memeorandum: GOP presidential candidates rush to secure big donors (Dan Eggen/Washington Post)

4:05 AM ET, June 1, 2011

Top Items:

Anthony Weiner Is Not Doing Himself Any Favors — We won't pretend to know the truth behind Weinergate — whether Weiner was the victim of a hacker or prankster or conservative conspiracy, or whether he was personally responsible for sending a college girl a photo of a man's bulge over Twitter.

Discussion: TPMDC, Right Pundits, JustOneMinute and Taylor Marsh

Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain:

WeinerGate OMFG! @RepWeiner Gives Worst Press Conference EVAH! (Video) — I'll add commentary and links in a fews minutes. But it's kinda superfluous after this astoundingly bad performance: — UPDATE: Ace of Spades finds the video . . . arousing. — The video is from Mediaite.

Discussion: Mediaite, Nice Deb, REPUBLICAN REDEFINED, Doug Ross, Outside the Beltway, Datechguy's Blog, The Daily Caller, Pajamas Media, American Power, Conservative Hideout 2.0, The Camp Of The Saints and The Lonely Conservative

Michelle Malkin:

Weighing in on Weiner; Update: Getting testy with MSM reporters, calls one a “jackass” — I know many of you have been following every twist, turn, and awful pun related to Democrat Rep. Anthony Weiner's Twitter-gate fiasco. I'm still catching up after being offline with family over the holiday weekend, but I do know this:

Discussion: Ace of Spades HQ, GayPatriot, Fox News, Hot Air, Washington Post, The Lonely Conservative, Pajamas Media and The Note

Dan Riehl / Big Government:

Weiner's Actual Tweet Stream Disputes His Version, Raises Valid Questions — The second image below is an exact duplication, in top-to-bottom chronological order of Rep. Anthony Weiner's actual Twitter timeline on the night of what's now being called Weinergate.

Discussion: Associated Press, The Other McCain and New York Post

The Note:

Woman Targeted in Tweet from Rep. Anthony Weiner Account “Tweets Out” — ABC News' Devin Dwyer (@devindwyer) reports: The Washington State college student who was the target of a lewd photo posted to Rep. Antony Weiner's Twitter account Friday appears to be defending her electronic ties to the congressman.

Discussion: Politics, Sweetness & Light, National Review and The Politico

Mark Joyella / Mediaite:

Rep. Weiner Has Angry Exchange With Capitol Hill Reporters Over Twitter Scandal — One of Capitol Hill's most media-friendly people, New York Rep. Anthony Weiner, seems to be souring on the subject of his Twitter account, brushing off questions about his Twitter feed and the photo of a man …

Discussion: Verum Serum, Pajamas Media, Maggie's Notebook and American Power

The Note:

Rep. Anthony Weiner Gets Combative With Reporters About Lewd Twitter Photo — ABC News' John R. Parkinson (@jrpabcdc) reports: — Rep. Anthony Weiner's response to the flap around a lewd photo posted from his Twitter account went from dismissive and joking over the weekend to frustrated …

Discussion: National Review, American Power, Patterico's Pontifications, Proof Positive, Left Coast Rebel, Big Journalism and Big Government

Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller:
Congressman says #Weinergate cybersecurity investigation vital in order to ‘ensure our national security’

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Little Green Footballs, Patterico's Pontifications, Weasel Zippers, Washington Post, Ironic Surrealism and New York Post

The Daily Caller:
Weinergate Poll: Does photo show Congressman Weiner?

Discussion: Mediaite, FishbowlDC and Runnin' Scared

Aharding / CNN:
Liberal congressman plays down Twitter controversy over lewd photo

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, Salon, Washington Post, Babalú Blog, GayPatriot and Pajamas Media

Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller:
Weiner's office refuses to say if lewd photo is of congressman. No police investigation underway

Discussion: Hot Air, Fox Nation, Washington Post, The Daley Gator, National Review, iOwnTheWorld.com, Big Government, Ace of Spades HQ, New York Magazine, Patterico's Pontifications, POWIP, Pajamas Media, Instapundit and tpmmuckraker …

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Weiner: Let's move on, shall we?

Discussion: American Glob, Patterico's Pontifications and Pajamas Media

The Note:

Sarah Palin, Donald Trump Meet In New York City Tuesday Night, Eat Pizza — ABC News' Michael Falcone (@michaelpfalcone) reports: — UPDATED Sarah Palin sat down with Donald Trump in New York City on Tuesday night for just over a half hour at the former Alaska governor continued her roadtrip up the Eastern seaboard.

Discussion: Washington Wire, Politics, Mediaite, Gothamist, Gawker, Swampland, The Gateway Pundit, The Politico, GOP 12, Runnin' Scared, Daily Kos, Fox Nation, The New Republic, TPMDC, New York Magazine and The Page

Brian Montopoli / CBS News:

Sarah Palin's bus tour treats reporters like paparazzi — Sarah Palin and her advisers are refusing to tell members of the media where she is going on her current bus tour - and the former Alaska governor seems to be enjoying the cat and mouse game that's resulted.

