memeorandum: Dear patrons and Uintah Elementary parents, — We have been … (Dear patrons and Uintah Elementary)

5:35 PM ET, January 30, 2014

Top Items:

Why I Was Wrong About Chris Christie — He wasn't so smart or post-partisan, and may pay the price as a presidential hopeful. — A year ago, I wrote: “The smartest move in politics today is to move against Washington and the two major parties. And the smartest man in politics may be Chris Christie.”

Discussion: ABC News, Hullabaloo, NewsBusters and New York Times

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Democrats: Cede the House to save the Senate — With Democrats' grasp on the Senate increasingly tenuous — and the House all but beyond reach — some top party donors and strategists are moving to do something in the midterm election as painful as it is coldblooded: Admit the House can't be won and go all in to save the Senate.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Hot Air, americanthinker.com, New York Times, PJ Media and The Reaction

Hunter Walker / Talking Points Memo:
Giuliani Says ‘Fifty-Fifty’ Chance Christie Knew About Bridge Lane Closures

Discussion: Capital New York and Balloon Juice

Brian Beutler / Salon:
GOP's devious immigration trick: Why Democrats have a looming dilemma

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, Washington Wire, The Plum Line and Eschaton

Washington Post:
For 2016, Hillary Clinton has commanding lead over Democrats, GOP race wide open

Discussion: The Fix, Political Insider blog, Daily Kos, CNN, Taylor Marsh, American Power, Hot Air and First Read

Jon Walker / Firedoglake:
Dems Begin Triage Plans

Discussion: Corrente and Politico

Russell Berman / The Hill:
Boehner: House GOP ‘alternative’ to Obama, not ‘the opposition’

Discussion: Politico

Ashley Killough / CNN:
Rep. Waxman to retire at end of term

Discussion: Politico

Lisa Schencker / Salt Lake Tribune:

Lunches seized from kids in debt at Salt Lake City elementary — Education » School officials cite unpaid balances on students' meal accounts. — | The Salt Lake Tribune — Up to 40 kids at Uintah Elementary in Salt Lake City picked up their lunches Tuesday …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, NPR, The Daily Caller, NBCNews, Gawker, BizPac Review, RYOT News, ABC News and The Raw Story

Dear patrons and Uintah Elementary:

Dear patrons and Uintah Elementary parents, — We have been investigating the lunch situation at Uintah Elementary School and would like to share the following information. — On Monday, a district Child Nutrition manager was sent to Uintah Elementary School to investigate the large number …

Discussion: Yahoo! News, ABC News, KSL-TV and ThinkProgress

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:

Henry Waxman, 20-Term Democrat, Is Leaving House — CAMBRIDGE, Md. — Representative Henry A. Waxman of California, a diminutive Democratic giant whose 40 years in the House produced some of the most important legislation of the era, will announce on Thursday that he is retiring at the end of the year.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, NationalJournal.com, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, National Review and The Fix

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Sandra Fluke may seek Henry Waxman House seat

Discussion: Liberaland

scpr.org:
Rep. Henry Waxman announces retirement from Congress

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: Waxman Retires — It was a bit startling to us old folks …

Richard Simon / Los Angeles Times:
Rep. Henry Waxman to retire from Congress

Discussion: Roll Call, Business Insider, Poynter, The PJ Tatler and National Review

Mitchell Byars / Daily Camera:

Jed Udall, son of Sen. Mark Udall, arrested on heroin, vehicular-trespassing charges — Sheriff: Udall, 26, broke into cars in Eldorado Springs — Jed Udall, the 26-year-old son of Colorado Sen. Mark Udall, was arrested Wednesday after Boulder County sheriff's deputies say he broke …

Discussion: New York Times, OnPolitics, Riehl World News, The World's Greatest … and Washington Free Beacon

Katie Glueck / Politico:
Report: Mark Udall's son arrested

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

John Stanton / BuzzFeed:

Some Republicans See Racism As a Factor in Immigration Stalemate — “I hate to say this, because these are my people — but I hate to say it, but it's racial,” says a Republican congressman. — Jason Reed / Reuters — WASHINGTON — For more than a year House Republican leaders have insisted …

