memeorandum: Snowden impersonated NSA officials, sources say (Investigations/NBCNews)

8:10 PM ET, August 29, 2013

Top Items:

Obama Willing to Pursue Solo Syria Strikes, Aides Say — WASHINGTON — President Obama is prepared to move ahead with a limited military strike on Syria, administration officials said on Thursday, even with a rejection of such action by Britain's Parliament, an increasingly restive Congress …

Discussion: The Hill, Guardian, Business Insider, Hullabaloo, The Daily Caller, Weasel Zippers, Associated Press, National Review, NPR and Telegraph

Jim VandeHei / Politico:

The ironic war plan — Imagine Dick Cheney in a “Saturday Night Live” skit fantasizing about Barack Obama handling the pressures of going to war. — Cheney's sitting there, yucking it up with Rummy and the boys, eating yellow cake. He laughs off his own reckless rush to an unwinnable war fought on flawed grounds.

Discussion: CNN, Washington Monthly, Reuters, Hullabaloo and AEIdeas

Associated Press:

AP SOURCES: INTELLIGENCE ON WEAPONS NO ‘SLAM DUNK’ — You are here — Home » United States government » AP sources: Intelligence on weapons no ‘slam dunk’ — WASHINGTON (AP) — The intelligence linking Syrian President Bashar Assad or his inner circle to an alleged chemical weapons attack …

Discussion: BBC, Wall Street Journal, NBCNews, CNN, Guardian, Associated Press, Reuters, New York Times, CANNONFIRE, Hit & Run, Outside the Beltway, Hullabaloo, NO QUARTER USA NET, The Week, Yahoo! News, Connecting.the.Dots and Hot Air

BBC:

David Cameron loses Commons vote on Syria action — British MPs have voted to reject possible military action against the Assad regime in Syria to deter the use of chemical weapons. — A government motion was defeated by 285 to 272, a majority of 13 votes.

Discussion: Guardian, Daily Kos, The Volokh Conspiracy and The Daily Caller

Associated Press:

UK Prime Minister Cameron loses Syria war vote — LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister David Cameron lost a vote endorsing military action against Syria by 13 votes Thursday, a stunning defeat for a government which had been poised to join the U.S. in strikes to punish Bashar Assad's regime …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, The DiploMad 2.0, Ed Driscoll and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

CNN:

British leader loses vote on Syria response — (CNN) — [Breaking news alert, 5:52 p.m. ET] — British Prime Minister David Cameron was dealt a blow Thursday in his push for a strong response, including possible military action, against Syria after the House of Commons voted down the measure.

Discussion: CBS News, AL.com, KDVR.com, NPR, Balloon Juice, ABC News and Online NewsHour

Mike Lillis / The Hill:
Liberals join conservatives in demanding Obama get Congress OK for Syria action

Discussion: Politico, more at Mediagazer »

Reid J. Epstein / Associated Press:
U.K. leader loses key Syria vote

Discussion: Politico, Reuters, Business Insider, Weasel Zippers and Guardian

Washington Post:

U.S. spy network's successes, failures and objectives detailed in ‘black budget’ summary — U.S. spy agencies have built an intelligence-gathering colossus since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but remain unable to provide critical information to the president on a range of national security threats …

Washington Post:
To hunt Osama bin Laden, satellites watched over Abbottabad, Pakistan, and Navy SEALs

Discussion: New York Times, The Switch, msnbc.com and The Daily Caller

Telegraph:

Kim Jong-un's ex-lover ‘executed by firing squad’ — Kim Jong-un's ex-girlfriend was among a dozen well-known North Korean performers who were executed by firing squad nine days go, according to South Korean reports. — Hyon Song-wol, a singer and rumoured to be a former lover of the North Korean leader …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Via Meadia, The Daily Caller, The Other McCain and Boing Boing

Digital Chosunilbo:

Kim Jong-un's Ex-Girlfriend ‘Shot by Firing Squad’ — Kim Jong-un's ex-girlfriend was among a dozen well-known North Korean performers who were executed by firing squad on Aug. 20, reports said Wednesday. — Sources in China said singer Hyon Song-wol as well as Mun Kyong-jin …

Discussion: FP Passport, NBCNews, Gawker, Business Insider and AL.com

Joe Kemp / NY Daily News:
Ex-girlfriend of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un executed by firing squad: report

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Fox News:
Kim Jong-un's ex-girlfriend reportedly executed by firing squad

Discussion: The Truth About Guns and The Daily Banter

The United States Department of Justice:

Justice Department Announces Update to Marijuana Enforcement Policy — Today, the U.S. Department of Justice announced an update to its federal marijuana enforcement policy in light of recent state ballot initiatives that legalize, under state law, the possession of small amounts of marijuana …

Discussion: Hit & Run, ThinkProgress, The Volokh Conspiracy, BBC, msnbc.com, VICE, The Verge, Firedoglake and TalkLeft

