memeorandum: Exclusive: FBI details surge in death threats against lawmakers (Erika Lovley/The Politico)

12:45 PM ET, May 25, 2010

Top Items:

Fawning press now gets cold shoulder from Obama — Will Barack Obama go an entire year without holding a formal news conference? He's getting close: The president's last full-scale session with the press was on July 22, 2009, which was 307 days ago. — When Obama last held a big news conference …

Discussion: Another Black Conservative, RedState, Power Line and Left Coast Rebel

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:

Deal Reached for Ending Law on Gays in Military — WASHINGTON — The White House and leading Congressional Democrats reached agreement Monday on legislative language and a time frame for repealing the military's “don't ask, don't tell” policy, but it was not clear whether the deal had secured …

Discussion: Reuters, The Swamp, Agence France Presse, The Caucus, Taylor Marsh, Shakesville, Washington Post, DISSENTING JUSTICE, Wonk Room, The Reality-Based Community and Advocate

Michael D. Shear / Washington Post:

Obama endorses 'don't ask, don't tell' compromise in Congress — President Obama has signed on to a “don't ask, don't tell” compromise between lawmakers and the Defense Department, the White House announced Monday, an agreement that removes a key obstacle to repealing the military's policy banning gays …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, The Plum Line, The Moderate Voice, Crooks and Liars, Jules Crittenden, Stars & Stripes, PostPartisan, The Atlantic Online, Washington Monthly, New York Times, Federal Eye, Servicemembers United, Mother Jones, Outside the Beltway, TPM LiveWire, Truthdig, Newsweek Blogs and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

ABCNEWS:

Vote to Repeal 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' This Week? — White House has Approved a Compromise Amendment to Speed the Vote But Delay Implementation — Congress could vote as early as Thursday to repeal the controversial “don't ask don't tell” policy that prevents gays and lesbians from openly serving in the U.S. armed forces.

Discussion: Cato @ Liberty, Political Punch and The Note

CNN:
CNN Poll: Nearly 8 in 10 favor gays in the military

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog and The Moderate Voice

Washington Post:
Lack of sunlight over Mr. Sestak's claims

Discussion: Ezra Klein, Weekly Standard, BLACKFIVE, Right Now, Political Punch, GOP.com, The Enterprise Blog and Top of the Ticket

Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:
President Obama seeks new version of line-item veto

Discussion: Ezra Klein, New York Times, The Daily Caller, The Politico, John Stossel, DISSENTING JUSTICE and The Page

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
McCain laments effort to ‘jam’ through repeal of 'Don't ask, don't tell'

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Jennifer Rubin / Commentary: Sestak's Stall Not Working

Peter Baker / New York Times:
For Sestak Matter, a ‘Trust Us’ Response From White House

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Beltway Confidential, Outside The Beltway, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The Politico, Real Clear Politics and Fox News

Washington Post / Ezra Klein:

The big offshore lie — The Obama administration, in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico disaster, has apparently decided that digging in on its misguided decision in March to expand offshore drilling is the way to go. — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar dug in to defend the administration's drilling plans last week.

Discussion: Grist, Mother Jones and Beltway Confidential

Washington Post:

Obama administration conflicted about relying on BP to stop gulf oil spill — The tenuous alliance among the Obama administration, the oil firm BP and Gulf Coast officials was visibly fraying on Monday, with exasperation on all sides mounting as oil from a deep-water gusher began lapping …

Discussion: The Hill, ABCNEWS, Hotline On Call, The Washington Independent, The Oil Drum, Houston Chronicle, Guardian, LA Times Environment Blog and Reuters

David S Morgan / CBS News: U.S. Gov't: We're In Charge of Spill Response

The Politico:
W.H. takes heat over spill response

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, New York Times, Grist and Washington Wire

Daniela Altimari / Capitol Watch:

Sources say Rob Simmons will drop out of U.S. Senate race tomorrow. — Rob Simmons will hold a press conference for this morning in New London to announce he's leaving the U.S. Senate race, sources said late today. — The former congressman and Vietnam War veteran lost …

Discussion: Washington Wire, Talking Points Memo, TPMDC and Real Clear Politics

Mark Pazniokas / ctmirror.org:

Source says Simmons told staff he is ending campaign — A Republican source says Rob Simmons told his staff Monday he will end his campaign for U.S. Senate at a press conference today in New London. — On Monday night, Simmons called a press conference for 9 a.m. in New London to make an …

Discussion: Hot Air, Daily Kos and National Review

Hartford Courant / Capitol Watch:
Simmons Quits Senate Race

Discussion: Fox News and TPMDC

Ballot Box:
Simmons suspends Conn. Senate campaign

Discussion: The Note, CNN and The Politico

Dennis Cauchon / USA Today:

Private pay shrinks to historic lows — Paychecks from private business shrank to their smallest share of personal income in U.S. history during the first quarter of this year, a USA TODAY analysis of government data finds. — At the same time, government-provided benefits …

Discussion: protein wisdom, Moonbattery, Gateway Pundit, Pajamas Media, Wake up America, Hot Air, Liberty Central, WILLisms.com, RedState and Wizbang

Mark Mazzetti / New York Times:

