memeorandum: Republicans Plotting Extreme Measures To Sabotage Obama's Immigration Action (Esther Yu-Hsi Lee/ThinkProgress)

2:30 PM ET, November 20, 2014

Top Items:

Esther Yu-Hsi Lee / ThinkProgress:

Republicans Plotting Extreme Measures To Sabotage Obama's Immigration Action — To the consternation of congressional Republicans, President Obama will make a prime time announcement on Thursday that he will take executive action to fill the void left by Congress on immigration reform.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Balloon Juice, CNN and Business Insider

New York Times:

At Long Last, Immigration Action — President Obama says he will speak to the nation on Thursday night about making major changes to immigration policy, including shielding several million unauthorized immigrants from deportation. He intends to do this under executive authority, because he has given up waiting for Congress to act.

Discussion: Yahoo! News, The New Republic, The Daily Caller, The Week, Mediaite, Washington Post and Daily Signal

Danny Vinik / The New Republic:

Reagan and Bush Acted Unilaterally on Immigration, Too—for the Same Reason That Obama Will — On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that two previous Republican presidents—Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush—had taken unilateral action to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation …

Discussion: neo-neocon, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Washington Post, Hot Air, The Dish, Politico, National Review, Bloomberg, ThinkProgress and Daily Signal

Stephen Collinson / CNN:
Immigration action is daring test of Obama's power

Discussion: CNNMoney.com and Daily Kos

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Democrats face major challenges in selling executive action

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Bloomberg Politics, Guardian, Townhall.com, Business Insider and Politico

Gabriel Malor / The Federalist:
No, Reagan Did Not Offer An Amnesty By Lawless Executive Order

Discussion: Hot Air and The Atlantic Online

Alex Wayne / Bloomberg:

Obamacare's Subscriber Rolls Include Unpublicized Dental Plans — The Obama administration included as many as 400,000 dental plans in a number it reported for enrollments under the Affordable Care Act, an unpublicized detail that helped surpass a goal for 7 million sign-ups.

Discussion: The Hill, ThinkProgress, Politico, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Washington Examiner, Washington Free Beacon and National Review

ABC News:

Entertainment Icon Mike Nichols Has Died at Age 83 — Mike Nichols, the entertainment icon and husband of ABC News Anchor Diane Sawyer, died suddenly Wednesday at the age of 83. — Nichols' death was announced in a statement by ABC News President James Goldston.

Discussion: American Spectator, Gawker, International Business Times, NPR and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

ABC News:
Mike Nichols passed away suddenly on Wednesday evening. He was 83.

Discussion: Mashable and Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Bruce Weber / New York Times:
Mike Nichols, 83, Acclaimed Director on Broadway and in Hollywood, Dies

Discussion: Althouse, The Daily Caller, alicublog and BBC

Hadas Gold / Politico:

White House hits TV networks for skipping immigration address — The White House is exasperated with the major broadcast networks - ABC, CBS and NBC — for skipping out on President Barack Obama's Thursday primetime address on his executive actions on immigration.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, New York Magazine, Mediaite, Betsy's Page, Washington Monthly and The PJ Tatler

The Hill:
Networks won't air Obama speech

Discussion: The Daily Banter, Deadline, Colorlines and The Huffington Post

Politico:
GOP leaders warn ‘impeachment’ is a dirty word

Discussion: Daily Kos and National Review

Rebecca Shabad / The Hill:

Appropriations panel: Defunding immigration order ‘impossible’ — It would be “impossible” to defund President Obama's executive actions on immigration through a government spending bill, the House Appropriations Committee said Thursday. — In a statement released by House Appropriations …

Discussion: The Federalist, Political Wire, RedState and Daily Kos

Maggie Haberman / Politico:

Jim Webb launches 2016 committee — Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb became the first well-known Democrat to launch an exploratory committee to run for president on Wednesday night, saying the nation is at a “serious crossroads.” — “I have decided to launch an Exploratory Committee …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Bloomberg Politics, BuzzFeed, RedState, Political Insider blog, CANNONFIRE, Outside the Beltway and Shakesville

Neil King Jr / Wall Street Journal:

Americans of All Stripes Agree: The System Is Stacked Against Them — At last, we have an important question upon which a majority of Americans—regardless of race, political persuasion or walk of life—agree. — Are the country's economic and political systems stacked against people like you?

