memeorandum: Panel ponders striking individual mandate (Jennifer Haberkorn/The Politico)

9:10 AM ET, June 9, 2011

Top Items:

Weiner's Wife Is Pregnant — Their marriage has become the subject of intense speculation and scrutiny amid an embarrassing online sex scandal. — Now, Representative Anthony D. Weiner and Huma Abedin are about to make news of a different kind: they are expecting their first child.

Fox News:

It's Out: Purported X-Rated Weiner Photo on Internet — It only took two days. — After Andrew Breitbart, publisher of the conservative BigGovernment.com and other sites, claimed Monday he had an X-rated photo of Rep. Anthony Weiner, the purported image has surfaced on the Internet.

Discussion: Pajamas Media, Watts Up With That?, Outside the Beltway, Fox Nation, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Little Green Footballs, Wake up America and Patterico's Pontifications

Andrew Breitbart / Big Government:

Statement on Opie & Anthony's Illicit Capture and Release of Photograph — Earlier today, a photograph resembling one that I had withheld from publication in the Weinergate saga was released without my knowledge or permission. — Prior to the publication of our story on BigGovernment.com …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Mediaite, Patterico's Pontifications, Politisite, Doug Ross and American Power

Kirsten Powers / The Daily Beast:

Anthony Weiner's Ex: He Lied to Me — THE DAILY BEAST ON: — Anthony Weiner's former girlfriend, Kirsten Powers, defended him on TV to millions of people after he insisted to her that he didn't send lewd photos on Twitter. Now she takes him to task for his rampant misogyny—and says he must resign immediately.

Discussion: JammieWearingFool, Associated Press, National Review, US News, CNN, Mediaite, neo-neocon, BizzyBlog, Althouse, Fox Nation, Washington Post and New York Magazine

Jonathan Allen / The Politico:

Dems start bailing on Weiner — The dam is breaking on Rep. Anthony Weiner as he battles to save his career from a sex scandal made for the Internet age. — Several prominent Democratic officials, including two former chairmen of the Democratic National Committee, have called on him to resign from the House.

Discussion: Salon, Arkansas News, Hot Air, Top of the Ticket, Weasel Zippers, UALR Public Radio, Washington Wire, The Raw Story, Swampland, TPMDC, Suburban Guerrilla, Pajamas Media, FrumForum, National Review, Politisite and The Moderate Voice

Adrian Chen / Gawker:

Anthony Weiner's Cock Shot Emerges — Nobody really expected the week to end without Anthony Weiner's penis splashed all over the internet. And here it is: Andrew Breitbart showed a couple of radio DJs a picture of what is likely Anthony Weiner's dick, then they leaked it on Twitter.

New York Post:
Weiner on wife support

Discussion: Pajamas Media, ABCNEWS, New York Magazine, The Politico, Fox Nation and Wall Street Journal

Karoun Demirjian / Las Vegas Sun:
Another Rep. Weiner sexting partner emerges, reluctantly

Discussion: Mediaite and Patterico's Pontifications

Dan Gillmor / Guardian:
Andrew Breitbart and the unwilling suspension of disbelief | Dan Gillmor

Discussion: Boing Boing and NewsBusters.org

Sean J. Miller / Ballot Box:
Rep. Weiner's failure to pay party dues may haunt him

Discussion: Washington Post, The Politico, The Hill, TPMDC and The Hill

Charles Johnson / Little Green Footballs:
Fact Checking Breitbart's Statement on the Leaked Photo

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications and Mediaite

The Huffington Post:
Anthony Weiner Penis Photo Released By Opie And Anthony [UPDATED]

Discussion: Wonkette, Rumproast and The Daily Caller

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Final Weiner pic leaks onto the Internet; Update: DCCC official calls for Weiner's resignation

Discussion: Gawker, neo-neocon, The Atlantic Wire, Pajamas Media and Althouse

Daniel Strauss / The Hill:
Rangel: Weiner should focus on ‘keeping his wife and family together’

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Sky Dancing, Weasel Zippers and The Raw Story

Devlin Barrett / Wall Street Journal:
Democrats Push Weiner to Go

Discussion: AmSpecBlog, CNN, American Power and Verum Serum

Justin Elliott / Salon:
Purported X-rated Weiner image released

Discussion: Balloon Juice, No More Mister Nice Blog and Little Green Footballs

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
If scandal doesn't get Weiner, New York legislators might

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight

Bloomberg:

Obama Team Eyes Payroll Tax Break for Employers — President Barack Obama's advisers have discussed seeking a temporary cut in the payroll taxes businesses pay on wages as they debate ways to spur hiring amid signs that the recovery is slowing, according to people familiar with the matter.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The New Republic and Money Game

Neil King Jr / Wall Street Journal:

New Whispers of Perry 2012 Bid — For months, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has told potential donors and Republican higher-ups he has no interest in running for the White House in 2012. — But over the past two weeks, political advisers and friends say, Mr. Perry has changed his tune on a possible presidential campaign.

