memeorandum: ‘This Week’ Transcript: White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough (ABC News)

11:10 AM ET, January 25, 2015

Top Items:

Cameron Joseph / The Hill:

Scott Walker takes Iowa by storm — DES MOINES, Iowa — Scott Walker's stock is soaring after a triumphant return to Iowa. — The Wisconsin Republican governor delivered a pitch-perfect speech to a room packed with influential Hawkeye State conservatives on Saturday …

Discussion: Des Moines Register and Political Wire

Rick Klein / ABC News:

For Republicans at Campaign Kickoff, Sideshows Precede Big Show … It was billed as the kick-off to the 2016 cycle, a chance for an A-list of presidential contenders — Gov. Chris Christie and Gov. Scott Walker among them — to introduce themselves to Iowans a mere 53 weeks before the caucuses.

Discussion: Politico

Cameron Joseph / The Hill:

Scott Walker shows fire in Iowa — DES MOINES, Iowa — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) delivered a fiery speech in Iowa on Saturday, wowing the conservative crowd with a passionate argument for small government and his own lengthy resume. — The Wisconsin governor, in rolled-up shirtsleeves …

Discussion: The Nation, Politico, ABC News, Prairie Weather and Althouse

Cameron Joseph / The Hill:

Ben Carson pulls crowd to its feet — DES MOINES, Iowa — Former neurosurgeon Ben Carson (R) delivered a rousing speech to the conservative faithful, earning the first standing ovation of the day at the Iowa Freedom Summit and showing why he's generating buzz with conservative activists.

Discussion: Politico

Jonathan Topaz / Politico:

Walker to Iowa conservatives: ‘Go big and go bold’ — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on Saturday hailed his record as a conservative leader, previewing his likely 2016 presidential pitch as an outsider and a fighter for bold reform. — The potential presidential candidate spent the majority …

Discussion: ABC News

Jennifer Jacobs / Des Moines Register:

Trump: 'I would've won the race against Obama' — Donald Trump is aggressively pushing himself back onto the Iowa stage as presidential material. — In a sit-down interview with The Des Moines Register, he said the two presumed GOP frontrunners, Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush, are doomed to lose …

Discussion: Hot Air, Hinterland Gazette, The Moderate Voice, National Review and Talking Points Memo

James Hohmann / Politico:

Sarah Palin ‘seriously interested’ in 2016 bid — She's definitely interested in people thinking she's interested. — DES MOINES, Iowa — Is Sarah Palin interested in running for president in 2016? It depends on what the definition of “interested” is. — But this much was clear …

Discussion: Hot Air and CANNONFIRE

Robert Costa / Washington Post:
Palin says she's ‘seriously interested’ in 2016 campaign

Discussion: Algemeiner.com, Israpundit, The PJ Tatler, Refinery29, The Huffington Post and BuzzFeed

ABC News:

‘This Week’ Transcript: White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough — Below is the rush transcript for “This Week” on January 25, 2015. It may contain errors and will be updated. — Below is the full transcript of the “This Week” interview with White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough.

Discussion: Politico

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

12 keys to the GOP presidential race right now — DES MOINES — As the Freedom Summit marks the unofficial start of the 2016 Republican presidential campaign here in Iowa, the race is already too sprawling, with too many characters and too many crosscurrents, to have a single theme.

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Washington Times, Hullabaloo and The Daily Caller

Ed Vulliamy / Observer:

Jewish outrage as ship named after SS war criminal arrives in Europe — As Holocaust day nears, anger erupts at arrival in Rotterdam of the Pieter Schelte, the world's largest vessel — Leaders of Jewish communities and Holocaust memorial groups in Britain and the Netherlands have reacted …

Discussion: The Times of Israel, Mediaite and Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Emily Satchell / WRIC-TV:

Former Governor Bob McDonnell's Law License Revoked … RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board has stripped former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell of his law license. — The Virginia State Bar said in a release that McDonnell's license to practice law in the Commonwealth …

Glenn Blain / NY Daily News:

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's ‘stay tuned’ warning after accused Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's arrest sends chill through state Capitol — While it's unclear just who might be Bharara's next scalp, it's clear his warning of more was designed to send a strong message to legislators.

Discussion: NY State of Politics