memeorandum: Vermont paychecks stop for consultant Gruber (Burlington Free Press)

1:50 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

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: The Federalist, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Hot Air, The Dish, Washington Post, Politico, National Review, Bloomberg, ThinkProgress, The Atlantic Online and Daily Signal

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: The New Republic, The Daily Caller, The Week, Mediaite, Washington Post 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, Guardian, Bloomberg Politics, Townhall.com, Business Insider and Politico

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, Mediaite, Washington Monthly, New York Magazine, Betsy's Page, The PJ Tatler and White House.gov Blog

John Hudson / Foreign Policy:
White House Putting Up ‘Fierce’ Fight to Conceal Torture Report

Discussion: Hullabaloo, BillMoyers.com and The World's Greatest …

The Hill:
Networks won't air Obama speech

Discussion: The Daily Banter, Deadline and The Huffington Post

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

Discussion: Daily Kos

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

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

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

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

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

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: Washington Free Beacon and National Review

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

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

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

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

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, American Spectator and Balloon Juice

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

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, Gawker, The Atlantic Online and Washington Post

Yahoo! News:

John McCain says President Obama's ISIS strategy reminds him of Vietnam — Power Players 1 hr ago — Jeff Zeleny, Richard Coolidge and Jordyn Phelps — Sen. John McCain says the “gradual escalation” in the fight against ISIS reminds him of the failed strategy that caused the United States to lose the Vietnam War.

Discussion: ABC News and Political Wire

Stephen Dinan / Washington Times:

McConnell: Obama's executive action will lead to immigrant deaths — Sen. Mitch McConnell warned Thursday that some would-be illegal immigrants could die trying to reach the U.S. thanks to President Obama's plans to offer a temporary amnesty, saying it will amount to an invitation for a new wave …

Discussion: FOX News Radio

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 and US News