memeorandum: Hadiya Pendleton's parents to attend State of the Union address (Christi Parsons/Los Angeles Times)

5:15 PM ET, February 11, 2013

Top Items:

Rachel Donadio / New York Times:

Frail Pope Breaks Tradition and Resigns — VATICAN CITY — Citing advanced years and infirmity, but showing characteristic tough-mindedness and unpredictability, Pope Benedict XVI shocked Roman Catholics on Monday by saying that he would resign on Feb. 28, becoming the first pope to do so in six centuries.

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

What Did Pope Benedict Do, Anyway? — Pope Benedict XVI, who took office in 2005, announced on Monday that he will resign on Feb. 28, the first pope to leave the papacy since Pope Gregory XII in 1415. The 85-year-old pontiff is in poor health and has been advised by doctors “not to take any more transatlantic trips.”

Discussion: NBCNews.com, en.radiovaticana.va, ProfessorBainbridge.com, NPR, NewsHounds blog, msnbc.com, Law Blog and FIRST DRAFT

David Willey / BBC:

Pope Benedict XVI — Born in Germany in 1927, joined Hitler Youth during WWII and was conscripted as an anti-aircraft gunner but deserted — As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger spent 24 years in charge of Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - once known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition

Discussion: Twitchy, The Moderate Voice, Reuters, The Week, The Anchoress, The Daily Beast, Telegraph, Klavan On The Culture, Guardian, Da Tech Guy's Blog, Hot Air, Agence France Presse, Babalú Blog, NBCNews.com, The PJ Tatler, Red Alert Politics, The Other McCain and Scared Monkeys

Max Fisher / WorldViews:
The bizarre stories of the four other popes to have resigned in the last 1,000 years

Discussion: Washington Post, Guardian, The Fix, Poynter, Hit & Run and FIRST DRAFT

ncronline.org:
Can a pope resign? — Yes, a pope can resign — up to 10 popes …

Discussion: NPR, Firedoglake and The Dish

Duck of Minerva:
What Political Science Says About Papal Elections

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Washington Post, Spectator, The Dish, Daniel W. Drezner, National Review and Blazing Cat Fur

John Stanton / BuzzFeed: Catholic Left Looks For An Opening With A New Pope

ncronline.org:
The unprecedented resignation of Benedict

Discussion: Washington Monthly

USA Today:
Pope Benedict XVI to resign

Discussion: The Reaction, The Awl, The Agonist and The Latest Word

Phil Bronstein / Esquire:

The Man Who Killed Osama bin Laden... Is Screwed — For the first time, the Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden tells his story — speaking not just about the raid and the three shots that changed history, but about the personal aftermath for himself and his family.

Glenn Thrush / Politico:

Obama's State of the Union: Aggressive — President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech will be less a presidential olive branch than a congressional cattle prod. — Emboldened by electoral victory and convinced the GOP is unwilling to cut deals, Obama plans to use his big prime …

Discussion: CNN, NBCNews.com, Shakesville, USA Today, American Prospect, The Plum Line, First Read, Hot Air, The Huffington Post, msnbc.com and The Hill

Christi Parsons / Los Angeles Times:
Hadiya Pendleton's parents to attend State of the Union address

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Roll Call and The Hill

Quinnipiac News + Events:
Release Detail — February 11, 2013 - Obama Should Focus State …

Discussion: PERRspectives, The Hill, msnbc.com and Business Insider

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:

Sen. Inhofe threatens filibuster to block Hagel — Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) on Sunday threatened to filibuster former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.)'s nomination for Defense secretary, if necessary to prevent his confirmation. — “I want a 60-vote margin and you don't have to filibuster to get that …

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Maddow Blog, americanthinker.com, The Right Scoop, Mock, Paper, Scissors and Israel Matzav

Jeremy Herb / The Hill:
Armed Services panel to vote Tuesday on Hagel confirmation

Discussion: CBS News and National Review

Stephen Dinan / Washington Times:

Ted Nugent to be guest at State of the Union — While other members of Congress are hosting gun-control advocates for Tuesday's State of the Union address, Rep. Steve Stockman has given one of his visitor's gallery tickets to Ted Nugent, the conservative gun-rights supporter.

Discussion: Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit and The Right Scoop

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Don't Believe the Hype — Let's just say it: Marco Rubio is the Wes Clark of 2013. Only with many fewer accomplishments. — It pains me to say this because I'm an admirer of Gen. Wesley Clark. I think he would have made a good president. He was an extremely accomplished career military officer.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Crooks and Liars, Booman Tribune, The Daily Caller and The Raw Story

Reid J. Epstein / Politico:

Biden in Philly: 'I'm coming' to talk about gun control effort — PHILADELPHIA - Vice President Biden delivered a message for rural America: He's coming to talk about gun violence. — “I'm coming, I'm coming,” Biden said here after saying he'd read a skeptical comment in the local newspaper …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Biden says gun lobby's depiction of Obama plan ‘a bunch of malarkey’

Discussion: CNN

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

New Rove Group Could Backfire on G.O.P. — The strategist Karl Rove and his allies last week announced the formation of Conservative Victory Project, a new “super PAC” designed to lend support to what they see as more electable candidates in Republican Senate primaries.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Prairie Weather

Ben Smith / BuzzFeed:

Obama Prepares To Screw His Base — Young people reelected the president. Now they get to pay disproportionately for ObamaCare. — President Obama talks with college students while waiting for an order of fries at OMG Burgers in Coral Gables, Florida last September. — Image by C.W. Griffin/Miami Herald/MCT

Discussion: Wonkblog, The Mahablog, Balloon Juice, FreedomWorks blogs, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, BizzyBlog, Taylor Marsh, Right Wing News and Wall Street Journal

Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:

Obama weighing executive actions on housing, gays and other issues — View Photo Gallery — The State of the Union's history: Technology and partisanship have transformed the State of the Union over the past century. Here's a look back. — President Obama is considering a series …

Discussion: Firedoglake, BREITBART.COM, Weasel Zippers, The PJ Tatler and Prairie Weather

White House.gov Blog:
State of the Union 2013: President Obama's Speech is Just the Beginning

Discussion: Washington Wire, TechCrunch and Mashable!

Neil Irwin / Washington Post:

Is Congress really going to miss its free lunch on infrastructure? — Since the election, there have been hints that we could be entering a period with some actual productive, bipartisan dealmaking, most explicitly on immigration reform. But the Republican reaction to Obama's expected proposals …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, American Prospect, Mother Jones and No More Mister Nice Blog

Annie-Rose Strasser / ThinkProgress:

Virginia Cuts State Employees' Hours To Avoid Providing Obamacare Coverage — As part of his state's new budget, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) and his administration are trying to force potentially tens of thousands of public sector employees in the state to work fewer hours so that the government …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Mock, Paper, Scissors and Balloon Juice

Wall Street Journal:

The Absentee Commander in Chief — The Defense secretary told the president that Americans in Benghazi were under attack. Then: nothing. — We've both had the honor to work in the White House. We've seen presidents, vice presidents, chiefs of staff and national security advisers during moments of international crisis.

Discussion: Althouse, americanthinker.com and msnbc.com

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:

Armed Pro-Gun Protesters Occupy Oregon State Capitol — A few hundred pro-gun demonstrators rallied outside the Oregon state Capitol on Friday to protest efforts to enact gun safety laws. A handful of protesters also entered the Capitol building itself and brandished assault rifles and other guns in the Capitol rotunda:

Discussion: ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES