memeorandum: James Lee Witt to Run for Arkansas' 4th District Congressional Seat (ArkansasBusiness.com)

6:35 PM ET, November 5, 2013

Top Items:

Juan Williams / Fox News:

Insurance cancelled? Don't blame Obama or the ACA, blame America's insurance companies — Liar! Pinocchio! Deceiver! — With all the charges flying against President Obama in the on-going effort to stop ObamaCare it's time for a reality check. — Having failed to kill …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Impolitic

Ron Fournier / NationalJournal.com:

Lying About Lies: Why Credibility Matters to Obama — The president is trying to reinvent the history of his you-can-keep-it promise on health care. — It might not seem possible that President Obama could do more harm to his credibility and the public's faith in government than misleading Americans about health insurance reform.

Robert Pear / New York Times:

Strategic Move Exempts Health Law From Broader U.S. Statute — WASHINGTON — The Affordable Care Act is the biggest new health care program in decades, but the Obama administration has ruled that neither the federal insurance exchange nor the federal subsidies paid to insurance companies …

Discussion: Conservative Intelligence …, The PJ Tatler, Weasel Zippers and National Review

CNN:
Obama further alters ‘you can keep your plan’ pledge

Discussion: The Lead with Jake Tapper, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Mediaite and Betsy's Page

Erika Eichelberger / Mother Jones:
If the GOP Repeals Obamacare, 137 Million Americans Could Get Cancellation Notices

Discussion: Salon, The Impolitic, Washington Monthly, Taegan Goddard's …, The Daily Caller and American Power

Robert Pear / New York Times:
Senator Cites ‘Crisis of Confidence’ on Health Care Site

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon

Jake Tapper / The Lead with Jake Tapper:

Christie: Romney ‘embarrassed’ about VP vetting leak — Watch “The Lead with Jake Tapper” at 4 p.m. ET for our exclusive, sit-down interview with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. — Sayreville, New Jersey (CNN) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney called …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, CNN, Talking Points Memo, New York Times and Taegan Goddard's …

The Lead with Jake Tapper:
Chris Christie aims to make history in New Jersey

Discussion: Politico, Weekly Standard, Daily Kos, Mediaite and CNN

Maggie Haberman / Reuters:
Christie to critics: 'I've governed conservatively'

Discussion: Politico and The Daily Caller

Patricia Murphy / The Daily Beast:
Why National Democrats Rolled Over for Chris Christie

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and Hot Air

Chicago Tribune:

Lawmakers approve gay marriage in Illinois … Clout Street — SPRINGFIELD — The General Assembly today narrowly approved a gay marriage bill, clearing the way for Illinois to become the 15th state to legalize same-sex unions. — The bill got 61 votes in the House …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Chicago Tribune:
Illinois gay marriage bill being debated in Illinois House

Discussion: Daily Kos and The Raw Story

Tony Merevick / BuzzFeed:
Final Vote On Illinois Marriage Equality Bill Today

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, nbcchicago.com, Advocate and Towleroad News #gay

ThinkProgress:
BREAKING: Illinois House Passes Marriage Equality

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and Towleroad News #gay

Washington Post:

How to watch the exit polls in the Virginia governor's race — Tuesday's elections bring an early Christmas gift for election watchers: exit polling! The data gathered from people leaving the polls in the Commonwealth should answer a number of key questions at the end of a venomous campaign …

Discussion: ABC News, Booman Tribune, NBCNews, Human Rights Campaign Blog, Daily Kos, The Week, The Huffington Post and First Read

Meredith Jessup / TheBlaze.com:

REVEALED: OBAMA CAMPAIGN BUNDLER HELPING FUND LIBERTARIAN IN TIGHT VA. GUBERNATORIAL RACE — A major Democratic Party benefactor and Obama campaign bundler helped pay for professional petition circulators responsible for getting Virginia Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Robert C. Sarvis on the ballot …

Discussion: The Federalist, ABC News, VodkaPundit, National Review, Weasel Zippers, Washington Free Beacon, Hit & Run, The PJ Tatler, protein wisdom, The Right Scoop, The Lonely Conservative and Associated Press

James Hohmann / Politico:
Touting Ken Cuccinelli, Ron Paul urges ‘nullification’

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, his vorpal sword, Washington Post, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos, Dependable Renegade, The Raw Story, Guardian and CNN

New York Times:

After Plagiarism Charges, Paul Announces Office Restructuring — WASHINGTON — Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who in recent weeks has had to explain a series of plagiarism charges, said in an interview Tuesday that he was being held to an unfair standard, but that there would be an office “restructuring” to prevent future occurrences.