Discussion: Washington Post, Texas Politics, BizzyBlog, Hotline On Call and Hot Air

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:

Rudy's Running — I'm told by two reliable sources that Rudy Giuliani intends to run for the GOP nomination for president in 2012. He may throw his hat in the ring soon. — Rudy's theory of the race: In the fall of 2007, he decided he couldn't compete with both Mitt Romney and John McCain …

Discussion: The Politico, No More Mister Nice Blog, Balloon Juice, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, AmSpecBlog, GOP 12, ThinkProgress, Pajamas Media and New York Magazine

Ann Althouse / Althouse:

Wisconsin protesters disrupt a Special Olympics ceremony! — In front of the Capitol today, protesters dressed as zombies stood between Governor Scott Walker and the group of Special Olympics participants he was honoring. — Quite aside from the unbelievable rudeness …

Discussion: Power Line, The Gateway Pundit, Sister Toldjah and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
It's come to this: Wisconsin liberals protest Scott Walker at ... Special Olympics ceremony

Discussion: Confederate Yankee, The Lonely Conservative, Washington Post, Weasel Zippers and New York Times

Mark Mazzetti / New York Times:

U.S. Is Intensifying a Secret Campaign of Yemen Airstrikes — WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has intensified the American covert war in Yemen, exploiting a growing power vacuum in the country to strike at militant suspects with armed drones and fighter jets, according to American officials.

Discussion: Salon, Weasel Zippers, PoliPundit.com, Washington Post and FrumForum, more at Mediagazer »

David G. Savage / Los Angeles Times:

Judges sharply challenge healthcare law — Skeptical questions from three federal judges in Atlanta suggest they may be ready to declare unconstitutional all or part of the healthcare law promoted by the Obama administration and passed last year by Congress.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Lonely Conservative, Cato @ Liberty, Patterico's Pontifications, Outside the Beltway and TalkLeft

Greg Bluestein / Associated Press:
US judges seem receptive to health care challenge

Discussion: Left Coast Rebel, GayPatriot, Weasel Zippers and Associated Press

Jennifer Haberkorn / The Politico:
Panel ponders striking individual mandate

Discussion: Questions and Observations, New York Times, Washington Times, The New Republic, ABCNEWS, Healthwatch, Hot Air and ThinkProgress

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:

Jon Huntsman's no-names strategy — Jon Huntsman is trying out a novel strategy: running for president without criticizing the incumbent by name. — Since returning from his post as ambassador to China last month, Huntsman has made scant mention of the man who appointed him in May 2009—President Barack Obama.

Discussion: GOP 12 and Taylor Marsh

Simonhernandezarthur / CNN:

Joe Wilson endorses Pawlenty in South Carolina — Washington (CNN) - Republican presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty secured a major endorsement in the early primary state of South Carolina on Wednesday, picking up the support of U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson. — Wilson will serve as co-chairman …

Discussion: The Politico, The Hill, Washington Post, GOP 12 and National Review

Glenn Thrush / The Politico:

President Obama's campaign expands its 2012 map — CHICAGO — President Barack Obama's campaign team is gaming out complex state-by-state scenarios for 2012 that anticipate uphill battles in recession-ravaged blue states — and new opportunities in Arizona and Georgia.

Discussion: Booman Tribune and FrumForum

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Palin chief blasts Rollins, expects ‘retraction’ — Sarah Palin's chief of staff blasted Michele Bachmann strategist Ed Rollins today after Rollins criticized the former Alaska governor and suggested to POLITICO that his candidate would benefit by comparison to her

Discussion: The Reaction, Firedoglake, Mediaite, Washington Post, Hot Air, CNN, Top of the Ticket, The Politico, RADAMISTO, The Page, Guardian, The Raw Story, Daily Kos, Salon, The Daily Dish and New York Magazine

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
Bachmann adviser: ‘My misstep’ on Palin

Discussion: National Review, Pajamas Media, Weigel, Swampland, Washington Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Firedoglake, The Note and Little Green Footballs

Business Wire:

ExxonMobil Announces Three Discoveries in Deepwater Gulf of Mexico — IRVING, Texas—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) today announced two major oil discoveries and a gas discovery in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico after drilling the company's first post-moratorium deepwater exploration well.

Discussion: The Foundry

CBS News:

Obama approval rating falls below 50 percent — CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto. — Updated 8 p.m. ET — President Obama's approval ratings fell to below 50 percent for the first time since …

Discussion: CBS News

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

Dems struggle to beat maverick Sen. Brown in Massachusetts — Scott Brown has spent most of his Senate career with a target on his back. But his maverick voting record and fundraising prowess have positioned him to achieve the unthinkable: winning statewide reelection in Massachusetts as a Republican.