memeorandum: Mormon gay policy is ‘will of the Lord’ through his prophet, senior apostle says (Peggy Fletcher Stack/Salt Lake Tribune)

12:20 PM ET, January 12, 2016

Top Items:

CNN:

Biden says Obama offered financial help amid son's illness — Washington (CNN)As his eldest son faced the prospect of resigning as Delaware's attorney general amid health concerns, Vice President Joe Biden received an offer that floored him: financial support from his boss, President Barack Obama.

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Washington Monthly, NBC News, New York Times, Political Wire, Mashable and The Week

New York Times:

Hillary Clinton Races to Close Enthusiasm Gap With Bernie Sanders in Iowa — DES MOINES — Iowa Democrats are displaying far less passion for Hillary Clinton than for Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont three weeks before the presidential caucuses, creating anxiety inside the Clinton campaign …

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, Hullabaloo, Washington Free Beacon, Political Wire, Truth Revolt and Althouse

ABC News:

The Note: Trump, Clinton Trade Insults — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said last night that Hillary Clinton was having a “tough time” running against Bernie Sanders and that “she certainly has a race that's a lot different than people thought,” ABC's BEN GITTLESON notes.

Discussion: Political Wire

CNN:
Biden praises Sanders on income inequality, calls Clinton ‘relatively new’ to the fight

Discussion: NBC News, Truth Revolt and Politico

The Hill:
Dem ‘nail-biter’ in early states

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Bloomberg Business, Yahoo Politics and Politico

Liz Goodwin / Yahoo Politics:
Bernie Sanders: Clinton is not as ‘inevitable’ as she once was

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Bloomberg.com, ABC News, Politico, KCCI-TV and Liberal Values

Mike Lillis / The Hill:

Obama, Democrats at odds before State of the Union address — Tensions between liberal Democrats and President Obama are bubbling up as the president heads to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to deliver his final State of the Union address to a restless Congress.

Discussion: Politico, Bloomberg Business, Taylor Marsh and Hot Air

Eun Kyung Kim / TODAY.com:

President Obama on Donald Trump: ‘Talk to me if he wins’ — President Obama, on the eve of his final State of the Union address, rejected the message Donald Trump has capitalized on in his presidential campaign. — “The message that Donald Trump's putting out has had adherence a lot of times during the course of our history.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Hot Air, Politico and Political Wire

Eric Bradner / CNN:

Obama goes it alone in his last State of the Union — What to Watch for in Obama's Final State of the Union — Barack Obama's final State of the Union won't have the traditional laundry list of requests for Congress — Washington (CNN)The White House says President Barack Obama's State …

Discussion: RedState, FIRST FREEDOM and Daily Kos

CBS News:

CBS/NYT Poll: Americans divided on Obama job performance in final year — As President Obama prepares to give his last State of the Union address, the country is split on his job performance: 46 percent of Americans approve, while 47 percent disapprove. — His approval rating has hovered …

Discussion: Politico

Matthew Yglesias / Vox: Obama has a good record to brag about tonight, but people still hate the government

Meredith Shiner / Yahoo Politics:
Obama, with an eye toward history, will give a different kind of State of the Union

Discussion: Politico

Paul Bedard / Washington Examiner:

War over gay marriage to play out at SOTU — Share Tweet Reddit Digg Mail Print SMS More — President Obama's effort to stack the audience with those who support his causes at his last State of the Union Address is being rebuffed by conservatives inviting guests that challenged Obamacare and gay marriage.

Discussion: PinkNews, Towleroad, Mashable, The Week, Mediaite, The White House and Joe.My.God.

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:

Kim Davis to attend State of the Union — The Kentucky clerk briefly jailed last year for refusing to hand out marriage licenses to gay couples is slated to attend President Obama's final State of the Union address, a source has confirmed to The Hill. — Kim Davis will attend Obama's …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Hot Air and Vox

Eliza Collins / Politico:
Kim Davis to attend State of the Union, but won't say with whom

Discussion: Daily Kos

Deirdre Shesgreen / Cincinnati.com:
Obergefell to be Obama's guest at final State of the Union

Discussion: Vox, Right Wing Watch and CNN

Daily Mail:

RISE IN MIGRANTS LEAVING GERMANY FOLLOWING COLOGNE SEX ATTACKS — Germany has started sending a growing number of migrants back to Austria since the New Year's Eve sex attacks in Cologne shocked the country. — Some of the departing migrants said they did not want asylum in Germany …

Discussion: Vox Popoli

The Local:
‘We told you so,’ Eastern Europe tells Germany

Discussion: Vlad Tepes

Los Angeles Times:

Supreme Court conservatives appear ready to overturn mandatory union fees — People participate in a Jan. 11 rally at the Supreme Court in Washington as the justices heard arguments in Friedrichs vs. California Teachers Assn. — Reporting from Washington

Discussion: Washington Post, USA Today, SCOTUSblog, The Hill, CNN, Breitbart, Wall Street Journal and Power Line

Megan McArdle / Bloomberg View:
You Can't Be Neutral in a Public-Sector Union

Discussion: Cato Institute, Forbes, SCOTUSblog, The Daily Signal and ThinkProgress

Ryan Struyk / ABC News:

Rand Paul and Carly Fiorina Cut From Next Republican Mainstage Debate — Republican presidential candidates Rand Paul and Carly Fiorina have been cut from the next mainstage debate on Thursday. — According to a newly-announced lineup by debate host Fox Business Network …

Discussion: Bloomberg.com, Taylor Marsh, 6abc.com, RedState, Patterico's Pontifications and Politico

Daniel Strauss / Politico:
Paul out of main debate, won't join undercard

Discussion: Daily Kos, New York Times, Outside the Beltway and Hit & Run

David Weigel / Washington Post:
Rand Paul, bumped from main debate stage, will boycott Thursday's undercard

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Politico and The Week

Deborah Yetter / Courier-Journal:

Bevin notifies feds he'll dismantle kynect — FRANKFORT, Ky. Following through on a campaign pledge, Gov. Matt Bevin has notified federal authorities he plans to dismantle kynect, Kentucky's health insurance exchange created under the Affordable Care Act. — The decision drew immediate fire …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Richard Alba / American Prospect:
Why Republicans Wouldn't Actually Repeal Obamacare

Discussion: Washington Post, BarbWire.com, Bloomberg View and The Hill

Dorothy Rabinowitz / Wall Street Journal:

Denying the Obvious About Islamist Terror — After another ISIS-inspired shooting, Philadelphia's mayor joins the chorus: It's not about religion, no sir. — It required only half a minute for the mayor of Philadelphia, Democrat Jim Kenney, to achieve national fame.

Discussion: Power Line and The Hugh Hewitt ShowThe …

Alison Frankel / Reuters:

Ex-politician John Edwards among lawyers vying for lead role in Volkswagen suit — Among the more than 140 plaintiffs' lawyers competing to lead private litigation against Volkswagen over its emissions cheating scandal is former U.S. Senator and Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate John Edwards.

Discussion: Politico and Mashable

Marc Randazza / Popehat:

Twitter Takes a Side in the Culture Wars - Lies About It — Twitter announced that in order to combat abuse and harassment on its increasingly unpopular online platform, that it would enact new rules and regulations that would hopefully get control of things. The stated mission was to cut down on loosely-defined “harassment.”

Discussion: Fusion and Re/code