memeorandum: Ryan Medicare Plan Would Make Americans Worse by 57%-34%, Poll Shows (Heidi Przybyla/Bloomberg)

2:35 PM ET, June 23, 2011

Top Items:

Senator Kyl Drops Out of the Debt Talks, Leaving Zero Republicans at the Table — ABC News' Sunlen Miller (@sunlenmiller) reports: — Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., will also drop out of the debt talks, a source within his office confirms today. The Arizona Republican's office will issue a formal statement shortly.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Daily Dish, YID With LID and HotAirPundit

Ezra Klein / Washington Post:

Why Eric Cantor won't make the budget deal — (Brendan Hoffman - Getty Images) Eric Cantor is pulling out of the debt-ceiling talks. But he's not saying they should end. In fact, he's saying they've been very successful thus far. “We have a blueprint to move forward to trillions …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Weigel, TPMDC and Blue Virginia

Wall Street Journal:

Cantor Pulls Out of Biden-Led Budget Talks — WASHINGTON—House Majority Leader Eric Cantor Thursday said he was pulling out of the bipartisan budget talks headed by Vice President Joe Biden for now because the group has reached an impasse over taxes that only President Barack Obama and Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) could resolve.

Discussion: TPMDC, Hullabaloo, Washington Monthly, Weigel, Felix Salmon, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, RedState, New York Magazine, Gawker, The Raw Story and National Review

David Rogers / The Politico:
Deficit talks in danger as Eric Cantor bails

Discussion: The Hill, The Reid Report and Outside the Beltway

The Hill:
Cantor pulls out of Biden debt talks because Dems demand tax hikes

Discussion: Booman Tribune

New York Times:

Whitey Bulger Is Arrested in California — LOS ANGELES — James (Whitey) Bulger, a legendary Boston crime boss indicted in 19 murders and who is on the F.B.I.'s 10 Most Wanted list, was arrested by federal authorities Wednesday night in Santa Monica, ending an international manhunt that had gone …

Discussion: Jezebel, L.A. NOW, Gothamist, The Caucus, The Informer, New York Magazine and Balloon Juice

Robert Lopez / L.A. NOW:

Famed crime boss James ‘Whitey’ Bulger arrested in Santa Monica — Legendary Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger, who has been on the run for more than a decade, was arrested Wednesday in Santa Monica, multiple law enforcement sources told The Times. — Bulger, 81, has been the subject …

Discussion: The Informer, Opinion L.A., Los Angeles Times, Left Coast Rebel, The Camp Of The Saints, Hot Air, Scared Monkeys, Boing Boing, The Daily What, Gawker and Ricochet Conversation Feed

Shelley Murphy / Boston Globe:

Whitey Bulger arrested — Boston gangster surrenders quietly in Calif. after 16 years on run — Fugitive South Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger, wanted for 19 murders, was captured last night in Southern California, the result of a tip from FBI television spots that began airing this week.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Democratic Daily, AmSpecBlog and JammieWearingFool

NY Daily News:

Senate Republicans moving closer to saying ‘I do’ to gay marriage in New York State — ALBANY - Senate Republicans on Wednesday were close to signing off on a religious protection provision that could boost the chances that gay marriage will pass in New York.

Discussion: gaycitynews.com, Associated Press, New York Magazine, Towleroad News #gay, Prop 8 Trial Tracker, Capital Tonight, The New Civil Rights Movement and AMERICAblog Gay

Erica Werner / Associated Press:
Obama heads to NY under pressure on gay marriage

Discussion: The Politico, The Washington Independent, Taylor Marsh, Indecision Forever, AMERICAblog Gay, Towleroad News #gay and The Gist

Danny Hakim / City Room:
State Senate G.O.P. Near Decision on Gay-Marriage Vote

Discussion: Washington Post, Prop 8 Trial Tracker and National Review

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
New York Senators Say Same-Sex Marriage Bill Will Likely See Vote Today

Discussion: Reuters, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Above the Law, PolitickerNY and Feministing

Liz Benjamin / Capital Tonight:
Senate Will Conference Gay Marriage Vote Today

Discussion: Towleroad News #gay

Stephen Moore / Wall Street Journal:

Drafting Rubio — The Republican nomination for president is completely up for grabs, but there's a lot of agreement on who the vice presidential pick should be: freshman senator Marco Rubio. — The Republican nomination for president is completely up for grabs, but there's a lot of agreement …

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, The Daily Pulp, AmSpecBlog and The Daily Caller

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Romney leads the way in Florida

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and Flap's Blog

Christian Heinze / GOP 12:
Romney dreaming of Rubio?

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog and Daily Kos

Judd Legum / ThinkProgress:

EXCLUSIVE — Herman Cain: Jon Stewart Attacked Me 'Because I'm Black' — ThinkProgress filed this report from Iowa Falls, Iowa. — Earlier this month, ThinkProgress reported that GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain told an audience in Pella, Iowa that he would not sign a bill longer than three pages.

