memeorandum: Top senator: Encryption bill may ‘do more harm than good’ (Cory Bennett/The Hill)

12:30 PM ET, January 29, 2016

Top Items:

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:

Who won the ratings race: Fox News or Donald Trump? — Donald Trump counter-programmed Thursday's GOP primary debate with his own prime time event. So whose show scored a bigger audience? — Answer: Fox's debate. But it was the second lowest rated debate of the season.

Ted Cruz / Yahoo Politics:

Ted Cruz threatened to leave the debate after a ‘mean question’ — DES MOINES, Iowa — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) told the moderators of the Republican presidential debate at Iowa Events Center on Thursday that he might just take his ball and go home. — His threat to leave the stage came …

Discussion: Politico, Esquire, ABC News, Politics Informer, No More Mister Nice Blog and Jon Ward

Steven Shepard / Politico:

GOP insiders: It was a rough night for Ted Cruz — In the final debate before Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses, Ted Cruz had the worst night of the seven GOP presidential candidates on stage Thursday. — That's according to a plurality of the Republican members of The POLITICO Caucus …

Discussion: Des Moines Register, Washington Post, Yahoo Politics, Mediaite, The Hill and Politics Informer

Tucker Carlson / Politico:

Donald Trump Is Shocking, Vulgar and Right — About 15 years ago, I said something nasty on CNN about Donald Trump's hair. I can't now remember the context, assuming there was one. In any case, Trump saw it and left a message the next day. — “It's true you have better hair than I do,” Trump said matter-of-factly.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Yahoo Politics

Daniel Strauss / Politico:

Trump gloats about skipping debate, knocks Cruz — NASHUA, N.H. — A day after the latest Republican primary presidential debate, real estate mogul Donald Trump did two things: he gave himself a pat on the back for skipping the debate and also gloated at the pile-on on Sen. Ted Cruz.

Discussion: Political Wire and Yahoo Politics

Mike Allen / Politico:

An Iowa win might make the Trump train unstoppable — DES MOINES — Ted Cruz and Donald Trump do agree on one thing—if Trump wins Iowa, he might be unstoppable on his way to winning the Republican presidential nomination. — And they are not alone. — A wide range of senior Republicans …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Economist, Yahoo Politics, ABC News, TheStreet.com and The Hill

Ryan Struyk / ABC News:
5 Ways the Republican Debate Did (And Didn't) Change the Presidential Race

Discussion: Politico, abc13.com and Associated Press

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Top 10 moments of the GOP debate

Discussion: New York Times, Economist, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Yahoo Politics and ABC News

Reuters:
Trump's Fox News debate fight widens Republican rift

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico and Vox Popoli

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times: Marco Rubio's Camp Sees Opening if Donald Trump Wins in Iowa

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:

Politico implodes — In what can be described only as a cataclysm in Beltway media, CEO Jim VandeHei is leaving Politico, the eight-year-old politics website that shook up Washington journalism, according to sources and reports by Huffington Post and CNNMoney.

Discussion: CNNMoney and Balloon Juice

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:
Massive Shakeup At Politico With Co-Founder Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen Set To Leave

Discussion: Mediaite, The Daily Caller and Talking Points Memo, more at Mediagazer »

Hadas Gold / Politico:
A memo from POLITICO's founder and publisher Robert Allbritton

Discussion: Washington Post, Outside the Beltway, New York Times and Washington Times, more at Mediagazer »

Hadas Gold / Politico:
A memo from POLITICO CEO Jim VandeHei

Discussion: FishbowlDC, more at Mediagazer »

Elizabeth Warren / New York Times:

Elizabeth Warren: One Way to Rebuild Our Institutions — WASHINGTON — WHILE presidential candidates from both parties feverishly pitch their legislative agendas, voters should also consider what presidents can do without Congress. Agency rules, executive actions and decisions …

Discussion: The Intercept, Politico, Common Dreams, The Week and Hullabaloo

USA Today:

FBI releases video of shooting death of Oregon protester — The FBI arrested three more people in connection with the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. The arrests come a day after eight armed protesters were taken into custody.

