memeorandum: CNN's Ware: Iraqis Reject Security Agreement Draft, May 'Go It Alone … (Satyam/Think Progress)

11:05 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: CNN, The American Conservative, TPM Election Central, Associated Press, JustOneMinute, MOMocrats, The Jawa Report 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: City Room, The Current, The Opinionator, Comments from Left Field, The Trail, Firedoglake, Crooks and Liars, The Sideshow, TV Decoder, The Raw Story, The Huffington Post, The BLT and Reason Magazine

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

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Obama on Russert's death — Obama in Columbus, Ohio:

Discussion: FOX Embeds, TIME.com and Stumper

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

On Tim Russert — News of the sudden death of Tim Russert, Washington bureau chief of NBC News and host of “Meet the Press,” will have a large — and lasting — impact on the world of politics and journalism. — Russert was, without question, the single most influential political journalist working in Washington.

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

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, The Other McCain, CBN.com, New York Post, American Spectator, Althouse, AMERICAblog News and The Sundries Shack

Brian Maloney / The Radio Equalizer:

Talk Radio Reacts To News Of Tim Russert's Sudden Passing — RUSH: TIM WAS ‘GENUINE’ — Talk Hosts Reflect On Legacy Of NBC's Tim Russert — *** WITH EXCLUSIVE QUOTES *** — The sudden and highly unexpected passing of NBC's Tim Russert has talk radio both in a state of shock and reflecting on his immense journalistic legacy.

Discussion: NewsBusters.org

MSNBC:
Vigilance needed on campaign claims

Discussion: The Huffington Post, TVNewser, Salon, Talking Points Memo, NewsBusters.org and Gateway Pundit

John Cole / Balloon Juice:
Let's Get Something Straight

Discussion: Emptywheel and Brilliant at Breakfast

Mark Silva / The Swamp:
Tim Russert dead, heart attack

Discussion: The Crypt's Blogs

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

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

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, AMERICAblog News and Spin Cycle

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:
Town hall talks break down

Discussion: Wake up America, John McCain Report blog, The Carpetbagger Report, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Redstate, The Jed Report, The Swamp and Sister Toldjah

Wall Street Journal:
President Kennedy — Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy …

Discussion: Washington Wire, New York Times, Law Blog, Daily Kos, New York Times, The Sideshow, Tammy Bruce, Real Clear Politics and Los Angeles Times

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: Obsidian Wings, The Carpetbagger Report and Angry Bear

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

Discussion: Think Progress, The Huffington Post and Angry Bear

Kombiz Lavasany / Democratic National Committee: McCain Bamboozles Seniors On Social Security

Sara Just / Political Radar:

McCain Cancels Event with Controversial Fundraiser — ABC's Rick Klein reports: Sen. John McCain on Friday abruptly cancelled a Monday fundraiser that had been scheduled at the home of a Texas oilman, after ABC News contacted the campaign inquiring about a verbal blunder the Texan made during …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Political Carnival and Oliver Willis

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, The Impolitic and Scott Rosenberg's Wordyard

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

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

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.

Discussion: TBogg

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: Open Left, Matthew Yglesias and TIME.com

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 and Confederate Yankee

Gallup:

Gallup Daily: Obama 46%, McCain 43% — Obama's lead shrinks slightly compared with earlier this week — PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama leads John McCain in national registered voter preferences for the election, but by a slightly narrower margin than he had earlier this week, 46% vs. 43%.

Discussion: Hot Air, Power Line, The Strata-Sphere and Wake up America