Discussion: Guardian, Little Green Footballs, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, BuzzFeed, Politico, Taegan Goddard's … and Connecting.the.Dots

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
Sections Of Rand Paul's Op-Ed On Drug Sentencing Plagiarized From Article Week Earlier

Discussion: Washington Wire, Taking Note, The Lead with Jake Tapper, New York Times, NBCNews, Conservative Intelligence …, Talking Points Memo, Politico, Hit & Run, Right Turn, Mediaite, Liberaland and Washington Free Beacon

Aaron Blake / Post Politics:
Amid plagiarism flap, Rand Paul camp cites staff error

Discussion: PoliticusUSA and Daily Kos

Toronto Star:

Rob Ford : ‘Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine.’ — Rob Ford said he smoked crack about a year ago. “I don't even remember. Probably in one of my drunken stupors.” … Mayor Rob Ford has admitted using crack cocaine. He made the revelation to reporters at City Hall.

Discussion: Guardian, DownWithTyranny!, Taegan Goddard's … and Towleroad News #gay

CBC News:
Mayor Rob Ford: ‘Yes I have smoked crack cocaine’

Discussion: BBC, Toronto Sun, Canada's network for news …, Washington Post, Post Politics, National Review and Blazing Cat Fur

Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:

Liberal push to expand Social Security gains steam — Senator Sherrod Brown is joining the push to expand Social Security, and he's making a startling argument: Dems should go on offense on entitlements, rather than let Republicans and Beltway fiscal scolds frame the discussion …

Discussion: Washington Monthly and The PJ Tatler

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo: Dem Senators: We're Doing It Wrong, Let's Expand Social Security

Wall Street Journal:

Early Buyers of Health Coverage Are Older Than Expected, Raising Expense Concerns — Insurers say the early buyers of health coverage on the nation's troubled new websites are older than expected so far, raising early concerns about the economics of the insurance marketplaces.

Discussion: “The Lid”, Hot Air, Firedoglake, Right Turn, VodkaPundit, The Daily Caller, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Via Meadia, Weasel Zippers, The Lonely Conservative and AEIdeas

Tim Murphy / Mother Jones:

GOP Congressional Candidate Told Gay Citizens to Go “Back to California” — ...and he could win. — Courtesy of the Dean Young Campaign — It would be tough to find a political office-seeker less prepared for the job he's running for than Alabama congressional candidate Dean Young.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, The Raw Story, The Huffington Post, Business Insider and Liberaland

Ben Jacobs / The Daily Beast:
Alabama's Republican Runoff Election May Predict the Party's Future

Discussion: Guardian, The Week, al.com, Business Insider, The Raw Story, Washington Monthly and The New Republic

KOB.com:

4 On Your Side investigates traffic stop nightmare — This 4 On Your Side investigation looks into the actions of police officers and doctors in Southern New Mexico. — A review of medical records, police reports and a federal lawsuit show deputies with the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Business Insider, The Raw Story and Infowars

kff.org:

State-by-State Estimates of the Number of People Eligible for Premium Tax Credits Under the Affordable Care Act — Key provisions of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) create new Marketplaces for people who purchase insurance directly and provide new premium tax credits to help people with low or moderate incomes afford that coverage.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, GovBeat, Bangor Daily News, PoliticusUSA and The Plum Line

Elizabeth Titus / Politico:

Dem poll: Wendy Davis down by 15 in Texas — Republican Greg Abbott leads Democrat Wendy Davis by 15 points in a new Democratic poll of the Texas gubernatorial race, an improvement over his 8-point lead in the same poll in July. — The state attorney general holds a 50-35 advantage …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Off the Kuff and The Texas Tribune

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Abbott leads Davis by 15

Discussion: Mediaite and Weasel Zippers

ArkansasBusiness.com:

James Lee Witt to Run for Arkansas' 4th District Congressional Seat — LITTLE ROCK - Former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director announced he was running for a south Arkansas congressional seat on Tuesday, giving Democrats a high-profile candidate as they try to rebound from Republican gains in the state.

Discussion: Politico, Roll Call and Post Politics

Ben Goad / The Hill:

Holder: Trayvon charges still possible — U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday said the Justice Department has not decided whether to file federal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman in the 2012 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. — Zimmerman, a volunteer neighborhood watchman …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, BizPac Review, The Raw Story and Ed Driscoll