memeorandum: Ireland rejects European Union reform treaty (Shawn Pogatchnik/Associated Press)

6:40 PM ET, June 13, 2008

Top Items:

NBC's Tim Russert dead at 58 — Washington bureau chief, ‘Meet the Press’ moderator collapsed on job — Tim Russert at the Newseum in Washington on Nov. 14. — Live video — LIVE: Remembering Tim Russert — LIVE VIDEO: Watch MSNBC's coverage of the life of NBC News Washington …

Charles Hurt / New York Post:

TIM RUSSERT DIES FROM APPARENT HEART ATTACK … Tim Russert, NBC journalist and political heavyweight host of “Meet the Press,” has died after collapsing at NBC's Washington news bureau. He was 58 years old. — Television sources said Russert was recording a voice-over when he collapsed in the studio today.

Discussion: The American Conservative, TPM Election Central, MOMocrats and The Political Carnival

Katharine Q. Seelye / The Caucus:

NBC's Tim Russert Dies — Tim Russert, the host of “Meet the Press,” and NBC's Washington bureau chief, has died. He was 58. — Mr. Russert was a towering figure in American journalism and moderated several debates during the recent presidential primary season.

Discussion: The Opinionator, Ben Smith's Blogs, JustOneMinute, Crooks and Liars, Firedoglake, TV Decoder, City Room, The Huffington Post, The BLT, Comments from Left Field, The Raw Story, Reason Magazine and Wonkette

Michelle Malkin:

Reports: Tim Russert dead after heart attack; was working in NBC Washington bureau — He was 58. — Reports coming in from the NYPost and NYTimes. — He was a fixture of Beltway political journalism, good on the entitlement crisis, and by all accounts, a good-humored guy.

Discussion: Hot Air, CBN.com, The Other McCain, American Spectator, New York Post, Althouse, AMERICAblog News, The Sundries Shack and Sister Toldjah

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

NBC's Tim Russert Dies at 58 — Host of ‘Meet the Press’ Suffers Heart Attack — Tim Russert, the Democratic operative turned NBC commentator who revolutionized Sunday morning television and infused journalism with his passion for politics, died this afternoon.

Discussion: TownHall Blog, TVNewser, Tammy Bruce and GregsOpinion.com

MSNBC:
Vigilance needed on campaign claims

Discussion: TVNewser, Associated Press, Talking Points Memo, NewsBusters.org and The Next Right

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
On Tim Russert — News of the sudden death of Tim Russert …

Discussion: MSNBC, Marc Ambinder, The Daily Dish, The Trail, TVNewser, FishBowlDC and Law Blog

Brian Maloney / The Radio Equalizer:
Talk Radio Reacts To News Of Tim Russert's Sudden Passing

Discussion: NewsBusters.org

CNN:
‘Meet the Press’ host Russert dies at 58

Discussion: The Jawa Report

Glenn Kessler / The Trail:

Obama Defines Social Security ‘Doughnut’ Plan — COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sen. Barack Obama today plans to make a firm commitment to a Social Security tax hike on people making more than $250,000 a year, stepping away from an earlier plan he floated last year to boost the 12.4 percent payroll tax …

Discussion: The Corner, The Caucus and Eschaton

Matthew Yglesias:
Obama on Social Security

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Carpetbagger Report and Obsidian Wings

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
MCCAIN SIGNS ON FOR MORE BUSH BAMBOOZLEMENT!

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Angry Bear and The Carpetbagger Report

Krooney / TIME.com:
Obama Pummels McCain on Social Security

Discussion: Marc Ambinder, Think Progress, The Jed Report and Commentary

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Town hall talks break down — The talks between the McCain and Obama campaigns on debates appear to have broken down, with Obama's campaign — evidently concluding that the format could favor McCain, or at least give McCain some oxygen — offering just one town hall and one extra debate in response to McCain's suggestion of 10.

