memeorandum: The Obama Synthesis — AS both his critics and admirers argue … (Ross Douthat/New York Times)

11:55 AM ET, January 13, 2013

Top Items:

The Two Sentences That Should Be Part of All Discussion of the Debt Ceiling — Here they are: — 1) Raising the debt ceiling does not authorize one single penny in additional public spending. — 2) For Congress to “decide whether” to raise the debt ceiling, for programs and tax rates …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:

Treasury: We won't mint a platinum coin to sidestep the debt ceiling — The Treasury Department will not mint a trillion-dollar platinum coin to get around the debt ceiling. If they did, the Federal Reserve would not accept it. — That's the bottom line of the statement that Anthony Coley …

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:

Platinum Coin Dismissed: White House Ratchets Up Pressure On GOP To Deal With Debt Ceiling … REACT: — FOLLOW: — Barack Obama , Debt Ceiling, Government Shutdown, Timothy Geithner, Deficit, Republicans, Video, Debt Limit, Politics News, Tim Geithner, Coin Seigniorage, Default …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Political Carnival, Booman Tribune and The Reality-Based Community

Paul Krugman:

So What Will You Do, Mr. President? — If I'd spent the past five years living in a monastery or something, I would take the Treasury Department's declaration that the coin option is out as a sign that there's some other plan ready to go. Maybe 14th Amendment, maybe moral obligation coupons or some other form of scrip, something.

Joe Weisenthal / Business Insider:
COINTASTROPHE: White House Rules Out The Trillion Dollar Coin Option To Break The Debt Ceiling

Discussion: Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', Hullabaloo and Calculated Risk

Chris Hayes / msnbc.com:
The magic coin — Odds are by now you've heard at least something …

Discussion: Cagle.com Premium Cartoon News and The Reality-Based Community

Remember Aaron Swartz:

Official Statement from the family and partner of Aaron Swartz — Our beloved brother, son, friend, and partner Aaron Swartz hanged himself on Friday in his Brooklyn apartment. We are in shock, and have not yet come to terms with his passing. — Aaron's insatiable curiosity, creativity …

Discussion: Guardian and TechCrunch

Lessig Blog, v2:

Prosecutor as bully — (Some will say this is not the time. I disagree. This is the time when every mixed emotion needs to find voice.) — Since his arrest in January, 2011, I have known more about the events that began this spiral than I have wanted to know. Aaron consulted me as a friend and lawyer.

Zach Carter / The Huffington Post:

Aaron Swartz, Internet Pioneer, Found Dead Amid Prosecutor ‘Bullying’ in Unconventional Case … REACT: — FOLLOW: — Conde Nast, Economy, Hackers, Internet, Barack Obama , PIPA, Politics, Video, Aaron Swartz, Larry Lessig, RSS 1.0, Aaron Swartz Suicide, Demand Progress, Doj, FBI …

Discussion: msnbc.com, The Reality-Based Community and The Moderate Voice

John Schwartz / New York Times:
Aaron Swartz, Precocious Programmer and Internet Activist, Dies at 26

Discussion: Washington Monthly, ZDNet, Towleroad News #gay, Firedoglake, Remember Aaron Swartz, Guardian, Balloon Juice, American Power, Althouse and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »

AlterNet:
Aaron Swartz, Online Activist and Reddit Cofounder, Dead at 26

Discussion: The Other McCain, The Raw Story and MIT's Student Newspaper

Henry / Crooked Timber:
Remembering Aaron Swartz

Discussion: Quinn Said, Mark Bernstein, Guardian, The Atlantic Online, The Agonist and Lessig Blog, v2

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

The Obama Synthesis — AS both his critics and admirers argue, the nomination of Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense last week tells us something important about Barack Obama's approach to foreign policy. But so does the man who was nominated alongside Hagel, to far less controversy and attention …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Informed Comment

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Top Dems urging Obama to raise debt ceiling all voted against increase in '06 … On Friday the Democratic leadership of the Senate — Majority Leader Harry Reid, Assistant Majority Leader Richard Durbin, Conference Chair Charles Schumer, and Conference Secretary Patty Murray …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, Power Line and Weasel Zippers

Robin McKie / Guardian:

US scientists in fresh alert over effects of global warming — US National Climate Assessment reveals that severe weather disruption is going to be commonplace in coming years — Global warming is already having a major impact on life in America, a report by US government scientists has warned.

Edward Wong / New York Times:

Beijing Air Pollution Off the Charts — BEIJING — One Friday more than two years ago, an air-quality monitoring device atop the United States Embassy in Beijing recorded data so horrifying that someone in the embassy called the level of pollution “Crazy Bad” in an infamous Twitter post.

Discussion: Via Meadia, IHT Rendezvous and ParaPundit

Alexandra Jaffe / The Hill:

Sen. Rubio: Obama has ‘poisoned the well for people’ on immigration reform — Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a congressional leader on immigration reform and long considered a likely 2016 presidential candidate, criticized President Obama for “poison[ing] the well” on the reform effort …

Discussion: Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', Hot Air, The Daily Caller and Wall Street Journal