Discussion: Liberaland, National Review, Daily Kos and Right Wing Watch

David Leopold / @DavidLeopold:

BREAKING: Here are the Republican Principles for #Immigration Reform-to be formally announced by @SpeakerBoehner at 4:30 pm ET — Standards for Immigration Reform — PREAMBLE … Border Security and Interior Enforcement Must Come First — It is the fundamental duty of any government …

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Washington Post and Business Insider

Rebecca Leber / ThinkProgress:
Republicans Admit Racism Is Big Obstacle To Passing Immigration Reform

Discussion: The Raw Story

Wall Street Journal:

Liberal vituperation makes our letter writer's point. — Five days on, the commentariat continues to drop anvils on Tom Perkins, who may have written the most-read letter to the editor in the history of The Wall Street Journal. The irony is that the vituperation is making our friend's point …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, No More Mister Nice Blog, Instapundit, Gawker, Mediaite, Daily Kos, The Verge, Business Insider, neo-neocon, Ed Driscoll, Balloon Juice and naked capitalism

Ben White / Politico:

Why the rich are freaking out — NEW YORK — The co-founder of one the nation's oldest venture capital firms fears a possible genocide against the wealthy. Residents of Manhattan's tony Upper East Side say the progressive mayor didn't plow their streets as a form of frosty revenge.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, The Plum Line, Washington Monthly and Business Insider

kff.org:

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: January 2014 — January 1st may have been a monumental date for those working on and closely following the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds little change in the public's knowledge and views of the law.

Discussion: Firedoglake, ThinkProgress, Power Line, Wonkblog, Washington Monthly, The Heritage Foundation, National Review, Washington Free Beacon, Washington Wire and Questions and Observations

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
More Uninsured Planning to Get Insurance From Exchanges

Discussion: Daily Kos and CBS DC

Matthew Boyle / BREITBART.COM:

EXCLUSIVE - TED CRUZ: HOUSE GOP'S AMNESTY PUSH WILL RUIN HOPES OF RETAKING SENATE — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) thinks that the House GOP leadership's renewed push this week to grant amnesty to illegal aliens would destroy the Republican Party's chances at retaking the Senate in 2014.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Weekly Standard and The Daily Caller

Pete Williams / NBCNews:

Feds to seek death penalty against accused Boston bomber Tsarnaev — The Justice Department has notified a federal judge that it intends to seek the death penalty if a jury convicts Dzhokhar Tsarnaev for last April's bomb attacks at the Boston Marathon. — Tsarnaev is awaiting trial …

Discussion: Jihad Watch and Hot Air

Washington Post:
U.S. to seek death penalty in Boston bombing case

Discussion: TalkLeft, NPR and Lawfare

Matt Welch / Hit & Run:

It's Not Just MSNBC Making Flip Assumptions About Non-Liberal Racism (UPDATED) — Last night, the official Twitter feed of MSNBC used a Cheerios Super Bowl commercial to make a crack about non-lefties being uncomfortable with race-mixing: — After an eruption of outrage on Twitter …

Discussion: Twitchy

Michael Barone / Washington Examiner:

Gallup Obama approval numbers suggest shifting Electoral College map — BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL BARACK OBAMA POLLS CAMPAIGNS APPROVAL RATINGS ELECTORAL COLLEGE — Gallup has released President Obama's approval numbers for 2013 for the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Discussion: Booman Tribune

Derrik J. Lang / Associated Press:

JOHANSSON STEPPING DOWN AS OXFAM AMBASSADOR — You are here — Home » SodaStream International Ltd. » Johansson stepping down as Oxfam ambassador — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Scarlett Johansson is ending her relationship with a humanitarian group after being criticized over her support …

Discussion: BBC, Mondoweiss, Algemeiner.com, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Politico, Mediaite, The PJ Tatler and Guardian

Carl Straumsheim / Inside Higher Ed:

Is Blogging Unscholarly? — The political science blogosphere has erupted in protest after the International Studies Association unveiled a proposal to bar members affiliated with its scholarly journal from doing just that — blogging. — “No editor of any ISA journal or member …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Raw Story and Guardian