OBAMA AGENDA: Meeting with the governors
From the New York Times: "A newly disclosed National Security Agency document illustrates the striking acceleration of the use of cyberweapons by the United States and Iran against each other, both for spying and sabotage, even as Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart met in Geneva to try to break a stalemate in the talks over Iran’s disputed nuclear program."
Obama will meet with governors at the White House today, where DHS funding is sure to loom large.
On Meet the Press Sunday, DHS chief Jeh Johnson said the public "needs to be particularly vigilant," particularly after terror threats directed at shopping malls.
POLITICO notes how Obama’s request for war authorization against ISIS is causing a rift on the left.
CONGRESS: DHS funding deadline is approaching
The Wall Street Journal on the DHS funding deadline: "In one of the first signs of movement, Senate Republicans, still mulling their options, are most likely to end up supporting a short-term extension of the agency’s current funding, potentially for one or two months, according to GOP aides. But that would meet some conservative opposition in the chamber, and a short term deal also could face hurdles passing the House, where many Republicans are demanding legislative steps to block the president’s immigration policy."
OFF TO THE RACES: Rudy walks it back
Rudy Giuliani in the Wall Street Journal: "My blunt language suggesting that the president doesn’t love America notwithstanding, I didn’t intend to question President Obama’s motives or the content of his heart. My intended focus really was the effect his words and his actions have on the morale of the country, and how that effect may damage his performance."
Democrats have become a confused political party with a muddled message and an inability to turn out enough of its loyal voters, a party task force charged with how to revive the embattled party said Saturday,” McClatchy writes.
BUSH: The Washington Post's dive into Mrs. Bush's expensive tastes, including big purchases at a South Florida jewelry store: "Documentation available online, which does not include the details of two transactions made less than six weeks apart in 1995, shows that she spent a total of more than $90,000 at the store."
CLINTON: Making waves over the weekend, from the Washington Post: "As she readies her second presidential campaign, Clinton has recruited consumer marketing specialists onto her team of trusted political advisers. Their job is to help imagine Hillary 5.0 — the rebranding of a first lady turned senator turned failed presidential candidate turned secretary of state turned likely 2016 Democratic presidential nominee."
CHRISTIE: Chris Christie's RGA successes aren't turning into commitments of support from Republican governors, notes the Wall Street Journal.
MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki’s piece: The past catches up with Christie.
HUCKABEE: The Washington Post previews Mike Huckabee's "tour guide" trips to Israel.
PERRY: Flexing his muscles on foreign policy? Rick Perry released a new video describing his policy proposal for managing aggression by Vladimir Putin.
RUBIO: McClatchy: “Marco Rubio is hot again. The junior senator from Florida is in the midst of a comeback, fueled by a self-assured stand against easing relations with Cuba, some savvy campaigning in Iowa and a meeting that impressed well-heeled donors. He still faces a daunting path to the White House. Voters in his own state would rather he seek a second Senate term in 2016. He’s no longer the only bright young Republican star in the field. And he continues to come under fire for a shift on immigration, particularly from the Latino community that Republicans want to woo.”
WALKER: Our own Perry Bacon notes how conservatives are split about Walker's handling of the media gauntlet.
The New York Times writes that Walker has made a conservative turn on social issues like abortion and same-sex marriage, including an embrace of a "personhood" amendment.
The Journal Sentinel: "As Walker travels throughout the country pursuing the presidency, he and GOP lawmakers have bumped into one another on the biggest issues before them, from the state budget to private-sector unions."
The Washington Post on Walker's anti-union push: "Unions representing teachers, professors, trash collectors and other government employees are struggling to stem plummeting membership rolls and retain relevance in the state where they got their start."
PROGRAMMING NOTES.
*** Monday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: Tamron Hall speaks with legal analyst Lisa Green about the American Sniper trial, Journalist and Author Allison Samuels about the health of Bobbi Kristina Brown, and Senior Editor at Variety Ramin Setoodeh regarding the Oscars.