memeorandum: Syria says West talks to Damascus about Islamist rebels (BBC)

12:35 PM ET, January 15, 2014

Top Items:

Ads Attacking Health Law Stagger Outspent Democrats — WASHINGTON — Democrats are increasingly anxious about an onslaught of television ads hitting vulnerable Senate and House candidates for their support of the new health law, since many lack the resources to fight back in the early stages of the midterm campaign.

Discussion: The Other McCain, The Plum Line, The Fact Checker, Shakesville, Booman Tribune, Washington Free Beacon and Althouse

Politico:

Obama's plan to save the Senate — President Barack Obama has a plan to save the Senate's tenuous Democratic majority: Sell a populist message, try to make Obamacare work better and raise lots of cash. — And unlike previous years when Senate Democrats were mostly left to fight on their own …

Discussion: CNN, Capitol Report, WJLA-TV and The Hill

Politico:

The GOP's Obama obsession — It's just two weeks into 2014, but House Republicans are already convinced that the key to winning November's elections is to talk about President Barack Obama as much as possible. — In both public and private discussions, Obama remains the single-minded obsession of all top House Republicans.

Kathleen Hennessey / Los Angeles Times:

Obama's visit to North Carolina may be awkward for Democratic senator — President Obama comes to a struggling North Carolina with an economic message, but the state's Democratic senator, facing reelection, won't be there. — President Obama unveiled his jobs bill in Raleigh, N.C., in 2011.

Discussion: Moe Lane

Sam Baker / NationalJournal.com:

White House Moves Obamacare Goalposts Again — Another day, another self-imposed standard gets watered down. — President Obama speaks at Temple Emanu-El on Nov. 6, 2013 in Dallas, Texas. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images) — The White House is scaling back another self-imposed standard …

Discussion: Salon, Bloomberg, MetroTrends Blog, Business Insider, Washington Post and The Dish

The Hill:

Democrats hope Obama meeting means more humility in 2014 — Frustrated Senate Democrats hope a meeting set to take place on Wednesday with President Obama will help them turn a corner with a White House they see as too distant and insular. — Aides say the new faces joining …

Discussion: Mediaite, Politico and Jammie Wearing Fools

Justin Sink / The Hill:
WH: North Carolina trip 'isn't a campaign event'

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Public Policy Polling and CNN

Reason:
They Lied — Obamacare's 12 false premises and broken promises

Discussion: Conservatives4Palin and The Daily Caller

Russell Berman / The Hill:
GOP to use economy as weapon

Discussion: First Read

Mark Landler / New York Times:
Obama to Announce Program to Create Jobs

Discussion: Weekly Standard and AEIdeas

Associated Press:
First lady Michelle Obama won't rule out plastic surgery, Botox

Discussion: ThinkProgress, TIME, CNN and Politico

Washington Post:

Christie faces speculation about aides' real motives in New Jersey bridge scandal — TRENTON, N.J. — Embattled New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) struggled Tuesday to regain his footing, giving an address in which he called upon the state to refocus on his agenda.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Hot Air and CBS New York

Hunter Walker / Talking Points Memo:
Christie's Office Blasts ‘Wild-Eyed Conspiracy’ Theories In Bridge Scandal

Discussion: Daily Kos and Taylor Marsh

George Packer / News Desk:
The Trouble with Christie

Discussion: Washington Monthly, CNN, Connecting.the.Dots, Balloon Juice and New York Times

Politico:

Jim Moran to announce retirement — Virginia Democratic Rep. Jim Moran will retire after 23 years in the House, according to multiple Democratic sources. — The retirement is the third for Democrats this week: On Monday, California Rep. George Miller said he would leave Congress after 40 years …

Discussion: CNN and Twitchy

Ben Pershing / Washington Post:
Long-time Northern Virginia Democratic congressman Jim Moran to retire

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Capitol Report

Emma Dumain / Roll Call:
Virginia's Moran Announces Retirement From Congress

Discussion: National Review, Liberaland and Moe Lane

Jessica Taylor / The Hill: Rep. Jim Moran won't seek reelection

Washington Post:

Senate report: Attack on U.S. compound in Benghazi could have been prevented — A long-delayed Senate intelligence committee report released on Wednesday spreads blame among the State Department and intelligence agencies for not preventing attacks on two outposts in Libya that killed four Americans …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, NewsBusters blogs, Mediaite, Hot Air, americanthinker.com, TheBlaze.com and Jammie Wearing Fools

New York Times:

N.S.A. Devises Radio Pathway Into Computers — WASHINGTON — The National Security Agency has implanted software in nearly 100,000 computers around the world that allows the United States to conduct surveillance on those machines and can also create a digital highway for launching cyberattacks.

