memeorandum: GOP senators want to reverse healthcare rule for congressional staff (Rebecca Shabad/The Hill)

3:55 PM ET, August 27, 2013

Top Items:

Experts to Obama: Here Is What to Do in Syria — A big group of foreign policy experts, from across the ideological spectrum, is calling on President Obama to impose “meaningful consequences on the Assad regime” for their use of chemical weapons. — “At a minimum, the United States …

Discussion: American Prospect, Politico, Wall Street Journal, Hit & Run, Booman Tribune and The Daily Caller

Washington Post:

After Syria chemical allegations, Obama considering limited military strike — President Obama is weighing a military strike against Syria that would be of limited scope and duration, designed to serve as punishment for Syria's use of chemical weapons and as a deterrent …

New York Times:

Responding to Syrian Atrocities — There is little doubt now that President Obama is planning some kind of military response to what the administration says without equivocation was a chemical weapons attack by the Syrian government that killed hundreds of civilians.

Discussion: BillMoyers.com, Hit & Run, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Right Wing News, CANNONFIRE, The Week, National Review, JustOneMinute and msnbc.com

BBC:

Strike against Syria ‘catastrophic’ — Russia and China have stepped up their warnings against military intervention in Syria, with Moscow saying any such action would have “catastrophic consequences” for the region. — The US and its allies are considering launching strikes on Syria in response to deadly attacks last week.

Discussion: WorldViews, The Agonist, VodkaPundit and Hot Air

Matthew Yglesias / Slate:

Military Strikes Are an Extremely Expensive Way to Help Foreigners — A few months back, I ran into one of the founders of GiveWell, the charity evaluation website, and he thanked me for having talked up GiveDirectly the charity based around helping to fight global poverty by directly transferring money to poor people.

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Justin Sink / The Hill:

White House: We're not seeking ‘regime change’ as goal in Syria — The White House said Tuesday that President Obama is not seeking “regime change” in Syria from any military strikes launched in response to President Bashar Assad's alleged use of chemical weapons.

Discussion: Politico and Outside the Beltway

NBCNews:
Military strikes on Syria ‘as early as Thursday,’ US officials say

Scott Lemieux / Lawyers, Guns & Money:
“Experts” Who Are Always Wrong About Everything Want to Bomb Syria

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

TIME:
Obama Seeks a ‘Coalition of the Willing’ on Syria

Discussion: The Heritage Foundation, Shot in the Dark and The Dish

CBS News:
Obama orders release of report justifying Syria strike

Discussion: CNN, Firedoglake, CBS DC, The Hill, Towleroad News #gay, Business Insider, Gawker and New York Times

New York Times:
Pentagon Sees Syrian Military, Not Chemical Sites, as Target

Discussion: The Shadow League and National Review

BBC:
US ready to launch Syria strike, says Chuck Hagel

Discussion: Guardian, Daily Kos, NBCNews, The Daily Banter and Politico

Glenn Thrush / Politico:

Obama, race and class — Martin Luther King and Barack Obama, the two most important black leaders in American history, operated in vastly different eras and political arenas — under a strikingly similar set of ground rules. — King and Obama — born 32 years apart …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, NewsBusters, National Review and The Hill

Rene Stutzman / Orlando Sentinel:

O'Mara: George Zimmerman will ask state to cover $200K-$300K of his legal bills — Because he was acquitted, state law allows him to recoup thousands. — George Zimmerman, the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who killed Trayvon Martin, plans to ask the state of Florida to cover $200,000 …

Discussion: Global Grind, PostPartisan, Scared Monkeys, NBCNews, msnbc.com, AL.com, PoliticusUSA, National Review, ABC News and The Shark Tank

Niall Stanage / The Hill:
Conservative blacks irritated with liberal flavor of march anniversary

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, BuzzFeed, BizPac Review, Jammie Wearing Fools and Instapundit

Mackenzie Weinger / Politico:

MSNBC's Karen Finney bails on Hugh Hewitt — MSNBC's Karen Finney on Monday hung up on conservative talker Hugh Hewitt after he repeatedly asked her during an interview on his radio show to say whether Alger Hiss was a communist. — Hewitt had Finney on his program to discuss her statement …

