memeorandum: Why you should never, ever use two spaces after a period. (Farhad Manjoo/Slate)

10:25 AM ET, January 14, 2013

Top Items:

Double trouble: House GOP eyes default, shutdown — House Republicans are seriously entertaining dramatic steps, including default or shutting down the government, to force President Barack Obama to finally cut spending by the end of March. — The idea of allowing the country to default …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, American Prospect, Salon, Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', The Plum Line, The New Republic, msnbc.com, Business Insider, CANNONFIRE and Balloon Juice

Wall Street Journal:
Ugly Choices Loom Over Debt Clash

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Washington Wire, Washington Examiner, Via Meadia and BuzzFeed

Brendan Sasso / The Hill:
Treasury rules out trillion-dollar coin

Discussion: Forbes, American Spectator and NBC Politics

Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:

Lies on Gun Background Checks Are a Focus Both Sides Agree On — WASHINGTON — Nearly 80,000 Americans were denied guns in 2010, according to Justice Department data, because they lied or provided inaccurate information about their criminal histories on background-check forms.

Discussion: The Maddow Blog, Center for American Progress and Right Wing News

David Jackson / USA Today:

Biden to present gun package this week … Vice President Biden, poised to propose new gun violence legislation this week, meets Monday morning with Democratic lawmakers who will consider the administration's plans. — Biden sits down with members of the House Democratic task force on gun violence …

Discussion: Alan Colmes'Alan Colmes', The Hill, msnbc.com, Washington Post, First Read, CBS New York and New York Times

Annie-Rose Strasser / ThinkProgress:
One Month After Newtown Shooting, NRA Releases Shooting Game App With Coffin-Shaped Targets

Discussion: The Next Web and The Raw Story

Washington Post:

Maryland Gov. O'Malley to push for tougher gun-control rules — Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will seek to institute some of the nation's strictest gun-licensing requirements, ban assault weapons and restrict visitor access to schools in one of the most expansive government responses sought …

Discussion: ABCNEWS

Paul Steinhauser / CNN:

Maryland's Gov. O'Malley to push for new gun control — (CNN) - Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley plans to announce Monday morning that he'll push for new tough measures to reduce gun violence. — “Later this week we'll be introducing a comprehensive legislative package to prevent gun violence …

Discussion: Ballot Box, Hullabaloo and The Hill

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

MIT president orders review of Aaron Swartz episode — The president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced Sunday that he has ordered a top-to-bottom review of the university's actions in a computer hacking case that led to the federal prosecution of renowed programmer …

Discussion: emptywheel, Opinionator and Associated Press

Wall Street Journal:
Legal Case Strained Troubled Web Activist

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy, New York Times, The Moderate Voice, Associated Press, The Verge, MIT and Lawyers, Guns & Money, more at Mediagazer »

Lydia Saad / Gallup:

Americans' Dissatisfaction With Gun Laws Spikes to 38% — Close to four in 10 say gun laws should be stricter, up from 25% in 2012 — PRINCETON, NJ — In the aftermath of the Newtown, Conn., school shootings, and as Vice President Joe Biden leads a federal task force that will recommend ways …

Discussion: First Read, Business Insider, Hot Air, CNN and Politico

Jason Horowitz / Washington Post:

Bloomberg wants to change the GOP — Matt McClain/For The Washington Post - Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, poses for a portrait at New York City Hall on Friday January 11, 2013. He has been outspoken on the issue of gun control. — NEW YORK — Michael Bloomberg …

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and Democratic Strategist

Wall Street Journal: Gun Violence Focus Set to Shift to Congress

George Stephanopoulos / ABCNEWS:
Sen. Joe Manchin: Need an ‘All-In Approach’ to Curb Gun Violence

Discussion: ABCNEWS, AMERICAblog and The Raw Story

Newsday:

Journal News gun permit map used by burglars to target White Plains home? — A White Plains residence pinpointed on a controversial handgun permit database was burglarized Saturday, and the burglars' target was the homeowner's gun safe. — At least two burglars broke into a home on Davis Avenue …

Discussion: nysenate.gov, TBogg, Hot Air, BuzzFeed, The Verge, Weasel Zippers, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, UrbanGrounds and National Review

Patrick Gavin / Reuters:

‘Game Change’ scores at the Golden Globes — HBO's “Game Change,” based on the 2008 campaign book by journalists Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, took home three Golden Globes at Sunday's ceremony, including in the category of best television miniseries or television movie.

Discussion: CNN, Deadline.com and Business Insider

CNN:
Surprise! Bill Clinton appears at the Golden Globes

Discussion: Politico

David Taintor / Talking Points Memo:

Scarborough Apologizes To Mika Brzezinski For Rant On ‘Morning Joe’ (VIDEO) — Joe Scarborough on Monday apologized to his “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski for accusing her of hypocrisy over the lack of women in President's Obama's inner circle last week.

Discussion: The Raw Story

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:

In California, It's U.S. vs. State Over Marijuana — STOCKTON, Calif. — Matthew R. Davies graduated from college with a master's degree in business and a taste for enterprise, working in real estate, restaurants and mobile home parks before seizing on what he saw as uncharted territory …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and Althouse

Denise Smith Amos / Cincinnati.com:

EXCLUSIVE: Teacher claims discrimination over fear of kids — MARIEMONT — A longtime French and Spanish high school teacher is suing the Mariemont school district, alleging it discriminated against her because she has a disability - she has a phobia of young children.

Discussion: nation.foxnews.com, The Daily Caller, Mediaite and The Raw Story

Farhad Manjoo / Slate:

Why you should never, ever use two spaces after a period. — Exactly two years ago, Farhad Manjoo ranted against people who still type two spaces after a period. To this day, people are still talking about the article. And some of them make a point to leave two spaces after all of their periods.

Discussion: AEIdeas