memeorandum: N.H. poll: Romney leads GOP field (Lucy McCalmont/Politico)

12:00 PM ET, November 24, 2014

Top Items:

Helene Cooper / New York Times:

Hagel Said to Be Stepping Down as Defense Chief Under Pressure — WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is stepping down under pressure, the first cabinet-level casualty of the collapse of President Obama's Democratic majority in the Senate and a beleaguered national security team …

Jim Miklaszewski / NBC News:

Forced Out: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to Step Down — According to one senior official, “He wasn't up to the job.”

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, American Spectator, BillMoyers.com, Political Wire, Mediaite, National Review, The Daily Caller, Betsy's Page and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

ABC News:

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to Step Down … Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is stepping down, senior administration officials confirmed today to ABC News. — President Obama will announce Hagel's departure Monday morning from the Rose Garden of the White House.

Discussion: Politico

Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:

Police: Woman Saying She's ‘Ready For Ferguson’ Shoots, Kills Self By Accident — St. Louis police were investigating an incident in which a woman waving a gun inside a vehicle and saying she was “ready for Ferguson” apparently shot herself in the head by accident, CNN reported Sunday.

Discussion: Mediaite and Booman Tribune

Shimon Prokupecz / CNN:

Police: Woman allegedly kills herself with gun bought to prepare for Ferguson unrest — St. Louis (CNN) — A woman appears to have accidentally fatally shot herself in the head with a gun bought to prepare for possible Ferguson-related unrest, according to sources briefed on the police investigation.

Discussion: Liberaland and Raw Story

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney.com:

Exclusive: Why TV anchors met secretly with Ferguson officer who shot Michael Brown — Practically every journalist covering the death of Michael Brown would like to interview Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot and killed Brown. — In the pursuit of that interview …

Discussion: Politico, theGrio and New York Magazine

Danielle Paquette / Washington Post:
Giuliani: 'White police officers wouldn't be there if you weren't killing each other.'

Discussion: Mediaite, Hot Air, naked capitalism, Gawker, New York Magazine and TalkLeft

Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:
Giuliani: 'White Police Officers Won't Be There' If Blacks 'Weren't Killing Each Other' (VIDEO)

Discussion: Balloon Juice and Hullabaloo

John McCormick / Bloomberg Politics:

Rand Paul Shows Early Strength in New Hampshire Poll — Republican Rand Paul is showing early strength for a possible 2016 presidential bid in the first primary state, where a Bloomberg Politics/Saint Anselm New Hampshire Poll shows him running slightly ahead of more established names.

Discussion: US News, OnPolitics and Political Wire

Lucy McCalmont / Politico:

N.H. poll: Romney leads GOP field — Former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney would still lead a pack of possible Republican contenders in New Hampshire if he were to run in 2016, a new poll shows. — Romney leads with 30 percent of the vote in a Bloomberg Politics/St. Anselm New Hampshire poll released Monday.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

John Fund / National Review:

Lincoln — or Schoolyard Bully? — Even some of Obama's allies cast a cold eye on his penchant for lawmaking. — President Obama held a private screening of the Steven Spielberg movie Lincoln at the White House in late 2012, and an ABC News reporter tweeted that Obama was “incredibly moved” …

Discussion: Scared Monkeys and Shot in the Dark

Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:
SNL skit suggests Obama's immigration executive action is unconstitutional

Discussion: Time, “The Lid”, Liberal Values and Mediaite

Olivia Nuzzi / The Daily Beast:

Rand Paul Declares War on ISIS—and Allows Boots on the Ground — The Kentucky senator, seeking to define himself as a foreign-policy heavyweight ahead of 2016, will introduce a measure in the Senate next month declaring war on the terror group. — “The most important” part of Rand Paul's assessment of …

Discussion: Political Wire

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
Rand Paul Calls for a Formal Declaration of War Against ISIS

Discussion: CNN, National Review, Time and New York Magazine

Reuters:

Iran nuclear talks extended seven months after failing to meet deadline — (Reuters) - Iran and six powers failed for a second time this year on Monday to resolve their 12-year dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions and gave themselves seven more months to overcome the deadlock that has prevented them from clinching an historic deal.

Discussion: National Review and Time

Wall Street Journal:
No Iran Nuclear Deal Seen by Monday Deadline

Discussion: Fox News and Israel Matzav

Juan Williams / The Hill:

Giving thanks for government — Raise your hand if you love big government — you know, intrusive, controlling high-tax big government. — Not you, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). The only Socialist elected to Congress is excused from this caucus. — But seriously, every Republican …

Manu Raju / Politico:

Mitch McConnell preps for 2016 battle — Facing a daunting map, Republicans are already plotting ways to hang onto their new Senate majority. — Mitch McConnell spent years charting the Republican path back to power — and now he's already plotting to make sure they don't lose it.

Charles M. Blow / New York Times:

Bigger Than Immigration — Don't let yourself get lost in the weeds. Don't allow yourself to believe that opposition to President Obama's executive actions on immigration is only about that issue, the president's tactics, or his lack of obsequiousness to his detractors.

Discussion: Daily Kos