memeorandum: Gingrich: Obama is ‘most radical president ever’ (Ron Fournier/Associated Press)

11:55 AM ET, April 9, 2010

Top Items:

Breaking: Stupak Will Retire — Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) plans to announce his retirement today, Democrats briefed on his decision said. Stupak, the leader of a pro-life faction within his party, had received death threats and was under intense political pressure after he agreed to support …

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Hill, NPR Topics, Taylor Marsh, Newsweek Blogs, DISSENTING JUSTICE, Liberty Pundits dot net and The Washington Independent

The Politico:

Stupak to retire, putting seat in play — Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), who had a central role in the health reform fight as the leader of anti-abortion Democrats, plans to announce Friday that he will not run for reelection, a Democratic official said. Without Stupak on the ballot …

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, The Swamp, Power Line, Hot Air, Big Think, NPR Topics, Real Clear Politics and Sister Toldjah

Fox News:

AP: Rep. Bart Stupak Retiring After 18 Years in Congress — Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak of Michigan tells The Associated Press he'll retire from Congress rather than seek a 10th term this year.

Discussion: YID With LID, Commentary, Outside The Beltway, Gateway Pundit, Scared Monkeys, Althouse, The Washington Independent, Beltway Confidential and The Other McCain

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

Bart Stupak to retire — Michigan Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak will not seek reelection this fall, a decision that comes hard on his front-and-center (and controversial) role in the recent passage of President Barack Obama's health-care legislation. — Stupak confirmed his decision …

Discussion: The Note, Washington Monthly, Right Now, Politics Daily, American Power, AmSpecBlog and Weekly Standard

Washington Post:

Anger over health-care reform spurs rise in threats against Congress members — Anger over the health-care overhaul has led to a nearly threefold increase in recent months in the number of serious threats against members of Congress, federal law enforcement officials said.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Corner on National …, TPMDC, Zandar Versus The Stupid, AMERICAblog News and Liberty Pundits dot net

Stephanie Condon / CBS News:
Bart Stupak to Retire

Discussion: The Eye, Ruby Slippers, Mediaite, Daily Kos, RedState, Conservatives4Palin.com, National Review Online, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and Open Left

The Caucus:
Rep. Stupak Expected to Retire

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Indecision Forever

Mark Sherman / Associated Press:

Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens retiring — WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, the court's oldest member and leader of its liberal bloc, says he is retiring. President Barack Obama now has his second high court opening to fill.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Michelle Malkin, TalkLeft, Ruby Slippers, Jay Bookman, Outside The Beltway, Hot Air, Real Clear Politics and The Lonely Conservative

Robert Barnes / Washington Post:

Justice John Paul Stevens to retire from court in June — Justice John Paul Stevens, the longest-serving member of the current Supreme Court and the leader of its liberal wing, announced his retirement today, giving President Obama his second chance to make a mark on the nation's highest court.

Discussion: Reuters, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Power Line, PostPartisan, Law Librarian Blog, Wonkette, SENATUS, DISSENTING JUSTICE and The Washington Independent

The Hill:
Justice Stevens to retire ‘in the best interests’ of the Supreme Court

Discussion: ABCNEWS and AMERICAblog News

CNN:
It's official: Justice Stevens to retire from Supreme Court

Discussion: Above the Law, Concurring Opinions and ImmigrationProf Blog

Josh Gerstein / The Politico:
Justice Stevens retiring

Discussion: CNN

CNN:
Who will Obama nominate to replace Stevens?

Discussion: The Hill

Rachel Slajda / TPM LiveWire:
Justice Stevens Will Retire This Summer

Discussion: Firedoglake, Daily Kos, Mediaite and Talking Points Memo

The Huffington Post:

Stephanopoulos Defends Asking Obama About Palin Critique — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — ABC News' George Stephanopoulos is defending his decision to ask President Barack Obama to respond to Sarah Palin's criticism of his nuclear non-proliferation policy, after several observers questioned …

Discussion: Washington Monthly and TPM LiveWire

Tabassum Zakaria / Reuters:

President Obama questions Sarah Palin's nuclear acumen — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday made clear he was not going to take advice from Republican Sarah Palin when it comes to decisions about the U.S. nuclear arsenal. — Palin, the former vice presidential candidate …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Daily Dish, INSTAPUTZ, Another Black Conservative, Gateway Pundit, JustOneMinute, No More Mister Nice Blog, Scared Monkeys, Hot Air, Zandar Versus The Stupid, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Connecting.the.Dots, Sadly, No!, GOP 12, The Reaction, JammieWearingFool, Balloon Juice and The Note

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

WRONG QUESTION, RIGHT ANSWER.... President Obama sat down with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive interview in Prague yesterday, on the heels of the president signing in a new arms treaty with Russia. The interview, portions of which were aired this morning on “Good Morning America …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, The Plum Line, Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog! and msnbc.com

Karen Travers / ABCNEWS:

EXCLUSIVE: President Obama on Nukes, Palin, Confederacy and Iran — Obama Brushes Back Criticism from Former Alaska Governor, Questions Virginia Civil War Controversy — After signing the historic nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia, President Obamapushed back in an interview with ABC News …

Discussion: Politics Daily, Commentary, Political Punch, New York Times, Below The Beltway, Townhall.com, The Note and NPR Topics

Mark Silva / The Swamp:
Obama vs. Palin: ‘Not... nuclear expert’

Discussion: CNN and The Daily Caller

Rasmussen Reports:
55% Oppose Limits On U.S. Nuclear Response To Attacks

Discussion: Commentary, The Lonely Conservative, Top of the Ticket and ABCNEWS

Ron Fournier / Associated Press:

Gingrich: Obama is ‘most radical president ever’ — NEW ORLEANS - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a potential presidential candidate in 2012, called Barack Obama on Thursday “the most radical president in American history” who oversees a “secular, socialist machine.”

Discussion: The Caucus, Shakesville, Top of the Ticket, PoliBlog, Pajamas Media, Washington Wire, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Firedoglake and Washington Post

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Republicans convene in New Orleans, with no mention of Katrina

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, JammieWearingFool, Main Justice, New York Times, The Rachel Maddow Show and New Orleans Times-Picayune

Brian Montopoli / CBS News:
Newt Gingrich: We Need a President, Not an Athlete

Discussion: Wonkette, The Confluence and The Moderate Voice

Aaron Blake / The Hill:
Gingrich on this Congress: ‘We will repeal virtually everything they did’

Discussion: CNN, Think Progress and msnbc.com

Mike Madden / Salon:
Newt Gingrich: Say yes to government shutdowns!

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Washington Monthly, Right Now, Newshoggers.com, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/* and msnbc.com

David Weigel / Right Now:
Liz Cheney: Obama should stop ‘dressing down’ Karzai

Discussion: Commentary, Newsweek Blogs, Reuters, Ben Smith's Blog and ATTACKERMAN

WCBS-TV:

Union Memo Hints At Gov.'s Death — Teachers Union's Memo The Latest Salvo In War Of Words With Gov. Christie — HACKENSACK, N.J. (CBS) ― New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie isn't laughing about a teachers union's memo that hints of his death. — The memo is the latest salvo in a war …

Discussion: Hot Air, RedState and protein wisdom

Wall Street Journal:

Big Banks Mask Risk Levels — Quarter-End Loan Figures Sit 42% Below Peak, Then Rise as New Period Progresses; SEC Review — Major banks have masked their risk levels in the past five quarters by temporarily lowering their debt just before reporting it to the public, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Discussion: The Baseline Scenario, The Big Picture, Deal Journal, The Washington Independent, DealBook, The Page and Balloon Juice

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Learning From Greece — The debt crisis in Greece is approaching the point of no return. As prospects for a rescue plan seem to be fading, largely thanks to German obduracy, nervous investors have driven interest rates on Greek government bonds sky-high, sharply raising the country's borrowing costs.

Discussion: Felix Salmon, Sweetness & Light and Hit & Run

Ezra Klein:

What makes NPR (and the Economist) so special? — I've been thinking a bit about this NPR graph that's been floating around. I wish it included another data point: The Economist magazine. Their explosive growth over the last decade is well known, but consider that the publication had a record year in 2009.