memeorandum: Anthony Weiner: I'm “100 Percent Not” Sexting Right Now, Deleted Everything from Past Affairs (Andrew Siff/nbcnewyork.com)

11:55 AM ET, August 3, 2013

Top Items:

Eric Schmitt / New York Times:

Qaeda Messages Prompt U.S. Terror Warning — WASHINGTON — The United States intercepted electronic communications this week among senior operatives of Al Qaeda, in which the terrorists discussed attacks against American interests in the Middle East and North Africa, American officials said Friday.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Hot Air, Spectator, CANNONFIRE, CBS New York, BBC, Eschaton, The Lead with Jake Tapper, CNN, BuzzFeed, The Moderate Voice, Business Insider, Outside the Beltway and Yahoo! News

Travel.State.Gov:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE — The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens to the continued potential for terrorist attacks, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, and possibly occurring in or emanating from the Arabian Peninsula. Current information suggests that al-Qa'ida …

Discussion: The Long War Journal, CBS News, The Week, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Taylor Marsh, Weasel Zippers, emptywheel, The Hinterland Gazette, Yahoo! News and New York Times

Mark Mazzetti / New York Times:
State Department Issues Global Travel Alert

Discussion: ABC News, FOX5 San Diego, Prairie Weather and Israel Matzav

New York Times:

U.S. Cuts Take Increasing Toll on Job Growth — WASHINGTON — The number of federal workers forced to work shorter hours soared this summer — to 199,000 in July, from 55,000 a year earlier — in a sign of the problems that federal budget policy is causing for the economy.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Brad DeLong

Andrew Siff / nbcnewyork.com:

Anthony Weiner: I'm “100 Percent Not” Sexting Right Now, Deleted Everything from Past Affairs — “I don't have any of the records,” Weiner said in an interview with NBC 4 New York Friday — For a man who just wants the press to move forward from the revelations of his controversial sexual trysts online …

Discussion: Politicker, Yahoo! News and Business Insider

Trip Gabriel / New York Times:

Clouds Spread to Democratic Side of Virginia Governor's Race — For months, the governor's race in Virginia has unfolded beneath a cloud of scandal over the Republican incumbent that spread to his would-be Republican successor, Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II. — But now a potential scandal …

Discussion: The PJ Tatler

Washington Post:
Company with ties to Terry McAuliffe is under SEC investigation

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, Politico and The PJ Tatler

Declan McCullagh / CNET:

FBI pressures Internet providers to install surveillance software — CNET has learned the FBI has developed custom “port reader” software to intercept Internet metadata in real time. And, in some cases, it wants to force Internet providers to use the software. — FBI headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Weasel Zippers and TechCrunch

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:

House votes 232-185 to block the IRS from enforcing ObamaCare — The House voted Friday to prevent the IRS from enforcing any aspect of ObamaCare, a bill meant to exact revenge against an agency that Republicans say is incapable of neutral enforcement of the law.

Discussion: CNN, Liberal Values, his vorpal sword, The PJ Tatler, Weasel Zippers, The Raw Story and Weekly Standard

Michael Kitchen / MarketWatch:
Congress to get Obamacare exemption: report

Discussion: Examiner, American Glob, The Gateway Pundit and Vox Popoli

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo: House GOP Passes 40th Obamacare Repeal Bill Before Going Home For Summer Recess

Nick Gillespie / Washington Post:

Five myths about libertarians — Nick Gillespie, editor of Reason.com and a columnist for the Daily Beast, is a co-author of “The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong With America.” — The specter of libertarianism is haunting America.

Discussion: Hot Air, Daily Kos, Yahoo! News, Hit & Run and National Review

David Lieberman / Deadline.com:

NO DEAL! CBS And Showtime Go Dark On Time Warner Cable — CBS and Time Warner Cable negotiators failed to reach an agreement in their retransmission deal negotiations. Shortly after 5:00 PM ET some 3.5M TWC customers in New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas lost programming …

Discussion: The Huffington Post and TVLine, more at Mediagazer »

James Arkin / Politico:

Alaskans don't back Palin for prez — There would be no home field advantage in Alaska for Sarah Palin if the former governor made a run for the White House in 2016, according to a new poll released Friday. — Hillary Clinton, the front runner for the Democrats in 2016 …

Discussion: Public Policy Polling, CNN and The PJ Tatler

Jessica Chasmar / Washington Times:

13 Wisconsin officials raid animal shelter to kill baby deer named Giggles — Two weeks ago, Ray Schulze was working in a barn at the Society of St. Francis no-kill animal shelter in Kenosha, Wis., when officials swarmed the shelter with a search warrant. — “[There were] nine …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Power Line

Joseph Erbentraut / The Huffington Post:

Illinois Medical Marijuana Bill Signed Into Law By Governor Pat Quinn — Illinois on Thursday officially became the 20th U.S. state to legalize medical marijuana. — At a ceremony at the University of Chicago, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn signed the bill while joined by Jim Champion …

Tim Murphy / Mother Jones:

VIDEO: House GOPer Won't Push Back on Birther Calling Obama “Communist Despot” — Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) is no John McCain. — At a town hall forum in her district on Monday that was sponsored by a local tea party group, Roby was asked by an attendee what she would do to counter …

Discussion: Daily Kos

Allegra Stratton / BBC:

Tories hire key Obama strategist — The Conservative Party has hired Barack Obama's campaign manager Jim Messina for its general election campaign team, BBC Newsnight has learned. — Sources confirmed that he would act as a campaign strategy adviser to the Conservative party.

Discussion: Post Politics, Twitchy, Washington Monthly, First Read and The Hill