Discussion: The Swamp, The New Republic, John McCain Report blog, The Carpetbagger Report, The Jed Report and Sister Toldjah

The Huffington Post:

McCain Stacks Fox News ‘Town Hall’ With Supporters — Tonight was the first in a much-hyped series of ‘town hall’ forums scheduled by John McCain's campaign, in which Barack Obama had been challenged to show up to discuss the issues directly with the GOP nominee.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Oliver Willis, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Swampland, Redstate, TV Decoder, The Next Right, Crooks and Liars, Washington Wire, The Raw Story and TVNewser

Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
CONGRESSMAN TO MCCAIN: STOP USING MY SONG!

Discussion: Spin Cycle

Michael Scherer / Swampland:

McCain Slams The Supreme Court's Habeas Decision — PEMBERTON, N.J.—I am still sitting in a John McCain town hall, so have not had time to transcribe the full quotes, but wanted to post this quick. After a day of consideration, the McCain Campaign has decided to come out hard against yesterday's 5 …

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, JustOneMinute, American Street, TIME.com, Donklephant, Flopping Aces, The Trail, Buck Naked Politics, Political Machine, Real Clear Politics, Commentary, The New Republic and BitsBlog

Blue Texan / Firedoglake:

Noonan: Obama Is An Unpatriotic, Effeminate, Cynical, Immoral, Godless Opportunist — Today, Nooner bases her entire column on this comparison: … You can see right away where this is headed, don't you? … Translation: Obama hates America. … Yup, and apparently, in Old America …

Discussion: Orcinus

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:
Brave New World? — And so it begins, the campaign proper.

Discussion: pandagon.net and Wonkette

Jeff Jarvis / BuzzMachine:

FU AP — I talked to a reporter this week about the embattled Associated Press and said three times that I didn't want it to die. I might take that back. — The AP has filed truly noxious takedown notices against Rogers Cadenhead's community-created Drudge Retort, arguing copyright violations for quotes from 33 to 79 words long.

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, culturekitchen and Scott Rosenberg's Wordyard

Rogers Cadenhead / Workbench:
AP Files 7 DMCA Takedowns Against Drudge Retort

Discussion: skippy the bush kangaroo, Comments from Left Field, culturekitchen and Scott Rosenberg's Wordyard

The Hill:

McCains report more than $100,000 in credit card debt — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and his wife reported more than $100,000 of credit card liabilities, according to financial disclosure documents released Friday. — The presidential candidate and his wife Cindy reported piling up debt on a charge card between $10,000 and $15,000.

Discussion: Salon, Macsmind, Pam's House Blend and The Daily Dish

Jennifer Rubin / Commentary:

This Is Why Facts Matter — Senior Brookings Fellows Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack gave a report today and entertained questions at a Brookings briefing on Iraq. It was the single most illuminating presentation I have witnessed on the status of Iraq and the potential way forward.

Ali / Think Progress:

Laura Ingraham tells Bill O'Reilly she's been forced off the air. — On Tuesday, Fox News announced it will include right-wing radio host Laura Ingraham in “a rotating series of personalities” to host its 5:00 pm hour. Ingraham has more time to devote to TV, after apparently being forced off her radio show, at least temprorarily.

Discussion: I Am TRex

Nico Pitney / The Huffington Post:

Dems Not Backing Obama? Rahm Will Deal With It — As the man who guided (and pressured and arm-twisted) Democrats to historic congressional gains in 2006, what is Rep. Rahm Emanuel doing now about party members like Rep. Dan Boren who have balked at publicly endorsing Sen. Barack Obama?

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias and Open Left

CNN:

Al-Sadr: New force to fight U.S. in Iraq — BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is establishing a new fighting force to battle U.S.-led troops in Iraq, he said in a letter read in Iraqi mosques Friday. — Al-Sadr's letter said that “the resistance will be exclusively conducted by only one group.

Discussion: The Long War Journal, Confederate Yankee and Democratic Strategist