memeorandum: Americans' Satisfaction With Job Security at New High (Rebecca Riffkin/Gallup)

9:30 AM ET, August 21, 2014

Top Items:

In Raid to Save Foley and Other Hostages, U.S. Found None — EDGARTOWN, Mass. — A secret nighttime military mission authorized by President Obama to rescue Americans held captive in Syria failed early this summer when a team of two dozen Delta Force commandos raided an oil refinery …

Discussion: Washington Post, Daily Mail, Hot Air, Guardian, No More Mister Nice Blog, Taylor Marsh, The Daily Caller and Gawker

Rukmini Callimachi / New York Times:

ISIS Demanded Ransom From U.S. Before Killing Reporter — Kneeling in the dirt in a desert somewhere in the Middle East, James Foley lost his life this week at the hands of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Before pulling out the knife used to decapitate him, his masked executioner explained …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Consortiumnews.com, Telegraph, ABC News, Clash Daily, Gawker, Daily Mail, Business Insider, Associated Press, Independent Journal Review, Yahoo! News and The Huffington Post

Jon Lee Anderson / New Yorker:

The Men Who Killed James Foley — A video showing the beheading, by a black-garbed executioner, of the American journalist James Foley is the latest in a series of sickening acts that the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, has visited on the world in recent months.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal

Kristina Wong / The Hill:

Pete King: Beheading was ‘declaration of war’ — Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) on Wednesday said the beheading of American journalist James Foley by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was effectively “a declaration of war” and called for a stronger U.S. military response.

Discussion: The Week

Kendall Breitman / Politico:

Dick Cheney: Magnify James Foley by ‘a million’ — Former Vice President Dick Cheney is predicting that the beheading of American journalist James Foley is just the start of more violence if President Barack Obama doesn't “deal with this crisis” in Iraq. — “The ISIS organization in charge …

Discussion: Truth Revolt

ABC News:
US Military Launched Secret Rescue Operation in Syria for James Foley, Other Americans

Discussion: Washington Post, Gawker, Mediaite, The Raw Story, abc7.com, Hit & Run, Yahoo! News and PUNDITGUY

Washington Post:
Obama denounces killing of journalist James Foley and pledges ‘justice’

Discussion: Guardian, Power Line, National Review, RT, Business Insider, Defense One, The Huffington Post and The Moderate Voice, more at Mediagazer »

defense.gov:
Statement from Pentagon Press Secretary RADM John Kirby on Attempted Rescue Operation

Discussion: TalkLeft

New York Times:
Obama, ‘Appalled’ by Beheading, Will Continue Airstrikes

Discussion: Hot Air, Watchdog.org, Weekly Standard, RealClearPolitics Video Log, Poynter, PandoDaily, Runnin' Scared and The Atlantic Online, more at Mediagazer »

John Kerry / US Department of State:
Murder of James Foley

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and TalkLeft

Hollie McKay / Fox News:

Missouri cop was badly beaten before shooting Michael Brown, says source — Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, Mo., police officer whose fatal shooting of Michael Brown touched off more than a week of demonstrations, suffered severe facial injuries, including an orbital (eye socket) fracture …

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, The Mahablog, The Daily Caller, Daily Mail, The Last Refuge, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Little Green Footballs, Hit & Run, Mediaite, Hot Air, The PJ Tatler and FOX2now.com

Alex Byers / Politico:
Ferguson: Social media more spark than solution

Discussion: The PJ Tatler

Jamelle Bouie / Slate:
Why the Fires in Ferguson Won't End Soon

Discussion: Guardian, New York Times, NewsBusters, Shakesville, The Dish, Obsidian Wings, Alas, a Blog and Al Jazeera America

Lee Enterprises / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Jay Nixon won't remove Robert McCulloch as Brown case goes to grand jury

Discussion: The Raw Story, Daily Kos and Talking Points Memo

KFVS-TV:

Councilman under fire for posting what some call ‘racist photos’ on Facebook … POPLAR BLUFF, MO (KFVS) - — A Poplar Bluff city councilman is under fire for posting what some are calling racist photos of President Obama on his Facebook page. — The issue was brought up at Monday night's city council meeting.

Discussion: The Raw Story

Ahiza Garcia / Talking Points Memo:

Missouri Councilman Explains Racist Facebook Posts: ‘I Was A Very Active Republican’ — A Republican city councilman in Missouri apologized this week for posting racist messages about President Obama on Facebook, citing his own strong engagement with the Republican Party as the reason behind his actions.

Discussion: Liberaland

Chris McDaniel / St. Louis Public Radio:

St. Louis Police Release Video, Calls From City Shooting — On Tuesday, two officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department shot and killed Kajieme Powell, who was 25 years old. — Powell was suspected of shoplifting energy drinks and donuts from a convenience store.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Hinterland Gazette, Guardian, RT, Daily Mail, Mashable, Mediaite, The Raw Story, Gawker and The News Commenter, more at Mediagazer »

Linda Greenhouse / New York Times:

By Any Means Necessary — The Affordable Care Act — Obamacare — has endured so many near-death experiences that digging into the details of still another effort to demolish it is admittedly not an inviting prospect. (My own reaction, I confess, to hearing some months back about the latest legal challenge …

Discussion: Prairie Weather

Chris Johnson / Washington Blade:
Supreme Court blocks Virginia same-sex marriages

Discussion: ThinkProgress

Rebecca Riffkin / Gallup:

Americans' Satisfaction With Job Security at New High — Satisfaction with many job aspects returns to high pre-recession levels — WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the U.S., 58% of full- or part-time workers are completely satisfied with their job security. This represents an increase …

Discussion: Washington Post and National Review

Colby Itkowitz / Washington Post:

Answering question on Israel, Bernie Sanders tells townhall hecklers to ‘shut up!’ — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has little patience for being heckled. — The self-described “socialist,” often named as a liberal alternative to Hillary Clinton in 2016, fought with constituents over Israel …

Discussion: Weekly Standard and Israel Matzav

Patrick O'Connor / Wall Street Journal:

Wall Street Isn't the Political Baddie It Used to Be — As political villains go, Wall Street seems to be enjoying something of a reprieve. — No industry was more battered on the airwaves in 2012 than the financial-services sector. Candidates, parties and outside groups aired a total …

Hollywood Reporter:

‘SNL’ Political Secrets Revealed: Hillary's “Entitlement,” the Sketch Obama Killed and the Show's “Karl Rove” — In an exclusive book excerpt, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and even Sarah Palin recount the inner battle between the left and right … Lorne Michaels, executive producer …