Evan Perez / CNN:
No federal challenge to pot legalization in 2 states

Discussion: The Reality-Based Community and AL.com

Blake Neff / The Hill:
Justice Department eases rules on marijuana enforcement

Discussion: Politico and The Democratic Daily

Ryan J. Reilly / The Huffington Post:
Eric Holder Says DOJ Will Let Washington, Colorado Marijuana Laws Go Into Effect

Discussion: Hit & Run, Wonkblog and Red Alert Politics

Ashley Southall / New York Times: U.S. Says It Won't Sue to Undo State Marijuana Laws

Allison Benedikt / Slate:

If You Send Your Kid to Private School, You Are a Bad Person — A manifesto. — You are a bad person if you send your children to private school. Not bad like murderer bad—but bad like ruining-one-of-our-nation's-most- essential-institutions-in-order-to-get- what's-best-for-your-kid bad.

Discussion: Ace of Spades HQ, National Review, Hot Air, The PJ Tatler, Weasel Zippers, The Daily Banter, FITSNews, TheBlaze.com, Business Insider, NewsBusters, The Other McCain, JustOneMinute, BizzyBlog and Overlawyered

James Pethokoukis / AEIdeas:
Please, sending your kids to private school doesn't make you a bad person

Discussion: protein wisdom and National Review

U.S. Department of the Treasury:

All Legal Same-Sex Marriages Will Be Recognized for Federal Tax Purposes — Ruling Provides Certainty, Benefits and Protections Under Federal Tax Law for Same-Sex Married Couples — WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) …

Discussion: Towleroad News #gay, Firedoglake, Arizona Republic, Advocate, Wonkblog, AL.com, The Volokh Conspiracy, msnbc.com, Daily Kos, National Review, Althouse and NPR

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Same-Sex Married Couples To Get Federal Tax Recognition Regardless Of State

Discussion: Towleroad News #gay, LGBTQ Nation and Joe. My. God.

Annie Lowrey / New York Times:
I.R.S. to Recognize All Gay Marriages, Regardless of State

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Mediaite

HHS.gov:
HHS announces first guidance implementing Supreme Court's decision on the Defense of Marriage Act

Discussion: The Heritage Foundation, LGBTQ Nation, ThinkProgress and Weekly Standard

Josh Lederman / Associated Press:

OBAMA OFFERS NEW GUN CONTROL STEPS — You are here — Home » United States government » Obama offers new gun control steps — WASHINGTON (AP) — Striving to take action where Congress would not, the Obama administration announced new steps Thursday on gun control …

Discussion: Associated Press, Weekly Standard, BuzzFeed, Daily Kos, msnbc.com, Global Grind, The Truth About Guns, The Week, The Raw Story, BizzyBlog and UrbanGrounds

Evan McMorris-Santoro / BuzzFeed:
NRA Slams New Obama Executive Orders On Guns

Discussion: PoliticusUSA

Clara Ritger / NationalJournal.com:

Obama's Affordable Care Act Looking a Bit Unaffordable — Independent National Journal analysis finds premiums higher under Obamacare as employers weigh dropping coverage. — Republicans have long blamed President Obama's signature health care initiative for increasing insurance costs, dubbing it the “Unaffordable Care Act.”

Discussion: Yahoo! News, JustOneMinute, Washington Post, The Plum Line, Speaker.gov, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, The PJ Tatler, Washington Free Beacon, Taegan Goddard's …, Power Line, First Read and kff.org

Dylan Scott / Talking Points Memo:
This Is What Obamacare Outreach Looks Like (VIDEOS)

Discussion: The Fix, American Prospect, PERRspectives, A plain blog about politics and ThinkProgress

Elise Viebeck / The Hill:
No widespread premium increases coming under ObamaCare, study says

Discussion: Washington Monthly and NPR

Eliana Johnson / National Review:

Cory Booker's Imaginary Friend — Go back and listen to Cory Booker's stump speeches over the years, and, as in those of any politician, you'll hear many of the same stories. But Booker's are more dramatic and heart-rending than most. They draw heavily on his experiences in Newark, N.J. …

Discussion: Twitchy, The PJ Tatler, TheBlaze.com, Gawker, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, Real Clear Politics, Ed Driscoll, The Daily Caller, Taegan Goddard's … and Post Politics

Brian Tashman / Right Wing Watch:

Stan Solomon: Trayvon Martin Deserved To Die And So Does ‘That Faggot’ Dan Savage — Conservative talk show host Stan Solomon is obsessed with the idea that President Obama is fomenting a race war in order to murder white, Christian heterosexuals, so when we noticed he was hosting a special …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Towleroad News #gay, The Raw Story and The Huffington Post

Emma Dumain / The World's Greatest Deliberative Body:

Tim Scott Declined Invite to Attend MLK March as Spectator — The Senate's only black lawmaker wasn't invited to speak at Wednesday's 50th anniversary March on Washington, because Tim Scott's office declined an invitation to attend the ceremony as a spectator, according to a source connected to the event.