memeorandum: A real clown wouldn't mock Obama (Judy Quest/CNN)

10:15 AM ET, August 16, 2013

Top Items:

NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times per year, audit finds — The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since Congress granted the agency broad new powers in 2008, according to an internal audit and other top-secret documents.

Carol D. Leonnig / Washington Post:

Court: Ability to police U.S. spying program limited — The leader of the secret court that is supposed to provide critical oversight of the government's vast spying programs said that its ability do so is limited and that it must trust the government to report when it improperly spies on Americans.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The New Republic, Hillicon Valley, Hit & Run, The Verge, Techdirt, Gizmodo and Gawker, more at Mediagazer »

Andrea Peterson / The Switch:
Remember when Obama said the NSA wasn't “actually abusing” its powers? He was wrong.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Patterico's Pontifications and The PJ Tatler

Washington Post: NSA report on privacy violations in the first quarter of 2012

Jeffrey Goldberg / Bloomberg:

What Obama Misunderstands About Egypt — This morning, President Barack Obama condemned the Egyptian military's slaughter of Muslim Brotherhood members and sympathizers, and canceled joint military exercises scheduled for next month. He said that the violence should stop and that “a process of national reconciliation should begin.”

Discussion: Foreign Policy, Booman Tribune, National Review, Hot Air and Wonkblog

John Hinderaker / Power Line:
It's Official: Obama Has Surpassed Jimmy Carter

Discussion: Reuters and Associated Press

BBC:
Egypt crisis: Deaths as Cairo violence resumes

Discussion: americanthinker.com and Blazing Cat Fur

CNN: More clashes feared as protesters vow ‘Friday of anger’ in Egypt

Washington Post:
TRANSCRIPT: President Obama's remarks on Egypt

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Wonkblog, Hit & Run and RealClearWorld

Ralph Peters / New York Post:
This blood is on the hands of Muslim Brotherhood

Discussion: New York Times and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Peter Hamby / CNN:

Christie raps potential 2016 rivals at Republican confab — Follow @politicaltickerFollow @PeterHambyCNN — Boston (CNN) - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie planted himself firmly in the Republican Party's establishment wing Thursday with a pugnacious speech calling on his party to focus …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, The Fix, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Dish, Post Politics, Hot Air, The Hill, Mediaite, The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, Shakesville, The Daily Caller, Weekly Standard and The Hill

John Fund / National Review:

Taking Back the GOP Debates — The summer meetings of national political parties are usually quiet affairs, but this week's Republican National Committee meeting in Boston is full of controversy about who should moderate and run the 2016 GOP presidential-primary debates.

Discussion: Washington Times

James Hohmann / Politico:
With Clinton vote, RNC pushes back on debates

Discussion: TheBlaze.com

Blake Neff / The Hill:
Christie tells RNC: ‘My job is to win’ not debate

Discussion: CNN and Politico

Politico:

Eve of Destruction — It is almost impossible to find an establishment Republican in town who's not downright morose about the 2013 that has been and is about to be. Most dance around it in public, but they see this year as a disaster in the making, even if most elected Republicans don't know it or admit it.

Discussion: The Plum Line

Brett LoGiurato / Business Insider:

GOP CHIEF: Mitt Romney's ‘Self-Deportation’ Quote Was ‘Racist’ And ‘Horrific’ — BOSTON — In condemning Rep. Steve King's incendiary comments on immigration, RNC chairman Reince Priebus swept in his party's presidential nominee, saying that talk of “self-deportation” was “horrific” and even “racist.”

Discussion: ThinkProgress, msnbc.com and The Raw Story

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

Edward Snowden To HuffPost: Media Being Misled — NEW YORK — National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden wants to set the record straight after individuals associated with his father have, in his words, “misled” journalists into “printing false claims about my situation.”

