memeorandum: Spying Case Left Obama in Dark, U.S. Officials Say (New York Times)

1:15 PM ET, July 9, 2014

Top Items:

Morning Plum: Obama to set off bomb in middle of midterms — Now that Republicans have made it clear that they will not participate on any level in basic problem solving when it comes to our immigration crisis, it is now on Obama to determine just how far he can go unilaterally in addressing the problem …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Hill, Politico, addictinginfo.org, Prairie Weather and New York Times

Paul Begala / CNN:

What's behind Boehner's nutty lawsuit threat — John Boehner's political career … (CNN) — House Speaker John Boehner's threatened lawsuit against President Obama has elicited scorn from the right and blistering attacks from the left. So why is Boehner pursuing it?

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Hullabaloo and Washington Post

Erica Werner / Associated Press:
Obama Officials Pledge to Stem Immigration Tide

Discussion: Politico

Stephen Ohlemacher / Associated Press:
Boehner Non-Committal on Obama Immigration Plan

Discussion: Politico

Adriana Cohen / Associated Press:
Immigration mess grows as Obama plays blame game

Discussion: Questions and Observations

Byron Tau / Politico:
Why the GOP is holding its convention early

Discussion: Washington Times, American Thinker, Washington Post and Balloon Juice

Bloomberg View:
Obama's Border Bailout

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Guardian, Slate and The Dish

Billy House / NationalJournal.com:
The Boehner Lawsuit Against Obama Is Beginning to Take Shape

Discussion: Washington Examiner, No More Mister Nice Blog and Booman Tribune

Alec MacGillis / The New Republic:
The Border Crisis Is Not “Obama's Katrina.” Not Even Close.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, FOX News Radio, Washington Post, Guardian, The PJ Tatler, Defense One, American Prospect and Hot Air

USA Today:

Exclusive: Clooney responds to ‘Daily Mail’ report — I want to speak to the irresponsibility of Monday's Daily Mail report. I seldom respond to tabloids, unless it involves someone else and their safety or well being. The Daily Mail has printed a completely fabricated story …

Discussion: Guardian, Taylor Marsh, The Raw Story, WJLA-TV, Globe and Mail, Mediaite, Reliable Sources, The Huffington Post and Mashable, more at Mediagazer »

Daily Mail:
EXCLUSIVE - ‘She can do better’: Amal Alamuddin's mother 'is unimpressed with George Clooney …

Discussion: Guardian, USA Today, Poynter and The Huffington Post

The Intercept:

Meet the Muslim-American Leaders the FBI and NSA Have Been Spying On — The National Security Agency and FBI have covertly monitored the emails of prominent Muslim-Americans—including a political candidate and several civil rights activists, academics, and lawyers—under secretive procedures intended …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Muslim Advocates, Hit & Run, The Hill, New York Times, Lawfare, Guardian, Outside the Beltway, The Daily Caller, Truth Revolt, Colorlines, Business Insider, The Verge, The Dish, PandoDaily, RT, emptywheel and Mashable

Washington Post:

The tea party's embrace of martyrdom — Hiroo Onoda, the last imperial Japanese soldier to surrender after World War II, hid out in a jungle in the Philippines for 29 years, refusing to believe that the war was over. He finally turned himself in, wearing his sword, cap and patched uniform, in 1974.

Discussion: Booman Tribune, BuzzFeed, NBC News, The Clarion-Ledger, Roll Call and Politico

Cameron Joseph / The Hill:
Untamed Cruz refuses to play nice with GOP campaign arm

Discussion: Instapundit and The PJ Tatler

Cameron Joseph / The Hill: Cochran gets lost on way to Senate lunch

Ed O'Keefe / Washington Post:

Gay rights groups withdraw support of ENDA after Hobby Lobby decision — Several major gay rights groups withdrew support Tuesday for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that would bolster gay and transgender rights in the workplace, saying they fear that broad religious exemptions included …

Discussion: Power Line, Washington Monthly, The Dish, Althouse, Hot Air and Talking Points Memo

New York Times:
Faith Groups Seek Exclusion From Bias Rule

Discussion: BillMoyers.com and Talking Points Memo

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Left frets on Ginsburg's next steps

Discussion: Hit & Run, Red Alert Politics and Outside the Beltway

Larry O'Connor / Washington Free Beacon:
Harry Reid Thinks Clarence Thomas Is White

Discussion: Washington Post, Hot Air and Red Alert Politics

BuzzFeed:

5 Reasons Why New York Times Editorial Today Is An Embarrassment To Journalism — Ambassador Ron Dermer questions the integrity of today's New York Times ' editorial, Four Horrific Killings — The New York Times writes that “after days of near silence,” Prime Minister Netanyahu condemned …

Discussion: Truth Revolt, Palestinian Media Watch and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Sophie Jane Evans / Daily Mail:

Shocking moment ISIS militants take sledgehammers to Mosul tomb of Prophet Jonah as more than 50 blindfolded bodies are found massacred south of Baghdad — This is the shocking moment ISIS militants took sledgehammers to Iraqi tombstones - smashing them to pieces.

Discussion: The Jawa Report and Truth Revolt

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

The Most Shocking Result in World Cup History — We had Brazil favored to win Tuesday's World Cup semifinal against Germany (even despite the absence of Neymar and Thiago Silva). — Time to eat some crow. That prediction stunk. — It's not that a German win was all that unlikely.

Discussion: New York Times, The Dish, ThinkProgress and Power Line

Tom Jackman / Washington Post:

In ‘sexting’ case Manassas City police want to photograph teen in sexually explicit manner, lawyers say — A Manassas City teenager accused of “sexting” a video to his girlfriend is now facing a search warrant in which Manassas City police and Prince William County prosecutors want to take a photo …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Hit & Run

Amy Chozick / New York Times:

Chelsea Clinton Follows Parents' Lead as a Paid Speaker — There is a new Clinton paid to deliver speeches — Chelsea, the former first daughter — and she is commanding as much as $75,000 per appearance. — Aides stressed that while Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton often address trade groups …

Discussion: OnPolitics

Darlena Cunha / Washington Post:

This is what happened when I drove my Mercedes to pick up food stamps — Sara Bareilles played softly through the surround-sound speakers of my husband's 2003 Mercedes Kompressor as I sat idling at a light. I'd never been to this church before, but I could see it from where I was …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Unfogged and Poynter

Erica Ritz / TheBlaze.com:

‘We Must Open Our Hearts’: Glenn Beck Announces Major Border Event in Texas — Glenn Beck on Tuesday announced that he will be bringing tractor-trailers full of food, water, teddy bears and soccer balls to McAllen, Texas on July 19 as a way to help care for some of the roughly 60,000 underage refugees …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Politico, Hot Air and The Huffington Post

Raphael Ahren / The Times of Israel:

Top Obama official blasts Israel for denying Palestinians sovereignty, security, dignity — 'How can Israel have peace if it's unwilling to delineate a border, end the occupation?' asks Obama's Mideast chief, Phillip Gordon, in blistering Tel Aviv speech — Israel's ongoing occupation …

Discussion: Power Line, Israel Matzav, Truth Revolt, The Right Scoop and Washington Free Beacon

New York Times:

Spying Case Left Obama in Dark, U.S. Officials Say — WASHINGTON — When President Obama placed a call to Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany last Thursday, he had a busy agenda: to consult with a close ally and to mobilize wavering Europeans to put more pressure on Russia to end its covert incursions in Ukraine.

Discussion: The Verge, Outside the Beltway, AEIdeas and Prairie Weather