Discussion: Weekly Standard and Political Wire

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Americans strongly support a path to citizenship. That means less for Obama than you think.

Discussion: The Dish and No More Mister Nice Blog

Dennis Myers / RN&R Weekly Contents:

On paper — Republican leader left a trail — Nevada Assembly speaker-designate Ira Hansen would be one of the most controversial speakers in Nevada history. — In a surprise, he was named by the new Republican majority on Nov. 7 as their candidate for speaker.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, Raw Story, Mediaite and Political Wire

Charles M. Blow / New York Times:

The Solid South Will Rise Again — Democrats have abandoned Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, who is in a tough runoff election. (Tough is the mild way of putting it. Polls show her down by double digits to her Republican opponent.) — Not only has the Democratic Party pulled …

Discussion: Vox Popoli and Democratic Strategist

Joseph Curl / Washington Times:

Obama sets off on scorched-earth rampage — ANALYSIS/OPINION: … President Obama, fresh off a shellacking in the 2014 midterm elections — in which he made himself a centerpiece, much to the chagrin of embattled Democrats — is about to embark on a scorched-earth rampage that will change the face of America forever.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and The PJ Tatler

Frank Newport / Gallup:

Majority Say Not Gov't Duty to Provide Healthcare for All — Story Highlights — PRINCETON, N.J. — For the third consecutive year, a majority of Americans (52%) agree with the position that it is not the federal government's responsibility to ensure that all Americans have healthcare coverage.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, No More Mister Nice Blog, US News and The PJ Tatler

Mark Leibovich / New York Times:

Chris Christie Is Back — Credit: Tobias Hutzler for The New York Times — “If I fix this, you have to start the story with it,” Chris Christie told me, yanking the string of the venetian blind in the diner window. We were eating a late lunch at a place called Howley's …

Discussion: OnPolitics and Washington Post

Peter Wehner / Commentary Magazine:

Obama Is About to Commit an Act of Constitutional Infamy — The president will present his case on behalf of his forthcoming executive order on amnesty tomorrow at 8 p.m. I certainly hope President Obama addresses the arguments against his action that were repeatedly and passionately made by ... President Obama.

Discussion: Power Line and The Hugh Hewitt Show

James Hohmann / Politico:

Scott Walker plots 2016 rollout — The Wisconsin governor is putting together the pieces of a campaign. — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, pivoting from his bigger-than-expected reelection win this month, is taking active steps toward a presidential campaign that would launch next summer …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Esquire, JSOnline, Washington Post and National Review

Rebecca Traister / The New Republic:

No One Wanted to Talk About Bill Cosby's Alleged Crimes Because He Made White America Feel Good About Race — This spring, I taught a graduate seminar on magazine feature writing. One of the assignments was Robert Huber's 2006 Philadelphia Magazine story, “Dr. Huxtable & Mr. Hyde,” …

Discussion: New York Times, Raw Story, Althouse, CNNMoney.com, The Atlantic Online, Gawker, Washington Post and The Huffington Post

Robert Booth / Guardian:

Prince Charles will not be silenced when he is made king, say allies — Exclusive: Sources close to heir say he will break with Queen's habit of discretion by continuing to speak out on issues that matter to him — Prince Charles is ready to reshape the monarch's role when he becomes king and make …

Discussion: Althouse and Eschaton

Phillip M. Bailey / Salon:

EXCLUSIVE: Rand Paul sounds off to Salon on race, 2016, Hillary and Republicans — GOP senator tells Salon about his potential White House bid, the GOP establishment and race in America — With an eye on a potential 2016 bid for the White House, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul continues to test whether …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Politico, National Review, Balloon Juice and American Spectator

Greg Miller / Washington Post:

CIA Director John Brennan considering sweeping organizational changes — CIA Director John Brennan is considering sweeping organizational changes that could include breaking up the separate spying and analysis divisions that have been in place for decades to create hybrid units focused …

Discussion: CNN and Outside the Beltway

Burlington Free Press:

Vermont paychecks stop for consultant Gruber — Vermont expects economist Jonathan Gruber to finish his health-care consulting, but without any additional pay. — Lawrence Miller, the state's chief of health care reform, announced the decision Wednesday.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Mediaite