Ups The Ante, Introduces Legislation To Allow Any Employer To Deny Any Preventive Health Service — Earlier today, in response to criticism from Catholic groups, the White House altered its regulation requiring employers and insurers to provide no-cost contraception coverage as part of their health care plans.

Discussion: Daily Kos and Hullabaloo

Sarah Kliff / Washington Post:

The catch in Obama's contraceptives compromise — The White House has given reporters the rundown on the “accommodations” that President Obama will announce on the health reform law's requirements for hospitals run by faith-based groups to cover the costs of employees' contraceptives. Here's how it works.

Discussion: In These Times, Associated Press, The Loyal Opposition, New York Times, Business Insider, Swampland, ThinkProgress, The Week, Hullabaloo, Balloon Juice, ProfessorBainbridge.com, Hot Air, The Daily Caller and Wake up America

Amanda Marcotte / Slate:

Obama Punks the GOP on Contraception — Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and President Obama — After two solid weeks of Republicans rapidly escalating attacks on contraception access under the banner of “religous freedom,” Obama finally announced what the White House …

Discussion: pandagon.net, Angry Black Lady Chronicles and AlterNet

Megan McArdle / The Atlantic Online:

Administration Backtracks on Birth Control, but at What Cost? — It looks like the Obama administration is pretty much completely caving on the rule forcing religious organizations to provide free contraception coverage for employees at facilities with a secular purpose (hospitals, schools, etc.).

Discussion: Washington Post

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Birth control may now be wedge issue against GOP — At his press conference this morning announcing the new shift in contraception policy, Obama said: “I understand that some folks in Washington may want to treat this as another political wedge issue. But it shouldn't be.”

Discussion: The Left Call, pandagon.net, Daily Kos, Newshoggers.com and US Politics

Jake Tapper / ABCNEWS:

Both Catholic Health Assn and Planned Parenthood Say They're Pleased With Contraception Rule Announcement — Senior administration officials are pleased with the initial response to President Obama's pending announcement on an “accommodation” for religious organizations regarding …

Discussion: The White House, Washington Post, Crooks and Liars, Politico, Washington Monthly, National Review, The American Independent, HorsesAss.Org, New York Magazine, Taylor Marsh, The Reality-Based Community, TalkLeft and Pundit & Pundette

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
Santorum: Birth Control Is Not Something ‘You Need Insurance For’ Because It Costs ‘Just A Few Dollars’

Discussion: Politics, The New Republic, The Huffington Post and American Prospect

American Prospect:
Bishops, Republicans Get Served

Discussion: New York Times, Firedoglake, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Ramona's Voices, more at Mediagazer »

usccb.org:
Bishops Studying Initial White House Movement On Religious Liberty

Discussion: Politics, Washington Post, Political Mojo, Guardian and Outside the Beltway

New York Post:
Obama amends contraception rule amid backlash

Discussion: Power Line and Campaign 2012

The White House:
FACT SHEET: Women's Preventive Services and Religious Institutions

Discussion: White House.gov Blog, National Review, Guardian, Washington Post, The Heritage Foundation, CatholicVote.org, Jezebel, Democracy in America, Wonkette, RedState and Feministing

Planned Parenthood:
Statement by Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America …

Discussion: Slate, Los Angeles Times, Jill Stanek, Daily Kos, Sky Dancing, NewsBusters.org, TBogg, The PJ Tatler and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:
I Still Want My Free Lunch

Discussion: LifeNews.com and The Raw Story

Helene Cooper / New York Times:
Obama Offers ‘Accommodation’ on Birth Control Rule

Discussion: Politico, News Desk, Truthdig, The New Republic, The Lede, The Page, Firedoglake and Gothamist

Adrian Chen / Gawker:

How a Birthday Party at the North Korean Embassy Started the Kim Jong-un Death Rumor — The internet is aflame with rumors, launched by Chinese micro-blog users, that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was assassinated in Beijing this morning. We believe we've figured out what's behind the rumor …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Hot Air and Business Insider

Max Fisher / The Atlantic Online:
Believing the Unbelievable: Why Kim Jong Un Death Rumors Won't Die

Discussion: msnbc.com and Gawker

Christopher Helman / Lists:
Kim Jong-Un Dead? That's The Rumor

Discussion: FP Passport

Adrian Chen / Gawker:
Chinese Twitter Says Kim Jong-Un Was Assassinated This Morning In Beijing

Discussion: Reuters and The Huffington Post

Mitt Romney for President of the United States …:

MITT ROMNEY DELIVERS REMARKS AT CPAC — This year, here at CPAC, we've got a great crowd. It's been a great conference. For that I suppose we should acknowledge President Obama, the conservative movement's top recruiter. Turns out, he really is a great community organizer.

