memeorandum: First on CNN: Former NAACP head to endorse Bernie Sanders (Nia-Malika Henderson/CNN)

1:25 PM ET, February 4, 2016

Top Items:

Donald Trump's poll numbers took a nosedive in the first national survey after Iowa — Real-estate mogul Donald Trump's standing in the Republican presidential race deflated in the first national survey released after his loss to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in the Monday-night Iowa caucuses.

Discussion: Political Wire, The Week and Florida Politics

Andy Hiller / WHDH-TV:

Hiller Instinct: 7News/UMass Lowell New Hampshire tracking poll day 4 — It's not an earthquake, yet...But the political ground in New Hampshire is moving. — We're seeing more of Iowa's impact, and the war of words underway here. — Hillary Clinton is coming back; and Marco Rubio is coming up.

Discussion: The Hill and Slantpoint

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Republican Race Tightens Nationally; Clinton Still Solid — PPP's newest national poll finds the race on the Republican side tightening considerably in the wake of Donald Trump's surprise loss in Iowa on Monday night. Trump's lead has fallen to just 4 points- he's at 25% to 21% each …

Discussion: RedState and Hot Air

New York Times:

Chris Christie and Jeb Bush Team Up on a Mutual Target: Marco Rubio — MANCHESTER, N.H. — Frustrated and flailing as his candidacy threatens to slip away, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey is embarking on a scalding effort over the next week to discredit Senator Marco Rubio of Florida …

Discussion: RedState, Business Insider and Althouse

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: ThinkProgress, Breitbart, The White House, MSNBC, Fox News, BuzzFeed, Shakesville, New York Magazine, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Mother Jones, Daily Kos and CNN

Zeke J Miller / TIME:

Christie: Obama ‘Hug’ Never Happened — ‘When he got off Air Force One, I did shake his hand’ — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie talks often of his response to Hurricane Sandy, which devastated his state days before the 2012 Election. But on Wednesday, he told a less-frequently discussed story …

Discussion: Hot Air

Ross Douthat / New York Times:
The Plausibility of Ted Cruz

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Politico and Washington Post

Jordyn Phelps / ABC News:
The Many Attacks Chris Christie Has Hurled at Marco Rubio Since Iowa

Discussion: The Federalist and Associated Press

J.D. Durkin / Mediaite: Despite Endorsement, Rick Santorum Completely Fails to Identify a Rubio Accomplishment

Igor Bobic / The Huffington Post:
Marco Rubio Slams Obama's Speech On Fighting Islamophobia

Discussion: RedState, Slantpoint, Talking Points Memo, The White House, Washington Post and New York Times

Eugene Scott / CNN:
Rubio's accomplishments? Santorum can't name them

Discussion: Politico, Mock Paper Scissors, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, Patterico's Pontifications, Vox, Towleroad, The Atlantic, The Stream and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Brent Budowsky / The Hill:

What Hillary needs to hear — I hope this column provokes a strong reaction from my brothers and sisters in the Democratic establishment, against whom I dissent in large measure today despite my history of working for Democratic leaders in Congress. — I am breaking rank and going rogue …

Discussion: CNN and Taylor Marsh

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

This one moment perfectly captures the Clinton-Sanders war over progressivism — THE MORNING PLUM: — Tonight the Democratic presidential candidates are set to debate in New Hampshire, and all indications are that they will use the occasion to battle over whether Hillary Clinton is a genuine progressive …

Discussion: Mother Jones, New York Times, Associated Press, CNN, MSNBC and Vox

Nia-Malika Henderson / CNN:

First on CNN: Former NAACP head to endorse Bernie Sanders — (CNN)Ben Jealous, the former head of the NAACP, will endorse Bernie Sanders, a source familiar with the campaign told CNN. — The endorsement is a potential boost to Sanders who has struggled to gain traction among African-American voters …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Greenville News, Washington Post, Common Dreams, The Week and Liberty Unyielding

Eliza Collins / Politico:
Goldman Sachs chief Lloyd Blankfein: Sanders candidacy a ‘dangerous moment’

Discussion: Boston Globe, Yahoo Politics, CNBC, Washington Monthly, Business Insider, International Business Times, Raw Story and Bloomberg Business

Gabriel Debenedetti / Politico:
Clinton stumbles on Wall Street question at CNN town hall

