memeorandum: What's the matter with Soledad O'Brien? (Michelle Malkin)

11:35 PM ET, March 14, 2012

Top Items:

Why I Am Leaving Goldman Sachs — TODAY is my last day at Goldman Sachs. After almost 12 years at the firm — first as a summer intern while at Stanford, then in New York for 10 years, and now in London — I believe I have worked here long enough to understand the trajectory of its culture, its people and its identity.

Neil Rafferty / The Daily Mash:

Why I am leaving the Empire, by Darth Vader — TODAY is my last day at the Empire. — After almost 12 years, first as a summer intern, then in the Death Star and now in London, I believe I have worked here long enough to understand the trajectory of its culture, its people and its massive, genocidal space machines.

Rolling Stone:

On Goldman Executive Greg Smith's Brave Departure — Wall Street is buzzing this morning about a resignation - a historic one. Greg Smith, the executive director and head of Goldman Sachs's United States equity derivatives business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, not only decided to quit Goldman …

Discussion: DealBook, naked capitalism, Deal Journal, ThinkProgress, Ezra Klein, The Huffington Post, Guardian and blogs.telegraph.co.uk

Pat Garofalo / ThinkProgress:

Goldman Sachs Mobilizes Rapid Smear Campaign Against Whistleblower — Today, Goldman Sachs employee Greg Smith excoriated the investment bank in a New York Times op-ed, resigning due to the banks “toxic and destructive” culture, one in which the bank's trading profits took precedence over its customers' financial well-being.

Discussion: Firedoglake and Deal Journal

Nelson D. Schwartz / New York Times:
Public Exit From Goldman Raises Doubt Over a New Ethic

Discussion: The Huffington Post, ThinkProgress, Outside the Beltway, Truthdig and The BLT

David Enrich / Deal Journal:
Goldman Rejects Claims Made by Outgoing Executive

Discussion: The Jungle, New York Times, DealBook, ThinkProgress, The Huffington Post, Guardian and The Big Picture

Reuters:

Santorum to Puerto Rico: Speak English if you want statehood — (Reuters) - Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum told Puerto Ricans on Wednesday they would have to make English their primary language if they want to pursue U.S. statehood, a statement at odds with the U.S. Constitution.

Discussion: American Power, Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Washington Monthly, Outside the Beltway, Wonkette and Business Insider

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Santorum says Puerto Rico must adopt English as official language if it wants statehood

Discussion: CNN

CNN:
TRENDING: Republicans to Romney: Fix your message

Discussion: Politico

Erick Erickson / RedState:
Not Closing the Deal — “In five years of campaigning …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Other McCain, American Spectator, The Daily Caller, GOP 12, msnbc.com and American Power

Washington Examiner:
Losing, Newt sets new goal: Keep Mitt from 1,144

Discussion: Ballot Box, ABCNEWS, Associated Press, Daily Kos, Power Line, The Daily Caller, Marbury, National Review, Wall Street Journal and Rasmussen Reports

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Obama up in NC, primary hinges on Newt

Discussion: Firedoglake, Guardian and Outside the Beltway

Jon Ward / The Huffington Post:
Santorum-Gingrich Ticket Floated By Gingrich Adviser

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Last Tradition, The Raw Story, Mother Jones, Indecision Forever, Business Insider, Power Line, Washington Monthly, Washington Post, National Review, GOP 12, The Moderate Voice and New York Times

Mj Lee / Politico:
Mitt's team: Count the delegates

Discussion: CNN, ABCNEWS, ThinkProgress, Associated Press and The Hill

Pat Garofalo / ThinkProgress:

House Republican Leaders Plan To Renege On Debt Ceiling Deal — Last week, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) signaled during an interview with Fox Business that he was open to reneging on the budget deal the GOP crafted with Democrats last year during the debacle over raising the nation's debt ceiling.

Discussion: The Impolitic and Hullabaloo

David Lawder / Reuters:
House Republican leaders set to break US budget deal

Discussion: Daily Kos, A plain blog about politics and Balloon Juice

Scott Wong / Politico:
Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell strike deal on judges

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Washington Blade

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Here we go again — Via Pat Garofalo, Reuters reports:

Discussion: US Politics

Burgess Everett / Politico:
Senate OKs highway bill

Discussion: ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/* and CNN

Alex Altman / Swampland:

Why Ron Paul May Cut a Deal With Mitt Romney — Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Ron Paul shake hands before the start of the first 2012 Republican presidential debate in Manchester, New Hampshire, June 13, 2011. — For Ron Paul, victory is finally in sight.

