Top Items:

What Tuesday Really Meant — There were five races that we were tracking closely over the course of the evening — and I've already seen analysts drawing flimsy conclusions from each of them. — Pennsylvania — Democratic Senate primary — The results: Joe Sestak defeats Arlen Specter, 54-46.
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More on Rand Paul — So is Rand Paul, on a personal level, just a deeply unlikeable guy? One of the weird things about his acceptance speech last night was that he held it at the local country club — to what looked uncannily like a members only crowd. This morning he defended the venue …

The Death Of Independence — Analysts are pointing toward last night's primary results (the defeat of Arlen Specter, Trey Grayson, and the run-off for Blanche Lincoln) as - when combined with Bob Bennett and Alan Mollohan's defeats - proof of anti-incumbency and anti-Washington establishment.

Come to Kentucky, Rand Paul tells Obama — (CNN) - Fresh off his win in Kentucky's Republican Senate primary, Dr. Rand Paul is welcoming the attention from national Democrats that his insurgent, Tea Party-backed candidacy is generating. — Tim Kaine, chairman of the Democratic National Committee …

Rand Paul — It is quite an understatement to say that I am …
Discussion:
DownWithTyranny!, FrumForum, The Atlantic Online, TPMDC, Hullabaloo and Public Policy Polling


Activists seize control of politics
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Moderate Voice, TPMDC, Boston Globe, The Daily Beast, Commentary, Facing South, Guardian, Firedoglake, RedState, The Swamp, The Huffington Post, Associated Press, Questions and Observations, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Politico, Plain Dealer, Shakesville, Confederate Yankee, Taylor Marsh and Arkansas News

Rand Paul Vows to Remain True to Tea Party
Discussion:
The Caucus, Shakesville, Hendrik Hertzberg, Below The Beltway, Democracy in America and msnbc.com

The GOP's special failure — All the evidence pointing to monster Republican House gains this fall—the Scott Brown upset win in Massachusetts, the scary polling numbers in once-safely Democratic districts, the ever-rising number of Democratic seats thought to be in jeopardy—was contradicted Tuesday.
Discussion:
Beltway Confidential, National Review, HorseRaceBlog, PostPartisan, The Fix, The Corner on National …, American Spectator, Hot Air, Conservatives4Palin.com, Right Now, Balloon Juice, msnbc.com, The Monkey Cage, The Hill, skippy the bush kangaroo, The Other McCain, No More Mister Nice Blog, Jules Crittenden, Liberal Values, First Draft, Townhall.com, Daily Kos, NY Daily News, Riehl World View, The Moderate Voice, Taylor Marsh, Sister Toldjah, New York Times, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Think Progress, Outside The Beltway, AMERICAblog News, Gothamist, Maggie's Farm, Real Clear Politics, Ballot Box, ABCNEWS and Real Clear Politics
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‘WHERE IS THE WAVE?’.... Arguably the most important election yesterday wasn't a primary race, but rather, the congressional special election in Pennsylvania's 12th — a contest to fill the vacancy left by the late Rep. Jack Murtha (D). — Observers in both parties considered the race something of a bellwether.

Reflecting on PA-12 — My biggest takeaway from the surprising outcome …

PA-12 and The Single Greatest Pushback in American History
Discussion:
Beltway Confidential, Weekly Standard, Swing State Project, The Daily Dish and Balloon Juice

Obama Turns His Back On the Press — At a ceremony to sign a bill promoting press freedom around the world on Monday, President Obama refused to take questions from the reporters in attendance. “I'm not doing a press conference today,” he told Chip Reid of CBS News, “but we'll be seeing you guys during the course of the week.”
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Obama shuns U.S. outlets at news conference — President Barack Obama did not call on any U.S. news outlets at his Wednesday press conference with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, possibily to avoid any questions on Tuesday's primary elections. — In the White House Rose Garden …

MEXICAN PRESIDENT KNOCKS ARIZONA LAW FROM WHITE HOUSE LAWN — ABC News: Mexican President Felipe Calderon took the unusual step Wednesday morning of criticizing an American law while visiting the White House, saying cooperation is needed to fix the US-Mexican immigration issue but …
Discussion:
New York Times, Political Punch, Don Surber, Fausta's Blog, theblogprof, Hot Air, The Corner on National … and Gateway Pundit


