memeorandum: Christie Inches Closer to 2016 with State of the State Address, Calls for an ‘American Renewal’ (Shushannah Walshe/ABC News)

8:20 PM ET, January 13, 2015

Top Items:

Representative Randy Weber Issues Statement on Paris Tweet — Washington, D.C. - Representative Randy Weber (R-Friendswood) released the following statement in reference to a tweet sent out last night: — “I need to first apologize to all those offended by my tweet.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, FreakOutNation, OnPolitics, CBS Dallas, Associated Press, Fusion, Joe. My. God., The Huffington Post and Mediaite

Susie Madrak / Latest from Crooks and Liars:

You Know Who Else Went To Paris? Hitler — Not even two weeks into the new year and only a couple of days into the new Congress, and already a Republican is comparing Obama to Hitler! The people who voted for this jackweed must be so proud:

Discussion: Truth Revolt and Washington Post

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:
Republican apologizes for Hitler tweet

Discussion: Trail Blazers Blog and Politico

WCPO:

EXCLUSIVE: FBI says John Boehner's West Chester bartender planned to poison him — Feds: Man said he was Jesus, Boehner was the devil — DEER PARK, Ohio - Ebola, evil voices and the devil. — Those are just a few of the things a Butler County bartender cited as reasons …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Little Green Footballs, Washington Post, Fox News, The Stranger …, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story and Arsalan Iftikhar

ABC News:
Ohio Bartender Charged With Threatening to Murder John Boehner

Discussion: Politico

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

Romney And The GOP's Five-Ring Circus — There have been rumors for months that Mitt Romney might run for president again in 2016. On Monday afternoon, though, The Washington Post's Robert Costa, Philip Rucker and Karen Tumulty — three top-notch journalists — reported that Romney …

Discussion: FOX News Radio, Washington Post, The Dish, Hit & Run, Daily Signal, Talking Points Memo, National Review, Bloomberg View, Patterico's Pontifications and PoliticusUSA

John Dickerson / Slate:

Why Romney Wants to Run — He genuinely believes the third time could be the charm. — When Jeb Bush formed his leadership PAC, he said he wanted it to encourage other like-minded candidates. It worked. He encouraged Mitt Romney. The two-time presidential candidate is now seriously considering another run.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, PoliticusUSA and Political Wire

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
I Refuse to Believe Romney '16 Is Real

Discussion: Salon, Washington Post, Washington Monthly, No More Mister Nice Blog, Bloomberg View, The Huffington Post, The Daily Caller and Prairie Weather

Laura Barron-Lopez / The Hill:

Senate to vote on whether climate change is happening — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday he will allow the Senate to vote on an amendment asking if they agree that climate change is impacting the planet. — At his weekly press briefing, McConnell said …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, ThinkProgress, No More Mister Nice Blog, TheBlaze.com, Talking Points Memo and Washington Post

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
McConnell threatens midnight session over Keystone XL pipeline

Discussion: Politico and Daily Kos

Laura Barron-Lopez / The Hill:
Democrats plan tough votes for GOP on Keystone pipeline bill

Discussion: Daily Kos

Scott Wong / The Hill:

Scalise voted against apology for slavery — Six years before he spoke to a white supremacist group, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) voted as a state lawmaker against a resolution apologizing for slavery, according to a 1996 article from the Times-Picayune.

Discussion: Politico, Mediaite, PoliticusUSA, Daily Kos, Political Wire, The Huffington Post, Bloomberg Politics and Prairie Weather

Ben Kamisar / The Hill:
Civil rights group to protest Scalise event

Discussion: New York Times, Daily Kos and The Huffington Post

Anne Penketh / Guardian:

Charlie Hebdo: first cover since terror attack depicts prophet Muhammad — French satirical magazine's surviving columnist says cover is a call to forgive the terrorists who murdered her colleagues last week — Warning: this article contains the image of the magazine cover, which some may find offensive.

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Poynter, Business Insider, New York Magazine, Telegraph, FOX News Radio and Observer, more at Mediagazer »

Adam Chandler / The Atlantic Online:
France's First Free-Speech Challenge After Charlie Hebdo

Discussion: Washington Post, Hit & Run, Guardian, Globe and Mail, The Independent, The Dish and Fusion, more at Mediagazer »

Paul Farhi / Agence France-Presse:
Washington Post carries new Charlie Hebdo cover depicting prophet Muhammad

Discussion: Washington Post, Israel Matzav, The Dish, WCTX-TV, Hit & Run and New York Times

Brendan James / Talking Points Memo:

Lawyer Thanks Don Lemon: Your ‘Racist Dumb-Ass Question’ Made Me Famous — Muslim human rights lawyer Arsalan Iftikhar, who was recently asked by CNN anchor Don Lemon whether he supported the Islamic State terrorist group, published an ironic open letter on Monday thanking Lemon for the “patently offensive racist dumb-ass question.”

Discussion: Raw Story and Hinterland Gazette

Arsalan Iftikhar / The Islamic Monthly:
Dear Don Lemon: Thanks for Making Me Famous

Discussion: Addicting Info, Raw Story and Mediaite

Ben Smith / BuzzFeed:

How Reince Priebus Reinvented The Political Party — In 1972, the year Reince Priebus was born, the political writer David Broder published The Party's Over. Since then, political writers, me included, have been declaring the death of political parties nonstop.

