memeorandum: If I Take Down Fox, Is All Forgiven? — David Brock has spent … (Jason Zengerle/New York Magazine)

6:10 PM ET, May 23, 2011

Top Items:

Sen. Scott Brown / The Politico:

Why I don't back Ryan Medicare plan — As part of the 2012 budget discussions, Congress is dealing with Medicare reform. This debate is long overdue, since its increasing cost must be addressed if we are serious about the nation's growing $14 trillion debt and $1.6 trillion annual deficit.

The Politico:

Republicans ignored warnings on Paul Ryan plan — It might be a political time bomb — that's what GOP pollsters warned as House Republicans prepared for the April 15 vote on Rep. Paul Ryan's proposed budget, with its plan to dramatically remake Medicare. — No matter how favorably pollsters …

Discussion: Yglesias, Washington Monthly, Crooks and Liars, TPMDC, Taylor Marsh, PERRspectives, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Mahablog, The Daily Dish, msnbc.com, The Raw Story, Outside the Beltway and New York Times

Russell Berman / The Hill:

Cantor nudges Rep. Ryan to jump into 2012 White House race — Count House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) as one top Republican who'd like to see Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) jump into the presidential race. — Cantor responded immediately when asked Monday whether Ryan …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Politico, Prairie Weather, GOP 12 and The Page

Digby / Hullabaloo:

“The Tea Party itch has not been scratched”: How the Ryan plan went down — “The Tea Party Itch Has Not Been Scratched” — Any political observer with even a modicum of sense could see that the Ryan Plan was going to be a complete disaster. And most of us have been wondering ever since what the hell made them go for it.

Discussion: The New Republic, The Politico, Daily Kos, Booman Tribune, pandagon.net, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Eschaton

John Cole / Balloon Juice:
Things Done Changed

Discussion: The Politico, CNN, Outside the Beltway, Eschaton and AmSpecBlog

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
What GOP leaders were thinking on Medicare

Discussion: Crooks and Liars

Wall Street Journal:
Republicans and Mediscare — Paul Ryan's GOP critics are ObamaCare's best friends.

Discussion: The New Republic and Betsy's Page

Josiah Ryan / Healthwatch:
Reid: House Republican budget would ‘shatter a cornerstone of our society’

Discussion: The Politico

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: Opinion L.A., 24Ahead, Balloon Juice, Orange Punch, The Daily Caller, Blog of Rights, The Jawa Report, Gawker, CNN and Don Surber

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Supreme Court orders release of over 30,000 prisoners in CA to ... improve health care

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications, Weasel Zippers and The Lonely Conservative

Mark Sherman / Associated Press:
High court backs cuts in Calif. prison population

Discussion: Pajamas Media

Daily Mail:

The best-protected car in the world... defeated by an Irish ramp: Obama's limo ‘The Beast’ gets stuck at U.S. Embassy — Red faces all round as President and First Lady forced to swap vehicles for trip to ancestral home — It's supposed to protect him from terror attacks but President Barack Obama …

Discussion: msnbc.com, Hot Air and The Other McCain

Daily Mail:
We didn't realise you were such a big Jedward fan, Michelle. …

Discussion: Big Journalism, CBS News, Political Punch, The Lonely Conservative, Mediaite, Michelle Malkin and The Jawa Report

Diana Magnay / CNN:
Obama heads to Ireland in search of his roots

Discussion: blogs.telegraph.co.uk and Big Peace

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:

The Next President Isn't Currently Running (Updated) — There's no GOP operative for whom I have higher regard than former RNC chair and senior Bush advisor Ed Gillespie. He deserves to be taken seriously when he says (according to Politico): “For all intents and purposes, the field is set.

Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
Tim Pawlenty bets on boldness

Discussion: Moe Lane, Donklephant and Pajamas Media

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Biden tells donors: Keep me in mind for 2016 — Vice President Joe Biden surprised a gathering of donors in Cincinnati last week when he floated the prospect of his succeeding President Barack Obama in the White House. — Biden, who started in the Senate young and would be just 70 in 2012 …

Discussion: Hot Air, Mediaite, Outside the Beltway, The Daily Caller, The Moderate Voice, Weasel Zippers, Sister Toldjah, Pundit Press, Indecision Forever, Pajamas Media, Gawker, GayPatriot, Politics, Questions and Observations and HotAirPundit

AccuWeather.com:

More Severe Weather Expected Today — The area will have little time to clean up as another round of severe weather is expected again today. — A complex of severe thunderstorms tracked across Joplin and southwestern Missouri this morning producing gusty winds and hail.

