memeorandum: If House Republicans can't hold together, they have no leverage at all. (Wall Street Journal)

11:20 AM ET, September 17, 2013

Top Items:

Navy Yard massacre should move Americans to more than sorrow — FOR ALL the unknowns about Monday's mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard, there was a nauseating familiarity to the unfolding events: the witness accounts of chaos and fear; the plea from officials for the public's help …

Discussion: Daily Mail, Washington Monthly, The Moderate Voice, Daily Kos, Spectator, Yahoo! News, WJLA-TV, American Power, Hot Air, Gawker and Clayton Cramer's Blog

Jonah Spangenthal-Lee / SPD Blotter:

Suspect In Navy Yard Attack Previously Arrested In Seattle For “Anger-Fueled” Shooting — Aaron Alexis, the man identified by Washington D.C. police as a suspect in this morning's tragic attack on a US Navy Yard, was previously arrested by Seattle police in 2004 for shooting out the tires …

Investigations:

Alleged Washington shooter served as Navy reservist, may have recently lost job — The man accused of killing 12 people in a gun rampage at the Washington Navy Yard was described by mystified friends and family as a Buddhist and Thai speaker who, in the words of one friend, “could not be the shooter.”

Discussion: NBCNews, Slate, First Read, The Hinterland Gazette, CANNONFIRE, WJLA-TV, Politico, msnbc.com, Business Insider and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

After shooting, talk turns to gun control — President Barack Obama on Monday stepped onto a podium and lamented the deaths of a senseless mass shooting — just as he did after Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn. — This time, his remarks came as office workers scrambled for cover …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Free Beacon, Right Wing News, Associated Press, ABC News and The Raw Story

Lucy McCalmont / Politico:

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray: Cuts ‘put people at risk’ — As questions grow about the access the gunman in Monday's shooting had to Washington Navy Yard, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray said Tuesday that sequestration cut costs of projects, then “we put people at risk,” when asked whether it was about policy or money.

Discussion: The Hinterland Gazette

Associated Press:

Washington Navy Yard shooting: Aaron Alexis was treated for “serious mental illness” — WASHINGTON (AP/WJLA) - The deadly attack at the Washington Navy Yard was carried out by one of the military's own: a defense contract employee and former Navy reservist who used a valid pass to get onto …

Discussion: Associated Press and National Review

Deanna Boyd / Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
Fort Worth man, 34, accused of shootings in Navy Yard

Discussion: KUT News, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, BuzzFeed, Talking Points Memo, Gawker, New York Times, The Hill, NPR, Jammie Wearing Fools, Guardian, Connecting.the.Dots and WND

Abby D. Phillip / ABC News:
D.C. Gun Laws Some of the Strictest in the U.S.

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, ABC News, Jammie Wearing Fools and National Review

Matt Higgins / CBS DC:
Carney: Obama Implementing Executive Actions Following Navy Yard Shooting

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Jammie Wearing Fools

Zack Beauchamp / ThinkProgress:
One Conservative's Provocative Rules For Covering Mass Shootings

Discussion: American Prospect, National Review, RedState, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Balloon Juice and Hullabaloo

Eugene Robinson / Washington Post:
Navy Yard shooting hits home

Discussion: Hot Air, Post Politics, No More Mister Nice Blog and WorldViews

Agoldberg / The Smoking Gun:
Aaron Alexis, Suspect In Washington Navy Yard Shooting, Was Once Arrested For Shooting Bullet Into Neighbor's Home

Discussion: Mediaite, BillMoyers.com, Weasel Zippers, Twitchy, The Gateway Pundit and ThinkProgress

Theresa Vargas / Washington Post:
Aaron Alexis, 34, is dead gunman in Navy Yard shooting, authorities say

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, New York Times, Post Politics, Macleans.ca, USA Today, Taylor Marsh, WJLA-TV, Weasel Zippers, Business Insider and American Power

Daily Mail:
REVEALED: Gunman, 34, who murdered TWELVE in Washington Navy Yard rampage claimed he had 'anger issues …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, NBCNews, First Read, U.S. News and American Power

USA Today:
Shooting rampage at Navy Yard in D.C. leaves 13 dead

Discussion: Politico, Gawker, Mediaite, The Week and Business Insider

Wall Street Journal:

