memeorandum: Exclusive: Florida, Florida, Florida! … (Mike Allen/The Politico)

10:00 AM ET, May 12, 2010

Top Items:

Ben Smith / The Politico:

Kagan's friends: She's not gay — Elena Kagan is not a lesbian, one of her best friends told POLITICO Tuesday night, responding to persistent rumors and innuendo about the Supreme Court nominee's personal life. — “I've known her for most of her adult life and I know she's straight,” …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, Left Coast Rebel, The Awl, Jules Crittenden, Wonkette, Outside The Beltway, Blogs and Stories, Taylor Marsh, Mediaite, Pam's House Blend, Media Matters for America, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo, The Nation, Hullabaloo and New York Times

Brian Montopoli / CBS News:

Elena Kagan White House “Interview” Riles Reporters — The White House today posted on its website a video allowing Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan to speak “in her own words” about her personal history and perspective. — In the interview, conducted by a White House staffer who produces videos …

Discussion: JONATHAN TURLEY, RedState, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Beltway Confidential and The Caucus

Michael Barone / Associated Press:

Obama and Kagan whisper in the faculty lounge — Professor chooses professor. That's one headline you could write about Barack Obama's nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. — Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1991, Kagan in 1986. Kagan joined the faculty at the University …

Discussion: Betsy's Page

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Softball question — A spokeswoman for the Wall Street Journal said today its cover art was not intended as innuendo about Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan's sexual orientation after the paper's front-page use of an image of Kagan playing softball provoked a mixture of irritation and amusement from gay and lesbian advocates.

Discussion: CNN, The Politico, Pam's House Blend, Weasel Zippers, Moonbattery, Vanity Fair, The Daily Dish, Liberal Values, Riehl World View and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Ezra Klein:
‘Citizens United was a shot across the bow’

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Elie Mystal / Above the Law:
Elena Kagan and Me: One Semester of Civ Pro With the New SCOTUS Nominee

Discussion: Cato @ Liberty, Althouse, Wall Street Journal, The Volokh Conspiracy, Mother Jones, American Power, Law Blog and ProPublica

Howard Fineman / msnbc.com:
Fineman: The Tea Party and Kagan

Discussion: Hot Air, American Spectator and Associated Press

James Barron / New York Times:
A New York Bloc on the Supreme Court

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, The Caucus, Boston Globe, NPR and How Appealing

Lawrence Lessig / The Huffington Post:
Ok, so now I'm a liar

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Liberal Values, Left in the West, Daily Kos, Firedoglake, The Field on the Narcosphere and DownWithTyranny!

Kenneth P. Vogel / The Politico:
Doubts about Kagan on key Obama issue

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Online, SCOTUSblog and Liberty Pundits Blog

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Initial Reaction: 40% Positive Toward Kagan Nomination

Discussion: The Ninth Justice and Politics Daily

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

Alan Mollohan loses primary fight — West Virginia Democratic Rep. Alan Mollohan lost his bid for a 15th term tonight at the hands of state Sen. Mike Oliverio, a defeat that further affirms the anti-incumbent sentiment coursing through the country. — Mollohan hadn't faced a serious primary fight …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Michelle Malkin, Scared Monkeys, RedState, Weekly Standard, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, Townhall.com, Another Black Conservative, Conservatives4Palin.com and The Eye

Associated Press:

Oliverio knocks out 14-termer Mollohan — MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Democrat Alan Mollohan became the first member of the U.S. House to be ousted this spring primary season, after his opponent mounted a campaign that questioned the 14-term congressman's ethics and support for federal health care reform.

Discussion: CNN, Guardian, Balloon Juice, Associated Press, Firedoglake and AMERICAblog News

Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:

Rep. Alan Mollohan loses Democratic primary in West Virginia — Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-W.Va.) lost his bid for a 15th term Tuesday in a primary defeat that further affirms the anti-incumbent sentiment coursing through the country. — He is the first House member to lose a reelection bid …

Discussion: Politics Daily, Washington Monthly, Political Insider, The Washington Independent, The Fix, Daily Kos and The Huffington Post

Alex Isenstadt / The Politico:
Mollohan loses in West Virginia

Discussion: The Note, The Nation and Outside The Beltway

Carl Hulse / New York Times: Veteran House Democrat Loses Seat in Primary

Sean J. Miller / Ballot Box:
Rep. Mollohan falls in West Virginia primary

Discussion: Questions and Observations

Susan Davis / Washington Wire: Mollohan Loses in W. Va. Primary

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Exclusive: Florida, Florida, Florida! GOP heading to Tampa for '12 convention — What incumbents can learn from Mollohan rout — Prime Minister Cameron coming to White House this summer — BULLETIN - The Republican National Committee's site-selection committee is expected to name Tampa …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog and Taegan Goddard's …

