HUFFPOST HILL - New York's Got Your Values Right Here, Pal

Lindsey Graham endorsed Jeb Bush this morning, giving Jeb just the kind of establishment credibility boost he'd been looking for. Ted Cruz said Donald Trump has "New York values," which Trump then proved true by making a Texan look foolish. And Hillary Clinton continues to hammer Bernie Sanders from the right over health care, a tactic that's very effective at reminding progressives why they like Bernie Sanders. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Friday, January 15th, 2016:

PRESIDENT TALKS TAMPONS - Elise Foley: "President Barack Obama said Friday he had 'no idea' why many states tax tampons and menstrual pads as 'luxury items.' Well, he does have one idea. 'I suspect it's because men were making the laws when those taxes were passed,' the president told Ingrid Nilsen in a series of interviews with YouTube stars in the White House. Nilsen pointed out that 40 states require people to pay sales tax on feminine hygiene products, even though states often allow exemptions for 'necessities.' Tampons and pads, it turns out, are not considered a necessity in those states for sales tax purposes." [HuffPost]

HOUSE GOP TO HAVE POLICY AGENDA...SOON - Paul Kane in Baltimore: "House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) vowed Friday to have a 'complete agenda' in place by the time that Republicans have settled on a presidential nominee, as GOP lawmakers concluded a three-day retreat here that was designed to forge some unity and consensus in a caucus that has been bitterly divided for several years. With a presidential primary that appears to be headed for several months of infighting, Ryan outlined five points in the party’s platform where House Republicans will try to place their mark, both for the eventual nominee and for their congressional candidates in the fall elections. 'I expect that we will have a complete agenda by the time that we have a nominee,' Ryan told reporters at the press conference wrapping up the time in Baltimore." Those five points will be national security, the economy. health care, poverty, and the Constitution. [WashPost]

Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks (R) said Obama is the most "racially divisive" president since the Civil War.

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HOT, SWEATY TRUMP-ON-CRUZ ACTION - Just as everyone drew it up beforehand, the GOP debate made it pretty clear that this contest will come down to the two loudest, most bitter men available. Bloated scarecrow Donald Trump and demonically possessed marionette Ted Cruz finally took some real shots at each oth-- ugh, we can't even go on with this, frankly. Karen Tumulty and Philip Rucker: "Until recently, it was in both Trump’s and Cruz’s interest to avoid a direct confrontation. Cruz was leery of alienating Trump’s supporters -- who might come to him, if the incendiary billionaire were to self-destruct. Trump, for his part, did not consider Cruz much of a threat. On Thursday, they went so far as to question each other’s fitness to govern." As though "fitness to govern" is a criterion that matters to voters who use the word "illegal" as a noun. [WashPost]

TRUMP WENT ALL-IN ON CRUZ BIRTHERISM - He said he worried it would disqualify Cruz from being his running mate. "I choose him as my vice presidential candidate and the Democrats sue, because we can't take him along for the ride? I don't like that." He also said he only brought it up because he felt threatened by Cruz's improved poll numbers. [HuffPost]

@burgessev: Gohmert says he and a bunch of congressional Republicans watched "13 Hours" instead of the debate last night

WHEN WILL TED CRUZ SHOW HIS LONGE FORMME BIRTH CERTIFICATE - Some stupid idiot filed a lawsuit trying to disqualify Ted Cruz for not being a natural-born U.S. citizen, even though he obviously is. We can all agree about the importance of keeping Canadians away from us, but this is taking it too far. Nick Visser: "A similar debate took place nearly 50 years ago over the eligibility of George Romney, former Michigan governor and father of Mitt Romney, to run for president. George Romney was also born to U.S. citizens living outside the country. Mitt Romney recently tweeted in support of Cruz, citing his father's case. [HuffPost]

HILLARY BEING HILLARY, AGAIN - At one point, it seemed like all Hillary Clinton had to do was hang out and wait for the Democratic nomination. And while Bernie Sanders has been more of a challenge that anybody expected, it nows seems like Clinton's biggest problem is her Clintonness. Jason Linkins and Zach Carter: "This is not a battle of ideas; it’s an investment in cynicism. And it's hard to avoid a few ugly conclusions. Clinton has not learned from the mistakes of 2008. She does not understand the Democratic Party's base. She does not respect the activists and intellectuals who have fought to establish the party's economic policy agenda over the past 50 years. And she thinks voters in early primary states are dumb enough to fall for obvious dishonesty, just because they already like her." [HuffPost]

BILLIONAIRES TIRE OF BURNT MONEY SMELL - The misguided rich people Jeb Bush bamboozled into financing his disaster of a campaign would like the presidential relative to give them permission to turn over their money to another loser. Anna Palmer and Ben White: "The deterioration of the Bush campaign has been a humbling experience for his fundraisers. A year ago, even before he was a candidate, Bush's team was locking down donors across the country and getting commitments for six- and seven-figure checks with little trouble. Donors were pitted against each other to see who could raise more and be in the good graces of the man who, at the time, was described by many in Bush World as the inevitable nominee. Now the fundraising pitch is decidedly different. 'Hey, I need you to throw away money on Jeb -- out of loyalty,' a Bush fundraiser has told donors recently." This is why the rest of us will never understand rich people. [Politico]

