memeorandum: Pentagon Readying 800,000 for Rolling Layoffs (Wall Street Journal)

8:30 PM ET, December 30, 2012

Top Items:

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:

Lindsay Graham: I Will Destroy America's Solvency Unless The Social Security Retirement Age Is Raised — Although official Washington is currently fixated on the so-called “Fiscal Cliff,” the biggest threat to American prosperity is the debt ceiling, which must be raised in February to prevent economic catastrophe.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Paul Krugman, Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', CANNONFIRE and The Impolitic

Brian Beutler / Talking Points Memo:

Fiscal Cliff Talks Resume After GOP Caves On Social Security Cut — If Senate leaders reach an agreement to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff, they won't announce it today. — On the Senate floor Sunday evening, Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that, after a brief run off the rails …

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Politico:

No cliff deal as final hour approaches — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell still haven't struck a deal to prevent taxes from rising on wage earners in the new year, sources say, as eleventh-hour negotiations to avert historic tax hikes approach a make-or-break moment Sunday.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Daily Kos, Outside the Beltway and Reuters

Erik Wasson / The Hill:

GOP senators backing away from Social Security demand — GOP senators on Sunday backed away from demanding that cuts to Social Security benefits be included in any “fiscal cliff” deal. — The call to include a measure of inflation known as the chained consumer price index, or “chained CPI …

Discussion: Washington Examiner

Michael McAuliff / The Huffington Post:

Fiscal Cliff: GOP Gives In On Social Security Cuts In Stalled Talks (UPDATE) … REACT: — FOLLOW: — John Cornyn, John McCain, Social Security, Video, John McCain Fiscal Cliff, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Social Security Benefits, Susan Collins, Congress Fiscal Cliff, Fiscal Cliff …

Discussion: Hullabaloo and The Raw Story

New York Times:

Fiscal Talks Resume With Deadline in Mind — WASHINGTON — Negotiations over a last-ditch agreement to head off large tax increases and sweeping spending cuts in the new year appeared to resume on Sunday afternoon after Republican senators withdrew a demand that any deal must include …

Discussion: The Maddow Blog, The New Republic, BBC, The Gateway Pundit, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog and First Read

Amie Parnes / The Hill:
Obama says ‘pressure is on Congress,’ blames GOP as fiscal deadline nears

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and CNN

Washington Post:
Senators trade proposals into night to avoid ‘fiscal cliff’

Discussion: The Fix, The Huffington Post, Post Politics and Taylor Marsh

Jared Bernstein / On the Economy:
My Views on Spending Cuts and Entitlements

Discussion: Eschaton, Business Insider, Angry Bear, skippy the bush kangaroo and Corrente

Wall Street Journal:

Pentagon Readying 800,000 for Rolling Layoffs — WASHINGTON—The Pentagon is preparing to notify its entire civilian workforce to prepare for furloughs if Congress and President Barack Obama are unable to reach a deal before Jan. 2 to avert automatic spending cuts.

Discussion: Hot Air

msnbc.com:

December 30: President Barack Obama, Tom Brokaw, Jon Meacham, Doris Kearns Goodwin, David Brooks, and Chuck Todd — December 30: President Obama, Brokaw, Meacham, Kearns Goodwin, Brooks, Todd — Below: — updated 2012-12-30T14:17:37 — DAVID GREGORY: — Mr. President, welcome back to Meet the Press.

Discussion: Althouse, The Moderate Voice, First Read, Wizbang and Twitchy

Howard Kurtz / Daily Download:
Meet the President: David Gregory's Low-Intensity Interview

Discussion: NewsBusters.org and Mediaite

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

Obama Pledges To Push For Gun Control Measures If 'American People Decide It's Important' — President Obama called the Dec. 14th shooting in Newtown, Connecticut “the worst day of my presidency,” and said during a rare interview on Meet The Press, that he will propose a package of reforms …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:

Obama hopes to enact new gun-control measures in 2013 — President Obama on Sunday said he would make gun control a priority in his new term, pledging to put his “full weight” behind passing new restrictions on firearms in 2013. — “I'm going to be putting forward a package …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, The Lonely Conservative and Moonbattery

Peter Baker / New York Times:
Newtown Task Force Returns Biden to Gun Control Arena

Discussion: Politico, Right Wing News and JustOneMinute

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Sen. Feinstein: US has to ‘bite the bullet’ and enact new gun-control restrictions

Discussion: Politico and Infowars

Ron Radosh / PJ Media:

The Meaning of Pat Buchanan's Surpising Endorsement of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense — When Left and Right come together, it usually is quite revealing. The issue that binds them this time is the campaign to have the president continue the fight for Chuck Hagel to get the nomination as secretary of Defense.

Discussion: Israel Matzav, Power Line, National Review and The Daily Dish

Pat Buchanan / Townhall.com:
Why the War Party Fears Hagel

Discussion: Power Line

Michael Yon / Online Magazine:

Some Thoughts About The Kingdom of Thailand — With Former Prime Minister Abhisit. — On Christmas Eve, ThaiPBS television interviewed me in Bangkok. The interview is scheduled to air on 31 December at 9:40PM Thailand time. Our interview will be online here.

Lori Ziganto / Twitchy:

Benghazi? Whatever! There was just some ‘sloppiness’ there, says Obama [Video] — That's right. The President of the United States said that the murders of four Americans in Benghazi were due to “sloppiness.” … From “bumps in the road” to sloppy bumps in the road.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin and Power Line