memeorandum: Employees caught doing hair in Waffle House kitchen (Michael Quander/WREG-TV)

1:35 PM ET, January 13, 2016

Top Items:

Iowa Poll: Cruz holds 3-point lead as Trump attacks — Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz remains the top pick among likely caucusgoers in the latest Iowa Poll. Political reporter Jennifer Jacobs and political columnist Kathie Obradovich provide analysis.

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Bloomberg.com, The Resurgent, NBC News, The Week and The Daily Caller

Gary Langer / ABC News:

Cruz and Christie Gain in Popularity as Trump, Carson and Bush Stumble (POLL)

Discussion: Politico, Bloomberg View and 6abc.com

Eli Stokols / Politico:

Republicans warn Bush team against harming Rubio — CORALVILLE, Iowa —Jeb Bush called Tuesday for a “leader with a servant's heart.” — “We need a nominee who knows it's not all about him,” the one-time GOP front-runner said. — But, increasingly, establishment Republicans worry …

Discussion: Florida Politics, Political Wire, The Daily Caller, New York Times, Hot Air and The Resurgent

Steven Shepard / Politico:
Rand Paul mounts last-minute push to get back on main debate stage

Discussion: Washington Post and The Daily Caller

John McCormick / Bloomberg Business:
It's Cruz vs. Trump and Rubio vs. Carson in Home-Stretch Iowa Poll

Discussion: Bloomberg.com, RedState, FiveThirtyEight, Washington Post, Shakesville, New York Times, Politico and The Resurgent

Bloomberg Business:
Obama's State of the Union Optimism at Odds With Voter Anxiety

Discussion: Politico, CNNMoney, National Review, Bloomberg View, ThinkProgress, ABC News, Yahoo Politics and The Moderate Voice

CNN:

10 U.S. sailors detained by Iran freed — (CNN)The 10 American sailors captured by Iran have been freed, U.S. and Iranian officials said. — The sailors were captured Tuesday after their two naval boats entered Iranian waters near Farsi Island, in the Persian Gulf.

Discussion: Politico, Hullabaloo, The Resurgent, The Daily Caller, Right Wing Watch, Washington Post and The Last Tradition

Daily Mail:

Pictured: Ten U.S. sailors captured by Iran as Revolutionary Guard RELEASES them after ‘snooping’ row - including one female who was forced to wear a headscarf — These are the 10 American sailors who were captured by Iran after being accused of snooping when their boats drifted into Iranian waters - but they have now been freed.

Discussion: MichelleMalkin.com, twitchy.com, Pamela Geller, The Daily Caller and NBC News

New York Times:

Iran's Swift Release of U.S. Sailors Hailed as a Sign of Warmer Relations — TEHRAN — Iran's release of 10 United States Navy sailors on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after they were detained on the Persian Gulf, is being hailed in both countries as a sign that their relations have evolved since …

Discussion: National Review, ThinkProgress, Hot Air, Fox News, addictinginfo.org, WBTW-TV, Mediaite, Business Insider, Daily Kos, Prairie Weather, The Daily Caller, Joe.My.God., Liberty Unyielding and The Moderate Voice

Washington Post:
Iran releases captured U.S. Navy crew members

Discussion: Balloon Juice, CNN, alicublog, New York Times and American Spectator

Luis Martinez / ABC News:
Iran Releases 10 Navy Sailors Held After Drifting Into Iranian Waters

Discussion: CBS News, Fox News, BizPac Review, Hot Air, Pirate's Cove, Balloon Juice and Reuters

Farsnews:
URGENT: Iran Frees Captured US Marines

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Washington Post, Washington Free Beacon and Pamela Geller

The White House / Medium:

President Obama's 2016 State of the Union Address — The White House is once again making the full text of the State of the Union available online ahead of the speech, as prepared for delivery, continuing efforts to meet people where they are and make the speech as accessible as possible.