Alex Fitzsimmons / NewsBusters.org:

Martin Bashir: Sarah Palin's Bus Tour ‘Breach of Federal Law’ — MSNBC's Martin Bashir on May 31 insisted that Sarah Palin's bus tour amounts to a “breach of a federal law.” — Anchoring his eponymous program, Bashir scolded, “In fact, the whole thing could be in breach of a federal law …

Kendra Marr / The Politico:

Sarah Palin: Bus tour 'isn't about me' — Sarah Palin's explanation for her One Nation bus tour? — “It's not about me,” she told Fox News' Greta Van Sustern on Tuesday. “It's not a publicity seeking tour. It's about highlighting the great things about America.”

Chris Good / The Atlantic Online:
What Palin and Trump Might Say to Each Other

Discussion: Politics, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Daily Dish, The Note and Gawker

Scott Conroy / Real Clear Politics:
Palin: Eliminate All Energy Subsidies

Discussion: RedState, Top of the Ticket, Conservatives4Palin, Hot Air, The Daily Caller and GOP 12

Christian Heinze / The Hill:
Palin: I don't owe the media

Discussion: Salon, The Daily Beast, Crooks and Liars, Washington Post and CNN

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Fail: House defeats Obama request to raise the debt ceiling, 318-97 — Why would the GOP bring it to the floor knowing that they had more than enough votes to kill it? Simple: To make the Democrats choke on it, of course. The public is on the GOP's side of this issue, unambiguously …

Discussion: REPUBLICAN REDEFINED, The Nation, Weasel Zippers, National Review, Moe_Lane's blog, Don Surber, USA Today, WyBlog and American Glob

Russell Berman / The Hill:
Hoyer urges House Dems to vote no on clean debt-ceiling hike

Discussion: New York Times, TPMDC, Wall Street Journal, Swampland, Opinion L.A., The Politico, National Review, The Lonely Conservative, New York Magazine and Booman Tribune

Alan Silverleib / CNN:
House rejects debt ceiling increase, 318-97

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Balloon Juice

Erik Wasson / The Hill: THE HILL POLL: Voters oppose raising the $14.3T debt ceiling

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
The Morning Plum — * What are Dems prepared to trade away?

Discussion: The Reality-Based Community, A plain blog about politics, Hullabaloo, TalkLeft, Daily Kos and TPMDC

Jake Sherman / The Politico: House rejects debt increase

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Wisconsin Dems 6. Wisconsin Republicans 0. — Conservatives and some political observers are making a big deal out of the fact that the Dem candidate in the closely watched state Supreme Court race in Wisconsin finally conceded defeat today, as had long been expected.

Discussion: host.madison.com, Crooks and Liars and The Impolitic

JSOnline:
Panel OKs recall elections against 3 more Republicans

Discussion: Daily Kos, WisPolitics Election Blog, Hot Air, TPMDC, Taegan Goddard's …, Firedoglake, Daily Journal, The Mahablog, The Lonely Conservative and Hullabaloo

Alex Seitz-Wald / ThinkProgress:

Rand Paul, Supposed Defender Of Civil Liberties, Calls For Jailing People Who Attend ‘Radical Political Speeches’ — Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) made headlines last week for single-handedly obstructing the renewal of the Patriot Act, calling the law an unconstitutional infringement on civil liberties.

Discussion: United Liberty, Hullabaloo and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Media Czech / Barefoot and Progressive: Rand Paul calls for putting himself in jail. Or his own deportation.

HealthCare.gov:

Changes to the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan in Your State — The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) was created under the Affordable Care Act to ensure more Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to affordable health insurance and serves as a bridge to 2014 …

Discussion: Barefoot and Progressive

United States Department of Health and Human Services:
HHS to Reduce Premiums, Make it Easier for Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions to Get Health Insurance

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Lonely Conservative, USA Today and ThinkProgress

Arthur Delaney / The Huffington Post:
Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan To Offer Much Lower Premiums

Discussion: Daily Kos

Matt Cover / CNSNews:

Obama Commerce Nominee in 2009: U.S. Must Pass Cap and Trade Now — (CNSNews.com) - John Bryson, nominated by President Barack Obama today to head the Department of Commerce, once said it was “incredibly important” that the United States pass cap and trade legislation and that America needed …

Discussion: Michelle Malkin

Andrew Restuccia / The Hill:
Issa blasts Commerce nominee as ‘green evangelist’

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, The Politico, Reuters and The Lonely Conservative

Matthew Yglesias / ThinkProgress:
44 GOP Senators Already Have Pledged To Filibuster John Bryson's Commerce Department Nomination

Discussion: Department of Commerce, NationalJournal.com and Outside the Beltway

Frank Newport / Gallup:

Newt Gingrich's Image Slides Among Republicans — Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann continue to lead in positive intensity — PRINCETON, NJ — Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich's Positive Intensity Score dropped to 6 in the two weeks spanning May 16-29, down from 11 for May 9-22.

Discussion: blogs.abcnews.com, The Blaze, The Hill and Hotline On Call

Scott Wong / The Politico:

Twitter e-mails Congress safety tips — Twitter e-mailed some basic security tips to congressional offices on Tuesday, four days after a lewd photo posted on Rep. Anthony Weiner's Twitter feed ignited an internet firestorm. — The New York Democrat says a hacker was the culprit and has declined …