Wall Street reform fails key vote — Sen. Harry Reid and Democrats failed to secure enough votes to end debate on Wall Street reform legislation. — Washington (CNNMoney.com) - After months of negotiation and debate, far-reaching legislation to overhaul the rules of Wall Street failed …
Discussion:
The Politico
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Slow learners at the 9th Circuit — The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is a stimulus package for the Supreme Court, which would rather not have one. The 9th Circuit, often in error but never in doubt, provides the Supreme Court with steady work: Over the past half-century …
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Kagan Criticized the Warren Court in Thesis
Discussion:
CNN, National Review, SCOTUSblog, Law Blog, New York Times, The Politico, Lynn Sweet, Main Justice, The New Republic, Liveshots, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Balkinization and The BLT


Dean: N.Y. Times story a ‘hatchet job’ — Howard Dean on Wednesday took the New York Times to task for running a “hatchet job” story on Democratic Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal misstating his service in Vietnam without acknowledging that the information came from a GOP campaign.
Discussion:
Swing State Project, Commentary, The Plum Line, TPMDC, Taylor Marsh, Jules Crittenden and National Review
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The New York Times has some explaining to do — This Associated Press report about the controversy surrounding Richard Blumenthal's description of his military service raises some questions about the New York Times' handling of the story: … So why didn't the Times include Blumenthal …


Rahm's Son's Bar Mitzvah Irks Some in Israel — Israeli Activists Say They Will ‘Blow Up,’ Figuratively, Zach Emanuel's Bar Mitzvah — White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's plan to take his son, Zach, to Jerusalem's famous Western Wall for his Jewish coming-of-age ritual appeared to have run into serious trouble.
Discussion:
Raw Story
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Who woulda thunk it: Fact-checking is popular! — Has anyone else noticed that the Associated Press has been doing some strong fact-checking work lately, aggressively debunking all kinds of nonsense, in an authoritative way, without any of the usual he-said-she-said crap that often mars political reporting?
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog
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WHY JOURNALISTS ‘GOT IN THE BUSINESS’.... Perhaps no problem …
Discussion:
Eschaton

Florida mosque bombed; FBI calls for help; national media mute — On May 10th, a middle-aged man carried a can of gasoline and a pipe bomb into the Jacksonville Islamic Center of Northeast Florida during evening prayers and detonated it. Fortunately, there were no injuries to people, though the bomb did damage property.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland
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Power Play Over Immigration Law — LA's boycott resolution sparks a threat over power the city receives from Arizona — An Arizona utility commissioner said he's willing to pull the plug on Los Angeles if the city goes through with a boycott of his state.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Top of the Ticket, Tammy Bruce, Truthdig, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, Moonbattery, L.A. NOW and Philly.com

Immigration Hits Home for Young Girl and First Lady Michelle Obama — ABC News' Karen Travers reports: During First Lady Michelle Obama's visit to an elementary school in Silver Spring, Md., Wednesday, a second grade female student brought up immigration reform in a very personal way.
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Attorney General Tom Corbett Subpoenaes Twitter To Identify Anonymous Critics — Tom Corbett, current Attorney General of the state of Pennsylvania and Gubernatorial Candidate, has subpoenaed Twitter to appear as a Grand Jury witness to “testify and give evidence regarding alleged violations of the laws of Pennsylvania”.
Discussion:
The Volokh Conspiracy, Outside The Beltway, Ben Smith's Blog, pa2010.com, Daily Kos and The Eye

Why Are Incumbents Faltering? Check Out The Election Night FinReg Massacre — Yesterday's results in the election showed what has now become conventional wisdom: an “anti-incumbent mood,” something the media will parrot from now to November. Have they explored why?


BP CEO Hayward Bets On ‘Very, Very Modest’ Impact From Disaster — Tony Hayward, CEO of oil giant BP, is betting that the environmental impact of the Deepwater Horizon disaster will be “very, very modest.” Even though a million gallons of crude have flooded into the Gulf of Mexico every …


Heavy Sludge Oozes into Marshes of Louisiana — Governor Bobby Jindal Flew over Site and Reported “Heavy Oil;” CBS Cameras Turned Away by BP, Coast Guard — (CBS/AP) It may be the most disturbing site yet: the first heavy sludge now oozing into the marshes of Louisiana as the slick continues to grow in size out in the gulf.