memeorandum: Climate science to be gutted as CSIRO swings jobs axe (Peter Hannam/Sydney Morning Herald)

12:20 AM ET, February 4, 2016

Top Items:

Sarah Palin / Facebook:

Dirty Politics: Witnessing Firsthand It's Always Heartbreaking, Never Surprising — Thank heavens Donald Trump opened so many eyes to the lies, corruption and total lack of accountability that come so naturally to the permanent political class. And Sen. Ted Cruz was spot on when he once noted that …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Fox News Insider, Hot Air, AOL, The Stream, Mediaite, RedState, Politico, BizPac Review, Fox Business, The Daily Caller, American Power and Joe.My.God.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Jimmy Carter: I'd choose Trump — Did Jimmy Carter just say he'd like Donald Trump to become president? — Not exactly. And only if, you get the feeling, he was down to his very last choice. — Carter, 91, appeared in Britain's House of Lords Wednesday afternoon to deliver a lecture …

Discussion: RedState, The PolitiStick, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Political Insider blog

Neetzan Zimmerman / The Hill:

Cruz breaks silence on Trump's voter fraud allegations: ‘Another Trumper tantrum’ — Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz on Wednesday afternoon took to Twitter to respond to voter fraud allegations made against him by rival Donald Trump, dismissing the comments as a “Trumper tantrum.”

Discussion: Politico, The Gateway Pundit, Trail Blazers Blog, Washington Post and The Week

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:

Trump Says He'll Probably Sue Over Iowa Results, Accuses Cruz Of “Voter Fraud” — “This guy is really fraudulent,” Trump says of Cruz. — Joe Raedle / Getty Images — w.soundcloud.com — Donald Trump says he will probably sue over the results of the Iowa caucuses, accusing Ted Cruz of committing voter fraud to win.

Discussion: Business Insider, Mediaite, RedState, Daily Kos, Hot Air, National Review and Talking Points Memo

Katie Glueck / Politico:
Cruz revels in Trump bashing

Discussion: Political Wire

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Team Carson furious with Cruz

Discussion: Hot Air and Mediaite

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Trump: Ted Cruz stole the election in Iowa so we should have a do-over

Discussion: RedState, Patterico's Pontifications, NewsBusters and Washington Post

Eliza Collins / Politico:
Jimmy Carter: I'd pick Trump over Cruz

Discussion: Political Wire

Jack Blanchard / Mirror.co.uk:
Famous left-winger Jimmy Carter backs Donald Trump in the Republican race for President

Discussion: Power Line and The Right Scoop

Jonathan Swan / The Hill:
Carson condemns Cruz's campaign tactics

Discussion: Politico, CBS News, The Moderate Voice and Slantpoint

Nick Gass / Politico:
Trump accuses Cruz of ‘fraud,’ calls for new Iowa election

New York Times:

Jeb Bush, an Also-Ran in Iowa, May Be Pivotal in New Hampshire — MANCHESTER, N.H. — In the crowded New Hampshire primary, no candidate may shape the direction of the Republican presidential campaign more than the man who finished sixth in Iowa: Jeb Bush. — With Senator Ted Cruz of Texas …

Discussion: Mediaite, MSNBC, Politico, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, RedState, The Atlantic, Vox, The PolitiStick, Daily Kos, Boston Globe, Business Insider and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Ben Schreckinger / Politico:

Trump resists staff calls to change course — In the lead-up to Donald Trump's loss in Iowa, staffers sought additional funding for campaign infrastructure and were denied. — Now, six days from the New Hampshire primary and looking for his first win, Trump is still refusing to shake up his ground game.

Discussion: RedState

Aaron Bycoffe / FiveThirtyEight:

Marco Rubio Is Now Winning The Race For Endorsements — But most Republican officials are still waiting on the sidelines. — FiveThirtyEight's endorsement tracker has a new Republican leader for the first time in nearly six months: Marco Rubio, who, since his surprisingly strong third-place finish …

Discussion: Breitbart, Politico, Hot Air, The Federalist and The Week

Associated Press:
The Latest: Bush to NH Audience: ‘Please Clap’

Discussion: Politico and ABC News

Joy Y. Wang / MSNBC:
Bush pleads for town hall attendees to ‘please clap’

Discussion: BuzzFeed and Yahoo Politics

Robert W. Wood / Forbes:

Winner Of $1.6 Billion Powerball Jackpot Sued By Prisoner — As the Powerball jackpot topped $1 billion, the frenzy grew. It was fun to dream, even if you knew you stood little chance. But often, a winner faces suits by friends, co-workers, even family.

Dallas Franklin / KFOR-TV:

Inmate suing Tennessee couple who won Powerball jackpot — MUNFORD, Tenn. - Less than a month after winning the Powerball jackpot, a Tennessee couple is being sued by an inmate. — Last month, a Tennessee couple came forward, claiming they are one of the three winners from the massive $1.6 billion Powerball drawing.