Discussion: Power Line, Los Angeles Times, Daily Kos, The Spectacle Blog, Big Government, Hit & Run, 2012 Decoded and About.com Conservative …

Michael D. Shear / The Caucus:

Appealing to Activists, Romney Calls Himself ‘Severely Conservative’ — Mitt Romney addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference attendees in Washington on Friday. — Mitt Romney faced thousands of conservative activists on Friday and urged them to stand “shoulder to shoulder” …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, Washington Wire, The Last Tradition, GOP 12, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Reaction and nation.foxnews.com

Reid J. Epstein / Politico:
At CPAC, Mitt Romney throws red meat

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Hot Air, CNN, Conservatives4Palin and The Hill

Mike Allen / Politico:

Koch fights back: Obama ‘trying to intimidate’ — Responding more aggressively than in the past, Koch Industries' political arm on Friday accused President Barack Obama and his allies of “trying to intimidate into silence those who may disagree with them.” — The statement came in response …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Justin Sink / The Hill: Koch lobbyist says brothers won't be ‘intimidated or silenced’ by Obama aides

Michelle Fields / The Daily Caller:

‘Occupy CPAC’ protesters paid $60 for the day [VIDEO] — Protesters at Friday's “Occupy CPAC” event, organized by AFL-CIO and the Occupy DC movement, told The Daily Caller that they were paid “sixty bucks a head” to protest outside the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C.

Discussion: Don Surber, Hot Air, Michelle Malkin, The PJ Tatler, Big Government and The College Fix

Newt Gingrich / CNN:
Gingrich aims for anti-establishment tone in CPAC speech

Discussion: Politico

Josh Lederman / Ballot Box: Occupy protesters, conservatives clash at CPAC conference

Faiz Shakir / ThinkProgress:

REPORT: By A Nearly 2 To 1 Margin, Cable Networks Call On Men Over Women To Comment On Birth Control — TP interns Zachary Bernstein and Fatima Najiy conducted the research for this report. — President Obama's regulation mandating that health insurance plans offer free birth control is an issue that most directly affects women.

Discussion: ECHIDNE of the snakes

David Dayen / Firedoglake:

There Is No Foreclosure Fraud Settlement Term Sheet — Don't worry, be happy. — Well, so much for my first “making chicken salad” option. We are more than 24 hours removed from the foreclosure fraud settlement and the terms have, shockingly, not been released.

Discussion: The Huffington Post and American Banker

David Dayen / Firedoglake:
Making Chicken Salad: 9 Ways to Improve Housing Policy Around the Foreclosure Fraud Settlement

Discussion: Salon, Eschaton, The Huffington Post and Washington Post

Kathleen McAuliffe / The Atlantic Online:

How Your Cat Is Making You Crazy — Jaroslav Flegr is no kook. And yet, for years, he suspected his mind had been taken over by parasites that had invaded his brain. So the prolific biologist took his science-fiction hunch into the lab. What he's now discovering will startle you.

Discussion: Sky Dancing and Boing Boing

Abigail Pesta / The Daily Beast:

Komen Exec Karen Handel Calls Planned Parenthood a ‘Gigantic Bully’ — In an interview with The Daily Beast, former Komen VP Karen Handel says Planned Parenthood broke a secret pact and launched an ‘Armageddon.’ She calls the organization ‘a gigantic bully, using Komen as its own personal punching bag.’

Discussion: Jezebel, TBogg, The Atlantic Online and Daily Kos

Brian Burch / CatholicVote.org:

Unacceptable — former Vatican Ambassador, Prof. Robert George, others respond — The following letter was signed by former Vatican Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon, Princeton Prof. Robert George, Notre Dame Law Prof. Carter Snead, Catholic University of America President John Garvey, and EPPC Fellow Yuval Levin.

Discussion: Hot Air, Wake up America and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog

Dana Blanton / Fox News:

Fox News Poll: Santorum surges nationally after three-state sweep — Rick Santorum has surged nationally in the race for the 2012 Republican nomination after his three-state sweep this week, while Mitt Romney has lost ground among GOP primary voters. In addition, most GOP voters …

Discussion: Hot Air, Firedoglake, American Research Group, Politico and National Review

Pundit Review Radio / BLACKFIVE:

Obama Targets Military Meritocracy — It's time to bust some chops here. — The Military is a meritocracy. It's up or out. There are plenty of challenges and opportunities, and this author is one who took (or tried to) make the most out of an even playing field.

Discussion: The PJ Tatler

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

The Bettor's Case for Santorum — During the 2008 Democratic primaries, I had a lot of success in forecasting outcomes from state to state based solely on demographic variables. Those projections did slightly better than the polls, although that was a low bar to clear because the polls had a lot of misses that year.

Discussion: Enik Rising and American Prospect

Dan Amira / New York Magazine:

Christine O'Donnell: The ‘Door Is Open’ to Another Run — Someday, I will learn to use a camera. — A surprise guest showed up this afternoon in CPAC's media filing room, where journalists gather to bang out stories on their laptops and snack on the occasional tray of complimentary pastries …

Discussion: The Hill