U.S. Expands Secret Military Acts in Mideast and Beyond — WASHINGTON — The top American commander in the Middle East has ordered a broad expansion of clandestine military activity in an effort to disrupt militant groups or counter threats in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and other countries in the region …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Associated Press, The Jawa Report, Infowars, BLACKFIVE, The Volokh Conspiracy, The Nation, Prairie Weather, Informed Comment, The Agonist, The Washington Independent, Emptywheel, Who Is IOZ?, Truthdig, The Page, Sister Toldjah and Shakesville

FITSNews:

Cell, Email Records Could Solve “Haley-gate” — Phone records, text messages, emails, voice mails ... these are the identifying markers of any love affair, and ground zero when it comes to any “he said, she said” battle in civil or criminal court. — Well ... we've got the ultimate …

Discussion: WIS-TV, Guardian, Talking Points Memo, Charleston City Paper, Ben Smith's Blog, TPMMuckraker, American Power, Rumproast, Another Black Conservative, Washington Post, RedState and The American Conservative

CNN:
Haley turns to Palin in new television ad

Discussion: The Note and FITSNews

David Frum / Washington Post:

Zev Chafets's ‘Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One,’ reviewed by David Frum — Sentinel. 229 pp. $25.95 — “Every great man has his disciples,” quipped Oscar Wilde. “And it is always Judas who writes the biography.” — Not so for Rush Limbaugh. Biographer Zev Chafets received unprecedented access …

Discussion: The Reaction, NewsBusters.org, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and New York Times

David Brooks / New York Times:

Two Theories of Change — When I was in college I took a course in the Enlightenment. In those days, when people spoke of the Enlightenment, they usually meant the French Enlightenment — thinkers like Descartes, Rousseau, Voltaire and Condorcet. — These were philosophers who confronted …

Discussion: Commentary, The Corner on National …, The Reality-Based Community and driftglass

Erika Lovley / The Politico:

Exclusive: FBI details surge in death threats against lawmakers — I voted for you," the caller said in a voice mail to Democratic Rep. Heath Shuler's district office. “ If you vote for that stimulus package, I'm gonna kill you. Simple as that. The FBI says the caller was a 70-year-old resident …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, BuzzFlash.org and TPMMuckraker

Ian Urbina / New York Times:

Inspector General's Inquiry Faults Regulators — WASHINGTON — Federal regulators responsible for oversight of drilling in the Gulf of Mexico allowed industry officials several years ago to fill in their own inspection reports in pencil — and then turned them over to the regulators …

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, Think Progress, Washington Monthly and Obsidian Wings

Matt Aiken / The Dahlonega Nugget …:

BREAKING NEWS: Students in KKK robes cause stir at LCHS — A Lumpkin County High School history teacher was placed on administrative leave after she allowed a group of students to don homemade Ku Klux Klan costumes during an assignment on the history of racism in the United States.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Erik Berte / FOXBusiness.com:

The Next Bailout: $165B for Unions — Taxpayers could be on the hook for another $165 billion if a bill to bail out private union pension funds makes it through Congress.

Discussion: Doug Ross, Fausta's Blog, Flopping Aces, Scared Monkeys, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Confederate Yankee, Questions and Observations, The Strata-Sphere, Wake up America, Left Coast Rebel, Gateway Pundit and Weasel Zippers

Facebook:

Just When Ya Think It Can't Get Any More “Interesting”... Welcome, Neighbor! — Spring has sprung in Alaska, and with this beautiful season comes the news today that the Palins have a new neighbor! Welcome, Joe McGinniss! — Yes, that Joe McGinniss. Here he is - about 15 feet away …

Discussion: NewsReal Blog, Mediaite and TBogg

Doug Powers / Michelle Malkin:

AP: Obama to Skip Wreath Laying Ceremony at Arlington on Monday — President Obama went to Arlington Cemetery to lay the wreath last year, but this year Obama's handing the wreath to Plugs and heading off to the more welcoming political climes of Chicago:

Discussion: Spinner and Freedom's Lighthouse

Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:

When Passengers Spit, Bus Drivers Take Months Off — It could be the cutbacks to the city's transportation system, or a general decline in urban civility. Perhaps people are just in a collective bad mood. — What else could explain why New Yorkers — notoriously hardened to the slings …

Discussion: New Jersey Online, PointOfLaw Forum and Gawker

Gil Hoffman / Jerusalem Post:

Tourism Ministry denies feeding Emanuel shellfish — White House chief of staff tells Channel 2: We're having a great time. — Talkbacks (2) — Make JPOST.COM your Home Page — Iranian Threat — Jewish World — Local Israel — Arts & Culture — Français — Classifieds

Discussion: The Atlantic Online and Ben Smith's Blog

Jonah Goldberg / The Corner on National Review Online:

It's Like He Does it On Purpose — By: Jonah Goldberg — Thomas Friedman does it again. He literally fantasizes about American becoming like China — but just for a day! From Meet the Press yesterday: … Can someone please tell Tom Friedman that China only produces “suboptimal solutions” too.

Discussion: Fausta's Blog, Pajamas Media, Hit & Run, The Mahablog, Moonbattery, Power Line and FrumForum

Bob Herbert / New York Times:

Following BP's Lead — I asked the sheriff of St. Bernard Parish, Jack Stephens, if he was at all optimistic about BP stopping the gusher of oil that is fouling the Gulf of Mexico in time to prevent a long-term environmental catastrophe in the southern Louisiana wetlands.

Discussion: The Politico and Prairie Weather