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, The Daily Caller and Wizbang

A.G. Sulzberger / New York Times:

Death Toll Rises Above 100 From Missouri Tornado — JOPLIN, Mo. — Much of this southwestern Missouri city lay in ruins on Monday after a massive tornado, the latest storm to ravage the Midwest and South this spring, tore through the area, killing more than 100 people. Officials say they expect the death toll to climb.

Discussion: msnbc.com, The Huffington Post, The Moderate Voice, Associated Press, Wake up America, Taylor Marsh, The Raw Story, The Daily Beast, The Lede, The Hill and Balloon Juice

Dominique Strauss-Kahn / Telegraph:

DNA samples confirm sperm traces on maid's dress — DNA samples taken in the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case have confirmed traces of sperm on the maid's dress, according to reports. — Mr Strauss-Kahn has been indicted on seven charges. If he is convicted, he would face up to 25 years in prison

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

Tanya Somanader / ThinkProgress:

Wisconsin Orders Recall Election For Three GOP State Senators — Despite massive protests, procedural obstacles, and restraining orders, the Wisconsin GOP hustled Gov. Scott Walker's (R) anti-union bill into law in March. Now, they're paying a steep political price.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

JSOnline:
Board orders July 12 recall election for Kapanke

Discussion: TPMDC and AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

htrnews.com:
Wisconsin OKs recall elections for GOP Sens. Randy Hopper, Luther Olsen, Dan Kapanke

Discussion: Firedoglake

Lydia Saad / Gallup:

Americans Still Split Along “Pro-Choice,” “Pro-Life” Lines — Majorities believe abortion is morally wrong, legal access to it should be restricted — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans are closely divided between those calling themselves “pro-choice” and those who are “pro-life,” now 49% and 45% …

Discussion: Wonk Room, No More Mister Nice Blog, Weasel Zippers and Pajamas Media

Steven Ertelt / LifeNews.com:
Gallup Poll: Americans Want All or Most Abortions Illegal

Discussion: Hot Air

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:

Pawlenty Campaign Already Dead? — Tim Pawlenty's hometown newspaper, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, ran the story of his presidential campaign announcement on the Obituary page this morning, City Pages reports.

Discussion: The Blotter and Little Green Footballs

Kevin Hoffman / The Blotter:
DOA: Pioneer Press runs Tim Pawlenty presidential announcement on obit page

Discussion: The Caucus, The Hill, Outside the Beltway and Mediaite

Steven Levingston / Washington Post:

‘Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin,’ by former staffer Frank Bailey — By Frank Bailey with Ken Morris & Jeanne Devon — Howard. 383 pp. $26 — Frank Bailey joined Sarah Palin's campaign for governor of Alaska in its earliest days, showing up at her shabby headquarters in Anchorage with a paintbrush …

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and Mediaite

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Hochul continues to lead in NY-26 — Democrat Kathy Hochul continues to appear poised for an upset victory in Tuesday's special election for Congress in New York's 26th Congressional District. She is polling at 42% to 36% for Republican nominee Jane Corwin and 13% for Tea Party candidate Jack Davis.

Discussion: Ballot Box, The Politico, ThinkProgress, Firedoglake, The Nation, Daily Kos, Weigel, Balloon Juice, National Review and Blue Mass Group

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

Discussion: A plain blog about politics and Gawker

Josh Margolin / New York Post:

Obama digging up dirt on potential opponent Chris Christie — President Obama's re-election campaign is trying to dig up dirt in the Garden State. — Despite New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's repeated pronouncements that he will not seek the GOP presidential nomination …

Discussion: The Other McCain, Ballot Box, National Review, Gothamist, Pajamas Media, Verum Serum, Nice Deb, WyBlog, alicublog, Betsy's Page, GOP 12, New York Times, JammieWearingFool, The Daily Caller and The Lonely Conservative

Evan McMorris-Santoro / TPMDC:

New Polling Says Overwhelming Majority Wants Social Security Left Alone — Ask the voters and they'll tell you: Social Security cuts are off the table when it comes to cleaning up the budget mess in Washington. — Fresh polling from Ohio, Missouri, Montana and Minnesota published …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Hullabaloo and Associated Press

Michael McAuliff / The Huffington Post:
Medicare Cuts Unpopular In Swing States, Polls Suggest

Discussion: Daily Kos

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:

White House Beefs Up Online Rapid Response … White House , Jesse Lee Staff , New Media White Hosue , Obama Administration Response , Online Response Jesse Lee , Online White House , White House Jesse Lee , White House Online Response , White House Staff , Politics News

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Jason Zengerle / New York Magazine:

If I Take Down Fox, Is All Forgiven? — David Brock has spent the last decade apologizing to liberals for his role in creating the vast right-wing conspiracy. Now he's trying something more ambitious and hoping it gains him the respect he craves from the White House.

Discussion: Mediaite, Althouse and Ben Smith's Blog