Discussion: AEIdeas, Slashdot, The Week, Online NewsHour, The Switch, TIME, Techdirt, Gawker, Gigaom, The Verge, emptywheel, Mashable, Prairie Weather and The Reaction

Benjy Sarlin / msnbc.com:

This Democrat thinks he can win in 2016 as the anti-Obama — Brian Schweitzer, the former two-term Democratic governor of Montana, is rarely speechless. Once he gets going on a topic, he's almost impossible to stop. As he builds up steam, he'll slap his knee to emphasize his points.

Discussion: Politico, The Daily Caller, Wonkblog and ABC News

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

Washington Post, Politico Editors To Meet After Bombshell Mike Allen Reports (UPDATE: Allen Speaks Out) — NEW YORK — Politico editor-in-chief John Harris and chief executive Jim VandeHei are expected to visit The Washington Post on Wednesday to discuss the paper's recent scrutiny …

Discussion: Politico, Poynter and Hullabaloo

Molly Redden / Mother Jones:

GOP Congressional Candidate: Spousal Rape Shouldn't Be a Crime — Virginia state Sen. Dick Black fought to block a statue of Lincoln and invited a video crew to film him watching violent rape porn on a library computer. Now he's looking for a promotion. — Republican attorney general …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Liberaland, Wonkette and The Raw Story

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

WH delays another ObamaCare deadline — The Obama administration announced Tuesday that it was again extending the ObamaCare enrollment deadline for people with pre-existing conditions. — The administration said it will extend the Pre-Existing Conditions Insurance Plan (PCIP), slated to end January 31, until March 15.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, New York Post, Scared Monkeys, Right Wing News, Betsy's Page, Jammie Wearing Fools, Viking Pundit, TheBlaze.com and First Read

Tim Alberta / NationalJournal.com:

Conservatives Form Their Own Caucus Because the RSC Isn't ‘Hard-Core’ Enough — The most conservative House Republicans quietly build an invitation-only group, seeing the Republican Study Committee as devolving into a debate society. — Increasingly frustrated with the size and direction …

Discussion: Mediaite

Jeryl Bier / Weekly Standard:

Kerry: ‘Root Cause of Terrorism’ Is Poverty — Secretary of State John Kerry covered a broad range of topics with his counterpart Pietro Parolin at the Vatican in Rome on Monday. Besides Syria, the Middle East peace process, Sudan, and Cuba, the subject of poverty came up during their discussions.

Discussion: The Jawa Report and The Gateway Pundit

John Kerry / US Department of State: Remarks After Meeting With Secretary of State of the Holy See Pietro Parolin

Lydia Saad / Gallup:

Government Itself Still Cited as Top U.S. Problem — Narrowly leads the economy, unemployment, healthcare — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans start the new year with a variety of national concerns on their minds. Although none is dominant, the government, at 21%, leads the list …

Discussion: Politico and CBS DC

Jacob Fenton / Sunlight Foundation Blog:

FEC lawyers: Reason to believe Crossroads broke law — The Federal Election Commission's professional legal staff believes that Crossroads GPS, an innovative fundraising operation that enabled veteran GOP operatives to end-around campaign finance regulations, likely violated election law …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Washington Post

Eliza Newlin Carney / Roll Call: Super PAC, Outside Spending Chiefs Make Big Bucks

Michael Hiltzik / Los Angeles Times:

Net neutrality is dead. Bow to Comcast and Verizon, your overlords — Net neutrality's last hope? FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg / January 14, 2014) — Advocates of a free and open Internet could see this coming, but today's ruling from a Washington appeals court striking …