memeorandum: BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL — Newt says Reagan also had to fix problems … (Philip Klein/Washington Examiner)

7:35 PM ET, May 17, 2011

Top Items:

Jake Sherman / The Politico:

Newt Gingrich owed six figures to Tiffany's — Newt Gingrich, a fiscal conservative? Not when it comes to Tiffany's. — In 2005 and 2006, the former House speaker turned presidential candidate carried as much as $500,000 in debt to the premier jewelry company, according …

Discussion: CNN, Mother Jones, 24Ahead, National Review, USA Today, Swampland, New York Magazine, The Hill, The Raw Story, TPMDC, Taylor Marsh and FrumForum

Aharding / CNN:

Gov. Nikki Haley hammers Gingrich over Medicare remarks — Dallas (CNN) - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich might not want to count on a presidential endorsement from South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. — In an interview with CNN Tuesday, Haley sharply admonished Gingrich for his comments …

Chris Stirewalt / Fox News:

GOP Braces for Bachmania — Republican Field Shaping Up Fast after Huck, Trump — “Get out now before you make a bigger fool of yourself.” … Get ready, Republicans. Hurricane Michelle is heading toward your primaries. — Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, a Tea Party favorite …

Discussion: Hot Air, FrumForum and Fox Nation

Wall Street Journal:
Gingrich to House GOP: Drop Dead

Rich Lowry / National Review:
Newt the Unreliable

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Salon, RushLimbaugh.com, The Daily Caller, Washington Times, The Daily Dish, TPMDC, Daily Kos, The Blaze, Washington Post, CNN and O.KayHenderson.com

Philip Klein / Washington Examiner:
BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL — Newt says Reagan also had to fix problems …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Wonk Room, Talking Points Memo, The Other McCain, CNN, National Review, TPMDC, Swampland and msnbc.com

Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:
Allen West Slams Newt Gingrich's Poll Test Proposal: 'That's [What] My Parents Had To Contend With'

Discussion: TPMDC, Mediaite, Outside the Beltway and The Blaze

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:
Michael Steele Defends Newt Gingrich On Ryan Plan, Suggests GOP Critics Are Being Hypocritical

Discussion: The Politico and The Note

Christian Heinze / GOP 12:
Angry Iowan gets in Newt's face

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:
Newt Gingrich: I Will Not Allow Democrats to Lie About Me... “Democrats Have Nothing to Offer But Fear Itself” (Audio)

Discussion: Hot Air and National Review

Los Angeles Times:

Schwarzenegger fathered a child with longtime member of household staff — His wife, Maria Shriver, moved out of their Brentwood mansion earlier this year after the former governor acknowledged the child was his. The staff member worked for the family for 20 years, retiring in January.

John Cook / Gawker:

Is This Arnold Schwarzenegger's Love Child? — News of Arnold Schwarzenegger having fathered a child with a member of his household staff more than a decade ago shouldn't come as a surprise. The alleged existence of an out-of-wedlock son, including his name and his mother's name, was reported by the London Daily Mail in 2003.

Discussion: The Informer, Poynter and BuzzFeed

Elizabeth Leonard / People.com:
Maria Shriver: ‘This Is a Painful & Heartbreaking Time’

Discussion: CNN, Wilshire & Washington, The Page and Gothamist

Major Garrett / NationalJournal.com:

Rep. Paul Ryan Staying in House, Won't Run for U.S. Senate — Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is staying in the House, and won't run for the U.S. Senate, two well-placed GOP sources tell National Journal. — Ryan began informing close friends of his decision Tuesday and is expected to announce later in the day.

Discussion: host.madison.com, ThinkProgress, Weigel, Booman Tribune, JSOnline, Daily Kos, Firedoglake, The Raw Story, The Note, Pajamas Media, The Politico and msnbc.com

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Ex-Sen. Feingold says Lieberman, McCaskill, Hoyer fit for ‘shame’ — Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) has tabbed two Democrats and Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.) as fit for “shame” for being too beholden to corporate interests. — Feingold, the former liberal senator who leads …

Discussion: Firedoglake and The Politico

The Politico:
Tommy Thompson plans to run for Senate

Discussion: JSOnline, msnbc.com, Boston Globe, TPMDC, The New Republic, The Caucus, No More Mister Nice Blog, AmSpecBlog, The Greenroom and Hot Air

Benjy Sarlin / TPMDC:
Russ Feingold, Potential Senate Candidate, Rips Democrats For ‘Corruption’

Discussion: Hotline On Call and Hot Air

Justin Elliott / Salon:

Santorum: What does McCain know about torture? — (UPDATED) John McCain has been on something of a crusade this week on the question of how we found Osama bin Laden, giving speeches and writing Op-Eds outlining his position that it was not torture of detainees that led the U.S. to its man.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Weigel, Booman Tribune, Wonk Room, Washington Monthly, The Moderate Voice, TPMDC, The Atlantic Online and Tucson Weekly

The Hugh Hewitt Show:

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum reacts to Newt Gingrich's slam of Paul Ryan — HH: Joined now by former United States Senator Rick Santorum, a candidate for the presidency. Senator Santorum, always a pleasure, welcome back. — RS: Thank you, Hugh, it's great to be with you again.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Politico, Outside the Beltway, Blue Mass Group, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The Daily Caller and The Caucus

Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller:

Gov. Sarah Palin on Pelosi district's Obamacare waivers: ‘Seriously, this is corrupt’ — In response to the revelation that about 20 percent of the latest slew of Obamacare waivers went to luxurious restaurants, nightclubs and hotels in House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's district …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Pajamas Media, Don Surber, The Foundry, Weasel Zippers and Conservatives4Palin

Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller:

Nearly 20 percent of new Obamacare waivers are gourmet restaurants, nightclubs, fancy hotels in Nancy Pelosi's district — Of the 204 new Obamacare waivers President Barack Obama's administration approved in April, 38 are for fancy eateries, hip nightclubs and decadent hotels …

Discussion: Healthwatch, National Review, theblogprof, The Foundry, NO QUARTER, Moonbattery, Hot Air, The Lonely Conservative, UrbanGrounds, iOwnTheWorld.com, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Healthwatch:
Business asked for waivers, not Pelosi

Discussion: White House.gov Blog

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Coburn out of Gang of Six talks — Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) announced Tuesday that he would pull out of the talks with two other Republican and three Democratic colleagues. — Coburn said the talks have collapsed over the tough issue of entitlement reform.