HEY, MARTIN O'MALLEY IS IN A NEWSPAPER! - It's not about his tax plan (assuming he has one) or whatever, though. No, it's because some Republican prosecutor in Maryland thinks O'Malley threw a yard sale for himself when he moved out of the governor's mansion in Annapolis. Ovetta Wiggins: "The family paid $9,638 for beds, chairs, desks, lamps, mirrors and other items from the mansion’s living quarters that originally cost taxpayers $62,000, according to the Baltimore Sun, which first reported on the furniture purchase and, on Thursday night, the investigation." [WashPost]

VEEPSTAKES: LINDSEY GRAHAM EDITION - Haha, no. Lindsey Graham will never be vice president of anything but a lobbying firm. But he did endorse Jeb! Bush, thereby handing the former Florida governor the votes of every weirdo who sets their alarms to watch Sunday political shows. Alex Isenstadt: "There are questions, however, about how much of an impact the endorsement will have on Bush's political fortunes. With his long family history in politics and a deep reservoir of campaign cash, Bush began the primary race as the front-runner but has fallen into the middle of the GOP pack, far behind poll leaders Donald Trump and Ted Cruz." [Politico]

DELANEY DOWNER - President Barack Obama could declare a federal emergency in Flint, Michigan, as soon as this weekend in response to the area's water contamination crisis, the White House indicated Friday. "The potential for that certainly exists," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said during his daily briefing. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) called on the Obama administration Thursday night to declare an emergency over Flint's water situation…. Earnest wouldn't say whether the EPA screwed up. "At this point, I'm quite limited in what I can say about attributing any sort of blame for this particular situation, primarily because the Department of Justice is taking a look at this question," he said. "The EPA has obviously been involved, and they're involved now, in trying to respond to the situation." [w/ HuffPost's Jen Bendery]

From earlier: How The Federal Government Botched Flint's Water Crisis. [HuffPost]

TED CRUZ TOLD GEORGE W. BUSH TO POUND SAND - Basically. Back in 2000, President-elect George W. Bush's team offered fellow Harvard/Yale grad Ted Cruz a gig in the White House. But Ted thought he was too good for it, blew them off, and irritated everyone, like he does. He later got some other jobs in the administration, because the government is a racket for Ivy Leaguers. "The incident underscores a recurring theme of Cruz's career, how his overt personal ambition rubbed colleagues the wrong way -- sometimes to his professional and political detriment. By setting his eyes on a bigger prize and bypassing the chance to work as an administration lawyer in the White House, Cruz missed potentially invaluable experience and insight into the job he is now seeking." [AP]

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TED CRUZ VALUES - Karen Matthews: "When Ted Cruz sneered at what he called Donald Trump's 'New York values,' some New Yorkers took it very personally. And some responded about the way you'd expect New Yorkers to react. The ever-combative Daily News hit the streets with a big front-page illustration of the Statue of Liberty giving Cruz the finger…. 'Like that's a bad thing?' said Willie Perry, a real estate salesman and registered Republican, as he headed to work in New York City. 'Actually it's a good thing. I think that's ludicrous. What did he mean by that?' John Markowski, a minister who was dropping his son off at a public school, said: 'It's insulting for anyone to make a derogatory comment about New York values. I think we pride ourselves on being a place of diversity and equality.'" [AP]

Trump himself probably had the best response.

BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - Enjoy this Slate piece about how Hillary Clinton dresses like a lesbian -- not that there's anything wrong with that. See also this piece on other candidates who dress like lesbians.

IN AN IRONIC, DEPRESSING TURN, AMERICANS NOW TOO BROKE TO SHOP AT WALMART - The behemoth retailer has been slumping for a while, and have come up with a temporary solution. Walmart will reduce its overhead and labor costs to the low, low price of zero by shutting down 269 stores, including 154 in the U.S. Hadley Malcolm: "Around 16,000 store associates are affected by the store closures, with about 10,000 in the U.S. Some will have the opportunity to relocate to other Walmart stores. The rest will receive 60 days pay plus severance if eligible, the company said." [USA Today]

COMFORT FOOD

- James Franco will portray Tommy Wiseau in a movie about The Room that can't not be good.

- Breakfast turns out to be a total racket.

- Healthy diet helps 183-year-old tortoise feel young again.

TWITTERAMA

@LOLGOP: How dare you disparage New York where 9/11 happened? asked the man who spent the last year saying America isn't great anymore.

@meganamram: Why aren't veterinarians called dogtors

@ryanbeckwith: "Why Ted Cruz Is Wrong About 'New York Values'"

By Bodega Owner Whose ATM Charges $6 Fee to Take Out $20

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.