Discussion: RIA Novosti, CNN, Smartypants, The Hill and Techdirt, more at Mediagazer »

Lukas I. Alpert / Wall Street Journal:

Edward Snowden Talks With His Father — But Lawyers for Both Sides Disapproved of the Internet Chat — MOSCOW—Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden and his father spoke for the first time since late May early Thursday, going against the wishes of their lawyers …

Discussion: Business Insider, Poynter, Little Green Footballs and RIA Novosti

Mark Hosenball / Reuters:
Snowden downloaded NSA secrets while working for Dell, sources say

Discussion: Hot Air and The Hill, more at Mediagazer »

Judy Quest / CNN:

A real clown wouldn't mock Obama — Editor's note: Judy Quest is a board member and past president of Clowns of America International, an organization of clowns that promotes the craft. She has been a clown for 32 years and has trained hundreds of clowns. She writes regularly for clown journals.

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, Outside the Beltway and BuzzFeed

Politicker:

Anthony Weiner's Relationship With Former Staffer Raises Questions — Anthon Weiner. (Photo: Getty) — Before he married his wife, former Congressman Anthony Weiner had a previously undisclosed relationship with an on-again-off-again congressional and campaign aide nearly two decades his junior.

Discussion: The Daily Banter

Juliet Eilperin / Post Politics:

White House solar panels being installed this week — After nearly three years, the White House began installing solar panels on the First Family's residence this week, a White House official confirmed Thursday. — The Obama administration had pledged in October 2010 to put solar panels …

Discussion: PlanetSave, John Hanger's Facts of The Day, Mercury News, Politico, The Verge, ThinkProgress and The PJ Tatler

Ben Geman / E2-Wire:
Solar panels return to White House

Discussion: The Atlantic Wire, The Daily Caller and Booman Tribune

New York Times:

No Banker Left Behind — The Detroit bankruptcy case has been cast as a contest between bondholders and pensioners that can be resolved only by shared sacrifice. — In principle, we have no problem with that, though in practice, the pensioners' fair share will have to take into account …

Discussion: Daily Kos and Prairie Weather

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Moment of Truthiness — We all know how democracy is supposed to work. Politicians are supposed to campaign on the issues, and an informed public is supposed to cast its votes based on those issues, with some allowance for the politicians' perceived character and competence.

Michael Howard Saul / Wall Street Journal:

Poll Shows De Blasio, Quinn Tied — Thompson is close behind in front runners, while Weiner falls to back of the pack — New York City mayoral candidates Christine Quinn and Bill de Blasio are running neck-and-neck in the race for the Democratic nomination, with each drawing support …

Discussion: Daily Kos, Taylor Marsh, Business Insider, New York Times and CNN

Matt Wilstein / Mediaite:

Michael Savage Predicts He Will Replace Hannity at Cumulus, Limbaugh Likely to Stay — Conservative radio host Michael Savage teased a “major announcement” on his website earlier today, and tonight, he delivered. Savage predicted that he will be replacing Sean Hannity's time slot on Cumulus Media's network of stations.

Discussion: Politico, The Huffington Post and Pat Dollard

Jonathan Pollard / Jerusalem Post:

Restoring Israel to greatness — Speaking up for the first time in 28 years, Pollard reserves some tough words for Israel; says that a country with no respect for the dead has no respect for the living. — When tragedy strikes anywhere in the world, the State of Israel is always among …

Discussion: Israel Matzav

Talking Points Memo:

Bryan Fischer: Obama Was Photoshopped Into Bin Laden Situation Room Photo (VIDEO) — Conservatives seeking to unveil the transgressions of President Barack Obama's presidency seized upon another target Thursday: the iconic photograph capturing a tense moment in the White House Situation Room …

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs, The Huffington Post and The Gateway Pundit

Sam Baker / The Hill:

Officials add millions of dollars to ObamaCare enrollment drive — The Obama administration added millions of dollars to ObamaCare's enrollment push Thursday, a surprise move designed to help bolster participation in new insurance plans. — The Health and Human Services Department (HHS) …