American, 19, Among Gaza Flotilla Dead  —  Furkan Dogan Was Shot Five Times, Including Four Times in Head  —  A U.S. citizen who lived in Turkey is among the nine people killed when Israeli commandos stormed a Turkish aid ship heading for the Gaza Strip, officials said today.

Amateur blogosphere, RIP … Only five years ago, the progressive political blogosphere was still predominately a gathering place for amateur (that is, unpaid or barely paid) journalists and activists unattached to existing media companies and advocacy organizations.  Those days are almost completely over.

Ocean currents likely to carry oil along Atlantic coast … BOULDER—A detailed computer modeling study released today indicates that oil from the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico might soon extend along thousands of miles of the Atlantic coast and open ocean as early as this summer.

S.C. Republicans condemn ‘raghead’ comment  —  South Carolina Republicans were quick Thursday evening to condemn the remarks of a prominent Republican State Senator, Jake Knotts, who referred to a gubernatorial candidate as a “raghead” on an online political show today.

White House, N.Y. Dems: No job offers made in Senate race  —  The White House and New York Democrats said Wednesday they didn't play let's make a deal to avoid a contentious Senate primary.  —  New York Reps. Steve Israel, Carolyn Maloney and Carolyn McCarthy along with former Rep. Harold Ford …

'I'd do it again' former President Bush tells Grand Rapids crowd about waterboarding terrorists … GRAND RAPIDS — Former President George W. Bush was by turns affable, relaxed — and deadly serious in his local appearance Wednesday.  —  “Yeah, we water-boarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed,” …

Congresswoman: White Supremacist Groups Behind Arizona Immigration Law  —  Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif. views a older NFL football helmet during a hearing entitled “Legal Issues Relating to Football Head Injuries, Part II” in Detroit, Monday, Jan. 4, 2010.  (AP)

Caught in the oil  —  A short entry - AP Photographer Charlie Riedel just filed the following images of seabirds caught in the oil slick on a beach on Louisiana's East Grand Terre Island.  As BP engineers continue their efforts to cap the underwater flow of oil, landfall is becoming more frequent, and the effects more evident.

Interview: Alexander Zaitchik on his new biography of Glenn Beck, ‘Common Nonsense’  —  Last summer, when Glenn Beck was rocketing from talk radio stardom to the status of a national icon, he got the full profile treatment from Alexander Zaitchik at Salon.  That profile was the first serious …

NV-Sen: Teabagger leads GOP field, Harry Reid back from the dead  —  Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 5/31-62.  Likely voters.  MoE 4% (4/26-28 results)  —  Republican Primary MoE 5%  —  Sharon Angle (R) 34 (13)  —  Sue Lowden (R) 25 (38)  —  Danny Tarkanian (R) 24 (28)  —  Ouch.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Flotilla  —  Western press accounts have enumerated the many left-wing human rights activists who were among the Gaza-bound flotilla's passengers earlier this week.  But there were other, more conspicuous passengers aboard the ships.  The Muslim Brotherhood, in particular, was well-represented.

O'Reilly compares gay people to al Qaeda.  —  Last night, culture warrior Bill O'Reilly ran a segment about a new gay-themed McDonald's ad airing in France.  After previewing the ad, which shows a young man talking on the phone with his boyfriend, O'Reilly asked Fox News anchor Jane Skinner …

Brian Williams To Mediaite: “The President Might Have Had His Scenario Off By 180 Degrees”  —  NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams was remarkably candid in respectfully rebuking President Obama's criticism of the media in an exclusive interview with Mediaite from the Gulf Coast.

Admiral Says Oil Pipe Is Cut, a Key Step in Halting Leak  —  NEW ORLEANS — Delicately manipulating a 20-foot-long shear at depths of nearly a mile, technicians successfully snipped a key riser pipe on Thursday in their effort to contain the oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico.

Bobby Jindal Asks Obama To End Moratorium On Deepwater Drilling  —  The White House has responded to Jindal, see update below.  —  Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal wrote President Obama a letter on Wednesday criticizing his decision to implement a temporary moratorium of deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

The global economy isn't zero-sum  —  Matt Miller's got a very good column on education today that allows me to make an almost entirely unrelated point about the way China (and, for that matter, India) gets used in the domestic political conversation.  Miller's column argues that we need …

Obama: ‘Wonderful story’ if LeBron James stays in Cleveland  —  The country's basketball-fan-in-chief seemed to change his tune on NBA superstar LeBron James' potential free agent destination on Thursday.  —  In an interview with CNN's Larry King, President Barack Obama said it would be …

Beating Up on Israel  —  The world's powers find it easier to denounce small nations like Israel than take on large and difficult problems like Iran or North Korea.  —  The ease with which the world's governments condemned Israel over the flotilla incident has been something to behold.

Mark Kirk exaggerated Desert Storm service in constituent letter  —  It never ends with this guy.  Here's Mark Kirk, writing a constituent:: … Wow, Kirk served in Desert Storm?  He's proud enough of that letter that he posted it on his official House site.  But, it's not technically true.

Artur Davis says he won't run for office again after loss in Alabama governor's race … Four-term congressman Artur Davis, in the wake of a resounding rejection of his bid to be Alabama's governor, said Wednesday that his political career was over.  —  “I have no interest in running for political office again,” Davis said.

Director James Cameron says BP turned down help offer  —  PALOS VERDES, Calif (Reuters) - Film director and deep-sea explorer James Cameron said on Wednesday that BP Plc turned down his offer to help combat the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  —  “Over the last few weeks I've watched …