memeorandum: Obama Expected to Name Kerry as Secretary of State (David E. Sanger/New York Times)

10:35 AM ET, December 17, 2012

Top Items:

Tim Scott to Be Named for Empty South Carolina Senate Seat, Republicans Say — Updated Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina has chosen Representative Tim Scott to replace Jim DeMint in the United States Senate, according to three Republican officials. The move will make Mr. Scott …

Discussion: Ballot Box, theGrio, Outside the Beltway and The PJ Tatler

Associated Press:

Nikki Haley to announce Jim DeMint's successor — COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is announcing a replacement for U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint. — Haley spokesman Rob Godfrey says Haley will make the announcement at noon Monday at the Statehouse.

Discussion: CNN, The Hill, The Daily Caller and WUTC

Peter Hamby / CNN:

Haley to announce Tim Scott as DeMint's replacement — (CNN) - Republican Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina will announce Monday that she's appointing GOP Rep. Tim Scott as Sen. Jim DeMint's successor, according to Republican sources in South Carolina and Washington.

Discussion: Right Wing Watch, Weasel Zippers and The Lonely Conservative

Washington Post:

President Obama's speech at prayer vigil for Newtown shooting victims (Full transcript) — Full transcript of President Obama's remarks at a Dec. 16 prayer vigil for victims of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. — OBAMA: Thank you. — Thank you, Governor.

Discussion: Reuters, Crooks and Liars, The Fix, Shakesville, The Other McCain, Guardian, Gawker, NewsHounds blog, The Reaction, The National Memo and The Raw Story

The White House:

Remarks by the President at Sandy Hook Interfaith Prayer Vigil — THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you, Governor. To all the families, first responders, to the community of Newtown, clergy, guests — Scripture tells us: “...do not lose heart.

Discussion: Hit & Run, White House.gov Blog, CBS Connecticut, Daily Kos, Hot Air, Booman Tribune, The Moderate Voice and Fox News Insider

Natasha Lennard / Salon:
Anonymous hits Westboro Baptist Church over Sandy Hook picket plans

Discussion: ComPost, MadMike'sAmerica …, The Raw Story, Mashable!, Bottom Line Communications …, The Lonely Conservative, The Hinterland Gazette and Boing Boing

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Dukakis seen as possible Senate replacement if Kerry tapped for State — Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, the 1988 Democratic presidential nominee, may be headed back to the political spotlight as he's considered a likely interim replacement for Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.).

Discussion: Weekly Standard, The Daily Caller, Weasel Zippers, americanthinker.com, The Week and CBS Boston

Wall Street Journal:

New Calls for Gun Limits — Several lawmakers Sunday called for reintroducing a ban on assault weapons in the wake of Friday's deadly school rampage. President Barack Obama is also likely to propose gun-policy changes, according to two administration officials.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and Law Blog

Kevin Robillard / Politico:

Pro-gun Sen. Joe Manchin: Time to act — West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin — who has an “A” rating from the NRA and is a lifetime member of the pro-gun rights group — said Monday that it was time to “move beyond rhetoric” on gun control. — “I just came with my family from deer hunting,” Manchin said on MSNBC's “Morning Joe.”

Discussion: CNN, The Plum Line, msnbc.com, The Agonist and The Fix

Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic Online:
The Conceit That America Hasn't Had a Conversation About Guns

Discussion: protein wisdom and Truthdig

Nicholas D. Kristof / New York Times:
Do We Have the Courage to Stop This? — IN the harrowing aftermath …

Discussion: americanthinker.com, The Huffington Post and Daily Kos

Ben Armbruster / ThinkProgress:
GOP Rep Suggests Teachers Should Be Armed With Assault Rifles

Discussion: Runnin' Scared, The Week, The Agonist, Firedoglake, Mother Jones, National Review, The Atlantic Online, Hullabaloo and PoliticusUSA

Washington Post:

Boehner offers to take debt limit off the table — House Speaker John A. Boehner has offered to push any fight over the federal debt limit off for a year, a concession that would deprive Republicans of leverage in the budget battle but is breathing new life into stalled talks over the year-end “fiscal cliff.”

Discussion: Firedoglake, Wall Street Journal, Right Wing News, americanthinker.com, Weasel Zippers, The Lonely Conservative and Politico

Pat Garofalo / ThinkProgress:
4 Reasons Why Boehner's Latest Tax Offer Is A Bad Deal

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Politico, Firedoglake and Hot Air

Reid Wilson / NationalJournal.com:

The GOP's Electoral College Scheme — Swanson Middle School, a polling place in Arlington, VA. — Republicans alarmed at the apparent challenges they face in winning the White House are preparing an all-out assault on the Electoral College system in critical states, an initiative …

Discussion: Booman Tribune and Taegan Goddard's …

David E. Sanger / New York Times:

Obama Expected to Name Kerry as Secretary of State — WASHINGTON — President Obama is leaning strongly toward naming John Kerry, the Massachusetts senator and unsuccessful Democratic nominee for president eight years ago, to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state …

Discussion: The Hill, First Read, Boston Globe, Taegan Goddard's … and Foreign Policy

John Fund / National Review:

The Facts about Mass Shootings — A few things you won't hear about from the saturation coverage of the Newtown, Conn., school massacre: — Mass shootings are no more common than they have been in past decades, despite the impression given by the media. — In fact, the high point …

Detroit Free Press:

Top Republican official Ron Weiser's comments about Detroit on videotape are causing a stir — LANSING — The finance chairman of the Republican National Committee, who also was Michigan's former GOP chairman, was captured on video telling a tea party meeting that voters in Detroit get picked …

Discussion: Eclectablog, Associated Press and Balloon Juice

Dennis House / Channel 3's Dennis House Blogs:

Lieberman Wants Term Limits for Senators, Electoral College Eliminated — Retiring U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman (I) CT says it is time for sweeping changes in the way the United States chooses its leaders. In an interview on “Face the State,” on WFSB-TV Hartford, Lieberman said he supports …

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and Outside the Beltway

Washington Post:

Newtown school shooter's mother collected guns, was loath to let people inside home — NEWTOWN, Conn. — Adam Lanza lived among guns. — His mother, Nancy, collected them. She showed them off to her landscaper. — “Guns were her hobby,” said Dan Holmes, the landscaper of Nancy Lanza's sprawling yard here on the edge of town.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, CANNONFIRE, NY Daily News, Prairie Weather, The Moderate Voice and The Hill