memeorandum: Russia's aggressive behavior can't go unchecked by the U.S. (Robert Menendez/Washington Post)

10:50 AM ET, March 12, 2014

Top Items:

David Jolly's victory spells trouble for Democrats nationwide — If I'm a Democratic House member in any competitive district in America or a Democratic incumbent senator up for re-election this year in a moderate-to-conservative state like North Carolina, Arkansas, Colorado, Alaska or Louisiana …

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Plum Line

Josh Kraushaar / NationalJournal.com:

Why a Republican Wave in 2014 is Looking More Likely Now — David Jolly wasn't expected to win Tuesday's special election. But he capitalized on an increasingly favorable political environment for the GOP. — Tuesday night's special election in Florida should be a serious scare for Democrats …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Plum Line, Power Line, Hot Air, Mediaite and NBC News

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Florida race shows Democrats' Obamacare dilemma — BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL OBAMACARE 2014 ELECTIONS — The widely respected Florida political analyst Adam Smith sees big problems for Democrats in the loss of Alex Sink to Republican David Jolly in the special election to fill the House seat from Florida's 13th Congressional District.

Discussion: Power Line, The Daily Beast, Fox News, Betsy's Page and Washington Monthly

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
David Jolly defeats Alex Sink in Florida 13th

Discussion: Washington Monthly, CNN, The PJ Tatler, Hot Air, Mediaite, Fox News, Scared Monkeys, The Gateway Pundit, The Raw Story and The Moderate Voice

Tampa Bay Times: David Jolly elected to represent Pinellas County in Congress

Sean Trende / Real Clear Politics:
What Should We Read Into FL-13? Maybe Nothing.

Discussion: RedState, Daily Kos, Associated Press, Booman Tribune, American Spectator, The Daily Caller, The Rothenberg Political …, The Raw Story, Hot Air and The Hill

Adam C. Smith / Tampa Bay Times:
PPP poll: Alex Sink 48%, David Jolly45%, Lucas Overby 6%

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, No More Mister Nice Blog, Business Insider, Yahoo! News and Power Line

Patrick O'Connor / Wall Street Journal:

WSJ/NBC News Poll: Obama's approval rating hits new low. — President Obama notched the lowest approval ratings of his presidency in the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, amd wide pessimism about the economy and deep frustration with Washington.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Taylor Marsh, The PJ Tatler, Corrente, Politico, The Lonely Conservative, The Huffington Post and Washington Free Beacon

Beth Reinhard / Wall Street Journal:

WSJ Poll: Voters Stay Negative on Christie — Positive feelings about New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are eroding across the board — even among his once-loyal base of Republicans and Northeasterners - in the wake of allegations that top deputies engineered a massive traffic jam …

Discussion: PoliticusUSA and The Week

Beth Reinhard / Wall Street Journal:

WSJ Poll: Candy Is Dandy But Pot Is Less Harmful — What's worse for your health: a candy bar or a joint? — The new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll produced a surprising answer. Sugar. When Americans were asked their opinion on the most harmful of four substances, tobacco (49%) …

Discussion: The Week

Bloomberg:
Americans Split on Obama as 69% Back Minimum Wage Hike

Discussion: Hot Air

David Corn / Mother Jones:

The Senate-CIA Blowup Threatens a Constitutional Crisis — The allegations of CIA snooping on congressional investigators isn't just a scandal—the whole premise of secret government is in question. — Feinstein: Arno Burgi/DPA/ZUMA; CIA flag: CIA/Wikimedia Commons

Discussion: Firedoglake, emptywheel, Washington Post, The Dish and Post Politics

The Hill:

Feinstein drops CIA bombshell — The CIA conducted an unconstitutional search of a Senate Intelligence Committee computer network that amounted to illegal spying, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) charged Tuesday in a dramatic speech on the Senate floor. — Feinstein said the CIA's actions …

Discussion: Firedoglake

Eli Lake / The Daily Beast:
Did the CIA Chief Just Dare Obama to Fire Him?

Discussion: Close Read, ThinkProgress, TalkLeft, Foreign Policy and Washington Post

Nancy Benac / Associated Press:
Intrigue at the Top: CIA, Senate Feud Goes Public

Discussion: Politico

Niels Lesniewski / The World's Greatest …:
Feinstein: CIA Spied on Intelligence Committee (Updated) (Video)

Discussion: The Intercept, Slate, Talking Points Memo, Balloon Juice, Real Clear Politics, emptywheel, Hullabaloo and Roll Call

Wall Street Journal:

ObamaCare's Secret Mandate Exemption — HHS quietly repeals the individual purchase rule for two more years. — ObamaCare's implementers continue to roam the battlefield and shoot their own wounded, and the latest casualty is the core of the Affordable Care Act—the individual mandate.

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications and The Federalist

HHS.gov:
Enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace climbs to 4.2 million in February

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, Erik Wemple and The Week

Tami Luhby / CNNMoney.com:
Why casino workers hate Obamacare

Discussion: JustOneMinute

New York Times:

Obama Will Seek Broad Expansion of Overtime Pay — WASHINGTON — President Obama this week will seek to force American businesses to pay more overtime to millions of workers, the latest move by his administration to confront corporations that have had soaring profits even as wages have stagnated.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Right Wing News, The Week, Economic Policy Institute, The Lonely Conservative, Balloon Juice and Eschaton

David A. Graham / The Atlantic Online:

Between Two Ferns: The Selling of the President, 2014 — President Obama stormed the internet Tuesday with his appearance on Zach Galifianakis's beloved series Between Two Ferns: — There are (in my opinion) some solidly entertaining moments here, but of course Obama's reason for appearing …

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, National Review, PoliticusUSA, NewsBusters, Althouse and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »

Matt Wilstein / Mediaite:
Bill O'Reilly: Abraham Lincoln Would Never Have Appeared on Funny or Die

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Hit & Run and The Raw Story

Dean Obeidallah / The Daily Beast:
Will Young People Buy Health Care From Obama and Zach Galifianakis?

Discussion: The Colorado Independent, The Week, BuzzFeed, ABC News, ThinkProgress, The Fix, Re/code and BillMoyers.com

Andrew Cohen / The Atlantic Online:

Freedom After 30 Years on Death Row — UPDATE: Glenn Ford was indeed released from prison late Tuesday afternoon local time. The same judge who denied him relief in 2009 was the one who signed the order authorizing his release. — ORIGINAL STORY: Glenn Ford, a black man wrongfully convicted …

Discussion: Booman Tribune

Bloomberg:

Wall Street Plays 2016 Dating Game as Christie Stumbles — Billionaire Wilbur Ross invited Paul Ryan over for lunch. Goldman Sachs (GS) Group Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) bankers met with Rand Paul at a fundraiser in Atlanta. Investor Rob Arnott dropped in on Ted Cruz.

Discussion: Mediaite

Rebecca Riffkin / Gallup:

Climate Change Not a Top Worry in U.S. — U.S. concerns with the quality of the environment dropped in 2014 … WASHINGTON, D.C. — Twenty-eight U.S. senators held an all-night “talkathon” Monday to call attention to climate change, an issue that only 24% of Americans say they worry about a great deal.

Discussion: TruthRevolt.org and Washington Free Beacon