memeorandum: The Iranian ‘moderate’ — The search, now 30 years old, for Iranian “moderates” goes on. (Charles Krauthammer/Washington Post)

11:45 AM ET, September 27, 2013

Top Items:

A Republican Ransom Note — On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew sent the House a very serious warning that, for the first time, the United States would be unable to pay its bills beginning on Oct. 17 if the debt ceiling is not lifted. House leaders responded on Thursday …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Why I Still Talk to Jesus, Daily Kos, PolicyMic, Real Clear Politics, Los Angeles Times, Post Politics, Politico, CNN, FreedomWorks, The Daily Caller and Bloomberg

Todd S. Purdum / Politico:

The GOP should just do it — Shut down the government! Blow through the debt ceiling! Subject the United States to fiscal chaos or financial ruin if your party can't get its way on unrelated ideological priorities! — With apologies to Nike, maybe it's time for the House Republicans to stop threatening and “Just do it.”

Ian Swanson / The Hill:

House Republicans lack votes to move plan to raise debt ceiling — House Republican leaders found themselves struggling to secure the votes on Thursday for a debt ceiling measure they hoped to swiftly pass through the House as the latest salvo in a multi-front fiscal fight.

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Salon, Outside the Beltway, Roll Call, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Politico, The Plum Line, Daily Kos, Business Insider and The Reaction

Politico:

House GOP banking on Plan C — House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy is thinking about taking some of his members to see the new thriller “Prisoners” this weekend. — But the California Republican, along with Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) …

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Business Insider

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
Senate Is Set to Vote on Budget Bill as House Weighs Options

Discussion: The Plum Line, Post Politics, Prairie Weather and Business Insider

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
White House adviser compares Republicans to terrorists in fiscal fight

Discussion: Power Line

Benjamin Bell / ABC News: Bill Clinton Calls Parts of House GOP Proposal To Raise Debt Ceiling ‘Chilling,’ ‘Spiteful’

Peter Baker / New York Times:
Obama Scorns G.O.P. ‘Blackmail’ on Health Law

Discussion: The Week and Hot Air

Jonathan Allen / Politico:
Dan Pfeiffer: W.H. not ‘negotiating with people with a bomb strapped to their chest’

Discussion: TIME, The Lead with Jake Tapper, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers and Booman Tribune

Steve Beshear / New York Times:

My State Needs Obamacare. Now. — FRANKFORT, Ky. — SUNDAY morning news programs identify Kentucky as the red state with two high-profile Republican senators who claim their rhetoric represents an electorate that gave President Obama only about a third of its presidential vote in 2012.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, Post Politics and Booman Tribune

Steve Liesman / CNBC:
What's in a name? Lots when it comes to Obamacare/ACA

Discussion: msnbc.com, NBCNews, Talking Points Memo and The Reaction

Jennifer Epstein / Politico:
White House says it isn't behind ‘Adorable Care Act’

Discussion: Heritage Action for America, americanthinker.com, CNN, msnbc.com, The Week and Talking Points Memo

Michael Falcone / ABC News: Shutdown Forecast: 50-50 — NOTABLES — LOOKING FOR PROGRESS …

Michael R. Gordon / New York Times:

U.N. Deal on Syrian Arms Is Milestone After Years of Inertia — UNITED NATIONS — The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have agreed on a resolution that will require Syria to give up its chemical weapons, but there will be no automatic penalties if the Syrians fail to comply, officials said Thursday.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Reuters, Yahoo! News, The Week, Guardian, Lawfare, NPR, emptywheel, Online NewsHour, Taylor Marsh and Gawker

Joby Warrick / Washington Post:
Most of Syria's toxins can be destroyed more easily than officials initially thought

Discussion: Yahoo! News, ThinkProgress, Foreign Policy and Business Insider

First Read / NBCNews:

First Thoughts: Boehner's bluff? — Back to talk of a government shutdown, but is it real or does Boehner blink? ... If GOP had any hope of blaming Obama and Democrats for a shutdown, the Corker-Cruz spat on the Senate floor didn't help its cause ... Let's remember how we got here …

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Corker takes on Cruz as GOP feuding moves to the Senate floor

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, Daily Kos, WJLA-TV and CNN

