memeorandum: House members handed out bonuses to staffs during budget crisis (Richard Simon/Los Angeles Times)

9:40 AM ET, May 25, 2011

Top Items:

Raymond Hernandez / New York Times:

Democrat Wins G.O.P. Seat; Rebuke Seen to Medicare Plan — Democrats scored an upset in one of New York's most conservative Congressional districts on Tuesday, dealing a blow to the national Republican Party in a race that largely turned on the party's plan to overhaul Medicare.

Chris Lee Resignation / Buffalo News:

Hochul takes House seat in stunner — Kathleen Courtney Hochul, the Erie County clerk and longtime Democratic figure who defied political experts giving her little chance of success, ground out a stunning and surprisingly comfortable victory Tuesday in the special election for the predominantly Republican 26th Congressional District.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, AMERICAblog News, The Nation, 24Ahead, The Batavian, Gothamist, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Hill

Allen Wilson / Buffalo News:

Corwin granted court order barring certification of winner — Jane L. Corwin this afternoon obtained a court order from State Supreme Court Justice Russell P. Buscaglia barring a certification of a winner in the special 26th Congressional District race pending a show-cause hearing before him later this week.

Discussion: The Reaction, Hot Air, Weigel, The Other McCain, TPMDC, The Batavian, The Daily Caller, The Lonely Conservative, Firedoglake, The Beast, The Caucus, Taegan Goddard's … and Ballot Box

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:

After Dem win in NY special election, group eyes NH race — A liberal group that wants to “keep the momentum going” after Democrats' upset victory in Tuesday's special election in New York is eyeing a race in New Hampshire where it thinks bashing the GOP's Medicare reform plan could be a political winner.

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog

Benjy Sarlin / TPMDC:
Democrat Kathy Hochul Wins Upset In NY-26, Medicare Vote Key To Victory

Discussion: The New Republic, UPI, First Draft, Salon, ThinkProgress, campaignmoney.org and The Politico

Sean J. Miller / Ballot Box:
With his budget plan the top issue, Rep. Ryan waded into NY-26 (updated)

Discussion: The Politico and CNN

Kathleen Hennessey / Los Angeles Times:
AP: Democrat Hochul pulls off upset in New York congressional race

Discussion: Washington Post, Hotline On Call, Outside the Beltway, The Gateway Pundit and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Raymond Hernandez / The Caucus:
Democrat Wins Upstate New York Congressional Race

Discussion: Barefoot and Progressive, Connecting.the.Dots, Liberal Values and Capital Tonight

Sean J. Miller / Ballot Box:
Dem campaign chief: Medicare ‘changed the climate’ in NY-26

Discussion: AMERICAblog News

Scott Conroy / Real Clear Politics:

Palin's Secret Weapon: New Film to Premiere in June — Shortly after Republicans swept last November to a historic victory in which Sarah Palin was credited with playing a central role, the former Alaska governor pulled aside her close aide, Rebecca Mansour, to discuss a hush-hush assignment …

Discussion: GOP 12, The Gateway Pundit, Outside the Beltway, Taylor Marsh, Wizbang, Conservatives4Palin, The Page and Balloon Juice

The Note:
‘Epic’ Sarah Palin Documentary Due Out in June

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, The Politico and Ben Smith's Blog

James Hill / ABCNEWS:

John Edwards: U.S. Green-Lights Prosecution for Alleged Campaign Law Violations Tied to Affair Cover-Up — Former Sen. John Edwards speaks at a campaign rally Jan. 26, 2008, in Columbia, S.C. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images) — The United States Department of Justice has green-lighted the prosecution …

Discussion: The Politico, USA Today, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Gateway Pundit, Gawker, JammieWearingFool and FrumForum

WRAL-TV:
Sources: Edwards investigation close to wrapping up

Discussion: TalkLeft

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Senate Dems might join rebuff of Obama on Israeli border issue — Senate Democrats are expected to support a resolution intended as a rebuff to President Obama's call for basing Middle East peace talks on the 1967 Israeli-Palestinian borders. — It would be a rare rebuke of the president …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Prairie Weather and JammieWearingFool

Scott Wong / The Politico:
Rand Paul skips Netanyahu address

Discussion: Doug Ross, Guardian, Nice Deb, Hit & Run, New York Magazine, Weigel, Ben Smith's Blog, Little Green Footballs, FrumForum and C-SPAN Recent Events

The Note:
Israeli Prime Minister Gets 29 Standing Ovations in Congress, Sends Message to White House*

Ben Armbruster / ThinkProgress:
The U.S. Congress Cheers Netanyahu's Claim That Israel Does Not Occupy The West Bank

Discussion: COLlive.com, Booman Tribune and Elder of Ziyon

Facebook:
Speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a Joint Meeting of the United States Congress

Discussion: TPMCafe, Mother Jones, ThinkProgress, Bad Rachel, Washington Post, FrumForum, The Right Scoop, FP Passport, blogs.telegraph.co.uk and National Review

Political Punch:

Awkward Moment During Obama Toast to Queen — The president and the orchestra at Buckingham Palace this evening were a bit out of synch. — When the president toasted the Queen the orchestra misunderstood a pause and what seemed to be a cue from the president for “God Save the Queen” to begin playing.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Sister Toldjah, Nice Deb, Michelle Malkin, The Lonely Conservative and Pajamas Media

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Good news: Obama botches toast to the queen — Ah, now his “2008″ gaffe from earlier today is starting to make more sense. Turns out ... he really is brain-damaged. — No, I kid. I think he, like Frank Drebin, simply doesn't believe in silly ideas like having queens:

