memeorandum: Guns and freedom — The right of the people to keep and bear arms … (Judge Andrew P. Napolitano/Fox News)

7:25 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: American Power, Erik Wemple, NewsBusters.org, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Washington Times 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

Emily Miller / Washington Times:

David Gregory gets off scot free — Irvin Nathan, the attorney general for the District of Columbia, announced Friday that he will not press charges against NBC News' David Gregory nor any employee of the broadcast network for violating the city's gun laws.

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hot Air and Power Line

Politico:

Reid to Obama: OK to skip Congress on debt ceiling — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other top Democrats are putting new pressure on the White House to circumvent Congress to boost the nation's debt ceiling if no bipartisan agreement can be reached. — In a strongly worded letter …

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

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

Top Senate Dems to White House: If you unilaterally raise debt ceiling, we've got your back — In a move that will significantly ratchet up the brinksmanship around the debt ceiling, the four members of the Senate Democratic leadership are privately telling the White House …

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

Rep. Jerrold Nadler / Economy & Budget:

The debt ceiling must go — Here is a stubbornly well-kept secret: the debt ceiling is arbitrary, doesn't affect the deficit, and serves no real function in keeping spending down. In addition, it has recently become a cudgel which extremist Republican legislators use to beat the rest of us into submitting to political blackmail.

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

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: Daily Kos and Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'

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: Politico, Hot Air, 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 and CNN

Jon Gillooly / mdjonline.com:

Gingrey speaks out on the issue of ‘legitimate rape’ and guns — SMYRNA — U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Marietta) tackled such sensitive topics as gun reform, abortion and rape during the Smyrna Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce breakfast which took place Thursday at the Smyrna Community Center.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Politico, Talking Points Memo, The National Memo, Outside the Beltway, The Atlantic Online, The Maddow Blog, Washington Examiner, CNN, NBC Politics, The Plum Line, The Raw Story, NationalJournal.com, Mediaite, The Hill, Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes' and The Agonist

Kevin Cirilli / Politico:
Phil Gingrey: Todd Akin ‘partly right’ on rape

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Evan McMorris-Santoro / Talking Points Memo:
GOP Rep: Todd Akin ‘Partly Right’ On Legitimate Rape

Discussion: AMERICAblog, Mother Jones, Gawker, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Hullabaloo, Daily Kos, Political Insider, Little Green Footballs, Taegan Goddard's … and Post Politics

Evan McMorris-Santoro / Talking Points Memo:

Gun Appreciation Day Leader: If Blacks Had Guns, They Would Not Have Been Slaves — Larry Ward, chairman of the national Gun Appreciation Day gun rights advocates have planned for the weekend of President Obama's second inauguration, told CNN Friday that there never would have been slaves in America if black people had guns.

Discussion: The Impolitic, Wonkette, The Atlantic Online, Little Green Footballs, The Agonist and The National Memo

David Edwards / The Raw Story:
‘Gun Appreciation Day’ chairman: Slavery wouldn't have happened if slaves were armed

Discussion: Colorlines and p m carpenter's commentary

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: The Hill, Politico and Weasel Zippers

Washington Post:
Biden gun task force must not overreach

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

New York Times:

French Troops Help Mali Halt an Islamist Advance — BAMAKO, Mali — The international standoff with Islamists controlling northern Mali took a decisive turn on Friday, as French forces engaged in an intense battle to beat back an aggressive militant push into the center of the country.

Discussion: Wired and ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES

BBC:
France confirms Mali intervention

Discussion: Andy Morgan Writes, National Review, The Agonist and Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes'

Reuters:
France launches air strike in Mali

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Hit & Run, Weasel Zippers, BBC and Jihad Watch

Reuters:

Supreme Court to consider if silence can be evidence of guilt — (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to consider whether a suspect's refusal to answer police questions prior to being arrested and read his rights can be introduced as evidence of guilt at his subsequent murder trial.

Benjy Sarlin / Talking Points Memo:

DREAM Activist's Family Arrested After Home Raided By ICE — Erika Andiola, a young undocumented immigrant and activist, may be free from the threat of raids and deportation, but her family is another story. — On Thursday night, Andiola's home in Arizona was raided by Immigrations …

Discussion: The Raw Story

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

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: CNN and Politico

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

Discussion: Lawfare, Twitchy and Michelle Malkin

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