memeorandum: Keeping Sex Predators Out of Schoolrooms (Campbell Brown/Wall Street Journal)

1:35 PM ET, January 17, 2014

Top Items:

Benny Johnson / BuzzFeed:

America's Spies Want Edward Snowden Dead — “I would love to put a bullet in his head,” one Pentagon official told BuzzFeed. The NSA leaker is enemy No. 1 among those inside the intelligence world. — Snowden's Russian refugee document. — Maxim Shemetov / Reuters

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Firedoglake, The Other McCain, Techdirt, Mediaite, Business Insider, Hit & Run, Taylor Marsh and Prairie Weather

New York Times:

Obama Calls for Overhaul of N.S.A.'s Phone Data Collection Program — WASHINGTON — President Obama said Friday that he would require intelligence agencies to obtain permission from a secret court before tapping into a vast trove of telephone data, but he will leave the data in the hands of the government for now.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The New Republic, Liberaland, Guardian, ThinkProgress, The Week, The Moderate Voice, Mediaite, Washington Post, The Other McCain, Online NewsHour, National Review, Gawker and News Desk, more at Mediagazer »

Reuters:

Exclusive: Obama to announce overhaul to controversial NSA program — (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will announce on Friday a major overhaul of a controversial National Security Agency program that collects vast amounts of basic telephone call data on foreigners and Americans, a senior Obama administration official said.

Discussion: The Hill, The Verge, Mashable, Hot Air, Booman Tribune, The Switch and Shakesville

Igor Bobic / Talking Points Memo:

READ: Obama's Full Speech On NSA Surveillance Reforms — Remarks of President Barack Obama on National Security Agency surveillance reforms at the Department of Justice. — At the dawn of our Republic, a small, secret surveillance committee borne out of the “The Sons of Liberty” was established in Boston.

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Jim Acosta / CNN:
Obama to announce changes to NSA data collection

Discussion: Liberaland and The Daily Caller

McKay Coppins / BuzzFeed:

Chris Christie's Crisis Plunges Republican Party Deeper Into The Wilderness — The establishment freaks out as another favorite son falls from grace. “There are definitely people jumping ship.” — Lucas Jackson / Reuters / Reuters — In the immediate aftermath of their emphatic defeat in 2012 …

Discussion: Politico, Hot Air, The Week, The Fix and Washington Post

Christopher Baxter / New Jersey Online:
Chris Christie bridge scandal: 20 subpoenas issued, governor hires attorney

Discussion: Firedoglake, Daily Kos and U.S. Senate Committee …

CNN:
CNN exclusive: Port Authority job created for Christie ally, source says

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, The Daily Banter, Washington Post, Taylor Marsh, Liberaland and Marist Poll

USA Today:
Christie's Florida trip will test impact of scandal

Discussion: New Jersey Online, Reuters and First Read

Ruben Navarrette / CNN: Christie bridge: Get over it — Political dirty tricks

CEPR:

David Brooks' Primitive Defense of the Rich — David Brooks is sweating hard trying to defend the one percent against the rest of the country and reality. His column today desperately warns readers: — “Some on the left have always tried to introduce a more class-conscious style of politics.

Discussion: Business Insider

New York Times:

The Inequality Problem — Suddenly the whole world is talking about income inequality. But, as this debate goes on, it is beginning to look as though the thing is being misconceived. The income inequality debate is confusing matters more than clarifying them, and it is leading us off in unhelpful directions.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, American Prospect, PolicyShop and Paul Krugman

Brian Fung / The Switch:

Everything you need to know about Obama's NSA reforms, in plain English — President Obama is making major changes to the NSA's phone record surveillance program Friday — the one first unveiled last summer by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and what kicked off months of controversy.