BBC:
David Cameron is new UK prime minister

Discussion: Personal Democracy Forum blogs, Guardian, The Reaction, Another Black Conservative, Outside The Beltway, Wonkette, The Other McCain, Vanity Fair, Truthdig, msnbc.com and Neptunus Lex

Simon Heffer / Telegraph:
The political infighting won't be over until we have another election

Discussion: Guardian, Left Foot Forward, Election '10 and The Daily Dish

BBC:
UK PM Cameron hails ‘new era’

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight and AMERICAblog News

Quinnipiac University:

Specter-Sestak Dem Primary Too Close To Call, Quinnipiac University Pennsylvania Poll Finds; Toomey Has Big Lead In Republican Primary — U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak continues his stretch run in the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate primary and now trails incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter by a too-close-to-call 44 …

Discussion: New York Times, msnbc.com, AMERICAblog News and USA Today

Paul Kane / Washington Post:
Arlen Specter's party switch haunts him in primary campaign

Discussion: The Plum Line and Riehl World View

Borys Krawczeniuk / The Times-Tribune:
Another poll says Sestak-Specter race tight

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, Open Left, Real Clear Politics, Pollster.com All Content and The Eye

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

PalinMania II scheduled after midterms — In a move sure to capitalize on the buzz — if not the reality — of a potential Sarah Palin presidential bid, HarperCollins is putting out her second book in the weeks after November's midterm elections. — The book, titled, “AMERICA BY HEART …

Discussion: Conservatives4Palin.com

Hillel Italie / Associated Press:
Sarah Palin's book, ‘America By Heart,’ out Nov. 23

Discussion: Guardian, Another Black Conservative, Mediaite, ABCNEWS, Taylor Marsh, ArtsBeat and Texas for Sarah Palin

Jeanne Devon / The Huffington Post: Jeanne Devon ("AKMuckraker"): Sarah Palin's New Book. Get the Dramamine.

Wall Street Journal:

U.S. Investigates Morgan Stanley — Prosecutors Look at Mortgage Securities; Firm Says It Hasn't Been Contacted — U.S. prosecutors are investigating whether Morgan Stanley misled investors about mortgage-derivatives deals it helped design and sometimes bet against, people familiar with the matter said …

Discussion: Think Progress, Felix Salmon, Dealbreaker, FT Alphaville, DealBook, naked capitalism and Clusterstock

Eric Dash / New York Times:

4 Big Banks Score Perfect 61-Day Run — It is the Wall Street equivalent of a perfect game of baseball — 27 up, 27 down, the final score measured in millions of dollars a day. — Despite the running unease in world markets, four giants of American finance managed to make money …

Discussion: NPR Topics

Jennifer Haberkorn / The Politico:

CBO ups health care cost projections — Congressional Budget Office estimates released Tuesday predict the health care overhaul will likely cost about $115 billion more in discretionary spending over ten years than the original cost projections. — The additional spending …

Discussion: CNN, Hot Air, Questions and Observations, Betsy's Page, Swampland, Another Black Conservative, AmSpecBlog, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, The TrogloPundit, Verum Serum, The Lonely Conservative and The Corner on National …

Teddy Davis / ABCNEWS:

Jeb Bush Sees Rising Star in Wisconsin — Republican Scott Walker Touts ‘Brown Bag’ Approach to Government — Wisconsin Republicans have yet to nominate a candidate for governor. Indeed, the state's primary is not until Sept. 14. But two national GOP heavyweights …

Discussion: Erick's blog

Megan Matteucci / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Carter wins state Senate race — State election results show Atlanta attorney Jason Carter will follow in his grandfather President Jimmy Carter's political footsteps. — Carter captured 5,559 votes — or 65.6 percent — in the race for Senate District 42 in DeKalb County on Tuesday.

Discussion: This Just In

Lisa Vorderbrueggen / Political Blotter:

CD11: Goehring wants to thin ‘liberal’ herd — Congressional District 11 GOP candidate Brad Goehring is drawing fire for his confrontational Facebook statement today: … Check out all the comments; 57 when I looked a few minutes ago. … LAV 3:23 p.m. Screen shot posted below. LAV 4:08 p.m.)

Discussion: Hullabaloo and Daily Kos

Eli Lake / Washington Times:

Yemen refuses to let U.S. try cleric — Al-Awlaki tied to terror plots — Yemen's government has announced it will not extradite Anwar al-Awlaki, the U.S.-born jihadist cleric who is credited with inspiring the recent wave of anti-American terrorist plots by al Qaeda recruits.

Discussion: Hot Air, Commentary and Jihad Watch

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Alabama candidate denounces ‘lie’ that he believes in evolution — Evolution has obviously been a political issue for a while, but I'm not sure I've ever seen an attack ad like this one before: It mocks a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor of Alabama for believing in the theory.

Discussion: Liberal Values, Confederate Yankee, TPM LiveWire, Little Green Footballs and Harry's Place