memeorandum: Landmark Speech for Pope Francis to Congress in September (Alan Fram/Associated Press)

4:15 PM ET, February 5, 2015

Top Items:

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Dan Rather backs Brian Williams — Brian Williams is “an honest, decent man, an excellent reporter and anchor—and a brave one,” veteran newsman Dan Rather told POLITICO on Thursday. — Rather's note of support comes after the revelation that Williams falsely claimed to have been aboard …

Discussion: Hot Air, The Daily Beast, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Washington Free Beacon, Townhall.com, Raw Story and Business Insider, more at Mediagazer »

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:

The Brian Williams scandal is an NBC News-wide scandal — The Brian Williams scandal has burst onto the public square through a feat of Internet accountability. After NBC Nightly News last week posted to Facebook a clip of the anchor reminiscing about having embedded with the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 …

Discussion: BizPac Review, Hot Air, National Review, The Daily Caller, Newsmax, Mediaite, Patterico's Pontifications and Talking Points Memo

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:

Controversy grows over Brian Williams' Iraq apology — If NBC and Brian Williams believed a Facebook post and an on-air apology were enough, they were wrong. — In the hours after Williams recanted a long-told story Wednesday about an RPG attack in Iraq, rank and file employees …

Discussion: Stars & Stripes, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, FOX31 Denver and Hot Air

David Zurawik / Baltimore Sun:

Can NBC News now have any credibility with Brian Williams as its face? — If credibility means anything to NBC News, Brian Williams will no longer be managing editor and anchor of the evening newscast by the end of the day Friday. — The admission from Williams Wednesday that he lied …

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
Brian Williams admits that his story of coming under fire while in Iraq was false

Discussion: MichelleMalkin.com, The Huffington Post, The Powers That Be, NBC News and Hollywood Reporter

Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
Brian Williams Told Alec Baldwin He Thought He Was Going To Die During Helicopter Attack That Never Happened [AUDIO]

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Slate, Mediaite, USA Today, Fox News, American Spectator, NPR, Hot Air, TheBlaze.com, Scared Monkeys, Washington Monthly and National Review

CNNMoney:
How Brian Williams' Iraq story changed

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, TVNewser, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mr. Media Training, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, The Daily Caller, Poynter, TPNN, BREITBART.COM, Breaking News Updates and The Gateway Pundit, more at Mediagazer »

NY Daily News: Brian Williams delivers blow to journalists by lying

Linda Greenhouse / New York Times:

Overturning Obamacare Would Change the Nature of the Supreme Court — In the first Affordable Care Act case three years ago, the Supreme Court had to decide whether Congress had the power, under the Commerce Clause or some other source of authority, to require individuals to buy health insurance.

Discussion: protein wisdom, Washington Monthly, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Hill, The Moderate Voice, Daily Kos, Patterico's Pontifications, Prairie Weather, Slate and ThinkProgress

Robert Pear / New York Times:

G.O.P. Lawmakers Propose Alternative to Obamacare — WASHINGTON — Three influential Republican members of Congress unveiled a comprehensive proposal on Wednesday to replace President Obama's health care overhaul with an alternative that would halt the expansion of Medicaid and scale …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, Associated Press, Hit & Run, Shakesville, Daily Kos and BillMoyers.com

USA Today:

More C.A.R.E., less Obama: Column — GOP proposal scraps taxes, opens choice, retains continuous coverage. — It has been five years since the Affordable Care Act became law, crystallizing partisan division in our national health care debate. The law made fundamental changes to how health care …

Discussion: Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:
Leader Of Group Funding Supreme Court Case Against Obamacare Compares Health Reform To The Holocaust

Discussion: Feministing

Jason Millman / Washington Post:
Here's how the GOP would repeal and replace Obamacare

Discussion: Washington Center …

Josh Israel / ThinkProgress:

In Facebook Posts, Congressman Aaron Schock's Press Secretary Compared African Americans To Zoo Animals — In a series of Facebook posts obtained by ThinkProgress, the senior adviser for policy and communications to Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) posted racial comments and endorsed gentrification of his neighborhood.