Discussion: Mediaite, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Outside the Beltway, The Wire, Fox Nation and Gawker

Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:

Why Obama Is Likely to Lose in 2012 — Even a small drop in the share of black voters would wipe out his winning margin in North Carolina. — President Barack Obama is likely to be defeated in 2012. The reason is that he faces four serious threats. The economy is very weak and unlikely …

Discussion: americanthinker.com, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, The New Republic, GOP 12 and Wake up America

Pamela Geller / Atlas Shrugs:

Geert Wilders Verdict: Not Guilty All Counts! Eureka! “Today is a victory for freedom of speech” — UPDATE: “I am delighted with this ruling,” says Geert Wilders. “It is a victory, not only for me but for all the Dutch people. Today is a victory for freedom of speech.

Discussion: Jihad Watch

Reuters:
Dutch populist Geert Wilders acquitted of hate speech

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, National Review, Bloomberg, Wake up America, The Other McCain, Weasel Zippers, Gates of Vienna, americanthinker.com and Zilla of the Resistance

Dan Berman / Reuters:

W.H. to release 30M barrels of oil — The Obama administration will release 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to offset oil supply disruptions in the Middle East, the Energy Department announced Thursday morning. — Other International Energy Agency countries …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, CNN, The Heritage Foundation, Datechguy's Blog and HotAirPundit

Heidi Przybyla / Bloomberg:

Ryan Medicare Plan Would Make Americans Worse by 57%-34%, Poll Shows — Representative Paul Ryan, the House Budget Committee chairman who has become a star in the Republican Party with his plan to overhaul Medicare, is emerging as a polarizing figure among Americans.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Reuters, Comments from Left Field, Washington Post and Healthwatch

Richard Cohen / Washington Post:

President Obama's Afghanistan speech confirms America's decline — The American Century just ended. This was the phrase coined by Henry Luce, which so aptly described America as the modern-day colossus, more powerful than any nation had ever been. Wednesday night, President Obama said that power had reached its limit.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Jack & Jill Politics and Mediaite

New York Post:
So much for real victory - unless, that is, it's merely a political one

Discussion: National Review

Ta-Nehisi Coates / New York Times:

The Haunting of Rick Perry — Should Gov. Rick Perry of Texas enter the 2012 presidential race, he would enjoy a strange and remarkable escort — the irrepressible ghost of Cameron Todd Willingham. — Charged with the horrific crime of intentionally torching his home and leaving …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Balloon Juice, Daily Kos and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Lucia Mutikani / Reuters:

Jobless claims data points to weak labor market — (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose last week, suggesting little improvement in the labor market this month after employment stumbled badly in May. — Initial claims for state unemployment …

Discussion: Shakesville, Just-A-Small-Town-Country-Boy, Don Surber and The Right Scoop

Lucia Mutikani / Reuters:
Jobless claims rise more than expected

Discussion: Hot Air, Sweetness & Light and Michelle Malkin

Thomas Catan / Wall Street Journal:

FTC to Serve Google With Subpoenas in Broad Antitrust Probe — The FTC is set to serve Google with civil subpoenas, signaling the start of an antitrust probe into whether the firm has abused its dominance on the Web. Julia Angwin, Jen Valentino and Jessica Vascellaro discuss on digits.

Discussion: Gawker, Washington Post, The Raw Story, TechCrunch, Law Blog and AllThingsD, more at Techmeme »

Sara Forden / Bloomberg:
Google's Page, Schmidt Face Senate Subpoena Threats

Discussion: AllThingsD and The Politico

James Fallows / The Atlantic Online:

I Liked the ‘Chinese Professor’ Ad, But This Is Stupid and Offensive — (See update below.) Unlike many people, I admired the panache and artistry of the “Chinese Professor” ad used during last fall's campaign to warn about the self- destructive tendencies of America's borrow-and-spend era.

Discussion: Weigel

Sabato's Crystal Ball:

Democrats Blue as Senate Acquires a Reddish Tinge — Larry J. Sabato and Kyle Kondik, U.Va. Center for Politics — As we take a fresh look at next year's Senate races, one thing is clear: Barring an unexpected reelection landslide by President Obama, Republicans are at least slightly favored to take the Senate.

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Huffington Post

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Chris Christie — When I last spoke to Chris Christie in 2009 he was locked in a primary battle for the New Jersey governorship with an opponent who claimed he was insufficiently conservative. He was brimming then with ideas about cutting employee benefits …

Discussion: GOP 12 and The Page

Wall Street Journal:

Inside the Anonymous Army of ‘Hacktivist’ Attackers — HOOGEZAND-SAPPEMEER, Netherlands—In this sleepy Dutch town last December, police burst into the bedroom of 19-year-old Martijn Gonlag as he hurriedly pulled on jeans over his boxer shorts. He was hauled away on suspicion of taking part …

Discussion: New York Magazine and American Power

Lawrence B. Solum / SSRN:

The Interpretation-Construction Distinction — Constitutional Commentary, Vol. 27, pp. 95-118, 2010 — Abstract: — The interpretation-construction distinction, which marks the difference between linguistic meaning and legal effect, is much discussed these days.

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy

Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller:

Private emails detail Obama admin involvement in cutting non-union worker pensions post-GM bailout — New emails obtained by The Daily Caller contradict claims by the Obama administration that the Treasury Department would avoid “intervening in the day-to-day management” of General Motors post-auto bailout.