memeorandum: GOP chief plans major overhaul to party (CNN)

8:20 PM ET, January 24, 2013

Top Items:

Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell Reach Filibuster Reform Deal — FOLLOW: — Video, Filibuster, Filibuster Reform, Filibuster Reform 2013, Harry Reid Filibuster, Harry Reid Mitch Mcconnell, Harry Reid Mitch Mcconnell Filibuster, Harry Reid Mitch Mcconnell Filibuster Reform, Jeff Merkley Filibuster Reform …

Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:

Harry Reid: “I'm not personally, at this stage, ready to get rid of the 60-vote threshold” — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have come to a deal on filibuster reform. The deal is this: The filibuster will not be reformed.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Post Politics, Hot Air, The BRAD BLOG, Washington Post, National Review, The New Republic, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, The Maddow Blog, The Fix, Taylor Marsh, The Impolitic, Prairie Weather and Booman Tribune

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Reid and McConnell reach tentative deal to change filibuster rules

Discussion: msnbc.com, Right Turn and LifeNews.com

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:
Dems Rally Around Reid's Scaled Back Filibuster Deal

Discussion: Slate and Main Street

David Weigel / Slate:
Final Filibuster Reform Deal Largely Based on John McCain and Carl Levin's Proposals

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Mother Jones, Outside the Beltway and Firedoglake

Laura Bassett / The Huffington Post:

New Mexico Bill Would Criminalize Abortions After Rape As ‘Tampering With Evidence’ — FOLLOW: — Video, Abortion Tampering With Evidence, Cathrynn Brown Abortion Bill, New Mexico Abortion Bill, New Mexico Abortion Evidence, New Mexico Abortion Law, New Mexico Rape Abortion, Politics News

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The National Memo, AMERICAblog, Business Insider, The Political Carnival, Little Green Footballs, Wonkette, Crooks and Liars, Gawker, The Raw Story, Riehl World News, Joe. My. God., Mother Jones and Shakesville

Fox News:

Tancredo vows to smoke pot, in promo for film about Colorado's successful legalization effort — FILE: Nov. 12, 2007: Former presidential candidate and Congressman Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., at a press conference at the Marriot Hotel in Des Moines, Iowa.REUTERS — Tokin' Tom Tancredo? Not exactly.

Discussion: Hit & Run

Talking Points Memo:

Tom Tancredo To Smoke Pot — Anti-immigrant firebrand and former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) says he will make good on a past bet he made to smoke marijuana if Colorado legalized it by referendum. Tancredo, who supported the marijuana reform proposal but said he did not partake in drugs himself …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Mediaite

Justin Sink / The Hill:

Former Rep. Tom Tancredo loses bet, will smoke pot — The former congressman and anti-illegal immigration activist had told the maker of a documentary about the ballot initiative that he would smoke pot if the measure passed, despite not being a drug user. On Nov. 6, Colorado voters approved marijuana …

Discussion: The Greenroom

Alan I. Abramowitz / Sabato's Crystal Ball:

Republican Electoral College Plan Would Undermine Democracy — Republicans are struggling to right their ship after the defeat of 2012. The unfavorable demographic trends for the GOP that we describe in our new book, Barack Obama and the New America, have sunk in, and the party knows it must do something.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Moderate Voice, Outside the Beltway, Main Street, Wonkblog, Business Insider, Washington Monthly, msnbc.com, The Maddow Blog, The Atlantic Online, Mother Jones and Unqualified Offerings

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:

How Republicans Plan To Rig The Next Presidential Election, In Six Pictures … Yesterday, Virginia Republicans took the first step to move a GOP plan to rig the Electoral College forward in that state. Similar plans are under consideration in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

Discussion: Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Agonist and National Review

Benjy Sarlin / Talking Points Memo:
Group Working To Reform Electoral College Condemns GOP's ‘Indefensible’ Virginia Scheme

Discussion: Virginian-Pilot, msnbc.com, Balloon Juice and No More Mister Nice Blog

CNN:

GOP chief plans major overhaul to party — Washington (CNN) — The chair, perhaps the most famous chair in political history, stands in the office of a large, nondescript cement building just a stone's throw away from the U.S. Capitol. — That's right, the chair Clint Eastwood used as a prop …

Discussion: Associated Press and Outside the Beltway

Washington Post:
Bobby Jindal speaking truth to GOP power

Discussion: NationalJournal.com, The Week, First Read, New Orleans Times-Picayune, American Prospect, Washington Monthly, Sky Dancing, Daily Kos, The Caucus and Taylor Marsh

Michael Tomasky / The Daily Beast:
GOP Attracting Minorities?

