memeorandum: The Waves Minority Judges Always Make (Adam Liptak/New York Times)

4:40 PM ET, May 31, 2009

Top Items:

George Tiller shot to death at Wichita church — WICHITA - George Tiller, the Wichita doctor who became a national lightning rod in the debate over abortion, was shot to death this morning as he walked into church services. — Tiller was shot just after 10 a.m. at Reformation Lutheran Church …

New York Times:

Abortion Doctor Shot to Death in Church — George Tiller, a Wichita doctor who was one of the few doctors in the nation to perform late-term abortions, was shot to death on Sunday as he attended church, city officials in Wichita said. — Dr. Tiller, who had performed abortions since the 1970s …

Discussion: PERRspectives, Daily Kos, Swampland, The BRAD BLOG, pandagon.net, TBogg, News Hounds and On Deadline

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

O'Reilly's Target Shot Dead In Church — The abortionist, George Tiller, was shot to death ... in a Wichita church this morning. It was the culmination of a campaign of domestic terrorism against him: — Protesters blockaded Tiller's clinic during Operation Rescue's “Summer of Mercy” …

Discussion: Politics Daily

KBSL-TV:

Tiller Shooting Suspect in Custody — Latest Update: — Eyewitness News has confirmed the suspect in the shooting of Dr. George Tiller is in custody in the Kansas City area. Wichita police say the man was arrested near Gardner, KS at around 2:00 Sunday afternoon.

Discussion: Little Green Footballs and Majikthise

KMBC Kansas City's Channel 9:

Dr. George Tiller Shot To Death — Abortion Provider Killed At Wichita Church — WICHITA, Kan. — Dr. George Tiller, a Kansas man who became one of the most famous figures in the national debate over abortion, was shot and killed at his church Sunday morning, multiple media sources reported.

Discussion: The Field on the Narcosphere, Crooks and Liars, Associated Press, Donklephant and Little Green Footballs

The Huffington Post:

George Tiller Killed: Abortion Doctor Shot At Church — AP/Huffington Post — WICHITA, Kansas — Dr. George Tiller, a Kansas doctor whose clinic received national attention for performing late-term abortions, was shot to death as he entered his Wichita church on Sunday.

Discussion: Politics Daily, Comments from Left Field and Winds of Change.NET

Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:

A Kind of Terrorism that Works — Bad news: … Random murder of civilians in order to coerce political concessions doesn't have a great track-record. But direct action terrorist violence against abortion providers has, I think, proven to be a fairly successful tactic.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and The Moderate Voice

Donald Douglas / American Power:
Andrew Sullivan: “Christianists” Killed George Tiller - UPDATED!!

Discussion: protein wisdom and Christian Newswire

Wichita Eagle:
Suspect arrested in connection with slaying of abortion provider George Tiller

Discussion: Gateway Pundit and Sweetness & Light

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

SOMETIMES, A DATE IS JUST A DATE.... Ordinarily, this is the kind of human-interest story that I wouldn't even read. Apparently, though, it's angered quite a few Republicans, so I guess we might as well take a look at. … Good for them; I'm sure it's nice for the Obamas to get out once in a while.

Discussion: CNN, PERRspectives, The Impolitic and Riehl World View

New York Post:

OBAMA KEEPS HIS BIG APPLE PLEDGE — WOWS FIRST LADY WITH DINNER & B'WAY SHOW — By CHARLES HURT in DC and STEFANIE COHEN in NY — Two martinis, a swank restaurant, a Broadway show — President Obama really knows how to treat a First Lady. — “I am taking my wife to New York City …

Discussion: TalkLeft, JammieWearingFool and Lynn Sweet

The Politico:
GOP takes aim at Obamas' NYC trip

Discussion: TigerHawk, No Sheeples Here!, Moonbattery, Right Wing Nut House, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Outside The Beltway, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Gateway Pundit, Flopping Aces, JustOneMinute, Say Anything, TBogg, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Liberty Street and The Mahablog

Jazz Shaw / The Moderate Voice:
Was “Date Night” a Good Idea?

Discussion: Hot Air and The Swamp

Ann Sanner / Associated Press:
First couple's NY date: a campaign promise kept

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Don Surber and Sweetness & Light

Julie Bosman / New York Times:
Politics Can Wait: The President Has a Date

Discussion: Washington Post, Stop The ACLU, Rising Hegemon and Gawker

Mike Baker / Fox News:
Obamas' Date Night in New York City Draws Criticism

Discussion: News Hounds, The Moderate Voice, GayPatriot and Liberal Values

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

Jeffrey Rosen vows never to “blog” again — (updated below - Update II) — NPR has a thorough examination today of the controversy surrounding Jeffrey Rosen's New Republic anonymity-driven smear attack on Sonia Sotomayor's intellect and character. The audio news report …

Discussion: TalkLeft, NPR, Scott Rosenberg's Wordyard, PoliGazette and Political Punch

Marla Singer / Zero Hedge:

I Am Marla's Observations On Artificial Selection In Chrysler Dealerships — Ok. You f**k me, then snub me. You love me, you hate me. You show me a sensitive side, then you turn into a total a**hole. Is this a pretty accurate description of our relationship, Barack?

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, Doug Ross, Say Anything and Balloon Juice

Directorblue / Doug Ross:
Daily Dealergate: A ‘Dealer Council’ & Reverse Discrimination

Discussion: theblogprof, freerepublic.com, RedState and Gateway Pundit

Richard A. Clarke / Washington Post:

The Trauma of 9/11 Is No Excuse — Top officials from the Bush administration have hit upon a revealing new theme as they retrospectively justify their national security policies. Call it the White House 9/11 trauma defense. — “Unless you were there, in a position of responsibility after September 11 …

Discussion: At-Largely, Buck Naked Politics, Washington Monthly, Emptywheel, Macsmind, Hullabaloo and .. …

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
LAYING DOWN A MARKER.... The argument over national security policy faded …

Discussion: New Yorker and Balloon Juice

Frank Rich / New York Times:
Who Is to Blame for the Next Attack?

Discussion: Daily Kos, Corrente, .. … and Prairie Weather

Israel Today:

‘Obama committed to ejecting Jews from Judea-Samaria,’ says Abbas — Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday told reporters in Cairo that he is convinced that US President Barack Obama is firmly committed to finally ejecting the Jews from Judea and Samaria.

Discussion: Associated Press, Jihad Watch, Gateway Pundit and Weasel Zippers

Adam Liptak / New York Times:

The Waves Minority Judges Always Make — WASHINGTON — Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first black member of the Supreme Court, ended his 24 years there bitter and frustrated. He had been unable, he said, to persuade his colleagues in many cases concerning racial equality, the cause to which he had devoted his life.

Discussion: PrawfsBlawg, Balkinization, Washington Post, New York Times and Los Angeles Times

Peter Baker / New York Times:
Court Choice Brings Issue of ‘Identity’ Back Out

Discussion: New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Commentary, PrawfsBlawg, Washington Post, Pajamas Media, TPMCafe, How Appealing and American Power

Barak Ravid / Haaretz:

Israel to U.S.: ‘Stop favoring Palestinians’ — Tensions between Washington and Jerusalem are growing after the U.S. administration's demand that Israel completely freeze construction in all West Bank settlements. Israeli political officials expressed disappointment after Tuesday's round …

Discussion: Doug Ross, Agence France Presse and Wake up America