Discussion: The Note, CNN, Hot Air, National Review and The Page

David Rogers / The Politico:
Gang of Six at ‘impasse’ as Tom Coburn drops out

Discussion: TPMDC, National Review and FrumForum

Ben Stein / American Spectator:

Presumed Innocent, Anyone? — Now for a few humble thoughts about Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his recent brush with law and journalism, bearing in mind that it's possible indeed, maybe even likely, that he is guilty as the prosecutors charge: — 1.) If he is such a womanizer and violent guy with women …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Informer, Jezebel, Gothamist, New York Magazine, Balloon Juice, National Review, Harry's Place and FrumForum

Associated Press:

Clinton says Obama believes 8 years is enough — WASHINGTON - Eight years as president is enough, thank you. At least that's what Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says President Barack Obama told her the other day. — Clinton said Tuesday that she and Obama often marvel …

Discussion: Pajamas Media and National Review

Real Clear Politics:

Rick Perry Presidential Push Quietly Gains Steam — As many grass-roots Republicans remain in search of a conservative candidate with the pizazz to go toe-to-toe against President Obama, a man from deep in the heart of Texas who was tea party before the tea party was cool, appears to be giving the presidential race some thought.

Discussion: GOP 12, CNN, Mediaite, Hair Balls and Mother Jones

Mahmoud Abbas / New York Times:

The Long Overdue Palestinian State — SIXTY-THREE years ago, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy was forced to leave his home in the Galilean city of Safed and flee with his family to Syria. He took up shelter in a canvas tent provided to all the arriving refugees.

Discussion: Truthdig, The Enterprise Blog, JOSHUAPUNDIT, NewsReal Blog, Elder of Ziyon, Israel Matzav and Pajamas Media

Reuters:

Skepticism grows on Geithner's US debt limit deadline — * Tea Party Republicans say sell assets instead — * Skepticism raises stakes in debt limit debate — U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is facing growing criticism for his changing predictions on when the country might face a debt default …

Discussion: ThinkProgress

CNN:

Egyptian Saif al-Adel now acting leader of al Qaeda, ex-militant says — (CNN) — An Egyptian who was once a Special Forces officer has been chosen “caretaker” leader of al Qaeda in the wake of Osama bin Laden's death, according to a source with detailed knowledge of the group's inner workings.

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Pajamas Media, Hot Air, Runnin' Scared, Mediaite and New York Magazine

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:

Democrats' Oil Subsidy Repeal Bill Is Actually Unconstitutional — Republicans may have a point that Democrats are playing politics with oil subsidies. To understand why, look no further than the fact that the bill Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will bring to the floor for a vote Tuesday evening …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Daily Kos, Hot Air, Open Congress and RedState

Jerome R. Corsi / WorldNetDaily:

Nordyke numbers expose Obama document fraud? — Newly found details about birth registration show president's certificate out of sequence — NEW YORK - Newly unearthed information about Hawaii's procedure for numbering birth records at the time Barack Obama was born casts further doubt …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars

Kimberly Dozier / Navy Times:

Sources: Raiders knew mission a one-shot deal — WASHINGTON — Those who planned the secret mission to get Osama bin Laden in Pakistan knew it was a one-shot deal, and it nearly went terribly wrong. — The U.S. deliberately hid the operation from Pakistan, and predicted that national outrage …

Discussion: Danger Room, Emptywheel, Betsy's Page and FrumForum

Clifford Marks / NationalJournal.com:

In Media Coverage, Deficit Eclipses Unemployment — Major newspapers shift focus from unemployment to the deficit, National Journal analysis shows. — Major U.S. newspapers have increasingly shifted their attention away from coverage of unemployment in recent months while greatly intensifying …

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Wall Street Journal:

Spuds, on the Verge of Being Expelled, Start a Food Fight in the Cafeteria — Federal Plan to Limit Potatoes on School Menus Whips Up Supporters; ‘Gateway Vegetable’ — PORTLAND, Maine—Around here, you can find “Maine Potato Candy”—mashed potatoes rolled in coconut and dipped in chocolate—and potato donuts.

Discussion: Yglesias, Gawker, Mother Jones and The Blotter

Jonathan Watts / Guardian:

Exploding watermelons put spotlight on Chinese farming practices — New food scandal as fields of watermelons are destroyed after farmers mistakenly apply growth accelerator — The flying pips, shattered shells and wet shrapnel still haunt farmer Liu Mingsuo after an effort to chemically boost …

Discussion: newsfeed.time.com

Penny Starr / CNSNews:

Obama Administration to Honor ‘Green’ Schools That Teach ‘Environmental Literacy’ — (CNSNews.com) - Next year on Earth Day, the Obama administration plans to announce which U.S. schools have been selected as “Green Ribbon Schools,” a designation that will “honor” schools for …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Weasel Zippers