memeorandum: First on CNN: NRSC targets vulnerable Democrats (Paul Steinhauser/CNN)

8:45 AM ET, September 27, 2013

Top Items:

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: Talking Points Memo, Salon, Politico, Roll Call, The Plum Line, The Reaction, Daily Kos and Business Insider

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

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Booman Tribune

Michael McAuliff / The Huffington Post:
Republicans Willing To Risk Debt Limit Disaster To Win Concessions

Discussion: The Plum Line

Matthew Yglesias / Slate:
House GOP Just Showed Why Obama Can't Compromise on the Debt Ceiling

Discussion: National Review, Hullabaloo, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Mahablog, Business Insider, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos, Bloomberg and Talking Points Memo

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:
House G.O.P. Raises Stakes in Debt-Ceiling Fight

Discussion: ThinkProgress, PolicyMic, Prairie Weather, Los Angeles Times, CNN and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Russell Berman / The Hill:
Boehner: House unlikely to accept clean funding bill from Senate

Discussion: Politico and Business Insider

Jonathan Strong / National Review:
Revealed: The House GOP's Debt-Ceiling Plan

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Dish, The Huffington Post, NPR, TechCrunch, Business Insider, Daily Kos, msnbc.com, NationalJournal.com, Hit & Run, Balloon Juice, BBC, The New Republic, AEIdeas and The Atlantic Online

Jennifer Epstein / Politico:

White House says it isn't behind ‘Adorable Care Act’ — It would have been a clever move for the White House or Organizing for Action to turn to cute animals and social media to try to draw attention to the start of the Affordable Care Act's registration period.

Discussion: americanthinker.com, msnbc.com, CNN, The Week and Talking Points Memo

Steve Liesman / CNBC:

What's in a name? Lots when it comes to Obamacare/ACA — What's in a name? When it comes to the debate over health care, apparently a lot. — In CNBC's third-quarter All-America Economic Survey, we asked half of the 812 poll respondents if they support Obamacare and the other half if they support the Affordable Care Act.

Discussion: NBCNews, Talking Points Memo, The Reaction and Yahoo! News

Sean Higgins / Washington Examiner:
SEIU unionists strike over Obamacare-related cuts

Discussion: Betsy's Page, Weasel Zippers, protein wisdom and Instapundit

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Corker takes on Cruz as GOP feuding moves to the Senate floor — Feuding in the Republican conference moved to the Senate floor on Thursday as Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) accused two colleagues of risking a government shutdown as a publicity stunt. — “The reason you don't want to send …

Discussion: Politico and CNN

Erick Erickson / RedState:

The Disconnect — There is a real and genuine disconnect between grassroots conservatives and many in Washington. Let's first concede that, like with many politicians, a cult of personality has started developing around Ted Cruz, though from my vantage point it is not nearly as virulent as among some.

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Booman Tribune

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo: Bob Corker To Ted Cruz: You Are Confused (VIDEO)

Rosie Gray / BuzzFeed:

Allen West Out At PJ Media — Sources say he had an anti-Semitic exchange with a staffer, calling her a “Jewish American princess.” — Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images — Former Congressman Allen West is leaving his job at Pajamas Media after an altercation with a female staffer …

Discussion: Gawker, Mediaite, TheBlaze.com, The Raw Story, Little Green Footballs, The Hill and Hullabaloo

Paul Steinhauser / CNN:

First on CNN: NRSC targets vulnerable Democrats — Washington (CNN) - As the Senate begins getting down to the business on Friday of whether to defund the health care law backed by President Barack Obama, a national Republican political committee cautions Democratic incumbents facing tough reelection fights.

Discussion: The Hill and emarketing.yumasol.com

Tom Holbrook / The Numbers:
States of Change

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …

Michael C. Bender / Bloomberg:
Democrat Manchin Breaks Ranks to Back Mandate Delay

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, Sister Toldjah, Politico, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, Hit & Run, FreedomWorks, CNN, Washington Monthly, National Review, Washington Post, The World's Greatest …, Post Politics, The Daily Caller, Heritage Action for America, Hot Air and Talking Points Memo

Lizzy Davies / Guardian:

Pasta firm Barilla boycotted over ‘classic family’ remarks — Chairman Guido Barilla causes outrage in Italy after saying he would not consider using a gay family to advertise his products — Gay rights activists in Italy have launched a boycott of the world's leading pasta maker …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Los Angeles Times and The Daily Caller

Reuters:
Italian pasta baron's anti-gay comment prompts boycott call

Discussion: PolicyMic, Jezebel, ProfessorBainbridge.com, AMERICAblog News, Gawker, ANSA.it, msnbc.com, The Independent, Balloon Juice, Online NewsHour, The Raw Story, Advocate and The Stream

Reuters:

Text of Draft United Nations Resolution on Syrian Chemical Weapons — The United States and Russia reached an agreement on Thursday on a draft U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at ridding Syria of its chemical weapons arsenal. — Following is the text of this draft resolution.

Discussion: Lawfare

Michael R. Gordon / New York Times:
U.N. Deal on Syrian Arms Is Milestone After Years of Inertia

Discussion: Yahoo! News, Washington Post, Gawker, WJLA-TV and NPR

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: Gawker, Mediaite, FOX News Radio and Weasel Zippers

Julia Ryan / The Atlantic Online:

This Year's SAT Scores Are Out, and They're Grim — Fewer than half of the 2013 graduating seniors who took the test got “college-ready” scores. — Of the 1.66 million high school students in the class of 2013 who took the SAT, only 43 percent were academically prepared for college-level work …

Discussion: his vorpal sword and National Review

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: Taylor Marsh, Washington Monthly and Booman Tribune

Alexander Burns / Politico:

Wendy Davis tells Democrats she's in — Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis and her advisers have begun informing influential Democrats that she intends to run for governor in 2014, according to multiple sources familiar with Davis's conversations. — The Fort Worth legislator made a national name …

Discussion: Off the Kuff, Houston Chronicle, NBCNews, msnbc.com, ThinkProgress, Weasel Zippers, The Democratic Daily, BuzzFeed, Mediaite, Daily Kos, Sister Toldjah, CNN, The PJ Tatler, Jezebel, Outside the Beltway and TheBlaze.com

Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar / Associated Press:

HEALTH LAW ONLINE SIGN-UP DELAYED FOR SMALL FIRMS — You are here — Home » United States government » Health law online sign-up delayed for small firms — WASHINGTON (AP) — Days before the debut of new online insurance markets, a couple of last-minute technical glitches …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Ed Driscoll, The Daily Caller and The PJ Tatler

Scott Wise / WTVR-TV:

NRA announces fundraising record — FAIRFAX, Va. (WTVR) - The National Rifle Association announced its grassroots fundraising program “Friends of NRA” is having a record fundraising year. — “The success of this year's Friends of NRA banquets would not have been possible without the hard work …

Discussion: BREITBART.COM, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers and National Review

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

Ken Thomas / Associated Press:

Clinton Meeting Showcases a Political Family — On its face, the annual Clinton Global Initiative meeting provides a platform for Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton to announce a series of financial commitments from corporations, nongovernmental organizations and philanthropists to address intractable problems around the globe.

Discussion: Politico and Associated Press