Discussion: Gigaom, Hot Air, Post Politics and Booman Tribune

Washington Post:
Transcript of President Obama's Jan. 17 speech on NSA reforms

Discussion: Hit & Run and The Volokh Conspiracy

Washington Post:
Obama calls for significant changes in collection of phone records of U.S. citizens

Discussion: Post Politics, American Prospect, The Moderate Voice, Talking Points Memo, The Fix, Politico, The Huffington Post and Guardian

Chris Casteel / Daily Oklahoman:

Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn will resign at end of congressional session — Sen. Tom Coburn, the maverick Oklahoma Republican who has battled government spending and now is battling cancer, says he wants to focus on the next stage of his life. — Sen. Tom Coburn, left, R-Muskogee …

Discussion: The World's Greatest …, The Hill, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, Heritage Action for America and The Reaction

Politico:

Tom Coburn won't serve rest of Senate term — Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn confirmed Thursday night that he will not serve out his full Senate term and intends to step down after 2014 because of deepening health problems. — In a statement, Coburn acknowledged that he is battling a serious recurrence …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Hot Air and Post Politics

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:

GOP trying to chop down Reid's amendment tree — Senate Republicans have deployed a new parliamentary tactic designed to end — or at least call attention to — the frequent Democratic ban on considering GOP amendments. — Republicans have tried it four times, without success.

Discussion: The Huffington Post and CNN

Byron York / Washington Examiner: Starting year six, does Obama finally own the economy?

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Obama to Dems: Boehner will pass immigration reform in 2014

Discussion: New York Times and Jammie Wearing Fools

Emily Schultheis / Politico:

Pennsylvania judge strikes down voter ID law — A Pennsylvania judge on Friday struck down the state's voter ID law, which was signed in early 2012 and is one of the strictest in the nation, ruling that the statute “unreasonably burdens the right to vote.” — “Voting laws are designed …

Discussion: The Right Scoop

Rick Hasen / Election Law Blog:
Initial Thoughts on Today's Ruling Striking Down Pa's Voter ID Law on State Grounds

Discussion: Associated Press and MinnPost

Joaquin Castro / Texas Monthly:

Mr. Castro Goes to Washington — A BEHIND-THE-SCENES ACCOUNT OF THE BIG VOTES, DASHED HOPES, TOUGH CHOICES, AND REAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF A FRESHMAN LAWMAKER'S FIRST YEAR IN CONGRESS. — One year ago I was sworn in as a United States congressman. Representing Texas's Twentieth District …

Discussion: Politico, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller and First Read

Yasiin Mugerwa / Daily Monitor:

Museveni blocks Anti-Homosexuality Bill — Parliament- President Museveni has confronted Speaker Rebecca Kadaga for passing the controversial Anti-gays Bill without quorum and described homosexuals as “abnormal” beings who can be “rescued” through economic empowerment.

Discussion: BBC, Box Turtle Bulletin, Washington Blade, Guardian, Hinterland Gazette, LGBTQ Nation, AMERICAblog News and Towleroad News #gay

Campbell Brown / Wall Street Journal:

Keeping Sex Predators Out of Schoolrooms — Congress is considering better background checks for teachers. Why won't unions support the bill?

Discussion: Right Turn, Weekly Standard and Washington Free Beacon

Economist:

Coming to an office near you — The effect of today's technology on tomorrow's jobs will be immense—and no country is ready for it — INNOVATION, the elixir of progress, has always cost people their jobs. In the Industrial Revolution artisan weavers were swept aside by the mechanical loom.

Discussion: Hullabaloo and The Raw Story

James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:

The left defends corporations' rights. — People who answer Puffington Host polls tend to be ignorant, reports Emily Swanson, PuffHo poll director. The poll is a quiz on constitutional law: … “But they're wrong,” Swanson declares of the 45% plurality in the former question and the 35% minority in the latter one.

Discussion: Althouse

ABC News:

50 Ways to Celebrate Michelle Obama's Birthday — First Lady Michelle Obama turns 50 today, and although the big White House celebration planned by President Obama isn't until Saturday, that doesn't mean you have to wait to celebrate. — If your invite to Saturday's dance party in Washington went missing …

Discussion: TheBlaze.com