memeorandum: Gabrielle Giffords photographs released (Associated Press)

12:15 PM ET, June 12, 2011

Top Items:

Rep. Weiner Used Congressional Gym As Backdrop — Rep. Anthony Weiner took numerous photos of himself — clothed and partially nude — at the House Members Gym and sent them to at least one woman ... raising questions about whether he used Congressional resources in his online exploits.

Discussion: AmSpecBlog, The Jawa Report, Mediaite, Runnin' Scared, Gothamist, Weasel Zippers, Riehl World View and The Gateway Pundit

Fox News:

Weiner Opts for Treatment as New Self Portraits Emerge — Dismissing calls by Democratic leaders for him to resign over a sexting scandal, Rep. Anthony Weiner says he's taking a leave of absence and checking himself in for treatment instead. — But as House lawmakers return to Washington …

Discussion: Power Line, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Fox Nation and CNN

New York Times:

Weiner Agrees to Get Treatment as Calls for Resignation Intensify — Defying forceful demands for his resignation, Representative Anthony D. Weiner of New York said on Saturday that he was entering a psychological treatment center and seeking a leave of absence from the House to deal …

The Politico:
Abandoned, defiant Anthony Weiner seeks ‘treatment,’ House leave

Discussion: CNN, FrumForum, Washington Post, Ben Smith's Blog, The Other McCain, Pajamas Media, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, The Lonely Conservative, Scared Monkeys, The Moderate Voice, Wake up America, New York Magazine, National Review, Patterico's Pontifications and HotAirPundit

NY Daily News:
Anthony Weiner takes out his dirty laundry, gets cheers from onlookers amid sext scandal

Discussion: Top of the Ticket, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers and JammieWearingFool

CNN:
Weiner to seek treatment amid growing pressure to resign

Discussion: Fox News, NationalJournal.com, Associated Press, AmSpecBlog, The Gateway Pundit, iOwnTheWorld.com, Althouse and Don Surber

Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
Democratic leaders call on Anthony Weiner to resign; Weiner seek “treatment”

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, The Raw Story, Los Angeles Times and The Other McCain

Gary Langer / ABCNEWS:

GOP Voting Factors: Look Out for Marital Infidelity — Mitt Romney's religion is far less of a concern to potential Republican voters than it once was, and a candidate's race or sex are non-issues for vast majorities. But if a GOP contender supports gay civil unions — or has committed marital infidelity — all bets are off.

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:

GOPers weigh in on candidate attributes — This is the kind of poll that should be pretty discouraging to Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich, and Rudy Giuliani. … This part of the poll was less about individual candidates, and more about candidate attributes. Respondents were told …

Ben Smith / The Politico:

Mitt Romney leads the Drudge primary — The Drudge primary has begun, and Mitt Romney is winning. — The former governor of Massachusetts may be the punching bag of the conservative media, ridiculed on blogs and talk radio as a plasticine, untrustworthy flip-flopper and the grandfather of the hated Obamacare.

Discussion: CNN and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog

Associated Press:

Gabrielle Giffords photographs released — PHOENIX — Two photos of a smiling Rep. Gabrielle Giffords were released early Sunday by her office, her hair shorn short but few other telling signs of her gunshot wound to the head. — The Facebook photos, the first clear snapshots of Giffords since …

Discussion: Runnin' Scared, Balloon Juice, Guardian and New York Magazine

New York Times:

U.S. Underwrites Internet Detour Around Censors — The Obama administration is leading a global effort to deploy “shadow” Internet and mobile phone systems that dissidents can use to undermine repressive governments that seek to silence them by censoring or shutting down telecommunications networks.

Discussion: Prairie Weather and FrumForum, more at Techmeme »

BBC:

Fazul Abdullah Mohammed: Death is ‘blow’ for al-Qaeda — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the death of top African al-Qaeda militant Fazul Abdullah Mohammed is a “significant blow” to the group. — He and another militant were killed earlier this week in a shootout with police …

Discussion: Jihad Watch, Reuters and TalkLeft

BBC:
‘US Africa embassy bomber Fazul Abdullah Mohammed dead’

Discussion: americanthinker.com and FrumForum

Abdi Sheikh / Reuters:
Somalia says killed top African al Qaeda operative

Discussion: Washington Post, 1 The Long War Journal, Hot Air, Lisa Graas and Weasel Zippers

New York Times:

Palin's E-Mails Undercut Simplistic Views of Her, Both Positive and Negative — JUNEAU, Alaska — In the three years since Sarah Palin stormed the national political stage, her brief tenure as governor of Alaska has often been reduced to caricature. Critics cast her as petty, preoccupied and disengaged.

Mark Steyn / National Review:

Obama's Road to Nowhere — 'There are always going to be bumps on the road to recovery," President Obama said at a Jeep plant in Toledo the other day. “ We're going to pass through some rough terrain that even a Wrangler would have a tough time with. ” His audience booed.

Justin Elliott / Salon:

Alabama's harsh new immigration law explained — On Thursday, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley signed what both critics and backers agree is the toughest immigration law in the country. — Despite the relative lack of national media attention, the Alabama law includes more harsh measures …

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Molly Ball / The Politico:

Long-lost Sarah Palin surfaces in emails — ‘Can you flippinbelieveit?!’ Palin said to the news of her addition to the 2008 ticket. AP and Reuters photos — Once, there was a different Sarah Palin. — She was hands-on and averse to partisan politics.