memeorandum: Snowden leaks help NSA critics in government surveillance lawsuits (Brendan Sasso/The Hill)

11:00 AM ET, September 22, 2013

Top Items:

Conflicting reports emerge about exact role Israelis are playing; Kenya attack death toll rises to 59, as standoff with Qaida-linked group continues. — Israeli advisers are helping Kenya formulate a strategy to end a siege at a Nairobi shopping mall where Islamist militants have killed …

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The PJ Tatler, Weasel Zippers and Jihad Watch

CNN:

Kenya mall attack: About 30 hostages still inside, sources say — A rescue worker helps a child outside the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, September 21. Gunmen burst into the mall and opened fire in a deadly attack. According to a senior Kenyan government source …

Discussion: Canadian Press, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and BBC

New York Times:

Gunmen Kill Dozens in Terror Attack at Kenyan Mall — NAIROBI, Kenya — Masked gunmen stormed into a fancy, crowded mall in Nairobi on Saturday and shot dead at least 39 people and wounded more than 150 in one of the most chilling terrorist attacks in East Africa since Al Qaeda blew up two American embassies in 1998.

Discussion: US Department of State, NPR, NBCNews, The Moderate Voice, The Hill and Gawker

Ellie Buchdahl / Daily Mail:
‘All Muslims leave... we only want to kill non-Muslims’: Gunmen massacre at least 22 …

Discussion: The Hinterland Gazette, neo-neocon, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit, The PJ Tatler, Vox Popoli and CNN

Jason Straziuso / Associated Press: KENYA RED CROSS: 22 DEAD IN UPSCALE MALL ATTACK

Jason Straziuso / Associated Press:
Gunmen Open Fire at Nairobi's Most Upscale Mall

Discussion: Jihad Watch, Associated Press, BBC and NBCNews

Katie Glueck / Politico:

Cruz: A vote for cloture is a vote for Obamacare — Sen. Ted Cruz on Sunday reiterated his commitment to blocking a procedural Senate vote on a House-approved spending bill, saying that Senate Democrats would have too much leeway to add in funding for Obamacare.

Discussion: The Week, more at Mediagazer »

Sarah Palin / BREITBART.COM:

EXCLUSIVE: PALIN — BOMBS AWAY ON OBAMACARE; CRUZ IS OVER THE TARGET — Americans who are fed up with Obamacare won a victory yesterday. The House voted to defund Obamacare while still funding the federal government to avoid a “devastating” shutdown. (I shall not digress …

Discussion: The Hill, Twitchy and Conservatives4Palin

Adam Sneed / Politico:

Rand Paul: GOP 'probably can't defeat' Obamacare — Sen. Rand Paul conceded Saturday that congressional Republicans have little chance of stopping Obamacare. — “We probably can't defeat or get rid of Obamacare,” the Kentucky senator told reporters at a gathering of Michigan Republicans, according to the Associated Press.

Discussion: p m carpenter's commentary and CNN

Ashley Killough / CNN:

Pelosi ‘optimistic’ about fixing some labor worries in Obamacare — Washington (CNN) - House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi acknowledged deep concerns by major unions about Obamacare in an interview that aired Sunday, but vowed to work on a plan to quell those worries.

Discussion: Politico and Crooks and Liars

Joe Picard / The Hill:
Obama calls Boehner, says he won't negotiate on debt ceiling

Discussion: Politico, Weasel Zippers and The Impolitic

Mark Knoller / CBS News:
Republicans “trying to mess with me” on budget, Obama says

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Liberal Values, Politico and Right Wing News

Ben White / Politico:

For Janet Yellen, nomination may be easy part — President Barack Obama will likely nominate Janet Yellen soon as the next chairman of the Federal Reserve. Yellen, the current vice chairman of the central bank, should enjoy uniform Democratic support and will almost certainly pick …

BBC:

Pakistan church blast kills dozens — A bomb blast outside a church in the Pakistani city of Peshawar has killed at least 60 people and injured more than 100 others, officials say. — They say two suicide bombers blew themselves up as people were coming out after Sunday Mass.

Discussion: Jihad Watch

Kevin Bogardus / The Hill:

Obama: Negotiating with Republicans over debt ceiling ‘is not going to happen’ — President Obama gave a rousing speech at the annual Congressional Black Caucus dinner on Saturday, pledging not to negotiate with Republicans over raising the debt ceiling. — Obama said Republicans in Congress …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and CNN

Heather Ginsberg / Townhall.com:

Connecticut School Takes Children on Field Trip to Reenact Slavery and Called Them the N-Word — It was revealed this week that a school from Connecticut took their students on a field trip last November where the students reenacted slavery and had their teachers call them the N-word.

Discussion: Sister Toldjah and The Gateway Pundit

Brendan Sasso / The Hill:

Snowden leaks help NSA critics in government surveillance lawsuits — For years, the government has successfully suppressed lawsuits by civil liberties groups challenging the constitutionality of its surveillance programs. — But the leaks by Edward Snowden have eroded the government's key legal defense …