memeorandum: Iran doesn't hesitate to use a human pawn as nuclear negotiations go on (Washington Post)

Kevin Cirilli / The Hill:

GOP pounces on Obama's tax plan — Republicans pounced on President Obama's tax plan that he will unveil during Tuesday's State of the Union Address as little more than a partisan stunt with virtually no chance of passing in the GOP-controlled Congress. — A senior White House officials …

Discussion: NPR and Moe Lane

John Nichols / The Nation:

Obama's Smart Economic (and Political) Calculus: Tax the Rich — Warren Buffett explained the secret to addressing the challenges facing the United States during President Obama's first term. In a short commentary written for The New York Times—headline: “Stop Coddling the Super-Rich” …

Discussion: Booman Tribune and White House.gov Blog

Julie Hirschfeld Davis / New York Times:

Obama Will Seek to Raise Taxes on Wealthy to Finance Cuts for Middle Class — WASHINGTON — President Obama will use his State of the Union address to call on Congress to raise taxes and fees on the wealthiest taxpayers and the largest financial firms to finance an array of tax cuts for the middle class …

Discussion: Reuters

Dave Jamieson / The Huffington Post:
Obama To Propose Tax Hikes On Wealthy, Breaks For Middle Class

Discussion: Addicting Info, Fox News, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Daily Kos

Edward-Isaac Dovere / Politico:

The reinvention of Mitt Romney — Former Obama campaign aides mock their 2012 opponent's new anti-poverty crusade. — Mitt Romney, sudden champion of Americans trying to make ends meet — it's coming off to progressives and veterans of Obama's winning re-election campaign as a little too rich.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Mahablog, The Huffington Post, Unqualified Offerings and Washington Post

Darren McCollester / ABC News:
‘This Week’ Transcript: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee

Discussion: Bloomberg Politics and Politico

Nancy Cordes / CBS News:
Mitt Romney jokes about 2016 “speculation” at RNC meeting

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and New York Magazine

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

Not Just A Movie — WASHINGTON — I WENT Friday morning to see “Selma” and found myself watching it in a theater full of black teenagers. — Thanks to donations, D.C. public school kids got free tickets to the first Hollywood movie about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on his birthday weekend …

Discussion: Althouse, Washington Post, Booman Tribune and Liberal Values

Jack Healy / New York Times:

Odd Byproduct of Legal Marijuana: Homes That Blow Up — DENVER — When Colorado legalized marijuana two years ago, nobody was quite ready for the problem of exploding houses. — But that is exactly what firefighters, courts and lawmakers across the state are confronting these days …

Discussion: Raw Story

Patrick Temple-West / Politico:

Graham ‘definitely’ eyeing 2016 presidential bid — Sen. Lindsey Graham acknowledged on Sunday he's seriously exploring a bid for the Republican presidential nomination. — Asked on NBC's “Meet the Press” if he had started polling voters about his chances in 2016, Graham said he is not polling …

Discussion: The PJ Tatler and Political Wire

Peter Baker / New York Times:

The Bushes, as Distinct and Alike as Brothers Can Be — WASHINGTON — One day last fall, former President George W. Bush called Mel Sembler, a Republican donor from Florida who had served as his ambassador to Italy. Mr. Sembler had just had a pacemaker implanted into his chest, and his wife had also recently had surgery.

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

Univision, Biggest Spanish-Language Network, Shut Out Of Republican 2016 Debates — NEW YORK — The Republican National Committee announced Friday which networks landed 2016 presidential debates — and Univision, the most-watched Spanish-language network, didn't make the cut.

Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:

Elizabeth Warren keeps pressure on Hillary Clinton and Democrats ahead of 2016 — Sen. Elizabeth Warren has an explanation for the singular nature of her power. — “I'll always be an outsider. That's how I understand the world,” the Massachusetts Democrat said in an interview.

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Angie Yack / CNN:

Delaware shooting occurs near unoccupied Biden home — Shots fired near Vice President Biden's house 01:02 — (CNN)On Saturday night a vehicle drove near Vice President Joe Biden's residence in Delaware and fired multiple gun shots, but the vice president and his wife, Jill …

Discussion: Washington Post, Hinterland Gazette, FOX2now.com, Scared Monkeys and Washington Times

Ben Schreckinger / Politico:

Why are so many 2016 hopefuls writing eBooks? — Why some 2016 candidates are ditching the staid pre-presidential book for a new format. — The pre-presidential campaign book — that quadrennial rite in which anyone running for president, thinking about running or even denying they're running releases …