First Read's Morning Clips
OBAMA AGENDA: Biden fires back
The White House is not happy with Senate Republicans' letter to Iranian leaders, with Obama deriding them for "wanting to make common cause with the hard-liners in Iran" and Biden saying that the letter is "beneath the dignity of an institution I revere."
From the AP: "Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif responded to the letter via state media Monday, dismissing it as a "propaganda ploy" and noting that many international deals are "mere executive agreements." He suggested the senators were undermining not only the prospective deal with Iran but other international agreements as well."
From the cover of the New York Daily News: "TRAITORS"
The president sits down with VICE in Atlanta today, by the way.
Barack Obama's style of dealing with foreign leaders doesn't have the "buddy-buddy" quality of his recent predecessors, notes the New York Times.
Joe Biden writes in The Hill that the administration wants $1 billion for investment in Central America.
A federal judge in Texas has declined to lift a block on Obama's immigration action for another 10 days, notes Reuters.
CONGRESS: GOPers not rushing to condemn Menendez
Roll Call notes: Republicans aren't rushing to condemn Sen. Bob Menendez, suggesting instead that his expected indictment may be related to his opposition to the White House on an Iran sanctions bill. From POLITICO: "Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock reported on federal campaign finance documents that he spent more than $3,000 on software on Nov. 14.But in fact, the expenditure was part of the cost of flying in a software executive’s private plane to a Chicago Bears game and his district, the pilot and company executive said."
Conservative radio host Erick Erickson is calling on Schock to resign.
OFF TO THE RACES: Looking for change in all the wrong places….
From one of us(!): Here's the whole writeup of the new NBC/WSJ poll that found nearly six-in-ten Americans are looking for a change in 2016.
And from another one of us(!): Support for same-sex marriage is at an all-time high of 59 percent.
BUSH: Jonathan Martin notes that, in part because of Bush's family roots in the White House, his rivals are going out of their way to talk up their humble beginnings.
CLINTON: She didn't address the email controversy yesterday, although she's likely to hold a press conference to address it this week.
The Washington Post ed board: "A paramount test for those running for president is how they make decisions — how they absorb information, what principles they carry and how it is all processed to a final choice. This is highly subjective, often lost in the hurly-burly of campaigning, but crucial. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is expected to announce her candidacy soon for the Democratic nomination, is at one of those revelatory moments and so far seems not to have recognized it."
The email flap has revived a probe into her use of a program that let some of her allies with private sector careers work for the government as well, via the Washington Post.
RYAN: Here's a reason Paul Ryan didn't run for president: He didn't want his anti-poverty project to be politicized. He's coming out with a documentary film project later this month about his travels, Yahoo reports.
WARREN: The New York Times notes that Warren doesn't have the potential coalition that Obama did.
And around the country... ILLINOIS: Endangered Republican Mark Kirk is poised to use the story of his comeback from a stroke as a centerpiece of his upcoming fight for his job, POLITICO writes.
Looks like Aaron Schock has a primary challenger, reports the Peoria Journal Star.
OHIO: The DSCC has endorsed Ted Strickland over rival P.G. Sittenfeld.
PROGRAMMING NOTES *** Tuesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Oklahoma University President David Boren, the Washington Post’s Anne Gearan, USA Today’s Susan Page, msnbc.com Senior Editor Beth Fouhy, NBCNews.com Asian America Editor Amna Nawaz and NBC’s Ron Mott.
