memeorandum: Dems urge Obama to raise debt limit without Congress, if necessary (Michael O'Brien/First Read)

11:50 AM ET, January 12, 2013

Top Items:

William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:

David Gregory will not be prosecuted — Just released by D.C. Attorney General there will be no prosecution of David Gregory despite a finding that there was a clear violation of the law (emphasis mine): … D.C. Attorney General Letter Declining to Prosecute David Gregory

Discussion: Erik Wemple, American Power, Outside the Beltway, NewsBusters.org, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, The Daily Caller and Power Line

Mackenzie Weinger / Politico:

No gun magazine charges for David Gregory — NBC's David Gregory is off the hook for showing a high-capacity gun magazine on “Meet the Press” and will not be prosecuted, D.C.'s attorney general announced on Friday. — D.C. attorney general Irvin Nathan on Friday said he would decline …

Discussion: The Political Carnival, The Other McCain and Althouse, more at Mediagazer »

Peter Hermann / Washington Post:

NBC's Gregory won't be charged for displaying ammunition clip on TV — The D.C. attorney general on Friday declined to charge the host of NBC's “Meet the Press” for displaying an empty ammunition magazine on national television, saying that doing so would not make the District safer.

Discussion: Deadline.com, TalkLeft, Post Politics and Poynter

William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:

David Gregory and wife knew D.C. Attorney General — District of Columbia Attorney General Irvin Nathan issued a lengthy letter today explaining the decision not to prosecute David Gregory “despite the clarity of the violation of this important law,” despite rejecting NBC's claims …

Discussion: Althouse, EconLog and Washington Times

Emily Miller / Washington Times:
David Gregory gets off scot free

Discussion: Hot Air and Power Line

Michael O'Brien / First Read:

Dems urge Obama to raise debt limit without Congress, if necessary — Senate Democratic leaders urged President Barack Obama to act to increase the nation's debt limit, even without congressional approval, in order to avoid a standoff with Republicans over the nation's borrowing authority.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes' and Daily Kos

Politico:
Reid to Obama: OK to skip Congress on debt ceiling

Discussion: White House Dossier, Weasel Zippers, Washington Examiner, Wall Street Journal and Hot Air

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Top Senate Dems to White House: If you unilaterally raise debt ceiling, we've got your back

Discussion: NRSC, Hullabaloo, Townhall.com, The Maddow Blog, Paul Krugman, Business Insider and Eschaton

Rep. Jerrold Nadler / Economy & Budget:
The debt ceiling must go

Discussion: CNN, PostPartisan, Washington Examiner and National Republican …

Anne Cai / MIT's Student Newspaper:

Aaron Swartz commits suicide — Computer activist Aaron H. Swartz committed suicide in New York City yesterday, Jan. 11, according to his uncle, Michael Wolf, in a comment to The Tech. Swartz was 26. — “The tragic and heartbreaking information you received is, regrettably, true,” …

Discussion: Boing Boing, Mashable!, Gawker, The Verge and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, more at Mediagazer »

Brian Thompson / nbcnewyork.com:

Lautenberg Has Decided Not to Run Again: Sources — The news comes the same week that Newark Mayor Cory Booker has filed papers allowing him to raise money for a U.S. Senate run in New Jersey. News 4 s Brian Thompson spoke exclusively with Mayor Booker about that decision.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', ABCNEWS, Philly.com, Hot Air, Politico, The Hill, Ballot Box and The Daily Caller

Geoff Mulvihill / Associated Press:
NJ Mayor Booker Files to Run for US Senate in 2014

Discussion: Politico

Ben Geman / The Hill:

Major report warns climate change could raise temperatures by 10 degrees — The third National Climate Assessment, released Friday, said there's “unambiguous evidence” that earth is warming, and that climate change over the past 50 years is driven primarily by human activity, especially from burning fossil fuels.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Guardian and Wonkblog

Jason Lange / Reuters:

Americans feel austerity's bite as payroll taxes rise — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans are beginning to feel the pinch from Washington's decision to embrace austerity measures aimed at bringing down the nation's budget deficit. — Paychecks across the country have shrunk over the last week due …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Frank Luntz / Washington Post:

Why Republicans should watch their language — Frank Luntz, a pollster, is the author of “Win: The Key Principles to Take Your Business From Ordinary to Extraordinary.” — This coming week, House Republicans will gather in Williamsburg, Va., to discuss what went wrong in 2012.

Discussion: Applesauce, p m carpenter's commentary and Daily Kos

Matthew Kaminski / Wall Street Journal:

Marco Rubio: Riding to the Immigration Rescue — Marco Rubio, Florida's GOP senator, unveils his reform ideas to ‘modernize’ the system and put illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship. — Coral Gables, Fla. — Marco Rubio—41-year-old son of working-class Cuban exiles—has lived the upwardly mobile immigrant experience.

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Eric Lichtblau / New York Times:

Makers of Violent Video Games Marshal Support to Fend Off Regulation — WASHINGTON — With the Newtown, Conn., massacre spurring concern over violent video games, makers of popular games like Call of Duty and Mortal Kombat are rallying Congressional support to try to fend off their biggest regulatory threat in two decades.

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Cindy Adams / New York Post:

Patti Davis rips ‘1600 Penn’ ‘stupidity’ — “1600 Penn” - NBC's new sitcom about a dysfunctional First Family - gets a thumbs-down from Patti Davis, who was there for eight years when her father Ronald Reagan was president. — Davis — who tried to sell a similar TV show last year titled …

Discussion: Associated Press

Noah Rothman / Mediaite:

MSNBC Hosts In ‘Really Deep’ Segment On Need To Call Him ‘President Barack Obama’ In Every Single Reference — On Friday, MSNBC's The Cycle investigated the outrage directed at cohost Steve Kornacki, as well as other journalists, for referring to President Barack Obama simply as “Obama” after the first reference.

Discussion: Hot Air

Justin Sink / The Hill:

Biden: ‘No silver bullet’ to stop gun violence — The vice president downplayed harsh criticism the National Rifle Association has made about the administration's gun violence task force. — Vice President Biden said Friday that his task force on gun violence recognized there was …

Discussion: Right Wing News, The Hill, Politico, Twitchy and Weasel Zippers

Washington Post:
Biden gun task force must not overreach

Discussion: msnbc.com, NewsBusters.org, Daily Kos and Hit & Run

Devin Dwyer / ABCNEWS:

Obama Promises Faster Transition in Afghanistan — President Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai said today that most U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan would end this spring, signaling a quickening troop drawdown that will bring the decade-long war to a close at the end of 2014.

Discussion: Politico and CNN

The White House:
Joint Statement by President Obama and President Karzai

Discussion: Twitchy, Michelle Malkin and Lawfare

David Edwards / The Raw Story:

‘Gun Appreciation Day’ chairman: Slavery wouldn't have happened if slaves were armed — The chairman of Gun Appreciation Day may be taking “Django Unchained” a little too seriously. — Larry Ward on Friday told CNN that he created the first annual Gun Appreciation Day just days …

Discussion: Colorlines and p m carpenter's commentary