memeorandum: Cleta Mitchell: The IRS scandals, part 3 (Scott Johnson/Power Line)

11:00 AM ET, August 10, 2013

Top Items:

President Obama weighs in on information-gathering — EVER SINCE Edward Snowden leaked a series of documents on the National Security Agency (NSA) information-gathering programs, President Obama has praised the notion of more debate on what information — and when — the government can collect about Americans.

Jeremy Herb / The Hill:

Obama: Putin looks like ‘bored kid in the back of the classroom’ — President Obama on Friday insisted he doesn't have a bad personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. — Obama, who cancelled a meeting next month in Moscow with Putin over Russia's granting of asylum …

Discussion: The Hinterland Gazette

Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:

Edward Snowden, patriot — President Obama's news conference today was ... weird. — Binyamin Appelbaum, an economics reporter for the New York Times, summed it up sharply on Twitter: “Obama is really mad at Edward Snowden for forcing us patriots to have this critically important conversation.”

Discussion: Hullabaloo, The Switch, Prairie Weather, Techdirt, First Read and WorldViews

Rosie Gray / BuzzFeed:
Obama Administration Launching NSA Transparency Website

Discussion: Bangor Daily News, The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, The Week and ThinkProgress, more at Mediagazer »

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Obama heads to vacation with defense of National Security Agency, ObamaCare

Discussion: Politico

Jacob Fischler / BuzzFeed:
Obama: “I Don't Think Mr. Snowden Was A Patriot”

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Guardian:
NSA loophole allows warrantless search for US citizens' emails and phone calls

Discussion: Senator Wyden's Press Feed, FP Passport, Balloon Juice, Hullabaloo, Politico, VentureBeat, emptywheel, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Techdirt, Lawfare, Daily Kos, Boing Boing and Samizdata

Washington Post:

TRANSCRIPT: President Obama's August 9, 2013, news conference at the White House — By Washington Post Staff, — President Obama took questions from reporters at the White House on Aug. 9, 2013. — PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Good afternoon, everybody. Please have a seat.

Discussion: Electronic Frontier Foundation, National Review and News Desk

Washington Post:

Obama announces proposals to reform NSA surveillance — President Obama announced plans Friday to pursue reforms that would open the legal proceedings surrounding the National Security Agency's surveillance programs to greater scrutiny, the administration's most concerted response yet to a series of national security disclosures.

Discussion: The Switch, Prairie Weather, The Reaction, Forbes, Hit & Run, The Verge, The Impolitic, New York Times, American Prospect, The Fix, Reuters, Taylor Marsh and Lawfare

Washington Post:
TRANSCRIPT: President Obama's August 9, 2013, news conference at the White House

Discussion: Power Line, Hot Air and Weekly Standard

EndPlay / KGTV-TV:

Chief of Staff Lee Burdick says Mayor Bob Filner entered therapy a week early, completed program — SAN DIEGO - San Diego Mayor Bob Filner's chief of staff confirmed to 10News that the mayor began his therapy a week early and has already completed the program.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Taegan Goddard's …, Most Recent, Voice of San Diego, Firedoglake, The Hill, CNN and National Review

boxer.authoring.testing.senate.gov:
Boxer Sends Open Letter to San Diego Mayor Bob Filner

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, ThinkProgress, Voice of San Diego and Politico

Eric Russell / Portland Press-Herald:

LePage says he'd like to blow up Press Herald — Maine's governor makes the comment during an event Friday at Pratt & Whitney in North Berwick, and later says it was a joke. — Gov. Paul LePage made his dislike of the Portland Press Herald abundantly clear Friday while sitting in a fighter jet simulator …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Politico and Poynter

Seth Koenig / Bangor Daily News:
LePage in fighter jet simulator: ‘I want to find the Press Herald building and blow it up’

Discussion: CNN and The Huffington Post

Stuart Oldham / Variety:

Jay Leno's Last ‘Tonight Show’ to Air Feb. 6 — NBC to pull latenight host on the eve of Olympics coverage — Jay Leno's last “Tonight Show” on NBC will air Feb. 6, sources confirm to Variety. — “Tonight Show” exec producer Debbie Vickers made the announcement today to employees of the show …

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Deadline.com:
Leno's Last ‘Tonight Show’ To Air Feb. 6; Staff Paid Until September

Discussion: Mediaite and TVbytheNumbers

Bill Carter / New York Times:

Fox May Produce Clinton Biopic Reviled by G.O.P. — The script for the proposed mini-series on the life of the possible presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton hasn't even been written but we may already have a plot twist. — While NBC has come under heavy fire, especially from Republican critics …

Discussion: Mediaite and National Review

Patrick Gavin / Politico:
Candy Crowley on Clinton documentary: ‘Life more difficult’

Discussion: Althouse, Mediaite and The Huffington Post

Scott Johnson / Power Line:

Cleta Mitchell: The IRS scandals, part 3 — Cleta Mitchell is the prominent Washington attorney whose practice has given her a front row seat on the IRS scandals. On the just completed NR cruise Cleta gave one of the most compelling presentations involving topical matters of current interest.

Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:

Social Security Payments Limited To Same-Sex Married Couples Living In States That Recognize Marriage Equality — For a same-sex couple legally married in Massachusetts, who live in Texas and “meet all other factors of entitlement,” the Social Security Administration told employees Friday, “Hold the claim.”

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy and Joe. My. God.

Hunter Walker / Talking Points Memo:

In Leaked Audio, Cuccinelli Affirms Support For E.W. Jackson — Ken Cuccinelli, the attorney general and Republican nominee for governor in Virginia, told supporters recently they should have no question about his support for E.W. Jackson, the GOP's polarizing nominee for lieutenant governor in that state.

Chris Christoff / detroitnews.com:

Detroit's misplaced $1M check bares inefficiency — In late February, cash-strapped Detroit received a $1 million check from the local school system that wasn't deposited. The routine payment wound up in a city hall desk drawer, where it was found a month later.

Discussion: The PJ Tatler and The Raw Story

Investor's Business Daily:

Sarah Palin Was Right—More Dems Ditch Death Panels — ObamaCare: Some Democrats are signing on to bills repealing the powers of the Independent Payment Advisory Board to effectively ration health care for seniors. So Sarah Palin was right about those death panels after all?

Discussion: Betsy's Page

Alexander Bolton / E2-Wire:

Scott uses GOP address to exploit Dem energy divisions — Republicans are seeking to regain the political offensive by exploiting divisions in the Democratic Party over President Obama's energy policies. — Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) slammed Obama in the weekly GOP radio address Saturday …

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Decca Aitkenhead / Guardian:

Labour must shout louder or risk election defeat, warns Andy Burnham — Shadow health secretary says time is running out for coherent Labour challenge to the coalition — Labour's leadership must put its cards on the table before next spring and produce a set of policies which define …

Discussion: Spectator, BBC and National Updates