Discussion: FOX2now.com

John King / CNN:

First on CNN: Rick Santorum dropping presidential bid — (CNN)Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is ending his presidential bid, two Republican sources told CNN. — He is expected to make the announcement Wednesday night.

Discussion: Fox News, American Spectator, The Atlantic, Towleroad, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Vox, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Stream, Mashable, Little Green Footballs, WBAY-TV, The Week and Outside the Beltway

Daniel Strauss / Politico:
Rand Paul drops out of White House race

Robert Costa / Washington Post:
Rick Santorum to drop out of 2016 presidential race

Discussion: Politico, Liberal Values and ballot-access.org

CNN:
First on CNN: Rand Paul dropping out of presidential race

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, The Federalist, Hot Air, The Atlantic, The Resurgent, BizPac Review, neo-neocon, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Balloon Juice and WBKR

Michael Walsh / Yahoo Politics:
Rick Santorum drops out of 2016 GOP race, endorses Rubio

Discussion: Politico, Right Wing Watch, Jon Ward, American Spectator and Shakesville

Jenna Johnson / Washington Post:

Trump and Rubio question President Obama's visit to a mosque — MANCHESTER, N.H. — Republican front-runner Donald Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) are questioning President Obama's visit to a mosque in a Baltimore suburb on Wednesday, where he preached religious tolerance …

Discussion: Mother Jones and Lawyers, Guns & Money

The White House:
Remarks by the President at Islamic Society of Baltimore

Discussion: FOX 61 and Mother Jones

New York Times:
Obama's mosque visit demonstrates tacit acceptance of a form of gender apartheid

Discussion: NBC News, Baltimore Sun, The Gateway Pundit, BizPac Review and Center for Security Policy

CNN:
Obama to rebut GOP Muslim rhetoric in first U.S. mosque visit

Discussion: Jihad Watch, NPR, addictinginfo.org, Pamela Geller, Hullabaloo, RedState, The Week and KFOR-TV

Gardiner Harris / New York Times:
Obama, in Mosque Visit, Denounces Anti-Muslim Bias

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, The Week and Yahoo Politics

John Eligon / New York Times:

Black Lives Matter Activist Jumps Into Baltimore Mayoral Fray — DeRay Mckesson, whose activism over the last year and a half has vaulted him from obscure Twitter sage to a political force in the national Black Lives Matter movement, announced Wednesday that he was running for mayor of Baltimore.

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Mediaite

Wesley Lowery / Washington Post:
DeRay Mckesson, Black Lives Matter activist, launches last-minute bid to become mayor of Baltimore

Discussion: Raw Story

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

It's on: We're getting four more Democratic debates — The campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have agreed on a rough schedule for four new debates over the next few months, according to various sources, a move that shows the Democratic primary is now set to shift into a higher gear …

Discussion: The Atlantic, Fox17, Common Dreams, Talking Points Memo, TVNewser, The Hill and Daily Kos

Brian Fallon / Yahoo Politics:
Clinton, Sanders fight to own ‘progressive’

Discussion: Politico, ABC News and Washington Post

Melissa Pamer / KTLA:

Car Lands on Top of Roof of Palos Verdes Estates Home's Garage: Fire Department — A driver lost control of his car and ended up landing on the roof of a Palos Verdes Estates home's garage, prompting an emergency response on Wednesday afternoon. — A vehicle landed on top of the roof of a Palos Verdes Estates home on Feb. 3, 2016.

Kellan Howell / Washington Times:

Donald Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize — Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump is reportedly in the running to receive the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. — Mr. Trump, who has attracted international backlash over his controversial rhetoric and call to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. …

Discussion: MSNBC, RedState, The Independent, The San Diego Union …, AOL, The Week, addictinginfo.org and Agence France-Presse

Richard Orange / Telegraph:
Anonymous US politician nominated Donald Trump as Nobel Peace Prize

Discussion: Vox, Joe.My.God. and Refinery29

Mike Lillis / The Hill:

Ryan backs voting rights bill — but tells black caucus it's out of his hands — Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told black lawmakers Wednesday that he supports new voting rights protections they've championed, but said he won't bypass a committee chairman to move legislation, according to a Democrat who attended the gathering.

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Melissa Harris-Perry / Anna Julia Cooper Center:

Of Teachers and Students — I don't know if he was there to kill me. — Monday night I was sitting in a hotel lobby in downtown Des Moines with my back to a wall of windows, my eyes fixed on the TV, my attention wholly focused on early caucus results. I didn't notice until …

Discussion: Mediaite, Refinery29, Talking Points Memo, theGrio, addictinginfo.org and TVNewser

New York Times:

Ted Cruz, a Public Firebrand on Social Issues, Is Cooler When Wooing Donors — Ted Cruz sounded despondent at the possibility that same-sex marriage could become legal when he called into the radio show of Tony Perkins, a vehement opponent of gay rights, in February 2014.