memeorandum: Frank Bruni Named Times Op-Ed Columnist (Jeremy W. Peters/Media Decoder)

9:25 AM ET, May 24, 2011

Top Items:

Jana Winter / Fox News:

EXCLUSIVE: Strauss-Kahn Told Maid 'Don't You Know Who I Am?' During Alleged Sex Attack — Dominique Strauss-Kahn told a New York City hotel maid, “Don't you know who I am! Don't you know who I am?” while pinning her down during the alleged sexual assault, law enforcement sources close to the investigation told FoxNews.com.

Discussion: Hot Air, No More Mister Nice Blog, Scared Monkeys, Gawker and Pajamas Media

New York Post:

Strauss-Kahn's pals bid to pay off woman's kin — By ORON DAN in Tel Aviv and LAURA ITALIANO and BOB FREDERICKS in NY — Friends of alleged hotel sex fiend Dominique Strauss-Kahn secretly contacted the accusing maid's impoverished family, offering them money to make the case go away since …

Discussion: City Room, JammieWearingFool, New York Times and Gawker

Dominique Strauss-Kahn / Telegraph:
DNA samples confirm sperm traces on maid's dress

Discussion: The Raw Story, Patterico's Pontifications and FrumForum

Ross Douthat / New York Times:
Who Will Play Strauss-Kahn?

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots, Firedoglake, A Spork in the Drawer and Shakesville

Jacob Tomsky / New York Times:
Behind Closed, Sequentially Numbered Doors

Discussion: Balloon Juice and Mother Jones

Maen Rashid Areikat / The Politico:

A Palestinian perspective — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted House Speaker John Boehner's invitation to address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. The speaker says his invitation is a chance to promote freedom, security and peace in the Middle East.

Discussion: Right Wing News

Wall Street Journal:

An Anti-Israel President — The president's peace proposal is a formula for war. — Say what you will about President Obama's approach to Israel—or of his relationship with American Jews—he sure has mastered the concept of chutzpah. — On Thursday at the State Department …

Discussion: Betsy's Page and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Mike Lillis / The Hill:

Reid breaks with Obama on Israel — Breaking with President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Monday urged a renewal of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks without preconditions regarding borders. — Obama, in recent days, has proposed that Israel's 1967 boundaries be the …

Discussion: The Politico and White House Dossier

Natasha Mozgovaya / Haaretz:
AIPAC chief: Obama should not be even-handed toward Israel and Palestinians

Discussion: Israpundit

Ron Radosh / Pajamas Media:
Eric Cantor Gives AIPAC Delegates a Lesson on which Political Party Really Supports Israel …

Discussion: Elder of Ziyon, Power Line and Weasel Zippers

David G. Savage / Los Angeles Times:

Supreme Court orders California to release tens of thousands of prison inmates — The 5-4 decision represents one of the largest prison release orders in U.S. history. The court majority says overcrowding has caused ‘suffering and death.’ In a sharp dissent, Justice Antonin Scalia warns ‘terrible things are sure to happen.’

Discussion: All American Blogger, PolitiCal, SCOTUSblog, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, 24Ahead, Opinion L.A., The Reality-Based Community, Doug Ross, Gawker, Truthdig, Blog of Rights, Balloon Juice, Hot Air, CNN, The Daily Caller and The Lonely Conservative

Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Justices, 5-4, Tell California to Cut Prisoner Population

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, KQED News Fix, Slate Magazine, PolitiCal, Washington Post, SCOTUSblog, ABCNEWS, Philly.com, Law Blog and Newsy.com Videos Feed

Adam Liptak / New York Times: State Secrets Block Resolution of Contractors' Suit, Justices Say

Los Angeles Times:
U.S. Supreme Court orders massive inmate release to relieve California's crowded prisons

Discussion: New York Times and TalkLeft

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Poll: Romney way ahead of GOP field in New Hampshire — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) enjoys more than triple the support of his next closest competitor in New Hampshire's Republican primary, according to a poll released Monday. — Thirty-two percent of New Hampshire's Republican voters …

Discussion: Instapundit, HotAirPundit, FrumForum and Weekly Standard

Byron York / Washington Examiner:
BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL — King: Giuliani ‘very close’ to joining GOP presidential race

Discussion: GOP 12 and Betsy's Page

Russell Berman / The Hill:
Cantor nudges Rep. Ryan to jump into 2012 White House race