Discussion: Daily Kos and Washington Post

Andrew Desiderio / Mediaite:
RNC Chairman: Bill Clinton's Personal Activities ‘Fair Game’ for 2016

Discussion: FOX News Radio

Reid J. Epstein / Wall Street Journal:

Elizabeth Warren, in the Future Tense, Says ‘No’ to 2016 White House Bid — Sen. Elizabeth Warren has now rejected a 2016 presidential campaign in both the present and future tenses. — The Massachusetts Democrat has for months gently patted away questions about her presidential ambitions …

Discussion: The Hill, Vox, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Bloomberg Politics, BuzzFeed, Outside the Beltway, Balloon Juice, New York Times, susiemadrak.com, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mediaite, American Spectator, Business Insider, The Daily Caller and Liberal Values

Wall Street Journal:
White House Adviser John Podesta to Join Emerging Hillary Clinton Campaign

Discussion: Politico, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire and Bloomberg Politics

Emily Smith / Page Six:

‘Unhappy’ Ann Curry finally leaves NBC — Ann Curry's tearful exit from “Today” opposite Matt Lauer. — Ann Curry is finally leaving NBC over two and a half years after her excruciating departure from “Today,” Page Six can exclusively reveal. — NBC is expected to imminently announce …

Discussion: Politico, Mediaite, Adweek, The Huffington Post, Jezebel and New York Magazine, more at Mediagazer »

Shushannah Walshe / ABC News:

Christie Inches Closer to 2016 with State of the State Address, Calls for an ‘American Renewal’ … TRENTON, N.J.—Inching closer to a 2016 presidential run, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivered his fifth State of the State address Tuesday calling for a “New Jersey renewal and an American renewal.”

Discussion: Politico, Associated Press and Hot Air

PublicMind Poll:
State of the State And the Governor: Not Great

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Daily Signal, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo and DownWithTyranny!

Scott Soshnick / Bloomberg:

Prokhorov Exploring Sale of Brooklyn Nets — The Brooklyn Nets are for sale. — Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov retained Evercore Partners to sell the National Basketball Association team he bought in 2010, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

Discussion: NetsDaily, Bloomberg View, SBNation.com, Gothamist, Gawker, New York Magazine, CBS New York and ABC News

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:

Romney Face Tattoo Guy Says He's Not Supporting Romney In 2016 — “You are waiting for him to shoot himself in the foot. It's going to look real good and then — bam something else — he screws it up,” Eric Hartsburg said in an interview with BuzzFeed News. — Eric Hartsburg Facebook

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Hot Air and Mediaite

Daily Mail:

Moroccan-born mayor of Rotterdam tells fellow Muslims who do not appreciate the ‘freedoms’ of living in the West to ‘pack your bags and f*** off’ on live TV — The Moroccan-born mayor of Rotterdam has said Muslim immigrants who do not appreciate the way of life in Western civilisations can ‘f*** off’.

Discussion: VodkaPundit, Truth Revolt, FOX News Radio and Washington Free Beacon

New York Times:

God, Gays and the Atlanta Fire Department — Until last week, Kelvin Cochran was the chief of the Atlanta fire department, where he oversaw a work force of more than 1,000 firefighters and staff. — Mr. Cochran, a veteran firefighter, is also a deeply religious man, and he was eager …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Good As You, FRC, Erick on the Radio and Raw Story

Jenna Garrett / Wired:

What It's Like Living in the Coldest Town on Earth — It got down to -24 degrees Fahrenheit in Oymyakon, Russia, over the weekend. As frigid as that seems, it's typical for this town, long known as the coldest inhabited place on Earth. If that kind of number is hard to wrap your brain around …

Daniel Newhauser / National Journal:

Conservative Revolt Splits House GOP Group — Key members of the RSC plan on starting a competing organization that they see as a real conservative caucus. — House conservatives are plotting a mass exodus from the Republican Study Committee as soon as next week over simmering dissatisfaction with the group's direction.

Discussion: Politico, Hot Air and Bloomberg View

Thomas Beaumont / Associated Press:

Huckabee Slams Obamas For Letting Daughters Listen To Beyoncé — DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has accused President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle of parenting by double-standard, in an interview published Tuesday, saying they shelter their daughters …

Discussion: Hullabaloo and New York Magazine

Chris Ariens / Adweek:

Bret Baier Withdraws from Legatus Summit — Fox News Channel anchor Bret Baier is pulling out of a speaking engagement at a prominent Catholic organization. Baier had been among the confirmed speakers at the 2015 Legatus Summit later this month in Naples, FL.

Discussion: Raw Story, Good As You, Joe. My. God., Mediaite, Towleroad News #gay and PinkNews

Tracy Sears / WTVR-TV:

Henrico pastor defends decision to fire unwed mother — HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Apryl Kellam said on Monday, she received the phone call that she expected. The caller told her that she was being fired from the church daycare where she had worked since September because she was in violation of church policy.

Discussion: fox4kc.com