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, The Week and TheBlaze.com

Alex Pappas / The Daily Caller:

Feinstein calls for banning more than 150 types of firearms during dramatic press conference — WASHINGTON — California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein staged a dramatic press conference Thursday on Capitol Hill with 10 weapons at her side and unveiled legislation instituting a government ban …

Discussion: Mother Jones, The PJ Tatler, Wonkblog, Washington Free Beacon, American Power, National Review, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, Hot Air and protein wisdom

Ashley Killough / CNN:
TRENDING: Biden's gun advice for earthquakes

Discussion: Politico, Business Insider, Hit & Run, ABCNEWS and Guardian

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:
Biden: ‘So You Want to Keep People Away in an Earthquake? Buy Some Shotgun Shells’

Discussion: NY Daily News and Michelle Malkin

Nick Gillespie / Hit & Run:

3 Incredibly Outrageous Evasions by Hillary Clinton About Benghazi — During a long day of testifying before House and Senate panels, outgoing Secretary of State - and presumptive Democratic Party candidate for the presidency in 2016 - Hillary Clinton batted away contentious questions …

Discussion: Michelle Obama's Mirror, neo-neocon, Wall Street Journal, AMERICAN DIGEST and Commentary Magazine

Aviva Shen / ThinkProgress:
New York Post Goes After Hillary Clinton With Blatantly Sexist Cover

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite and Shakesville

Wall Street Journal:
Hillary Pitches a Benghazi Shutout

Discussion: Right Turn

McKay Coppins / BuzzFeed:

Mark Zuckerberg Will Hold Fundraiser For Chris Christie — The tech mogul and his wife “admire [Christie's] leadership on education reform and other issues and look forward to continuing their important work together on behalf of Newark's schoolchildren,” a spokesperson tells BuzzFeed.

Discussion: Politico, TechCrunch and Mashable!

Peter Hamby / CNN:
Zuckerberg to fundraise for Christie

Discussion: The Political Carnival and Joe. My. God.

Heather Haddon / Metropolis:
Facebook CEO to Host Christie Fundraiser

Discussion: Post Politics, Weasel Zippers, Business Insider, Mediaite, Towleroad News #gay and National Review

Greg Myre / National Security:

Women In Combat: 5 Key Questions … The Pentagon's announcement that it is lifting the ban on women in combat raises a host of questions that the military will have to address. Here's a few of them: — How many combat positions are there in the military?

Discussion: Hit & Run and Guardian

Ryan Smith / Wall Street Journal:
The Reality That Awaits Women in Combat

Discussion: msnbc.com, Weekly Standard, Hot Air, Israel Matzav, Ricochet Conversations Feed and New York Times

Donovan Slack / Politico:

VIDEO: Obama bugged by fly — Handlers go to great lengths to manage the settings President Obama appears in, from lighting to yes, even insect repelling. For example, they doused a Camp David podium with bug spray last year before a G-8 announcement. — But there have been moments …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Amie Parnes / The Hill: Fly proves buzzkill for Obama at White House event

KPTV-TV:

Bill proposed in Oregon would make cigarettes prescription-only drugs — If you're a regular smoker, you may want to keep an eye on a new bill in the Oregon Legislature. — Rep. Mitch Greenlick, from Portland, is sponsoring a bill that makes cigarettes a Schedule III controlled substance …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Poor Richard's News, The Raw Story, National Review and Gawker

Orlando Sentinel:

Analysis: 201,000 in Florida didn't vote because of long lines — An earlier version of this article and an accompanying graphic incorrectly characterized Volusia County as among the state's worst for Nov. 6 voter lines. — The long Election Day lines around Florida may have turned away …

Discussion: Politico and The Political Carnival

Zack Ford / ThinkProgress:

BREAKING: Rhode Island House Passes Marriage Equality — As expected, the Rhode Island House of Representatives voted today to approve marriage equality legislation with a vote of 51-19. The bill now advances to the Senate, where the Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed (D) previously blocked a vote.

Discussion: Back2Stonewall and Taylor Marsh

Adam Serwer / Mother Jones:

The Silly Conservative Freak-Out Over Women in Combat — Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced Wednesday that the Pentagon plans to lift a 1994 prohibition on women serving in combat roles. The announcement prompted an ill-informed outcry from conservatives, who were perhaps unaware …

Discussion: FishbowlDC, msnbc.com, The Raw Story, Washington Monthly, National Review, The Maddow Blog and Eschaton

John Tomasic / The Colorado Independent:

In malpractice case, Catholic hospital argues fetuses aren't people — Lori Stodghill was 31-years old, seven-months pregnant with twin boys and feeling sick when she arrived at St. Thomas More hospital in Cañon City on New Year's Day 2006. She was vomiting and short of breath …

Discussion: Gawker, Crooks and Liars, The Raw Story, The Agonist, The Political Carnival, Addicting Info, Little Green Footballs, Truthdig, Balloon Juice, Wonkette and Joe. My. God.

Wall Street Journal:

Donald Boudreaux and Mark Perry: The Myth of a Stagnant Middle Class — Household spending on food, housing, utilities, etc. has fallen from 53% of disposable income in 1950 to 32% today. — A favorite “progressive” trope is that America's middle class has stagnated economically since the 1970s.

Discussion: AEIdeas, Wonkblog, Cafe Hayek and EconLog

Alexander Burns / Reuters:

Democrats launch plan to turn Texas blue — National Democrats are taking steps to create a large-scale independent group aimed at turning traditionally conservative Texas into a prime electoral battleground, crafting a new initiative to identify and mobilize progressive voters in the rapidly-changing state …

Discussion: Balloon Juice, TheBlaze.com, The PJ Tatler, Mother Jones, WJLA-TV, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and msnbc.com

Lucas Shaw / The Wrap:

J.J. Abrams Set to Direct Next ‘Star Wars’ Film (Exclusive) — J.J. Abrams will direct the next “Star Wars” film for Disney, taking stewardship of one of Hollywood's most iconic and lucrative film franchises, an individual with knowledge of the production told TheWrap.