Discussion: The Politico, The Hill, Texas on the Potomac, The Nation, Firedoglake, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Monthly, Healthwatch, Booman Tribune, The Page and Prairie Weather

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Video: Pawlenty calls for end of ethanol subsidies — in Iowa

Discussion: The Other McCain, Washington Examiner, JustOneMinute, National Review, Marathon Pundit, The Note, The New Republic and Pajamas Media

Sean J. Miller / Ballot Box:

All eyes on New York's special — All of Washington will be watching New York on Tuesday, where a Democratic win in the special election could have national implications for the Republican Party. — The special election for former Rep. Chris Lee's (R) seat has been cast as a referendum …

Discussion: FrumForum

Alex Isenstadt / The Politico:
5 things to watch in the NY-26 vote

Discussion: CNN

Rick Ungar / The Policy Page:
More Solid Proof That Obamacare Is Working

Discussion: Healthwatch, The Other McCain, Outside the Beltway and ECHIDNE of the snakes

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Special Election Warrants Caution for Forecasters — and for Republicans

Discussion: The New Republic, Washington Post, Weigel, Gawker and National Review

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:

GOP lawmaker says Sen. Scott Brown ‘should be ashamed of himself’ — Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) scolded the senator for opposing the House GOP budget from Rep. Paul Ryan. — An Illinois Republican on Monday said Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) should be “ashamed of himself” for opposing Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) budget plan.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Balloon Juice, AMERICAblog News and Boston Globe

Erik Wasson / The Hill:
Budget director: Debt ceiling will be raised before it's reached

Discussion: FrumForum

Aharding / CNN:
Top Republican says Paul Ryan should run for president

Discussion: Hotline On Call, The Politico, Hot Air and PERRspectives

Associated Press:

FACT CHECK: Not the whole truth in Pawlenty claims — WASHINGTON (AP) — “Truth” was Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's buzzword Monday when he announced his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. He said he will tell the truth about hard choices facing the nation while others …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Don Surber, Washington Post and Wonk Room

Kendra Marr / The Politico:
Pawlenty: ‘We may lose our country’

Discussion: The Reaction, The Daily Caller, The Note, FrumForum, Maggie's Notebook, The Lonely Conservative, Outside the Beltway and Ben Smith's Blog

Eric Kleefeld / TPMDC:
Pawlenty In Iowa: Phase Out Ethanol Subsidies

Discussion: Washington Post, The Reality-Based Community and Governor Arne Carlson

Chris O'Shea / FishbowlNY:

White House Adds New Position to Deal with Unfavorable Online Media — The White House has named Jesse Lee to a new position within its communications department titled Director of Progressive Media & Online Response. According to The Huffington Post, Lee will essentially be responsible …

Discussion: Nice Deb, FishbowlDC, Weasel Zippers and JammieWearingFool

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
White House Beefs Up Online Rapid Response

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and The Daily Caller

Jeremy W. Peters / Media Decoder:

Frank Bruni Named Times Op-Ed Columnist — Frank Bruni, whose writing career at The New York Times has spanned two presidential campaigns, a pope and more than five years as chief restaurant critic, has been named an op-ed columnist. — Andrew Rosenthal, editor of the Opinion Pages …

Discussion: Gawker and FishbowlNY, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:

Democrats Try to Woo Consumer Advocate to Run — WASHINGTON — Officials in the Democratic Party are wooing Elizabeth Warren to run for the Senate against the Massachusetts Republican Scott P. Brown rather than have her continue to set up the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, The Caucus and Prairie Weather

Erika Niedowski / The Hill:

Pledging ‘every ounce’ of resources, Obama to tour Mo. storm damage — President Barack Obama said Tuesday he will visit Missouri on Sunday to meet with those affected by devastating tornadoes that killed at least 116 people in Joplin over the weekend. — In remarks from London …

Discussion: JammieWearingFool, FrumForum and New York Times

Cornell Law School:

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES — EDMUND G. BROWN, J r ., GOVERNOR OF CAL- — IFORNIA, et al ., APPELLANTS v. MARCIANO — PLATA et al. — on appeal from the united states district courts for the eastern district and the northern district of california

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, TAPPED, Unfogged and Althouse

Richard A. Oppel Jr / New York Times:

Steady Decline in Major Crime Baffles Experts — The number of violent crimes in the United States dropped significantly last year, to what appeared to be the lowest rate in nearly 40 years, a development that was considered puzzling partly because it ran counter to the prevailing expectation …

Discussion: Marginal Revolution and Chicago Boyz