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite and Freedom's Lighthouse

Frances Cronin / BBC:

Egyptian pyramids found by infra-red satellite images — Two new finds are at Saqqara, an older but lesser known pyramid site than Giza — Seventeen lost pyramids are among the buildings identified in a new satellite survey of Egypt. — More than 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements …

Discussion: msnbc.com and Outside the Beltway

Michael Barone / Washington Examiner:

Obama skirts rule of law to reward pals, punish foes — Senior Political Analyst Follow Him @MichaelBarone — Question: What do the following have in common? Eckert Cold Storage Co., Kerly Homes of Yuma, Classic Party Rentals, West Coast Turf Inc., Ellenbecker Investment Group Inc. …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and AmSpecBlog

Dan Amira / New York Magazine:

President Obama Has No Idea What Year It Is — This is how President Obama signed the guestbook at Westminster Abbey earlier today, where he got a tour from the Very Reverend Dr. John Hall and laid a wreath on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior. … It was really nice until he got the date wrong by three years.

Shelby Steele / Wall Street Journal:

Obama's Unspoken Re-Election Edge — This presidency flatters America to a degree that no white Republican can hope to match. — Many of the Republican presidential hopefuls should be able to beat President Obama in 2012. This president has a track record now and, thus, many vulnerabilities.

Maya Jackson Randall / Wall Street Journal:

Spat Over New Consumer Bureau — WASHINGTON—White House adviser Elizabeth Warren, in a heated House hearing Tuesday, touted the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as a vital new financial-markets cop while Republican lawmakers slammed the agency as a powerful financial regulator with too few checks and balances.

Discussion: Hot Air, Weasel Zippers and naked capitalism

Ari Berman / The Nation:
House GOP Escalates Attack on Elizabeth Warren, Consumer Bureau

Discussion: New York Times, Gawker, Balloon Juice, Hullabaloo and Weigel

Jon Ward / The Huffington Post:

FreedomWorks' Goal: Stop Mitt Romney In 2012 … WASHINGTON - A top goal of the nation's most influential national Tea Party group is to stop Mitt Romney from winning the Republican nomination for president. — Interviews with top officials at FreedomWorks, a Washington-based organizing hub …

Discussion: GOP 12 and Weasel Zippers

James R. Healey / USA Today:

Americans say ‘no’ to electrics despite high gas prices — Nearly six of 10 Americans — 57% — say they won't buy an all-electric car no matter the price of gas, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll. — That's a stiff headwind just as automakers are developing electrics …

Discussion: Right Wing News

David Steinberg / Pajamas Media:

(UPDATED: Uh oh — Lee's wife, Nita Chaudary, behind the “Betray Us” Ad?) Googling Jesse Lee — UPDATE: Lee is married to Nita Chaudary. Here is a CSPAN transcript from Sep. 10, 2007, wherein Chaudary represents — and ardently defends — MoveOn.org for publishing the Petraeus smear ad prior …

Discussion: iOwnTheWorld.com, Weasel Zippers and Pirate's Cove

Brian Leiter / Leiter Reports:

Sanctimonious Jackass Brad DeLong vs. Political Philosopher Chris Bertram — Here and here. Professor Bertram's response seems to me quite apt. Professor DeLong has a real complex about those to his left. Very odd. — UPDATE: Brad Delong is not only a sanctimonious jackass, he's an underhanded and dishonest slimeball.

Discussion: Crooked Timber and Grasping Reality …

Chicago Tribune:

Blagojevich plans to take witness stand at his corruption retrial, sources say — “I want to be vindicated,” he says; Rahm Emanuel, Jesse Jackson Jr. also expected to be called by defense — “I fully expect that we're going to be very aggressive in putting on a defense because …

Discussion: The Politico, Chicago Sun Times, Marathon Pundit and White House Dossier

Richard Simon / Los Angeles Times:

House members handed out bonuses to staffs during budget crisis — Defeated and retiring lawmakers paid an average bonus of about $4,000. Returning lawmakers paid an average $2,300. — A spokeswoman for Rep. Loretta Sanchez, right, said that even with the bonuses, many of her staff members earned less …

Discussion: Betsy's Page

Richard Hillgrove / Guardian:

Twitter cannot be allowed to operate outside the law | Richard Hillgrove — The Ryan Giggs case shows social media sites need to grow up and ensure content adheres to the same rules as everyone else — • Dan Gillmor: Ryan Giggs and the enemies of web freedom

Discussion: normblog, Harry's Place, BBC and RedState

David Eldridge / Washington Times:

Study: Liberal leanings hurt Republicans' place in history — Call it history's conservative curse. — According to a University of Miami study, those historical rankings of American presidents that pop up every year or so are significantly weighted in favor of Democrats, thanks to the liberal leanings of academia.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The Lonely Conservative

Stephanie Simon / Wall Street Journal:

Public Schools Charge Kids for Basics, Frills — MEDINA, Ohio—Karen Dombi was thrilled when her three oldest children were picked for student government this year—not because she envisioned careers in politics, but because it was one of the few programs at their public high school that didn't charge kids to participate.

Neil Munro / The Daily Caller:

GOP activists are confident that they'll gain additional votes and donations from the Jewish community following President Barack Obama's call for Israel to retreat to territory along its pre-1967 border, with “mutually agreed swaps,” in any final peace settlement with Palestinian Arabs.