Discussion: RedState, 21st Century Wire, Oregonian, The Week, Bearing Arms and Washington Times

Beth Anne Steele / FBI:
Remarks by SAC Greg Bretzing at a Press Conference to Address the Ongoing Situation at the …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Reuters, Plain Dealer, Balloon Juice, Mediaite, Oregonian and OPB

Erica Garner / Washington Post:

Black lives like my father's should matter. That's why I'm endorsing Bernie Sanders. — I want a leader who truly cares about justice for my family, for black people and for all Americans. — When I talk to other black voters about this year's presidential election, some seem ready to dismiss it.

Discussion: Politico and theGrio

Caitlin Cruz / Talking Points Memo:
Eric Garner's Daughter Endorses Bernie Sanders

Discussion: The Week and Washington Post

William Grimes / New York Times:

Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane Dies at 74 — Paul Kantner, a founding member of Jefferson Airplane, one of the definitive San Francisco psychedelic groups of the 1960s, and the guiding spirit of its successor, Jefferson Starship, died. He was 74. — Mr. Kantner's death was confirmed …

Discussion: Althouse, Outside the Beltway and Instapundit

Aidin Vaziri / San Francisco Chronicle:
Jefferson Airplane's Paul Kantner dies at 74

Discussion: SFist, The Week, CBS Philly and WCTX-TV

Brianna Keilar / CNN:

Inside Chelsea Clinton's Soul Cycle fundraiser — (CNN)Chelsea Clinton spoke candidly at a fundraiser she hosted for her mom's campaign in New York City Wednesday afternoon but did not “tap it back,” sitting out the 45-minute ride at the Tribeca location of Soul Cycle, the popular spinning juggernaut.

Discussion: BizPac Review, Truth Revolt, The Daily Caller and Washington Free Beacon

Chris Spargo For / Daily Mail:
Chelsea Clinton's fundraising flop: Soul Cycle event to raise money for Hillary a bust …

Discussion: Althouse and Truth Revolt

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis:

Jeannine Aversa: (202) 606-2649 (News Media) — National Income and Product Accounts — Gross Domestic Product: Fourth Quarter and Annual 2015 (Advance Estimate) — Real gross domestic product — the value of the goods and services produced by the nation's economy less the value …

Discussion: Politico, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, Wall Street Journal, Income Investing and Washington Free Beacon

Dylan Matthews / Vox:

Study: Bernie Sanders's single-payer plan is almost twice as expensive as he says — Bernie Sanders's health care plan is underfunded by almost $1.1 trillion a year, a new analysis by Emory University health care expert Kenneth Thorpe finds. — Thorpe isn't some right-wing critic skeptical of all single-payer proposals.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, New York Times and Balloon Juice

Washington Post:
Bernie Sanders's ideas are not too bold. They are too facile.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Common Dreams, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Taylor Marsh, Campaign for America's Future and Liberal Values

Julian Hattem / The Hill:

State to release some Clinton emails on Friday; thousands still delayed — The State Department on Friday will release roughly 2,000 pages of Hillary Clinton's emails, but will delay the final batch of messages until after voters go to the polls in early primary states.

Discussion: Hot Air and The Week

The Intercept:

Israeli Drone Feeds Hacked By British and American Intelligence … AMERICAN AND BRITISH INTELLIGENCE secretly tapped into live video feeds from Israeli drones and fighter jets, monitoring military operations in Gaza, watching for a potential strike against Iran, and keeping tabs on the drone technology Israel exports around the world.

Discussion: Associated Press, RT, Sputnik International and Mashable

Mike Lillis / The Hill:

Biden urges Dems to get aggressive — BALTIMORE, MD. — Vice President Biden is urging House Democrats to own President Obama's policy achievements as a route back to the lower-chamber majority. — Speaking to a large group of Democrats gathered in Baltimore for their annual issues conference …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, MichelleMalkin.com, Yahoo Politics and Talking Points Memo

Andrew Taylor / Associated Press:
Obama promises party faithful: ‘Democrats will win’

Discussion: Political Wire, Mediaite and CNN

Cory Bennett / The Hill:

Top senator: Encryption bill may ‘do more harm than good’ — Legislating encryption standards might “do more harm than good” in the fight against terrorism, Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said on Thursday. — In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris …

Discussion: Washington Post

Isaac Chotiner / Slate:

Is This the End of the GOP as We Know It? — Historian Rick Perlstein on the rise of Trump, the fall of Reagan, and the fate of contemporary conservatism. — Rick Perlstein has established himself as the pre-eminent historian of modern conservatism. Starting in 2001, with Before the Storm …

Discussion: Hullabaloo and Raw Story