memeorandum: Christie's National Aspirations Underlie State Speech (Kate Zernike/New York Times)

9:55 PM ET, January 13, 2015

Top Items:

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, The Huffington Post, The Daily Caller, TPNN, Fox News, Little Green Footballs, Washington Post, The Stranger …, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story and Arsalan Iftikhar

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

Discussion: Politico

Congressman Randy Weber:

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, OnPolitics, FreakOutNation, 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

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

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

Manu Raju / Politico:

Rand Paul looks to steal 2016 spotlight — The potential 2016 presidential hopeful appears eager to return to his role as a conservative firebrand. — M.Scott Mahaskey/POLITICO — Jeb Bush is “a Big Government Republican.” Mitt Romney “had his chance.”

Discussion: Bloomberg Politics

Robert Costa / Washington Post:

Rand Paul announces campaign manager for likely 2016 campaign — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Tuesday announced the hiring of a campaign manager for his likely 2016 presidential bid, part of an aggressive effort to build a national political team as the race for the White House heats up.

Discussion: OnPolitics, Bloomberg Politics, Politico and Wall Street Journal

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, Booman Tribune, TheBlaze.com, Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos and Washington Post

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

Discussion: Politico and Daily Kos

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

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: Raw Story, Addicting Info and Mediaite

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 and FOX News Radio, more at Mediagazer »

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

Discussion: Washington Post, Hit & Run, Guardian, The Independent, Globe and Mail, 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

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, Talking Points Memo, Bloomberg Politics, Washington Post, susiemadrak.com, Outside the Beltway, New York Times, BuzzFeed, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mediaite, American Spectator, Balloon Juice, 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

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, Daily Kos, PoliticusUSA, The Huffington Post, Political Wire, Bloomberg Politics and Prairie Weather

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

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

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

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, Mediaite and Hot Air

Kate Zernike / New York Times:

Christie's National Aspirations Underlie State Speech — TRENTON — As Gov. Chris Christie delivered his State of the State address on Tuesday, it sounded less like the valedictory of a presidential hopeful on his way to bigger and better things than a defensive move by a politician anticipating …

Discussion: Politico, New Jersey Online, Political Wire and New York Magazine

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

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

Lauren French / Politico:

Pelosi to name first Muslim lawmaker to House intelligence committee — Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced in a closed-door meeting Tuesday she would name the first Muslim lawmaker to the House's Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. — A senior Democratic aide said Rep. André Carson …

Discussion: NPR, loonwatch.com and Pamela Geller, Atlas Shrugs

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: Hot Air, Politico and Bloomberg View

Thomas Beaumont / Associated Press:

Huckabee slams Obama 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 double standards in parenting, saying in an interview published Tuesday that the first family shelters …

Discussion: Hullabaloo and New York Magazine

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

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, Washington Free Beacon and FOX News Radio

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 …