Top Items:
Mark Murray / msnbc.com:
NBC polls: Obama edges Romney in three key battleground states — President Barack Obama holds a narrow advantage over presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney in three of the most pivotal presidential battleground states — Florida, Ohio and Virginia — according to new NBC-Marist polls.
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, CNN, The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Taegan Goddard's …, The Page, Hot Air, The Hill and Naked Politics
RELATED:
Tim Mak / Politico:
‘Stand Your Ground’ backed in Florida, poll shows — Despite increased scrutiny of Florida's gun laws following the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a majority of the state's voters support the state's Stand Your Ground law. — Indeed, 56 percent of the registered voters in Florida support the law …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress
First Read / msnbc.com:
First Thoughts: Mr. 48% — Mr. 48%: Obama at or near 48% …
First Thoughts: Mr. 48% — Mr. 48%: Obama at or near 48% …
Discussion:
Yahoo! News and 2012 Decoded
Alexander Burns / Politico:
'Those of us who've spent time in the real world ...' — The Obama campaign has tried in a number of ways to define Mitt Romney as a guy who's out of touch with the reality most Americans experience, and at a campaign event in Denver last night the president trotted out this Mitt-just-doesn't-get-it line:
Discussion:
Questions and Observations and Connecting.the.Dots
RELATED:
Darleen Click / protein wisdom:
Hey, Barry ... who is this “we” you speak of?
Lanny Davis / The Hill:
Cory Booker got it right — The attacks on Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker (D) by the more vitriolic liberal commentators for what he said about Bain Capital on this past Sunday's “Meet the Press” are just as indefensible as the Republican Party's cynical and dishonest attempt to exploit …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, GOP.com, DownWithTyranny! and Politico
RELATED:
Justin Sink / The Hill:
Romney defends Bain record, says Obama ‘attacking capitalism’
Romney defends Bain record, says Obama ‘attacking capitalism’
Discussion:
CNN, Hot Air and CANNONFIRE
Jan Crawford / CBS News:
Attacks on Romney's business past not sticking
Attacks on Romney's business past not sticking
Discussion:
Washington Post, Wake up America and Hot Air
Robin Bravender / Politico:
Has recall election made Scott Walker a GOP hero? — Democrats leapt at the chance to use Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to send a message to all the budget-cutting, union-busting conservatives across the land: If you mess with Big Labor, there's a heavy price to pay. — But if you shoot at the king, you'd better not miss.
Discussion:
CNN, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Wisconsin Reporter and Mother Jones
RELATED:
Ann Althouse / Althouse:
“Has recall election made Scott Walker a GOP hero?” — Asks Politico: … The recall has put Walker in the position where he must advertise and promote himself, which might have been awkward before — and it was never his thing. TV viewers are getting barraged with Walker ads …
Discussion:
Moe Lane
Emily Ekins / Hit & Run:
Reason-Rupe Poll on Wisconsin Recall: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42, Obama Leads Romney 46-36
Reason-Rupe Poll on Wisconsin Recall: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42, Obama Leads Romney 46-36
Discussion:
Ballot Box, National Review and The PJ Tatler
New York Post:
Man implicated himself in Etan Patz disappearance: Commissioner Kelly — A man is in custody for the 1979 disappearance of Etan Patz, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly confirmed this morning. — Kelly issued a release stating that the man made statements to NYPD detectives implicating himself in the boy's disappearance.
Discussion:
NY Daily News, msnbc.com, Runnin' Scared, Scared Monkeys and Jammie Wearing Fools
RELATED:
City Room:
Man Confesses to Strangling Etan Patz, Police Say — A man in custody in Manhattan has confessed to strangling Etan Patz, the 6-year-old boy who vanished in SoHo on his way to school in 1979, wrapping his body in a bag and putting it in a box, a law enforcement official said on Thursday.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Guardian, Mediaite and Newsy
David Rogers / Politico:
Democrats stiffen spine on sequester — Power in Washington these days is most defined by saying “no,” which helps explain why Speaker John Boehner felt compelled last week — in the middle of May — to bring up a wintry debt ceiling fight more than six months away.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Ezra Klein and The Hill
RELATED:
Sahil Kapur / tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com:
TPMDC — Dems Escalate Battle For Women Voters With Equal Pay Bill
TPMDC — Dems Escalate Battle For Women Voters With Equal Pay Bill
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Taylor Marsh and Daily Kos
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
With his eye on 2013 Senate majority, McConnell lets Boehner take the lead
With his eye on 2013 Senate majority, McConnell lets Boehner take the lead
Discussion:
Politico and Booman Tribune
Alexander Burns / Politico:
Two Dem recruits back away from Obama — National Democrats are upbeat about former North Dakota Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp's prospects as a Senate candidate. And on the House level, Dems are optimistic that former Gabrielle Giffords aide Ron Barber will keep Giffords's open seat in Democratic hands.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Arizona Daily Star, The Gateway Pundit and The PJ Tatler
RELATED:
Tim Mak / Politico:
Heidi Heitkamp, Democratic Senate candidate, knocks Obama
Heidi Heitkamp, Democratic Senate candidate, knocks Obama
Discussion:
Associated Press and Washington Post
ABCNEWS:
Air Force Academy Graduates First Openly Gay Cadets — COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Eight months after a repeal of the military's “don't ask , don't tell” policy, the U.S. Air Force Academy today graduated its first group of openly gay cadets. — As President Obama addressed the graduates, no rainbow flags could be seen on display.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Advocate and Towleroad News #gay
RELATED:
Michael Levenson / Boston Globe:
Elizabeth Warren pulls even with Scott Brown in new poll — Elizabeth Warren, emerging from what many consider the roughest patch yet in her Senate campaign, has pulled into a virtual tie with US Senator Scott Brown, according to a new Suffolk University/7News poll.
