memeorandum: With deadline looming, Obama to again push infrastructure (Kevin Liptak/CNN)

8:35 AM ET, July 14, 2014

Top Items:

Juan Williams / The Hill:

Reid just wants to legislate — Ten years ago this summer, U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama's keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention made him a star. — Pundits like to “slice and dice our country into red states and blue states,” he said.

Kevin Liptak / CNN:

With deadline looming, Obama to again push infrastructure — Washington (CNN) — Once again using some of the nation's deteriorating infrastructure as his backdrop, President Barack Obama this week plans to pressure lawmakers into finding a way to keep money flowing to road and bridge projects before funding dries up next month.

Discussion: Politico

Amie Parnes / The Hill:

Obama the pariah — Democrats in tough reelection races have a blunt message for President Obama: Keep away. — Obama's approval ratings are in the basement and show no signs of improving, so Democrats are keeping their distance. On the stump, in campaign ads and at fundraisers, Obama's absence is increasingly conspicuous.

Justin Sink / The Hill:

Spokesman: Obama ‘absolutely’ the most transparent president — President Obama is “absolutely” the most transparent president in history, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Sunday after the White House received a letter from signed by a dozen top journalists' groups complaining …

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Obama's unpredictability ‘stresses’ the Secret Service

Discussion: Capitol Report

Washington Post:
Border crisis scrambling the politics of immigration policy

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Betsy's Page, The Hill, Hot Air, Washington Free Beacon, JustOneMinute, Power Line, National Review and BuzzFeed

Sen. Rand Paul / Politico:

Rick Perry Is Dead Wrong — There are many things I like about Texas Gov. Rick Perry, including his stance on the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution. But apparently his new glasses haven't altered his perception of the world, or allowed him to see it any more clearly.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Yahoo! News, OnPolitics, The Daily Caller, Washington Post, National Review and Hot Air

Karoli / Latest from Crooks and Liars:

Face The Nation: Rep. Gutierrez Destroys GOP Border Crisis Lies — Rep. Luis Gutierrez patiently explained to Bob Schieffer how Rick Perry and the GOP are lying about the issues at the border. — Rep. Luis Gutierrez has been a consistent champion for immigration reform.

Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo: Hume Grills Perry: What Good Will Troops At Border Do If They Can't Arrest Anyone? (VIDEO)

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

Isn't It Rich? — WASHINGTON — CHELSEA CLINTON never acted out during the eight years she came of age as America's first daughter. — No ditching of her Secret Service detail. No fake IDs for underage tippling. No drug scandal. No court appearance in tank top and toe ring.

Discussion: NewsBusters, Althouse, The Democratic Daily and Weekly Standard

ABC News:

Eric Holder: Palin Wasn't a Good VP Candidate, Even Worse Judge of Who Should Be Impeached … Attorney General Eric Holder is challenging Republicans who are calling for his and President Obama's impeachment, and denouncing what he calls a “gridlocked Washington” stalled …

Discussion: Guardian, BREITBART.COM, Little Green Footballs, ABC News, Talking Points Memo, Politico, The Raw Story and The Gateway Pundit

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Holder sees ‘racial animus’ in opposition

Discussion: The PJ Tatler

CBS News:

Israel says it downed drone fired from Gaza — Smoke from Israeli air strike rises over the Gaza Strip on July 14, 2014 at the Israeli-Gaza border ILIA YEFIMOVICH, GETTY IMAGES — Shares - — JERUSALEM — Israel's military said it downed a drone along its southern coastline on Monday …

Discussion: Hot Air

Yaakov Lappin / Jerusalem Post:
Israel Navy commandos raid long-range rocket facility in Gaza

Discussion: Israel Matzav, Algemeiner.com and The Times of Israel

Adam Sneed / Politico:
McCain calls Israeli restraint ‘admirable’

Discussion: CNN

Peter Sullivan / The Hill:

Teachers unions turn on Obama — Teachers unions have turned on Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and the Obama administration, creating a major divide in the Democratic Party coalition. — The largest teachers union in the country, the National Education Association (NEA) …

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Obamacare Fails to Fail — How many Americans know how health reform is going? For that matter, how many people in the news media are following the positive developments? — I suspect that the answer to the first question is “Not many,” while the answer to the second is “Possibly even fewer,” for reasons I'll get to later.

Discussion: Daily Kos

Lloyd Grove / The Daily Beast:

The Strange Leak of the New Exposé ‘Clinton, Inc.’ — Sure, hotly anticipated books leak all the time. But 10 days early? And by a tipster who seems to be posing as a Tea Partier—but who one source suspects is affiliated with the Clintons? — The marketing and publicity folks …

Discussion: Weekly Standard

BBC:

Pope Francis: ‘About 2%’ of Catholic clergy paedophiles — Pope Francis has been quoted as saying that reliable data indicates that “about 2%” of clergy in the Catholic Church are paedophiles. — The Pope said that abuse of children was like “leprosy” infecting the Church, according to the Italian La Repubblica newspaper.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Scared Monkeys and NBC News

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

Chris Christie: Gay marriage debate not over — NASHVILLE — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Saturday that the GOP shouldn't stop debating same-sex marriage, despite shifting national attitudes and a string of court decisions that have overturned gay marriage bans.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice