memeorandum: Egypt Unites Against ISIS (Michael J. Totten/Michael J. Totten's blog)

7:55 AM ET, February 17, 2015

Top Items:

Alexandra Jaffe / CNN:

Poll: Most disapprove of Obama handling of ISIS — Washington (CNN)Americans are increasingly unhappy with President Barack Obama's handling of ISIS, and a growing share of the nation believes that fight is going badly, according to a new CNN/ORC survey released Monday.

Discussion: Mediaite, Real Clear Politics and Politico

Michael J. Totten / Michael J. Totten's blog:

Egypt Unites Against ISIS — The Libyan branch of ISIS massacred 21 Egyptian Christians over the weekend. A knife-wielding executioner frog-marched the bound and blind-folded captives to a beach in front of a camera and said, “safety for you crusaders is something you can only wish for,” and cut off their heads.

Discussion: Fox News and TPNN

Jethro Mullen / CNN:
Threats from English-speaking jihadi

Discussion: New York Times, Gawker, Mediaite, Hot Air and Outside the Beltway

The White House:
Statement by the Press Secretary on the Murder of Egyptian Citizens

Discussion: Power Line, ABC News, The Moderate Voice, Questions and Observations, American Spectator, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, BizPac Review, Washington Post, American Power, National Review and Guardian

Julia Preston / New York Times:

Obama Immigration Policy Halted by Federal Judge in Texas — A federal judge in Texas has ordered a halt, at least temporarily, to President Obama's executive actions on immigration, siding with Texas and 25 other states that filed a lawsuit opposing the initiatives.

Discussion: Josh Blackman's Blog, ImmigrationProf Blog, National Review and The Week

David Leopold / The Hill:
Republicans using the courts to push their anti-Obama agenda

Discussion: ABC News and Daily Kos

NRG:

10 hours of fear and loathing in Paris — One month after the terrorist attack on a kosher supermarket in Paris, NRG's correspondent, wearing a tzitzit and a kippa, took what proved to be an intimidating walk across the French capital. “What is he doing here Mommy?

Discussion: Truth Revolt, BizPac Review, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Israel Matzav

Amanda Andrade-... / OpposingViews.com:

Transgender Woman Reportedly Murdered By Her Father — Kevin Golec, 52, allegedly stabbed his 22-year-old transgender daughter Bri Golec to death on Feb. 13, in Akron, Ohio. In his 911 call, Kevin claimed his daughter, who he refers to using male pronouns and the name “Brian,” was murdered by a cult.

Discussion: FOX News Radio

Sue Kerr / Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents:

22 Year Old Ohio Trans Woman Stabbed to Death By Father — February 15.2015. … 22-year-old Bri Golec has recently returned to a transgender support group in the Akron, Ohio area. She had participated a few years ago, then stopped attending. Recently, she began to more assertively explore her gender identity.

Discussion: Human Rights Campaign Blog, Advocate and Raw Story

Juan Williams / The Hill:

Dems will splinter on trade deals — Senate Democrats have maintained a united front as a minority in the new Congress — so far. — No Democrats crossed party lines on the Homeland Security funding bill vote. Last week's vote on the Keystone XL pipeline saw some defections.

Reuters:

Police arrest two on suspicion of aiding Copenhagen shooter — (Reuters) - Danish police have arrested two people on suspicion of aiding a gunman in deadly attacks on a synagogue and an event promoting free speech at the weekend that have shocked a nation proud of its record of safety and openness.

Discussion: Israel Matzav and Truth Revolt

Marist Poll:

2/15: 2016 Wide Open GOP Field in Early Caucus and Primary States... Clinton Solid Front-Runner on Democratic Side — Taking an early look at the key presidential caucus and primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, a Republican front-runner fails to emerge.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Daily Caller and Hot Air

NBC News:
Walker and Bush: Meet Your Republican Presidential Frontrunners

Discussion: Hot Air, FOX News Radio and Horizons

Karoli / Latest from Crooks and Liars:

The Islamophobia Fear Factory And The Billionaires Who Pay For It — With Islamophobia at the front and center of the news day after day, the Center for American Progress updated their 2011 report outlining who buys the Islamophobes and promotes them in order to understand how to tamp it down.

Discussion: Democracy Now and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

New York Times:

Spyware Embedded by U.S. in Foreign Networks, Security Firm Says — SAN FRANCISCO — The United States has found a way to permanently embed surveillance and sabotage tools in computers and networks it has targeted in Iran, Russia, Pakistan, China, Afghanistan and other countries closely watched …

Discussion: CANNONFIRE and The Week

Irin Carmon / msnbc.com:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg on abortion, race and the broken Congress — WASHINGTON - The Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion isn't in danger of being overturned anytime soon, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told msnbc in a wide-ranging, exclusive interview.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Huffington Post and Josh Blackman's Blog

Jim Newell / Salon:

Scott Walker's lack of a college degree: A non-issue that Democrats should avoid — His lack of a college degree is not one of them — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has emerged as a modest front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination in the past couple of weeks. This may well be a temporary state of affairs.

Discussion: National Review, Unqualified Offerings and Balloon Juice

Luke Baker / Reuters:

Israeli election chief puts curbs on Netanyahu's speech to U.S. Congress — (Reuters) - The head of Israel's election commission acted on Monday to limit any pre-election boost Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may get from a March 3 speech to the U.S. Congress in which he will warn of the threat from Iran's nuclear program.

Discussion: Mediaite

David Ignatius / Washington Post:
A perfect storm brews in the Middle East

Discussion: Jerusalem Post and Hot Air

Mike Morris / Houston Chronicle:

Suspect arrested in Islamic center fire … Houston arson investigators have made an arrest in the early morning fire Friday at an Islamic center on the city's southeast side, fire department officials said late Monday. — Darryl Ferguson, 55, of Houston, has been charged with felony …

Cameron Joseph / The Hill:

Joe Walsh eyes comeback bid — Controversial former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) is talking up a Tea Party challenge to Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). — “I am very seriously considering challenging him in a primary,” Walsh told The Hill on Thursday. “Mark Kirk has got to be challenged.”

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog

Liz Sly / Washington Post:

Pro-Iran militias' success in Iraq could undermine U.S. — MANSOURIYA, Iraq — Shiite militias backed by Iran are increasingly taking the lead in Iraq's fight against the Islamic State, threatening to undermine U.S. strategies intended to bolster the central government …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal

Tom Vanden Brook / Associated Press:

Army eases policy on transgender soldiers — WASHINGTON — The decision to discharge transgender soldiers from the Army now has to be made by a top, senior civilian official, documents obtained by USA TODAY show, a move that will make it more difficult to remove such troops from the service.

Discussion: reverbpress.com, BuzzFeed, The Daily Caller, FOX News Radio and Washington Blade

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Weimar on the Aegean — Try to talk about the policies we need in a depressed world economy, and someone is sure to counter with the specter of Weimar Germany, supposedly an object lesson in the dangers of budget deficits and monetary expansion. But the history of Germany after World War …

Discussion: Hullabaloo