New York Times:
Transcript of Obama's 2016 State of the Union Address

Discussion: Da Tech Guy Blog, Althouse, Washington Post, RedState, ABC News, ImmigrationProf Blog, Towleroad and Political Wire

Nancy LeTourneau / Washington Monthly:
The Source of President Obama's Optimism

Discussion: New York Times, The Mahablog and CFR.org

Eun Kyung Kim / TODAY.com:

Nikki Haley: Donald Trump has contributed to ‘irresponsible talk’ — South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley defended her response to Tuesday's State of the Union, confirming to TODAY's Matt Lauer she was referring to Donald Trump as one of the “angriest voices” she mentioned.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Yahoo Politics, Politico, NPR, New York Times, Washington Post, Breitbart, The National Interest, Hot Air, Washington Times, Real Clear Politics, Daily Kos, Business Insider, Mashable, NBC News and Speaker.gov

Moe Lane / RedState:

Nikki Haley's response to Donald Trump. ... And, oh, yeah, Barack Obama's State of the Union speech. — Republican South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was tapped to give the official Republican response to the State of the Union tonight, and you will be gratified to hear that it was... good.

Discussion: Breitbart and National Review

Julia Hahn / Breitbart:
Republican Party Uses State of the Union Response to Attack Donald Trump

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, WREG-TV and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Michael Quander / WREG-TV:

Employees caught doing hair in Waffle House kitchen — FORREST CITY, Ark. — A couple of Forrest City Waffle House customers said they got more than expected with their meals early Friday morning. — “He was just coughing. Cough. Cough. Making noises like that,” Antonio Robinson said.

Discussion: theGrio and FOX31 Denver

Chris Bodenner / The Atlantic:

What If Bernie Sanders Is the Democrats' Best Bet? Cont'd — In a piece from David Graham showing how close the race is between Clinton and Sanders in key polling, David notes how she is “pulling out various stops. In particular, she has spent the last few days assailing Sanders for being …

ABC News:
The Note: When Chelsea Attacks

Discussion: Associated Press and Mediaite

NBC News:
Chelsea Clinton Takes Aim at Sanders Over Health Policy

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Post, AMERICAblog NewsAMERICAblog …, Common Dreams, NBC News, The Week, Mother Jones, Taylor Marsh and CNN

Scott Stump / TODAY.com:
Hillary Clinton: 'I'm not nervous at all' about Sanders closing gap in polls

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Hill and Politico

Associated Press:

Clinton Gets Nod From Former Attorney General Eric Holder — As she works to maintain an advantage among African-American voters in her quest for the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton has secured an endorsement from the nation's first black attorney general.

Discussion: Truth Revolt, Politico, 6abc.com and ABC News

New York Times:
Hillary Clinton's Lead Over Bernie Sanders Slipping in New Poll

Discussion: Washington Post, Common Dreams, Fusion, Outside the Beltway, Daily Kos, The Week, Medium, Business Insider, USA Today, Liberal Values, Townhall.com, Political Wire, Breitbart, Public Policy Polling and The Hill

CBS News:
CBS/NYT poll: Donald Trump holds onto top spot nationally

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Washington Times

Joel B. Pollak / Breitbart:

Fact Check: Top 10 Lies in Obama's State of the Union — President Barack Obama promised his final State of the Union address would be short. Dana Bash of CNN called it “low-energy.” One thing it was not was accurate-or honest. Here are Obama's top ten lies, in chronological order.

Discussion: Fox News, Pirate's Cove and Washington Post

John Podhoretz / New York Post: Obama delivers the most boring speech of his presidency

Dallas Franklin / KFOR-TV:

Graphic: Two Oklahoma women arrested for horrific child abuse — MUSKOGEE, Okla. - Two Oklahoma women are accused of abusing a 5-year-old over the course of several months. — Rachel Stevens, 28, and Kayla Jones, 25, are charged with felony child abuse by injury and child neglect …

Betsy Hammond / Oregonian:

Self-appointed ‘judge’ arrives in Burns to ask local residents to charge government officials with crimes — Occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge lead members of the media on a tour of some federal buildings. The protestors believe some government officails have acted in violation …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Raw Story

ESPN:

Rams headed back to Los Angeles; Chargers have option to join — HOUSTON — The Rams are moving back to Los Angeles — and might be doing so with company. — The San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders might end up staying where they are, but leadership of the teams didn't come close to making that commitment Tuesday night.