memeorandum: Woody Allen — Nick Kristof runs an open leter from Dylan Farow … (Tom Maguire/JustOneMinute)

11:35 AM ET, February 2, 2014

Top Items:

An Open Letter From Dylan Farrow — (A note from Nicholas Kristof: In 1993, accusations that Woody Allen had abused his adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow, filled the headlines, part of a sensational story about the celebrity split between Allen and his girlfriend, Mia Farrow.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, CNN, BBC, Hit & Run, Guardian, Taylor Marsh, Hinterland Gazette, Althouse, CBS New York, The Raw Story, Mediaite, Scared Monkeys, Connecting.the.Dots, Gawker, Riehl World News and Gothamist

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:

Woody Allen — Nick Kristof runs an open leter from Dylan Farow, who was the center of a child molestation situation involving Woody Allen when she was seven years old. The attention is swirling as a consequence of Mr. Allen's recent receipt of a lifetime achievment award from the Golden Globes.

Nicholas Kristof / New York Times:

Dylan Farrow's Story — WHEN Woody Allen received a Golden Globe award for lifetime achievement a few weeks ago, there was a lively debate about whether it was appropriate to honor a man who is an artistic giant but also was accused years ago of child molestation.

Discussion: Mashable

Mike Allen / Politico:

Exclusive: Chris Christie attacks N.Y. Times, David Wildstein — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, after a low-key initial response to Friday's explosive allegations about his involvement in a growing bridge-closing scandal, mounted an aggressive defense late Saturday afternoon …

Dylan Scott / Talking Points Memo:

Christie Hits Back: Bridge Official Will ‘Say Anything To Save’ Himself — In an email leaked Saturday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's office responded more vigorously to new allegations by his former Port Authority appointee that he knew more about the George Washington Bridge lane closures than he has admitted.

Discussion: NY Daily News, Balloon Juice, Politico and New York Times

Harvey Silverglate / Wall Street Journal:
Harvey Silverglate: Justice Goes After the GOP

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Andrew Cohen / The Atlantic Online:

Missouri Executed This Man While His Appeal Was Pending in Court — Herbert Smulls was pronounced dead four minutes before the justices in Washington denied his final stay. Did Missouri officials breach their ethical duties by permitting this to happen? — It is 2014, not 1964 or 1914 …

Discussion: ThinkProgress

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

The G.O.P.'s Immigration Delusion — THE debate over immigration reform, rekindled last week by House Republican leaders, bears a superficial resemblance to last fall's debate over the government shutdown. — Again, you have establishment Republicans transparently eager to cut a deal …

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Caucus, Weekly Standard, Reihan Salam and Democracy in America

Molly Ball / The Atlantic Online:
Will Immigration Reform Finally Happen?

Discussion: The Hill, American Prospect and The Dish

Joy Powell / Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Retiree who called 911 for man is fatally shot in his north Minneapolis home — A 69-year-old grandfather was allegedly shot dead by a man who asked for help and who is now in custody. — Minneapolis police say a north Minneapolis retiree was fatally shot Friday when he opened his home …

Discussion: Hinterland Gazette, Liberaland and Riehl World News

Christina Hoff Sommers / The Daily Beast:

No, Women Don't Make Less Money Than Men — It's the bogus statistic that won't die—and president deployed it during the State of the Union—but women do not make 77 cents to every dollar a man earns. — President Obama repeated the spurious gender wage gap statistic in his State of the Union address.

Discussion: Power Line, Hot Air, AEIdeas and Althouse

Dylan Scott / Talking Points Memo:

Mitt 2016? Romney Leads In Key Primary State Poll — Mitt Romney, Round Three? A poll released this week in a key presidential primary state found that the 2012 Republican nominee is still the preferred 2016 choice among a crucial cohort of voters. — The Purple Strategies poll placed Romney …

Discussion: Washington Post and Outside the Beltway

Thomas J. Basile / Forbes:

Obama's Weaponization of Government — When you analyze the public response to the State of the Union and the latest polling data, it's clear that the President has lost a tremendous amount of credibility with the American public. I scarcely think he cares at this point.

Discussion: protein wisdom

Lucy McCalmont / Politico:

Bill Maher makes Country Music Awards shooting joke — Taking a swipe at conservatives on gun control, liberal comic Bill Maher joked that a mass shooting should take place at the Country Music Awards. — “Now that liberals have forwarded their agenda by inserting a mass gay wedding into the Grammys …

Discussion: The PJ Tatler

Fox News:

White House says Keystone report not final step as pressure mounts for action — A new environmental assessment from the State Department that raised no major environmental concerns on long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline isn't the last step in deciding whether the pipeline can be built, the White House said late Friday.

Discussion: americanthinker.com, Right Wing News, nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com, Daily Kos, Macleans.ca and Washington Free Beacon

Washington Post:
State Department releases Keystone XL final environmental impact statement

Discussion: The Hugh Hewitt Show, Guardian, NationalJournal.com, Voxxi, The Week, Wonkblog, Post Politics, Firedoglake and DeSmogBlog

Nicholas Confessore / New York Times:

Fund-Raising by G.O.P. Rebels Outpaces Party Establishment — Insurgent conservatives seeking to pull the Republican Party to the right raised more money last year than the groups controlled by the party establishment, whose bulging bank accounts and ties to major donors have been their most potent advantage …

Discussion: The Hill, Connecting.the.Dots, Ed Driscoll, The PJ Tatler, American Power and Riehl World News