memeorandum: Surprise! Obama's ACORN Thugs Are Alive And Preparing for 2012 (Matthew Vadum/AmSpecBlog)

3:30 PM ET, May 16, 2011

Top Items:

Trump Not Running for President: ‘Decision Does Not Come Easily Or Without Regret’ — ABC News' Michael Falcone, Jen Wlach, Sara Just & Devin Dwyer report: — After a roller-coaster flirtation with a presidential bid, Donald Trump bowed out of the 2012 contest in true Trump fashion …

CNN:

Full release: — “After considerable deliberation and reflection, I have decided not to pursue the office of the Presidency. This decision does not come easily or without regret; especially when my potential candidacy continues to be validated by ranking at the top of the Republican contenders in polls across the country.

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, No More Mister Nice Blog and Weasel Zippers

Gschwarzcnn / CNN:

Trump not running for president — (CNN) - Real estate mogul and television celebrity Donald Trump, who generated a media publicity blitz by saying he might run for president in 2012, announced Monday that he will instead remain a businessman. — “After considerable deliberation and reflection …

Discussion: Cubachi, News Desk, Washington Post, Indecision Forever, Big Government and Liberty Pundits Blog

Brian Montopoli / CBS News:
Donald Trump not running for president

Discussion: The Huffington Post, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, AmSpecBlog, Hit & Run and Patterico's Pontifications

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
The Donald ducks

Discussion: Daily Kos

Sean Daly / New York Post:
Big Trump news due today

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Fox News, Simply Left BehindThe … and The Page

Joel Siegel / ABCNEWS:
Not a Good Sign for Donald Trump

Discussion: The Note

New York Post:
Donald Trump will not run for Republican presidential nomination

Discussion: National Review, The Greenroom and Hot Air

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

GOP Rep. Ryan swipes at Gingrich: ‘With allies like that, who needs the left?’ — Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) took a swipe Monday at Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich after the former House Speaker criticized hiss proposed Medicare reforms. — “With allies like that, who needs the left?”

Discussion: TPMDC, The Note, CNN, Sister Toldjah, Talking Points Memo, theblogprof, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Monthly, The Daily Caller, Pirate's Cove, Ben Smith's Blog and FrumForum

Laura Meckler / Wall Street Journal:

Gingrich Blasts House GOP's Medicare Plan — Presidential Candidate Calls It ‘Right-Wing Social Engineering,’ Agrees With Obama About Need for Insurance Mandate — White House hopeful Newt Gingrich called the House Republican plan for Medicare “right-wing social engineering,” …

Discussion: TPMDC, Betsy's Page, Washington Wire, Washington Post, Gawker, Washington Examiner, Left Coast Rebel, Wonkette, Jack & Jill Politics, American Spectator, msnbc.com, YID With LID, AmSpecBlog, Questions and Observations, Daily Kos and The Lonely Conservative

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL — Gingrich reaction: Republicans livid, accuse former speaker of hypocrisy in attack on Ryan — This morning Republicans are just beginning to assess the damage that former House Speaker and current presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has done to the GOP budget plan currently before Congress.

Discussion: The Apothecary, National Review, The Gateway Pundit and Pajamas Media

Jroot / newt.org:
Newt: I oppose the Obamacare mandate. Period.

Discussion: GOP 12, National Review, Hot Air, Ballot Box, msnbc.com and Pajamas Media

Jennifer Haberkorn / The Politico:
Paul Ryan to sharpen attacks on Obama's Medicare board

Discussion: CNN and USA Today

Jay Newton-Small / Swampland:
Gingrich Was for Ryan's Budget Before He Was Against It

Discussion: Weekly Standard, msnbc.com, Hot Air, American Spectator, NewsMax.com, New York Times, ThinkProgress, Jack & Jill Politics, Washington Monthly, National Review, Outside the Beltway, Pundit & Pundette, Salon, Washington Post, Daily Kos and Pajamas Media

New York Times:

Judge Denies Bail to I.M.F. Chief in Sexual Assault Case — Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the leader of the International Monetary Fund, was ordered on Monday to be held without bail over allegations that he had sexually assaulted a maid in a $3,000-a-night suite at a Midtown hotel.

Discussion: The Smoking Gun, TalkLeft, New York Magazine, Gothamist, Newshoggers.com, Outside the Beltway, The Gateway Pundit and Reuters

New York Post:

French gals burned by pol ‘in heat’ — He's un animal. — IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn acted like a “chimpanzee in heat” during a creepy previous grab-and-grope with a French journalist — an incident with eerie similarities to his alleged attack on a Manhattan hotel maid Saturday, according to an explosive interview.

