memeorandum: Chris Christie To Sign Gay Conversion Therapy Ban (Angela Delli Santi/Associated Press)

1:00 PM ET, August 19, 2013

Top Items:

Canada-born Ted Cruz became a citizen of that country as well as U.S. — Sen. Ted Cruz's birth certificate shows he was born in Canada in 1970. It was released exclusively to The Dallas Morning News.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Politico, Mediaite, CNN, The Daily Banter, Red Alert Politics, The Hinterland Gazette, Outside the Beltway, The Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air and Independent Journal Review

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:

Ted Cruz Releases Birth Certificate — In an effort to repudiate suggestions that he is ineligible to be president of the United States, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) released his birth certificate Sunday to The Dallas Morning News. — The birth certificate confirmed that the Texas Republican was born Dec. 22, 1970 in Calgary, Alberta.

Discussion: Daily Kos

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Ted Cruz releases birth certificate

Discussion: Wonkette

Sean Sullivan / Post Politics:
Ted Cruz releases birth certificate

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …

Avik Roy / Forbes:

Unpublished CRS Memo: Obama Administration Has Missed Half Of Obamacare's Legally Imposed Implementation Deadlines — In recent months, President Obama and his subordinates have waived or delayed a number of Obamacare's notable features, such as the law's employer mandate …

Discussion: Hot Air, Hit & Run, Independent Journal Review, National Republican …, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite and Washington Free Beacon

Chicago Tribune:

How President Obama is flouting Obamacare — More reasons to delay and rewrite this ill-conceived law … Democrats strong-armed Obamacare into law three years ago. Now they're busy flouting it. — The mandate that employers provide insurance next year or pay a penalty, as the law requires?

Discussion: The PJ Tatler and Jammie Wearing Fools

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

One Reform, Indivisible — Recent political reporting suggests that Republican leaders are in a state of high anxiety, trapped between an angry base that still views Obamacare as the moral equivalent of slavery and the reality that health reform is the law of the land and is going to happen.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Washington Monthly and Salon

Wall Street Journal:

Confident Biden Team Sows Seeds for 2016 — Backers Consider Steps for White House—Even If Hillary Clinton Enters Race — Political allies of Vice President Joe Biden have concluded that he can win the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination—even if Hillary Clinton enters the contest …

Discussion: NBC Politics, The Moderate Voice, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Hill, Right Turn, Washington Wire, Weasel Zippers, The Huffington Post, The Daily Caller, Booman Tribune, First Read and msnbc.com

Wall Street Journal:
She makes a polarizing pitch that ignores trends in voter turnout.

Discussion: Betsy's Page

Byron York / Washington Examiner: If Hillary is a lock, what's a Democrat to do? Campaign for veep

Katie Glueck / Politico:

Abbott thanks ‘retard Barbie’ tweet writer — Texas gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott on Sunday drew a rebuke from a Democratic Governors Association representative after appearing to thank a supporter who called Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis “retard Barbie.”

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Brains and Eggs and Post Politics

Christy Hoppe / Trail Blazers Blog:
Greg Abbott causes on-line stir by thanking name-calling tweeter

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, The PJ Tatler, PoliticusUSA and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:
Texas AG Backtracks Thanks For Supporter Who Called Wendy Davis ‘Retard Barbie’

Discussion: Shakesville

Angela Delli Santi / Associated Press:

Chris Christie To Sign Gay Conversion Therapy Ban — TRENTON, N.J. — Gov. Chris Christie plans to sign a bill Monday barring licensed therapists from trying to turn gay teenagers straight, making New Jersey the second state to ban so-called conversion therapy, along with California.

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Post Politics, CNN and Washington Blade

Paul Steinhauser / CNN:
Christie to give former rival in-person endorsement

Discussion: Ballot Box and New Jersey Online

John Fund / National Review:

Time for Answers from the NSA — It's time to ask tough questions about the National Security Agency's surveillance activities — even for conservatives who have given the NSA the benefit of every doubt up until now. — The Washington Post opened a can of worms last Friday when it reported that …

Discussion: Hot Air and Right Turn

USA Today:
Revelations hint at NSA ducking oversight: Our view

Discussion: The New Republic, American Prospect and Yahoo! News

Ken Auletta / New Yorker:

What kind of city is the Mayor leaving to his successor? — Michael Bloomberg, whose third and final term as mayor of New York expires at midnight on December 31st, keeps a digital clock running in reverse in his City Hall office, counting down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds left in his term.

Discussion: Politico, New York Times, Taegan Goddard's … and Politicker

Joe Coscarelli / New York Magazine: Bloomberg Admits He Might Reconsider Stop-and-Frisk If He Had a (Black) Son

Benjamin Bell / ABC News:

Bill Kristol: Sarah Palin Could Possibly ‘Rehabilitate’ Herself With 2014 Senate Win — During an exclusive to web interview with “This Week,” Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol said Sarah Palin — after having hastily stepped down as Alaska's governor in 2009 - might be able to rehabilitate …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Daily Kos and The Daily Caller

Hadas Gold / Politico:
Bill Kristol: Sarah Palin can fix political career with 2014 run

Discussion: The Right Scoop

Gideon Resnick / Politicker:

Susan Sarandon on the Mayor's Race: 'You Can't Just Vote Your Vagina' — Cynthia Nixon, Susan Sarandon and the entire de Blasio clan. — At first, actress Susan Sarandon expected to back Council Speaker Christine Quinn in her bid to become the city's first female mayor.

Discussion: Reuters, Taylor Marsh and Taegan Goddard's …

Paul Waldman / American Prospect:

Seven Reasons You Will Click on This Article about 2016 — When you see an article about the 2016 presidential race, your first reaction is probably, “Oh c'mon. It's three years away! Do we have to start talking about this already?” The first votes in Iowa and New Hampshire won't be cast …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Yahoo! News, New York Times and First Read

Andrew Sullivan / The Dish:

Cameron Proves Greenwald Right — Readers know I have been grappling for a while with the vexing question of the balance between the surveillance state and the threat of Jihadist terrorism. When the NSA leaks burst onto the scene, I was skeptical of many of the large claims made by civil libertarians …

Molly Ball / Associated Press:

America's Libertarian Moment — A longtime libertarian policy wonk talks about whether the philosophy can save the GOP — and why he still doesn't think Rand Paul can win the presidency. — Libertarianism is on the march. From the rapid rise to prominence of first-term Senator Rand Paul …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Prairie Weather and Althouse

New York Times:

Egyptian Court Is Said to Order That Mubarak Be Released — CAIRO — A court in Egypt has ordered that former President Hosni Mubarak, who has been detained on a variety of charges since his ouster in 2011, should be set free, according to state media and security officials on Monday …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Wall Street Journal, The Week, Washington Post, Hot Air, Associated Press, Gawker, Daniel W. Drezner and Business Insider

Julian Pecquet / The Hill:
Egyptian court orders that deposed president be released from prison

Discussion: Pat Dollard

Tina Brown / The Daily Beast:

No, Conspiracy Theorists, Princess Diana Was Not Murdered — The Diana conspiracy theorists have struck again, and this time Scotland Yard is investigating. Despite mountains of evidence to prove her death was an accident, Tina Brown says some fantasists just can't let it go. — Here we go again.

Michael Alison Chandler / Washington Post:

Head Start eliminated services to 57,000 children in U.S. as a result of sequester — Head Start programs across the country eliminated services for 57,000 children in the coming school year to balance budgets diminished by the federal sequester, cutting 1.3 million days from Head Start center calendars …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Daily Kos