Ryan Lizza / Comment:

WHERE THE G.O.P.'S SUICIDE CAUCUS LIVES — On August 21st, Congressman Mark Meadows sent a letter to John Boehner. Meadows is a former restaurant owner and Sunday-school Bible teacher from North Carolina. He's been in Congress for eight months. Boehner, who has served in Congress for twenty-two years …

Discussion: The Dish, Taylor Marsh, Booman Tribune and Washington Monthly

Candida Moss / The Daily Beast:

The Gospel According to Bill O'Reilly's New Book ‘Killing Jesus’ — Jesus was killed because of taxes. That's more or less the message of Bill O'Reilly's new book. Professor Candida Moss on what else the Fox host gets wrong—and what he leaves out. — In Killing Jesus: A History …

Discussion: The Raw Story

Martin Wolf / Financial Times:

Osborne has now been proved wrong on austerity — Nobody thought a recovery would never happen - merely that it would be delayed — The UK economy is recovering. The government is vindicated. Its critics should crawl into a hole. This, in essence, is what George Osborne …

Discussion: Paul Krugman

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Why should Congress get special exemption under Obamacare? — CONGRESS OBAMACARE SENATE HARRY REID MITCH MCCONNELL HEALTH CARE OPM CHUCK GRASSLEY — “I'm going to get a vote,” says Republican Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana. “I can't tell you how, or when, but I'm going to get a vote.”

Discussion: Questions and Observations and protein wisdom

Tom Holbrook / The Numbers:

States of Change — Not long after the 2012 election some observers noted an increasing Democratic “lock” on the Electoral College. Although Republican nominee Mitt Romney's campaign took a lot of heat for losing election, there has developed a general sense that changing demographics …

Paul Steinhauser / CNN:
First on CNN: NRSC targets vulnerable Democrats

Discussion: The Hill, Scared Monkeys and emarketing.yumasol.com

Daily Mail:

So much for keeping a low profile: George Zimmerman is pulled over for the THIRD time since he was acquitted — George Zimmerman was pulled over by police for the third time since his acquittal, it emerged today. — Zimmerman was stopped by Florida Highway Patrol troopers in Brevard County on August 19 just after 11am.

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots, FOX News Radio, Mediaite, Gawker, Scared Monkeys, Fox News and Weasel Zippers

Mara Gay / NY Daily News:

Mayor Bloomberg on the brink: Testy exchange with reporters leads to threat of ending press conferences — Mayor Bloomberg, the billionaire founder of a business news and media company, has frequently boiled over when dealing with probing journalists but his temper seems to be reaching …

Discussion: Politico and Mediaite

Susan Page / USA Today:

Heitkamp warns Obama on Keystone XL Pipeline approval — Senator predicts a partial government shutdown Tuesday in ‘a game of Russian roulette.’ — WASHINGTON — Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a freshman Democrat from North Dakota, is ready to take on President Obama over the long-delayed approval …

Discussion: The Hill and Weekly Standard

Paul Bentley / Daily Mail:

'Eyes gouged out, bodies hanging from hooks, and fingers removed with pliers': Horrific claims of torture emerge as soldiers reveal gory Kenyan mall massacre details — Soldiers told of the horrific torture meted out by terrorists in the Nairobi mall massacre yesterday with claims hostages were dismembered …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Power Line and The Gateway Pundit

Mario Trujillo / The Hill:

Cruz can't be president, Texas Dem says — Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) said Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) floor fight this week proved he could never be president. — “I think what became clear this week is that he can't be president and the reason is nobody will follow him …

Discussion: Politico

Sen. Rand Paul / Washington Times:

Why must the American people suffer when even so many Democrats don't want Obamacare? — Officials who implemented the law should not escape its pain — Earlier this week, in an effort led by Sen. Ted Cruz, some of my Republican colleagues and I took to the Senate floor with the intent of making Washington listen.

Discussion: Pirate's Cove

ABC News:

President George W. Bush Uses Golf Tournament to Help Wounded Veterans — Former President George W. Bush kicks off the third annual Warrior Open golf tournament that features 24 wounded combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. The annual event is one of Bush's few public outings …

Discussion: CNN and Talking Points Memo