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:
Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, MLB.com, Mediaite, Left Coast Rebel, Pam's House Blend, Jules Crittenden, Taylor Marsh, Above the Law, Law Blog, The Awl, Main Justice, Outside The Beltway, Wonkette, Ben Smith's Blog, Media Matters for America, Blogs and Stories, Scripting News, New York Times, Slate, The Other McCain, CNN, Yahoo! News, NPR, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Joe. My. God., Marbury, Hullabaloo and The Huffington Post
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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:
Washington Post, New York Times, Washington Monthly, Wall Street Journal, Time, NewsBusters.org, NPR, The Politico, Hot Air, Raw Story, Beltway Confidential, SCOTUSblog, And So it Goes in Shreveport, JONATHAN TURLEY, RedState, Balloon Juice, Mediaite, White House.gov Blog Feed and The BLT
Ben Armbruster / Think Progress:
Ken Starr on right-wing attacks on Kagan: 'I don't think it serves the country well.' — Today on MSNBC, former Whitewater prosecutor Ken Starr countered Republicans who are suggesting Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan is not qualified because she has never served as a judge.
Josh Gerstein / Josh Gerstein's Blog:
Kagan sparred with Clinton race panel
Kagan sparred with Clinton race panel
Discussion:
The Politico
Seton Motley / NewsBusters.org:
SCOTUS Nominee Kagan for ‘Redistribution of Speech’ …
SCOTUS Nominee Kagan for ‘Redistribution of Speech’ …
Discussion:
Townhall.com
Jacob Sullum / Reason:
The Bounds of Silence — Obama's Supreme Court pick looks wobbly on freedom of speech.
The Bounds of Silence — Obama's Supreme Court pick looks wobbly on freedom of speech.
Discussion:
Hit & Run
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 …
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Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Suspicions about Specter aid Sestak — PITTSBURGH - The first time Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) slipped up here Tuesday night at the Allegheny County Democratic Committee's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, most in the audience pretended not to notice. — But at the end of his remarks when Specter again thanked the …
Andy Barr / The Politico:
Arizona bans ‘ethnic studies’ — Arizona GOP Gov. Jan Brewer has signed a law banning the state's schools from teaching ethnic studies classes. — Brewer signed the bill Tuesday that targets Chicano studies programs currently being taught in Tucson schools.
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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 …
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New York Post:
Obama won't golf with Limbaugh — When President Obama was asked if he would play a round of golf with his talk-radio nemesis Rush Limbaugh, the response, relayed by a top Democrat, was: “Limbaugh can play with himself.” — This is according to Zev Chafets in his new book, “Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One,” due May 25 from Sentinel.
Discussion:
The Corner on National …, Another Black Conservative, Mediaite, JammieWearingFool and The Other McCain
Paul Krugman:
Are We Greece? — David Leonhardt tries to draw parallels. But how strong is the parallel, really? — I would really question this comparison: … Um, that's comparing a (highly uncertain) projection of debt 20 years from now — a projection that's based on the assumption of unchanged policy — with actual debt now.
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David Leonhardt / New York Times:
Economic Scene: In Greece, a Reflection of U.S. Debt Problems — It's easy to look at the protesters and the politicians in Greece — and at the other European countries with huge debts — and wonder why they don't get it. They have been enjoying more generous government benefits than they can afford.
Pew Research Center:
Broad Approval For New Arizona Immigration Law — Democrats Divided, But Support key Provisions — The public broadly supports a new Arizona law aimed at dealing with illegal immigration and the law's provisions giving police increased powers to stop and detain people who are suspected of being in the country illegally.
Discussion:
Top of the Ticket, The Atlantic Online, The Hill, Behind the Numbers, Weekly Standard, Politics Daily and Gateway Pundit
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Milbloggers call for end to 'Don't Ask' — A group of leading military bloggers has issued a joint statement urging Congress to repeal “Don't Ask, Don't Tell.” — The community of “mil-bloggers” — often hawkish, critical of White House and military leadership, devoted …
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Spencer Ackerman / The Washington Independent:
From Kandahar, View of a ‘Counterproductive Counterinsurgency’ — Later this morning, Presidents Obama and Hamid Karzai will meet at the White House. Karzai will present to Obama his proposal for a peace offer to the Taliban leadership. Obama will extend U.S. support for the people and government of Afghanistan over the long term.
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh
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Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
The Evil of Lesser Evilism
The Evil of Lesser Evilism
Discussion:
Rethink Afghanistan War Blog, Washington Post, Laura Rozen's Blog and US Department of State
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:
Clusterstock, Felix Salmon, Law Blog, Online NewsHour, FT Alphaville, Think Progress, naked capitalism, DealBook and NPR Topics
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
YOUCUT.... Oh, good, another gimmick pretending to be policy work. … The list of possible areas for cuts is pretty underwhelming. For example, participants in this little exercise can eliminate the Presidential Election Fund, saving $260 million over five years — but in the process making …
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Declan McCullagh / CNET News:
‘Secret’ telecom anti-Net neutrality plan isn't — The Center for American Progress seemed to have blockbuster news on Tuesday: an expose titled “Telecoms' Secret Plan To Attack Net Neutrality.” — On its Think Progress blog, the liberal advocacy group announced it had “obtained” …
John Kerry / The Huffington Post:
Transforming Our Power — I don't think there are many people left who really question that we need a major transformation in the way we produce power, the disaster in the Gulf being the latest wakeup call for anyone who was still sleeping. It was the latest reminder that 40 years …
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Mike Allen / The Politico:
GOP plans Tampa '12 convention — The Republican National Committee's site-selection committee is expected to name Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday as site of the party's 2012 convention, top Republicans tell POLITICO. — The site-selection committee is scheduled to announce a choice among three finalists …
Discussion:
CNN, Vanity Fair, Top of the Ticket, Ben Smith's Blog, Wonkette, White House Correspondents … and Daily Kos
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
GOP RECONSIDERS THE IMPORTANCE OF EMPATHY.... There was a tiresome, seemingly endless debate last year over judges and “empathy.” You may recall that President Obama vowed to seek justices who understand “that justice isn't about some abstract legal theory or a footnote in a casebook.
Discussion:
Media Matters Action Network
Adam Smith / The Buzz:
Crist flip flops on giving refunds — Gov. Charlie Crist told MSNBC's Joe Scarborough on April 30 that he would “probably” give refunds to donors who don't approve of him leaving the GOP. Some donors to his U.S. Senate campaign were told before the switch that they would get their money back or pro-rated refunds.
David Swindle / NewsReal Blog:
“For It”: MSA Student Confesses She Wants a Second Holocaust — Last night NewsReal Blog's Editor-in-Chief David Horowitz gave a talk at UC San Diego to counter the Muslim Students Association's Israeli Apartheid Week. (Horowitz made a point to properly describe the event as “Hitler Youth” week.)