Discussion: Hit & Run, Campaign 2012, Hot Air and The War Room …

Dylan Byers / Politico:
NBC pulls Ron Paul's last embed

Discussion: Business Insider, Mediaite and Taylor Marsh, more at Mediagazer »

Julie Hirschfeld Davis / Bloomberg:

Republicans Losing on Birth Control as 77% in Poll Spurn Debate — Americans overwhelmingly regard the debate over President Barack Obama's policy on employer-provided contraceptive coverage as a matter of women's health, not religious freedom, rejecting Republicans' rationale for opposing the rule.

Discussion: Daily Kos, Politico, JustOneMinute, Hot Air, Little Green Footballs, New York Times, NewsBusters.org blogs, The Raw Story, ThinkProgress, Ballot Box, Reuters, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Taylor Marsh

David Freddoso / Campaign 2012:

250 words, ‘Republican war on women’ used 4 times — The Sandra Fluke episode hasn't done much for Democrats in terms of public opinion — Obama has slipped a bit with women since it occurred — a little-appreciated truth about their social issue portfolio more broadly.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Hot Air

Neil Munro / The Daily Caller:

Times nixes anti-Islam ad, runs anti-Catholic ad — Executives at The New York Times have rejected a full-page anti-Islam advertisement that mimicked a controversial anti-Catholic advertisement they published on March 9. — According to a Mar. 13 letter sent by the Times to the ad's sponsor …

Discussion: Wake up America, Taylor Marsh, The Catholic League, iOwnTheWorld.com and Atlas Shrugs

Roger Lowenstein / The Atlantic Online:

The Villain — The left hates him. The right hates him even more. But Ben Bernanke saved the economy—and has navigated masterfully through the most trying of times. — THE U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE was founded 99 years ago, as a bulwark to the banking system and an antidote to its frequent runs and panics.

Discussion: Free exchange and Modeled Behavior

Jennifer Bendery / The Huffington Post:

Company Puts Obama's, Pelosi's Faces On ‘BastardBlaster’ Shooting Targets — Barack Obama , Nancy Pelosi , Sarah Palin , Video , Obama Shooting Target , Palin Shooting Target , Pelosi Shooting Target , Yipe Media , Yipe Media Shooting Targets , Politics News

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Wynton Hall / BREITBART.COM:

EXCLUSIVE: CHRIS ROCK ATTACKS CONSERVATIVE AUTHOR OVER TEA PARTY QUESTION — The New York Times bestselling author of the explosive new book, Hollywood Hypocrites: The Devastating Truth About Obama's Biggest Backers, Jason Mattera, had his crew's camera snatched and hurled by comedian Chris Rock …

Discussion: Mediaite, Hot Air, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, No More Mister Nice Blog and Michelle Malkin

Zeke Miller / BuzzFeed:

How Romney Gave Rick Santorum An Opening In Illinois — The frontrunner took his foot off Santorum's neck, and let him on the ballot. An “unnecessary problem” for the frontrunner, created by his ambitious state chairman. — Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford. — (AP / M. Spencer Green)

Discussion: The Other McCain, RedState, Guardian and msnbc.com

BuzzFeed:

Democrats Accuse Conservative News Outlet Of “Blackmail” — The Caller was, perhaps, leaning into the story a bit. Boyle stands by his warning. — The Democratic National Committee is at odds with the conservative Daily Caller over a reporter's threat as to how he would interpret an unreturned email.

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM

Guardian:

Exclusive: secret Bashar al-Assad emails lift lid on life of leader's inner circle — • Messages show Bashar al-Assad took advice from Iran — • Leader made light of promised reforms — • Wife spent thousands on jewellery and furniture — Bashar al-Assad took advice …

Discussion: msnbc.com, ThinkProgress, FP Passport, New York Magazine and Gawker

Jeff Poor / The Daily Caller:

Coulter on Palin, brokered convention: GOP has ‘a problem with con men and charlatans’ — Conservative columnist Ann Coulter, the author of “Demonic: How the Liberal Mob Is Endangering America,” took some shots at those seeking the limelight in the Republican Party and the conservative movement Monday night …

Discussion: The Raw Story, Hot Air, Wonkette and The Shark Tank

Justin Sink / Ballot Box:

DNC slams Romney pledge to ‘get rid of’ Planned Parenthood funding — The DNC released a new Web ad Wednesday blasting Mitt Romney for saying he would “get rid of” federal funding for Planned Parenthood if elected president. — “Mitt Romney will say and do anything in his continued race to the far-right …

Discussion: Politico, Taylor Marsh and The Maddow Blog