If House Republicans can't hold together, they have no leverage at all. — Perhaps the only war strategizing more inept than President Obama's on Syria are GOP plans for the budget hostilities this autumn. Republicans are fracturing over tactics, and even over the nature of political reality …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, New York Magazine, Talking Points Memo, Taegan Goddard's …, The Hill, Politico, PoliticusUSA, New York Times and msnbc.com

Robert Costa / National Review:

The Movement Strikes Back — As the deadline to fund the federal government nears, Republican leaders are struggling mightily to come up with legislation that can pass the House. Over the weekend, leadership staffers fired off anxious e-mails and uneasy veteran House members exchanged calls.

Discussion: The Plum Line

James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:

About That Other Debacle — For ObamaCare, it's only the end of the beginning. — If you're the kind of driver who can't help but gawk at the wreckage when you pass an accident—and honestly, who isn't?—you'll enjoy today's lengthy account in The Wall Street Journal of the runup to last week's Putin-Assad triumph.

Discussion: Power Line, Weekly Standard, The White House, Weasel Zippers, The Dish and NewsBusters

Daniel Strauss / Talking Points Memo:
Powerful Senate Conservatives Fund Expands To Focus On House Races

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and National Review

Noam Scheiber / The New Republic:
This Time There Really Will Be a Government Shutdown

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, The Week, Hot Air, The Plum Line, The Reaction, Wonkblog and Washington Monthly

Erik Wasson / The Hill:
House GOP moves forward with $40 billion cut to food stamps

Discussion: Politico and Hot Air

New York Times:

Push for Yellen to Lead at Fed Gathers Steam — WASHINGTON — Janet L. Yellen told friends in recent weeks that she did not expect to be nominated as the next chairman of the Federal Reserve. Although she had been the Fed's vice chairman since 2010 and would make history as the first woman to hold the job …

Discussion: AEIdeas, Booman Tribune and Calculated Risk

Ruth Marcus / Washington Post:
Obama's style on Syria needs refashioning

Discussion: NationalJournal.com, BillMoyers.com, Hot Air, Rational Irrationality and Jezebel

Justin Sink / The Hill: Obama blasts GOP ‘irresponsibility’ on budget, debt ceiling

Reuters:
Obama says he will not negotiate with Congress on debt ceiling

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The Impolitic

Associated Press:

Costa Concordia pulled completely upright off Italy — Uprighted Costa Concordia is seen in waters just off Italy on Sept. 17, 2013 / CBS — The crippled Costa Concordia cruise ship was pulled completely upright early Tuesday after a complicated, 19-hour operation to wrench it from its side …

Discussion: The Week and Gawker

Joel Gehrke / Washington Examiner:

Obama waives ban on arming terrorists to allow aid to Syrian opposition — BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL BARACK OBAMA SYRIA TERRORISM ISLAMIC JIHAD AL QAEDA BOB CORKER BASHAR ASSAD — President Obama waived a provision of federal law designed to prevent the supply of arms to terrorist groups …

Discussion: National Review, Doug Ross, Right Wing News, Weasel Zippers, Vox Popoli and Jihad Watch

Rick Pearson / Chicago Tribune:

Exclusive: Bill Daley drops bid for Illinois governor — In this raw Sept. 16, 2013 interview, Bill Daley explains to Chicago Tribune reporter Rick Pearson why he is dropping out of the Illniois governor's race. (WGN-TV) — Bill Daley abruptly ended his bid for the Democratic nomination …

Discussion: Washington Wire, First Read, Wall Street Journal, Hot Air, New York Times, Politico, msnbc.com, CNN, Post Politics, Ballot Box and Taegan Goddard's …

Tal Kopan / Politico:

Alan Simpson: 'Don't use our names' — The bipartisan co-chairmen of the president's fiscal commission, former Sen. Alan Simpson and former White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles, said Tuesday they stand ready to help Congress figure out the nation's budget — but they don't have to attach their names to it.

Charlie Cook / NationalJournal.com:

Get Ready for the Status Quo — For months now, my theory has been that there were two competing narratives about what the political environment would be like for next year's midterm elections and, for that matter, going into the 2016 presidential election.

Discussion: Yahoo! News and First Read