memeorandum: Nine dead in Afghan Koran burning protests (Ismail Sameem/Reuters)

8:25 AM ET, April 2, 2011

Top Items:

Afghans Avenge Florida Koran Burning, Killing 12 — MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan — Stirred up by three angry mullahs who urged them to avenge the burning of a Koran at a Florida church, thousands of protesters on Friday overran the compound of the United Nations in this northern Afghan city …

Una Moore / UN Dispatch:

This Attack is Different — Mark asked me to respond to today's attack on UN staff in Mazar-i-Sharif. This post is my initial reaction. — Kabul, Afghanistan - Foreigners have been killed in Afghanistan before, and today's attack was not the first fatal attack on UN staff.

Discussion: Top of the Ticket, Registan.net, New Atlanticist, Firedoglake, Taylor Marsh, The Gateway Pundit, Hullabaloo, Outside the Beltway and FrumForum

New York Times:

Pastor Who Burned Koran Demands Retribution — GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Before a Koran was burned at his modest church here on March 20, the pastor Terry Jones held a self-styled mock trial of the holy book, in which he presided as the judge from the pulpit. The prosecutor was a Christian who had converted from Islam.

Discussion: Maggie's Notebook and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Guardian:
Is the Florida pastor who burnt the Qur'an morally responsible for the deaths of UN staff in protests in Afghanistan?

Discussion: Harry's Place, Pajamas Media and Jihad Watch

Ismail Sameem / Reuters:
Nine dead in Afghan Koran burning protests

Discussion: The Jawa Report and Informed Comment

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Afghan mob kills at least 12 UN workers in protest over Terry Jones's Koran-burning

Discussion: New York Times, CBS News and Pajamas Media

Tom A. Peter / Christian Science Monitor:
UN staff killed by Afghan mob enraged over Florida Quran burning

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and Truthdig

John Nolte / Big Government:

Devastating New Ad Might Be Game Changer in Wisconsin's Crucial April 5th Election — As is the case with any important election, events are happening fast as we approach the final weekend prior to the crucial Tuesday April 5 vote that will ultimately decide the future of Wisconsin for a generation to come.

Discussion: Nice Deb, TBogg, The Lonely Conservative, The Underground Conservative, Hot Air, We Party Patriots and JSOnline

David Weigel / Weigel:

Wisconsin Unions Attack Prosser for Calling a Judge a “Total Bitch” — This is one of the closing arguments against David Prosser in Wisconsin, from the Greater Wisconsin Committee. — The backstory: … So the video in the ad of Prosser looking like Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon is not from the incident.

Discussion: Althouse, The Raw Story, JSOnline and Ben Smith's Blog

David Dayen / Firedoglake:
Dem Party of Wisconsin: Expect at Least Six Recall Elections

Discussion: Daily Kos

Robert Costa / National Review:

Paul Rankles Reid on Libya — Washington — Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.), a Tea Party favorite, has boxed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) into a corner. After a quiet day of quorum calls and speeches, Reid abruptly adjourned the upper chamber Thursday and postponed votes until Monday.

Discussion: Hot Air, Cubachi, Another Black Conservative, Patterico's Pontifications, Liberty Pundits Blog, Pajamas Media and AmSpecBlog

Jake Sherman / The Politico:
Republicans: No deal on budget cuts

Discussion: The Hill, Daily Kos, Weekly Standard and The Hill

Rasmussen Reports:
57% Okay With Government Shutdown If It Leads to Deeper Budget Cuts

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, Questions and Observations and Weasel Zippers

Molly K. Hooper / The Hill:
Boehner: Government shutdown would cost more money than it would save

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, The Politico and Daily Kos

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Reid jabs Tea Party: ‘There were tens of them’ at DC rally

Discussion: Washington Post, The Politico, Weasel Zippers and The Hill

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

King Barack I — Many of us supported this president because he promised to bring back the constitutional balance after the theories of Yoo, Delahunty, et al put the president on a par with emperors and kings in wartime. And yet in this Libya move, what difference is there between Bush and Obama?

Discussion: Instapundit and The Other McCain

Wes Barrett / Fox News:

Bachmann Tops Romney in First Quarter Fundraising — Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., raised a combined total of $2.2 million in the first quarter of 2011, outgaining presumed presidential contender Mitt Romney who raised $1.9 million over the same period. — Bachmann's political action committee …

Discussion: Another Black Conservative, Washington Post, Hot Air, Weekly Standard, Cubachi, Liberty Pundits Blog, Weigel, FrumForum, Swampland, TPMDC, Indecision Forever, GOP 12 and Joe. My. God.

Rachel Weiner / Washington Post:
Michele Bachmann collects $2 million in first fundraising quarter

Discussion: American Power and Taylor Marsh

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
Bachmann's $ haul tops Romney's

Discussion: The Caucus, CNN and AmSpecBlog

Jon Terbush / TPMDC:

Poll: Americans Wrongly Estimate $178 Billion In Fed. Budget Goes To Public Broadcasting — In a CNN poll of American adults released Friday, the median guess on what percentage of the federal budget goes to public broadcasting was 5%. With a $3.55 trillion budget last year …

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Moderate Voice and Weigel

Gschwarzcnn / CNN:
CNN Poll: Americans flunk budget IQ test

Discussion: Hot Air, Washington Monthly and Outside the Beltway

Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:

Obama, Libya, and Me — One of the reasons to vote for someone for president — perhaps the key reason, in fact — is good judgment. Hillary Clinton may have taken a lot of flack for her “3 am phone call” ad during the Democratic primaries in 2008, but she was basically right: ideologically …

Discussion: Pajamas Media, The Daily Dish, New Atlanticist and Hit & Run

John / Power Line:

Are We Doomed? — I grew up in a farm state, South Dakota, and still recall a joke that was then popular. It grew out of the fact that the number of farmers in the U.S. was constantly declining, while at the same time the Department of Agriculture was steadily growing.

Discussion: Pat Dollard, The Lonely Conservative and Top of the Ticket

News from the University of Wisconsin-Madison:

Chancellor's message on academic freedom and open records — Note: To view a letter from UW-Madison legal counsel regarding the records request for Professor Cronon's emails, click here. — Members of the campus community, — Two weeks ago UW-Madison received an open records request …

Discussion: TPMDC, Emptywheel, JSOnline and Shakesville

CNN:

Barbour's wife ‘horrified’ at presidential prospects — (CNN)- The wife of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says she is “horrified” that her husband is seriously considering a bid for the presidency. — In an interview with CNN affiliate WLOX in Biloxi, Marsha Barbour admitted the …

Discussion: The Politico and Washington Wire

Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:

Rep. Trent Franks Warns 'I Don't Know That The Country Can Survive' If President Obama Is Reelected — Tomorrow, Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) will hold a press conference to announce if he will run for Arizona's Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ). (Current rumors indicate Franks may pass on a bid.)

Discussion: Arizona Republic, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and DownWithTyranny!

Brian Montopoli / CBS News:

Donald Trump gets regular Fox News spot — Donald Trump, who says he is seriously considering a presidential run, will now appear on Fox News every Monday morning. — A Fox News representative, Dana Klinghoffer, said that Trump will be a regular guest, not a contributor, and thus will not be paid.

Discussion: Mediaite, Salon and News Hounds