memeorandum: Women's Marches end with eyes on the midterms (Dakin Andone/CNN)

12:15 PM ET, January 22, 2018

Top Items:

A President Not Sure of What He Wants Complicates the Shutdown Impasse — WASHINGTON — When President Trump mused last year about protecting immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children, calling them “these incredible kids,” aides implored him privately to stop talking about them so sympathetically.

CNN:

Senate to vote on Monday on ending shutdown — Washington (CNN)Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pledged Sunday to take up legislation to address the expiring Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program if enough Democrats vote to re-open the government, and scheduled a key vote for noon Monday.

CNN:

‘Dealmaker in chief’ largely absent in weekend shutdown negotiations — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — “I had to stay here in DC, which I'm becoming pretty proficient at,” Trump told donors by video on Saturday — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump may be presiding over the first government shutdown ever …

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, WQAD-TV, CBS San Francisco, AOL, Vox, CNBC, IJR, TheBlaze and Politico

Alice Stewart / CNN:
On shutdown, Democrats have a lot of explaining to do

Discussion: Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, FiveThirtyEight and Geller Report

Wall Street Journal: Working for the Weekend, Lawmakers Dress Down

Elana Schor / Politico:
Democrats balk at McConnell's shutdown offer

Discussion: New Republic, Daily Wire and Washington Post

Ralph Ellis / CNN:
White House changes public voice mail to blame Democrats for shutdown

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Washington Free Beacon and The Daily Signal

Associated Press:
The Latest: Trump: Democrats are prioritizing noncitizens

Discussion: Politico

Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Shutdown's Crux: Democrats' Deep-Rooted Distrust of G.O.P. on Immigration

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, The Atlantic, NBC News, NPR, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, ImmigrationProf Blog, Shareblue Media, Raw Story and bizpacreview.com

Elena Gaona / Center for American Progress …:

RELEASE: Most Americans Blame President Trump and Republicans in Congress for the Government Shutdown, New Poll Shows — Washington, D.C — Two days into the government shutdown, Americans clearly blame President Trump and congressional Republicans for the closure, a new poll released tonight finds.

Sofi Sinozich / ABC News:

Democrats solidify their lead in midterm elections matchup (POLL) — Democrats have solidified their position in the November midterm elections in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, maintaining a 12-point lead among registered voters while improving to a wide 14-point advantage among likely voters in congressional preference.

Discussion: Shareblue Media

Scott Clement / Washington Post:

Women and independents drive advantage for Democrats ahead of midterm elections, Post-ABC poll finds — Strong support from women and independents is fueling Democrats' large early advantage ahead of this year's congressional elections, a sign that two groups that have recoiled …

Discussion: Jezebel, Vox, The Week and Political Wire

David Leonhardt / New York Times:
The Democrats Are Right — and Should Settle

Discussion: National Review, Hullabaloo, Politico and Washington Post

Rebecca Morin / Politico:
Poll: Almost half of voters question Trump's mental stability

Discussion: The Week, Political Wire, Taylor Marsh and ABC News

Ashley Parker / Washington Post:

‘Defiance Disorder’: Another new book describes chaos in Trump's White House — In late July, the White House had just finished an official policy review on transgender individuals serving in the military and President Trump and his then-chief of staff, Reince Priebus, had agreed to meet …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Salon, Hullabaloo, Raw Story, ABC News, Mediaite, Joe.My.God. and Politico

Ashley Parker / Washington Post:
Stephen Miller: Immigration agitator and White House survivor

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Politico, The Hill, Splinter, Breitbart, Vox and RedState

Kendall Karson / ABC News:
White House defends ad calling Democrats ‘complicit’ in killings

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Wfla Web / WFLA-TV:

FBI: 2 flares were ignited at Eagle Ridge Mall, not pipe bombs — POLK COUNTY, Fla. - The F.B.I. said Monday two items believed to be marine flares were ignited by someone at the Eagle Ridge Mall on Sunday. — “There is no indication of any explosion at the mall and no pipe bombs were found,” said the F.B.I.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Associated Press and KTLA

CNN:
2 IEDs explode at Florida mall, police say

Discussion: The Week

Samantha Schmidt / Washington Post:

ICE detains a Polish doctor and green-card holder who has lived in the U.S. for nearly 40 years — Lukasz Niec was 5 years old when his parents brought him and his sister to the United States from Poland. With two suitcases in tow, his parents — both doctors — left behind a country on the verge of social turmoil.

Discussion: Jezebel, Eschaton and WCMH-TV

Dean Balsamini / New York Post:

Police union slashes number of ‘get out of jail free’ cards issued — The city's police-officers union is cracking down on the number of “get out of jail free” courtesy cards distributed to cops to give to family and friends. — Patrolmen's Benevolent Association boss Pat Lynch slashed …

Discussion: Marginal REVOLUTION, Business Insider and SiliconBeat

New York Times:

Here Are the Senators Trying to Find a Bipartisan Solution to the Government Shutdown — WASHINGTON — On the second day of the shutdown, a bipartisan group of senators emerged as a primary force behind the effort to end the gridlock and reopen the government.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Dakin Andone / CNN:

Women's Marches end with eyes on the midterms — (CNN)Thousands of demonstrators filed into the Sam Boyd Stadium near Las Vegas on Sunday, the culmination of a weekend in which dozens of Women's Marches took place in cities across the United States. At each of them, attendees called …

Discussion: RedState, Taylor Marsh, CBS Sacramento, The Root and FOX6Now.com

Daniella Silva / NBC News:
Demonstrators rally worldwide for second day of Women's Marches

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Online NewsHour, NPR, NBC News and Media Matters for America

Emily Smith / Page Six:

Matt Lauer's wife kicks him out of Hamptons house — Disgraced anchor Matt Lauer has been kicked out of his home by his furious wife after multiple women came forward with allegations of his “inappropriate sexual behavior.” — Lauer's wife of nearly two decades, Dutch former model Annette Roque …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, AOL, Jezebel, In Touch Weekly and thecut

Timothy L. O'Brien / Bloomberg:

Trump Kept One Promise. The Shutdown Is Proof. — We all should have seen it coming. — Over and over and over, first as a candidate and then as president, Donald Trump made a pledge to voters: He would run the White House just like he's run his business. That's a promise that he's kept.

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Politicus USA

Cameron Joseph / Talking Points Memo:

Democrats Poised To Accept Deal To End Shutdown — Senate Democrats are on the brink of accepting a deal to end the government shutdown in exchange for the promise of a vote on the DREAM Act in the coming weeks, three sources tell TPM. — The details of the deal aren't yet clear.

Lyndsay Winkley / Los Angeles Times:

Video of La Mesa police officer throwing handcuffed teen to ground sparks outrage … Video footage of a La Mesa police officer slamming a handcuffed high school student to the ground has sparked outrage, with some community members calling for the officer's removal.

Discussion: The Root and Raw Story

Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:

Chief Justice John Roberts Has Changed A Little Bit. And That Could Be A Big Deal. — Chief Justice John Roberts last year. — Win Mcnamee / Getty Images — WASHINGTON — Thirteen years into the job, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. remains a conservative — but he has shifted …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money

Tommy Hicks / The Hill:

Schumer's shutdown reveals: Democrats will destroy America just to spite Trump — BY TOMMY HICKS, JR., OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 01/21/18 06:30 AM EST THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL — Donald Trump was inaugurated one year ago after promising to make America great again.

Facebook:

Hard Questions: Social Media and Democracy — For the next topic of our Hard Questions series, we decided to confront an issue that has been top of mind for many of us here, including myself: What effect does social media have on democracy? — As someone who has worked for over 14 years …