Discussion: The Atlantic, The Hill and Hot Air

The Hill:
Female senators urge Warren: Back Hillary Clinton

Discussion: Washington Post, ABC News and Politico

Gabriel Debenedetti / Politico:
Sanders spotlights Clinton vulnerabilities

Discussion: TIME, Chicago Boyz and Yahoo Politics

Matea Gold / Washington Post:
Clinton blasts Wall Street, but still draws millions in contributions

Discussion: Common Dreams, Truth Revolt, Prairie Weather and Politico

Des Moines Register:

Last Slide — Once again the world is laughing at Iowa. Late-night comedians and social media mavens are having a field day with jokes about missing caucusgoers and coin flips. — That's fine. We can take ribbing over our quirky process. But what we can't stomach is even the whiff of impropriety or error.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Politico, Political Wire, Mock Paper Scissors, Mediaite, The Resurgent, The Week, Balloon Juice and Daily Kos

Ben Kamisar / The Hill:
Des Moines Register calls for audit of Sanders-Clinton result in Iowa

Discussion: Political Wire and Raw Story

Robert Costa / Washington Post:

Ben Carson slashes staff as funds dry up — CONCORD, N.H. — Ben Carson, the famed neurosurgeon whose bid for the Republican presidential nomination has struggled to keep pace with rivals, will cut more than 50 staff positions on Thursday as part of an overhaul and downsizing of his entire campaign.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Politico, RedState, Talking Points Memo, The Right Scoop, Steve Deace Show, Mediaite, Hot Air, The Slot, Business Insider, The Resurgent, The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, Political Wire and The Week

Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:
Rubio Piles On Cruz ‘Dirty Trick’: ‘That Is A Willingness To Say Or Do Anything’

Discussion: Political Wire and The Right Scoop

MJ Lee / CNN:
Donald Trump to take N.H. by storm

Discussion: WCMH-TV and Townhall.com

Sarah Ferris / The Hill:

Smirking drug CEO antagonizes lawmakers after pleading the Fifth — Embattled drug executive Martin Shkreli antagonized lawmakers on Thursday by smirking and posing for pictures during his first appearance on Capitol Hill even as he refused to answer questions about drug prices.

Discussion: Political Wire

Sarah Karlin / Politico:
Martin Shkreli pleads the Fifth on Hill

Discussion: Mother Jones, The Atlantic, USA Today, Roll Call, New York Times and Joe.My.God.

DeRay Mckesson:

I Am Running for Mayor of Baltimore — I love Baltimore. This city has made me the man that I am. — Like an old friend, I've seen it at its best and its most challenged. From Ms. Rainey's second grade class at Rosemont Elementary School to the mixes of K Swift & Miss Tony on 92Q …

Discussion: Vox, Death and Taxes, Guardian, RT, addictinginfo.org, Business Insider and Mashable

Luke Broadwater / Baltimore Sun:
DeRay Mckesson files to run in Baltimore mayoral race

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Atlantic, National Review, Hot Air, Bangor Daily News, New York Times, Washington Post, The Week, Engadget and FiveThirtyEight

Joshua Green / Bloomberg Business:

The Great GOP Realignment — Ted Cruz and Donald Trump may herald an historic working-class Republican revolt against the party establishment. — JoshuaGreen — A few days before the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses, Brad Martsching was barreling down a Pennsylvania highway, hoping to unload …

Discussion: Booman Tribune

BloombergView.com:

Clinton's Security Clearance Is Under Scrutiny — Now that several e-mails on Hillary Clinton's private server have been classified, there is a more immediate question than the outcome of the investigation: Should the former secretary of state retain her security clearance during the inquiry?

New York Post:
The e-mail scandal stretches far beyond Hillary

Discussion: The Daily Caller

fox8.com:

Hair tourniquet? Dad shares photo of baby's swollen toe to warn parents of common hazard … WICHITA, Kansas — A Kansas father has a warning for all parents after finding something strange on his infant daughter's foot. — He shared a photo on Facebook to warn other parents.

Discussion: FOX 61, WTVR-TV and fox4kc.com

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: Politico, Talking Points Memo, The Bob and Chez Show and Booman Tribune

William Barber / The Atlantic: The Strange Career of James Crow, Esquire

BBC:

Julian Assange is being arbitrarily held, UN panel to say — A UN panel has ruled in favour of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange after he complained he was “arbitrarily detained”, the BBC understands. — Mr Assange claimed asylum in London's Ecuadorean embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition …