memeorandum: National Enquirer's Obama Scandal: Claims Surveillance Proves Affair (Frances Martel/Mediaite)

7:10 PM ET, May 1, 2010

Top Items:

Editorial: Unanswered Questions on the Oil Spill — President Obama has ordered a freeze on new offshore drilling leases as well as a “thorough review” into what is almost sure to be the worst oil spill in this country's history — exceeding in size and environmental damage the calamitous Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989.

Discussion: Beltway Confidential, CNN, Mediaite, Recent Updates for Gulf …, Clusterstock, Taylor Marsh, LA Times Environment Blog, NewsBusters.org, JammieWearingFool, Paul Krugman, Facebook, Mother Jones and Hot Air

Noel Sheppard / NewsBusters.org:

Bill Maher: 'Why Isn't Barack Obama Getting More S—t For This' Oil Spill? — HBO's Bill Maher on Friday asked an extraordinary question of his guest panel: “Why isn't Barack Obama getting more s—t' for the oil spill in the Gulf? — Almost as surprising, the studio audience applauded after the “Real Time” host said this.

Discussion: Breitbart.tv, Hot Air, Washington Post and The Other McCain

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

On my desk: The Manchurian President — My friend Aaron Klein, now a WABC radio host who has done some amazing work in probing Islamist terrorism in the Middle East, and Brenda Elliott have turned their attention to domestic politics and Barack Obama in his latest book, The Manchurian President …

Discussion: Freedom's Lighthouse, JustOneMinute and Balloon Juice

Helene Cooper / New York Times:

White House Memo: Shadow of Katrina Hangs Over Official Response to Spill — WASHINGTON — There's a world of difference between the impact of an oil spill and a deadly hurricane. And the White House hopes it stays that way. — As President Obama stepped up his administration's response …

Discussion: The Politico, CNN, Left Coast Rebel, The Caucus, Washington Monthly, The Confluence, Media Matters for America, Associated Press, The Plum Line, The Hill, New York Times and Breaking News …

New York Times:

BP Is Criticized Over Oil Spill, but U.S. Missed Chances to Act — NEW ORLEANS — As oil edged toward the Louisiana coast and fears continued to grow that the leak from a seabed oil well could spiral out of control, officials in the Obama administration publicly chastised BP America …

Discussion: Green, NewsBusters.org, Gateway Pundit, Left Coast Rebel, Pundit & Pundette and Prairie Weather

Mark Silva / The Swamp:
Obama inspecting oil-spill: Gulf crisis

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and D.C. Now

New York Times:
BP Is Criticized on Spill, but U.S. Missed Chances to Act

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, The Caucus and The Daily Caller

Boston Globe:
Oil spill approaches Louisiana coast

Discussion: Open Left, Doug Ross, And So it Goes in Shreveport, theblogprof, Clusterstock, Corrente, The Huffington Post, NASA Earth Observatory and Breaking News …

Kevin Bogardus / The Hill:

Rep. Gutierrez arrested outside of White House in immigration protest — Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) was arrested outside the White House on Saturday during a May Day protest for immigration reform. — Guiterrez had been speaking to a crowd of hundreds at Lafayette Square when he announced …

Discussion: CNN, Ben Smith's Blog and The Page

National Enquirer:

OBAMA CHEATING SCANDAL — PRESIDENT OBAMA has been caught in a shocking cheating scandal after being caught in a Washington, DC Hotel with a former campaign aide, sources say. — And now, a hush-hush security video that shows everything could topple both Obama's presidency and marriage to Michelle!

Discussion: Mediaite, Left Coast Rebel, Gawker, Scared Monkeys, DBKP - Death, Outside The Beltway, NO QUARTER, Below The Beltway, Freedom's Lighthouse, Wake up America, Weasel Zippers, JustOneMinute, American Power, The Jawa Report, No Sheeples Here and YID With LID

Frances Martel / Mediaite:
National Enquirer's Obama Scandal: Claims Surveillance Proves Affair

Discussion: Gawker, Townhall.com and National Review

Associated Press:

Obama takes direct aim at anti-government rhetoric — ANN ARBOR, Mich. - In a blunt caution to political friend and foe, President Barack Obama said Saturday that partisan rants and name-calling under the guise of legitimate discourse pose a serious danger to America's democracy, and may incite “extreme elements” to violence.

Discussion: Atlas Shrugs and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Michael Muskal / D.C. Now:
Obama uses commencement speech to explain politics and government

Discussion: Top of the Ticket and Weasel Zippers

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Sen. Sherrod Brown says he lacks votes on ‘too big to fail’ banking amendment — Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said he lacks the votes right now to advance his amendment limiting the size of banks. — Brown held out hope that the measure, which he's offered along with Sen. Ted Kaufman …

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

CAN YOU HEAR THEM NOW?.... They're unlikely to get the kind of attention Tea Party events generate, but there will be quite a few folks turning out today for nationwide events on immigration policy. … Attendance at May 1 events have varied in recent years, but it was just a few years ago …

Discussion: Associated Press, The Moderate Voice and Balloon Juice

Julian Walker / Virginian-Pilot:

Cuccinelli opts for more modest state seal — Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli apparently isn't fond of wardrobe malfunctions, even when Virginia's state seal is involved. — The seal depicts the Roman goddess Virtus, or virtue, wearing a blue tunic draped over one shoulder, her left breast exposed.

Discussion: Think Progress, Below The Beltway and Pharyngula

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Why does the Wall Street regulation overhaul give FTC authority over the Internet? — Earlier this week, the Washington Post reported on another little Easter egg in a bill cruising through Congress that would normally have followed Nancy Pelosi's policy of discovery ex post facto.