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Weasel Zippers and JammieWearingFool

Kim Willsher / Guardian:

Dominique Strauss-Kahn faces further claim of sexual assault — Socialist party official says her daughter was left traumatised after alleged attack by Strauss-Kahn in 2002 — By this time next year, Dominique Strauss-Kahn might well have been president of France.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, neo-neocon, Left Coast Rebel, New Deal 2.0, Sky Dancing, Michelle Malkin, New York Magazine, Harry's Place, Maggie's Farm, Taylor Marsh, EconomicPolicyJournal.com, AMERICAblog News, The Other McCain, Pajamas Media, Power Line and Scared Monkeys

ABCNEWS:

IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn Charged With Rape, Sexual Abuse, Unlawful Imprisonment — International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn allegedly forced a New York City hotel housekeeper to perform oral sex and submit to anal sex, in addition to allegedly attempting to rape her …

Discussion: PolitickerNY, RedState, FrumForum, Mediaite and TVNewser

Mosi Secret / New York Times:
Police Seek Evidence From I.M.F. Chief on Sex Attack

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Guardian, The Moderate Voice, Law Blog, Runnin' Scared, Patterico's Pontifications, The Daily Beast, Economist, Wonkette, The Huffington Post, FrumForum, Los Angeles Times, The BLT, Washington Post and New York Magazine

Wall Street Journal:

As Debt Limit Reached, Agreement Still Far Off — The U.S. government is expected to hit the $14.294 trillion debt ceiling Monday, setting in motion an uncertain, 11-week political scramble to avoid a default. — The Treasury Department plans to announce Monday it will stop issuing …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Moderate Voice, Firedoglake, TPMDC, theblogprof, Open Congress, Daily Kos, Outside the Beltway, The Lonely Conservative, Yglesias, New York Magazine, Free exchange, Confederate Yankee, ThinkProgress, Hullabaloo, Patterico's Pontifications and The Page

Paul Krugman / New York Times:
America Held Hostage

Discussion: Washington Post, NewsReal Blog, Prairie Weather, NewsBusters.org, Daily Kos, Washington Monthly, Simply Left BehindThe … and AMERICAblog News

Peter Schroeder / The Hill:
Geithner tells Congress the US has reached $14.3T debt limit

Discussion: Vox Popoli

Paul Krugman:

What's In A Name? — Urk. Politico: … It's not misleading! I know that serious people are supposed to be shocked, shocked at the Democrats calling the Ryan plan a plan to dismantle Medicare — but that's just what it is. If you replace a system that actually pays seniors' medical bills …

Discussion: Yglesias

Mike Allen / The Politico:
Game change: Battleground Poll finds Obama immune on economy: 72% personal support …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Left Coast Rebel and Paul Krugman

David Carr / New York Times:
How Drudge Has Stayed on Top

Discussion: Don Surber, Poynter, The Talking Dog, UrbanGrounds and Pajamas Media, more at Mediagazer »

Kasie Hunt / The Politico:

Mitt Romney: I can win on the economy — The 2012 presidential campaign is going to be all about the economy — right in Mitt Romney's wheelhouse, the former Massachusetts governor told supporters on a conference call Monday. — People ask, Romney said, “'how do we know you're going to win, Mitt?

Discussion: GOP 12

Aharding / CNN: Romney dials for dollars

Ramesh Ponnuru / National Review:
Romney's Path — With the field clarifying, Mitt Romney's interests …

Discussion: The Politico, The Daily Caller, Outside the Beltway, Eunomia, AmSpecBlog and GOP 12

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

A Requiem for Huckabee — Most candidates for the highest office in the land spend months, if not years, currying favor with the rich and powerful: glad-handing at fund-raising dinners, schmoozing in mansions, pressing the flesh in Aspen and Manhattan and Nob Hill. — Not so Mike Huckabee.

Discussion: msnbc.com, The Brody File, Ross Douthat, Eunomia, Yglesias and AmSpecBlog

David Frum / CNN:
With no Huckabee, who in GOP will stand for jobs, middle class?

Discussion: The Nation and FrumForum

Bill Carter / New York Times:

Gay CNN Anchor Sees Risk in Book — Don Lemon, the weekend prime-time anchor for CNN, was on the air on Sunday night this month when the news broke that President Obama would address the nation at the unusual hour of 10:30 p.m. — By the time the news network was confirming the reports …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Mediaite, LGBTQ Nation, Box Turtle Bulletin, The Blaze, Colorlines, News Desk, iOwnTheWorld.com, Towleroad News #gay, Pam's House Blend, Poynter, Gawker and JammieWearingFool, more at Mediagazer »

MTV:

M-Bone's life in photos. — At about 10:30 p.m. PT Sunday night, police were called to the 400 block of North La Brea in Inglewood. When police arrived on the scene, they found Talbert seated in the driver's seat of a black unspecified vehicle with at least two gunshot wounds to the head.

Discussion: The Stir, Washington Post, newsfeed.time.com, Michelle Malkin and BuzzFeed

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Herman Cain sounds off on race, a debate win, and the need to simplify government — Chief Political Correspondent Follow Him @ByronYork — STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. - Herman Cain's handsome glass-walled office overlooks the first fairway of the Eagle's Landing Country Club in this exurb of Atlanta …

Discussion: Salon, BLACKFIVE and FrumForum

Dan Barry / New York Times:

A Sports Executive Leaves the Safety of His Shadow Life — Last month, in a Midtown office adorned with sports memorabilia, two longtime friends met for a private talk. David Stern, the commissioner of the National Basketball Association, sipped his morning coffee, expecting to be asked for career advice.