Discussion: Washington Post, Mediaite, New York Magazine, Raw Story, FreakOutNation, Talking Points Memo and Roll Call

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:

Aaron Schock Adviser Resigns Over Racially-Charged Comments On Facebook, Wanted White House Mosque For Obama — “The fact remains that White people who live in my building are routinely harassed by Black miscreants who blockade the sidewalks and entryways in front of and behind my building …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, FreakOutNation, Little Green Footballs and Mediaite

Journal Star:

Rep. Aaron Schock's spokesman Ben Cole resigns after racially charged Facebook posts — PEORIA — A top aide to U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock has resigned today, following reports that he made racially charged comments on his personal Facebook page. — Benjamin Cole has served …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, The Daily Caller and New York Magazine

Speaker.gov:

Pope Francis to Address a Joint Meeting of Congress — WASHINGTON, DC - House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) today made the following announcement: … NOTE: Details regarding media credentialing and logistics for the joint meeting will be released at a later date.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Guardian, US News, Religion News Service, Mashable, National Review and NPR

Alan Fram / Associated Press:
Landmark Speech for Pope Francis to Congress in September

Discussion: ABC News, National Journal and Moe Lane

Chris Johnson / Washington Blade:
Boehner: House GOP staying out of Supreme Court marriage cases

Discussion: New York Times and Towleroad News #gay

Foreign Policy:

The Best International Relations Schools in the World — U.S. scholars rank the top 25 IR programs for undergraduates, master's, and Ph.D.s. — The road to Washington is paved with elite educations. Indeed, for young people hoping to secure jobs in Foggy Bottom, on Pennsylvania Avenue …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The PJ Tatler, JustOneMinute and Political Wire

Al Kamen / Washington Post:
Scholars rank Kerry dead last in terms of effectiveness.

Discussion: American Spectator and Althouse

The State:

Shooting reported at University of South Carolina's new school of public health — COLUMBIA, SC — Shots have been fired at the University of South Carolina's new school of public health, according to a tweet by Carolina Alert. — People are asked to seek a safe shelter and obey all officials, the tweet said.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Raw Story and Shakesville

TIME:

Howard Schultz Has a Radical Plan for Starbucks—And America — The outspoken Starbucks CEO tells TIME about his plans to transform his business — Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has big plans for the future of his coffee empire. In a new cover story, the 61-year-old executive gives TIME's Rana Foroohar …

Discussion: Bloomberg Business and FishbowlDC

Rana Foroohar / TIME:
Starbucks For America — Howard Schultz is transforming his company.

Discussion: OnPolitics and Political Wire

Politico:

House and Senate Republicans clash on immigration — There's a basic disagreement on what is possible and what is not. — Getty — House and Senate Republicans have spent years training their ire on Sen. Harry Reid and President Barack Obama. — But now they're clashing with each other.

Discussion: Daily Kos and The PJ Tatler

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Republican floats compromise on immigration

Discussion: The Daily Beast, New Haven Register, Horizons, Fox News and Washington Post

David Sirota / International Business Times:

Chris Christie Administration Is Target Of New Federal Criminal Probe — Federal law enforcement officials have launched a criminal investigation of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and members of his administration, pursuing allegations the governor and his staff broke the law …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Balloon Juice and New Jersey News …

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Liberal group files complaint against Bush — A liberal watchdog group has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission arguing that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) has violated campaign finance laws. — The American Democracy Legal Fund (ADLF) is arguing that Bush's Right …

Discussion: Bloomberg Business

Peter Beinart / The Atlantic Online:

Is America at War With Radical Islam? — If there's one thing top Republicans know, it's that America can't defeat terrorism unless we call it by its real name. “We are in a religious war with radical Islamists,” Lindsey Graham recently told Fox News. “When I hear the President …

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Edward-Isaac Dovere / Politico:

Israeli officials fail to quell Democratic revolt — Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer and Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein rushed to meetings on Capitol Hill on Wednesday trying to calm a furor created by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned speech to Congress next month and quell …

Discussion: Mediaite, PoliticusUSA, US News, Shark Tank and Patterico's Pontifications