memeorandum: Who Gets the Kidney? (Mvdg/Michael P.F. van der Galiën)

It's official — The U.S. Justice Department has notified Arkansas's congressional delegation that Interim Eastern District U.S. Attorney Tim Griffin is resigning effective Friday, June 1. Jane Duke will become acting U.S. attorney. (This is the assistant in the office who the Justice Department once …

Discussion: The Gun Toting Liberal™, DownWithTyranny!, The Sideshow, About U.S. Politics, The Moderate Voice and Watching Those We Chose

Tom Hamburger / Los Angeles Times:

Minnesota case fits pattern in attorneys flap — Republicans wanted more vigorous efforts to legally challenge questionable voters in state. — For more than 15 years, clean-cut, square-jawed Tom Heffelfinger was the embodiment of a tough Republican prosecutor.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Norwegianity

Amanda / Think Progress:

Rove-Protege Tim Griffin Resigns As U.S. Attorney — The Arkansas Times reports that the controversial U.S. attorney in Arkansas, Tim Griffin, has resigned: … Griffin, a former protege of Karl Rove, was formerly research director of the Republican National Committee.

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, My Two Sense and TIME: Swampland

Dan Eggen / Washington Post:
Justice Dept. Expands Probe To Include Hiring Practices

Discussion: The BRAD BLOG

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:
WSJ: Former Rove Aide in Talks with Thompson Campaign

Discussion: ArkansasTimes and Facing South

Leila Fadel / Real Cities:

Lieberman talks to troops in Baghdad — BAGHDAD, Iraq - Spc. David Williams, 22, of Boston, Mass., had two note cards in his pocket Wednesday afternoon as he waited for Sen. Joseph Lieberman. Williams serves in the 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, N.C., the first of the five "surge" …

Discussion: Booman Tribune, NO QUARTER, State of the Day, Rising Hegemon, All Spin Zone and AMERICAblog

Nico / Think Progress:

Lieberman Confronted By Troops In Iraq: 'When Are We Going To Get Out Of Here?' — Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) made an unannounced trip to Iraq today, telling reporters, "what I see here today is progress, significant progress." Hours later, he was confronted by U.S. soldiers …

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:

Of Market Forces And Organ Donors — Until now, I have not commented on the story regarding the Dutch game-show giveaway of two kidneys, which may surprise CQ readers, since the issue is one that hits very close to home for my family. Michael van der Galien's post about the television competition …

Discussion: Reuters

Mvdg / Michael P.F. van der Galiën:

Who Gets the Kidney? — That's the question. In the Netherlands we have a new television show: De Grote Donor Show (The Big Donor Show). What's the show about you ask? Well, quite simple: this Friday 37 year old Lisa will donate one of her kidneys... on television. Three people who need a new kidney will be there.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Jules Crittenden

Jason Zengerle / The New Republic:

I THINK I'VE SEEN THIS SHOW BEFORE: — I don't have time to write a long post on this, but I wanted to get this out there before someone else beat me to it: Fred Thompson is to the Republicans in '08 as Wes Clark was to the Democrats in '04. In other words, the highpoint of his campaign …

Discussion: Ezra Klein, Right Wing Nut House, Real Clear Politics, The Atlantic Online and The Politico

Greg Giroux / CQPolitics.com:
How Fred Thompson's Senate Record Stacks Up

Discussion: Arizona Republic, Taegan Goddard's … and Rasmussen Reports

Ana Marie Cox / TIME: Swampland:
Right Said Fred

Discussion: The Fix, Reason Magazine and Sound Politics

Neil Buckley / Financial Times:

Litvinenko was British spy, says Lugovoi — Andrei Lugovoi, the Russian accused by the UK of murdering Alexander Litvinenko has claimed he has evidence that British intelligence was involved in the poisoning of the former KGB officer. — Mr Lugovoi said he believed the UK intelligence services …

Discussion: Michael P.F. van der Galiën

AJStrata / The Strata-Sphere:
Litvinenko Was British Spy, Lugovoi Was Being Recruited

Discussion: Times of London and The Belmont Club

James Meikle / Guardian:

Lecturers vote for Israel boycott — University lecturers threatened yesterday to provoke international condemnation by forcing their union into a year-long debate over boycotting work with Israeli universities. — Delegates at the first conference of the new University and College Union …

Discussion: Adloyada, normblog, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, Harry's Place and Soccer Dad

Sam Brownback / New York Times:

What I Think About Evolution — IN our sound-bite political culture, it is unrealistic to expect that every complicated issue will be addressed with the nuance or subtlety it deserves. So I suppose I should not have been surprised earlier this month when, during the first Republican presidential debate …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Bark Bark Woof Woof, Matt Zeitlin and Brilliant at Breakfast

Kathleen Hennessey / Associated Press:

Clinton defends Iraq war funding vote — LAS VEGAS - White House hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday defended her vote against an Iraq war funding bill, saying she believes President Bush will begin withdrawing troops from Iraq soon. — The New York senator said she came …

Discussion: CorrenteWire and Taylor Marsh

Kathleen Hennessey / Associated Press:
Sen. Clinton Defends Private Jet Travel

Discussion: ProfessorBainbridge.com ®

Space News From SpaceDaily.Com:

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin Not Sure Global Warming A Problem — Michael Griffin NASA Administrator has told America's National Public Radio that while he has no doubt a trend of global warming exists "I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with."

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Daily Kos, Blue Crab Boulevard, KnoxViews, Washington Times and JammieWearingFool

Amit R. Paley / Washington Post:

Hopkins Aid Officer Was Paid More by Lenders Than Disclosed — Hopkins Official Paid by Lenders Was Seen as a Stickler — A former financial aid director at Johns Hopkins University who cultivated a national reputation as a stickler for ethics accepted more than $130,000 …

Washington Post:

U.N. Council Backs Tribunal For Lebanon — Beirut Braces for Unrest After Vote To Pursue Assassins of Former Premier — A sharply divided U.N. Security Council voted Wednesday to create an international criminal tribunal to prosecute the masterminds of the February 2005 suicide bombing …

Discussion: Chicago Tribune

Josh White / Washington Post:

Death of Guantanamo Detainee Is Apparent Suicide, Military Says — A Saudi detainee at the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was found dead in his cell from an apparent suicide yesterday afternoon, military officials said. He would be the fourth detainee to take his own life at the facility in the past year.

Discussion: the talking dog and JammieWearingFool

Demetri Sevastopulo / MSNBC:

ACLU sues Boeing arm over CIA renditions — The American Civil Liberties Union sued a Boeing subsidiary on Wednesday for allegedly helping the Central Intelligence Agency transport prisoners under its extraordinary renditions programme. — The ACLU lawsuit alleges that the subsidiary …