Discussion:
American Spectator
RELATED:
David Catanese / Politico:
Poll: Elizabeth Warren unscathed by Cherokee flap
Poll: Elizabeth Warren unscathed by Cherokee flap
Discussion:
New York Times, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Page and Swampland
TMZ.com:
Bill Clinton — SURROUNDED By Porn Stars in Monaco — SURROUNDED — By Porn Stars — EXCLUSIVE — Bill Clinton just out-Clinton'd himself — posing with two famous porn stars in Monaco moments ago ... and one of them's a real up-and-comer. — Clinton's in a Monte Carlo casino right …
Discussion:
EBL, Moonbattery, The Daily Caller and ABCNEWS
Hannah Furness / Telegraph:
Bill Clinton's glamorous fundraiser called “worst party ever” by angry guests — An exclusive event hosted by Bill Clinton and attended by a host of celebrity friends has been criticised after guests who paid up to £1,000 for tickets were left queuing outside for hours.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, New York Magazine, nation.foxnews.com and The Daily Caller
Sean Trende / Real Clear Politics:
Why Tuesday's Democratic Primaries Matter — Tuesday night, President Obama continued his streak of poor primary performances in culturally Southern states. He received 58.4 percent of the vote in the Arkansas Democratic primary against token opposition, and 57.9 percent of the vote …
Discussion:
Campaign 2012, A plain blog about politics, Betsy's Page, Wall Street Journal and National Review
NewsMax.com:
Trump to Newsmax: I'm Mulling Own Super PAC to Defeat Obama — More ways to share... Mixx — Stumbled — LinkedIn — Vine — Buzzflash — Newstrust — Technocrati — Forward Article — Billionaire businessman Donald Trump tells Newsmax he is seriously considering launching …
Discussion:
The Hill, Mediaite and Taegan Goddard's …
Boston Globe:
Unabomber sends Harvard class update — Ted Kaczynski — the domestic terrorist known as the Unabomber, who is serving life in prison for sending deadly mail bombs — will not be able to attend his 50th class reunion at Harvard College. But he did contribute a bizarre entry to the alumni report for the class of 1962.
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Outside the Beltway and newsfeed.time.com
CNN:
Romney defends class size stance to teachers — (CNN) - Mitt Romney, who is spending this week promoting a plan for America's public school system, spent Thursday morning defending his stance that smaller class sizes don't necessarily equate with better learning in schools.
Discussion:
The Hill
Chrystia Freeland / Reuters:
Like an Anorexic, U.S. Sees Itself Fat With Taxes — NEW YORK — Are your taxes too high? When Gallup asked that question in April , tax month in the United States, 46 percent said they were. An additional 47 percent said their taxes were “about right.” Just 3 percent said their taxes were too low.
Discussion:
The Agonist
BuzzFeed:
Fetisheers Take On Union In Chicago — The country's biggest leather fetish convention is at odds with a major hotel workers' union . The union wants solidarity, while the conventioneers accuse them of “outing” participants. — Attendees at International Mr. Leather 2007. — Source: Codo / via: senor_codo
Discussion:
Joe. My. God.
CBS News:
Online auction of Ronald Reagan's blood canceled — (CBS News) An online auction house canceled the sale of a medical vial purportedly containing dried blood of President Ronald Reagan, announcing the seller would instead donate the item to the late president's foundation.
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway
New York Times:
Welcome End of a Pseudotheory — Many opponents of giving equal rights and protections to gay Americans — at the workplace, in the military, in marrying and forming families — make the claim that homosexuality is a chosen way of life. They have long seized on the work of a towering figure in psychiatry to justify their position.
Discussion:
Good As You
Jonathan Cohn / The New Republic:
On Health Care, Romney Goes Retro — Editor's Note: After looking at the economic platform of Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, this installment of our series on his policy plans examines the details of his health care agenda. — The gist: Repeal the Affordable Care Act …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Politico