Discussion: Mediaite, National Review, Weasel Zippers and Hot Air

Hugh Hewitt / The Hugh Hewitt Show:
Interviewing Lefties: Karen Finney and Steven Salaita

Discussion: The Raw Story

Dan Popkey / Idaho Statesman:

Boehner visits Boise; vows to succeed with entitlement reform this fall — The House speaker predicts ‘a whale of a fight’ but he says the timing is right. — House Speaker John Boehner said Monday that getting the GOP-controlled House to agree to raising the U.S. debt ceiling will only come …

Discussion: Washington Wire, Business Insider, Goppers, PoliticusUSA and Daily Kos

Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:
The Debt Ceiling Is Suddenly Only 8 Weeks Away

Discussion: Yahoo! News, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Monthly, Outside the Beltway, Washington Wire, The Plum Line, Prairie Weather and Hot Air

CNBC:

Obama source predicts Summers will be named Fed chief soon — A source from Team Obama told CNBC that Larry Summers will likely be named chairman of the Federal Reserve in a few weeks though he is “still being vetted” so it might take a little longer. — It's largely come …

Discussion: Wonkblog, Calculated Risk, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Taegan Goddard's …, First Read and New York Times

Joshua Green / Businessweek:
The Lucky Break That Could Land Larry Summers at the Fed

Discussion: Bloomberg

Russ Buettner / New York Times:

Officer Is Indicted on Charges of Lying About Photographer's Arrest — A New York City police officer who had arrested a photographer working for The New York Times has been indicted on three felony counts and five misdemeanors accusing him of fabricating the reasons for the arrest, the Bronx district attorney announced on Monday.

Discussion: Business Insider, Hit & Run, PDNPulse, ANIMAL and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »

Alex Seitz-Wald / The Plum Line:

Updated: Congressman says he understands DREAMers' plight because he's from Arkansas — California Republican Rep. Gary Miller has earned a reputation as an immigration hardliner, but when confronted by a group of young immigrants Friday at a public event in Rancho Cucamonga (which had a $12 entry fee) …

Discussion: Daily Kos and The Raw Story

Sacramento Bee:

President Ford video testimony released on ‘Squeaky’ Fromme assassination attempt — On Sept. 5, 1975, at around 9:30 a.m., a young woman left her $100-a-month attic apartment at 1725 P St. and began the short stroll to the state Capitol. — Dressed in a flowing red robe and carrying …

Discussion: The Other McCain, BizPac Review, Taegan Goddard's …, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Outside the Beltway and ABC News

Rebecca Shabad / The Hill:

GOP senators want to reverse healthcare rule for congressional staff — Two Republican senators say they'll introduce legislation to reverse the Obama administration's rule change allowing the federal government to contribute to Capitol Hill employee health insurance premiums.

Discussion: Politico

Ralph Peters / New York Post:

Obama's third war — The folly of striking Syria — You might as well try to teach a snake to juggle as hope the Obama administration will think strategically. The “peace president” is about to embark on his third military adventure, this time in Syria, without having learned the lessons …

Perry Chiaramonte / Fox News:

Dem bill would trigger huge new taxes on guns, ammo — Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), seen here with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano during a press conference in Aug. 2011, has recently sponsored a bill that would quadruple the tax on ammunition if it is passed.

Discussion: protein wisdom and Hot Air

Jason Horowitz / Washington Post:

New Jersey's Cory Booker: A perfect senator for ‘This Town’? — UNION, N.J. — During Saturday's events for the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, Cory Booker dabbed his dome with a white handkerchief on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and bellowed, “We still have work to do.”

Discussion: Wonkblog, ABC News, First Read, msnbc.com, TheBlaze.com, Towleroad News #gay, Taegan Goddard's … and Booman Tribune

John Shiffman / Reuters:

Holder pressed on U.S. drug agency use of hidden data evidence — (Reuters) - Eight Democratic senators and congressmen have asked Attorney General Eric Holder to answer questions about a Reuters report that the National Security Agency supplies the Drug Enforcement Administration …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Questions and Observations and AL.com

Jonathan Martin / The Caucus:

Ickes Returns to Democratic Committee's Rules and Bylaws Panel — SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Democratic National Committee's summer meeting here late last week was starkly different from the gathering of its Republican counterparts earlier in the month. There were no surefire news-making speakers …

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …