memeorandum: Paul Ryan Discloses $1 Million to $5 Million Family Trust (Alicia Mundy/Washington Wire)

5:20 AM ET, August 18, 2012

Top Items:

Paul Ryan — THE TOPLESS PHOTO — THE TOPLESS PHOTO — EXCLUSIVE — Here it is ... the very first photo of Paul Ryan's mysterious athletic physique ... REVEALED!!! — TMZ has (finally) obtained a photo of Mitt Romney's running mate — sans shirt — taken roughly 6 years ago ... right before Ryan got hooked on the P90X workout.

Discussion: The Other McCain, Politicker, Towleroad News #gay, The Daily Caller, Politico, Viral Read, Taylor Marsh, Wake up America, Washington Post, ABCNEWS, Business Insider, The Lonely Conservative, FishbowlDC, The Hill, The Moderate Voice, New York Magazine and The Hinterland Gazette

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Romney advisers confirm it: We're running a ‘just trust me’ campaign — I noted here yesterday that Mitt Romney is running a “just trust me” campaign, in which his lack of specificity and transparency extends far beyond just his tax returns, to his bundlers and to large swaths of his policy proposals.

Discussion: his vorpal sword, American Prospect, CNN, The Political Carnival, The Impolitic, Hullabaloo, BuzzFeed, The Maddow Blog, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice and New York Times

Alicia Mundy / Washington Wire:

Paul Ryan Discloses $1 Million to $5 Million Family Trust — Rep. Paul Ryan changed his financial disclosure documents this spring to show the addition of a trust valued between $1 million and $5 million, while Mitt Romney's campaign was vetting him for the Republican presidential ticket.

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Jon Swaine / Telegraph:

US election: Mitt Romney may have breached ethics laws through company linked to Paul Ryan's brother — Mitt Romney may have breached state ethics laws as Governor of Massachusetts by holding a stake in a company that did lucrative work for his administration and was linked to the family of Paul Ryan …

Discussion: EconomicPolicyJournal.com, Guardian and The Agonist

ThinkProgress:
Analysis: Paul Ryan Voted to Add $6.8 Trillion to the Federal Debt

Discussion: Center for American …, Booman Tribune, Washington Post and Shakesville

Michael Falcone / ABCNEWS:
Mitt Romney's Whiteboard Blues

Discussion: Politico, ABCNEWS, Wake up America and CNN

Josh Rogin / Foreign Policy:

Anti-Obama Navy SEAL leader: I'm a Birther — President Barack Obama is a socialist, was raised by communists, and wasn't born in the United States, according to the former Navy SEAL who founded the group Special Operations Speaks (SOS), which aims to portray Obama as anti-military in this election season.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, ThinkProgress, Mediaite, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Raw Story, U.S., Politico and Joe. My. God.

Byron Tau / Politico:

Kerry defends Obama against vets attack — Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) — himself a victim of a shadowy group attacking his military record — is coming to President Obama's defense in a new campaign email to supporters. — “Seeing the new outrageous attacks made against President Obama …

Discussion: Maggie's Farm, Power Line and Outside the Beltway

Steven Hayward / Power Line:

The Charts That Doom Obama — News out this afternoon is that Obama is looking into opening the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as a means to relieve pressure at the gas pump. Someone at the White House woke up and realized that the welcome springtime fall in gasoline prices has reversed course …

Discussion: Sober Look, Doug Ross and CNBC

Bernie Becker / The Hill:
Unemployment rate rises in 44 states

Discussion: National Review

Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary

Discussion: Calculated Risk, Firedoglake and The Hinterland Gazette

Brian Tashman / rightwingwatch.org:

Tony Perkins says there is a ‘Clear Link’ between the FRC Shooting and Obama Administration Policies — After trying to blame the Southern Poverty Law Center for the deplorable shooting that occurred at the Family Research Council's office this week, FRC president Tony Perkins today …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and ThinkProgress

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Hateful speech on hate groups

Christian Newswire:
LivePrayer to File $100 Million Lawsuit Against Southern Poverty Law Center

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, Datechguy's Blog, Joe. My. God., NOM Blog, The Other McCain and National Review

BuzzFeed:

Ohio Elections Chief Suspends Democrats From County Board — After a Wednesday order that his office says bans weekend early voting hours, the Ohio Secretary of State, a Republican, responds to rebellion from one county's Democratic members. A confrontation as the election approaches.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and Election Law Blog

Craig Gilbert / JSOnline:

Ryan releases tax returns for last two years — By Craig Gilbert of the Journal Sentinel — Paul Ryan and his wife Janna paid an effective tax rate of 15.9% in 2010 and 20% in 2011, according to tax returns provided by the Romney-Ryan campaign to the Journal Sentinel Friday.

Discussion: Addicting Info, ABCNEWS, Politico, Daily Kos, The Hill and First Read

Andrew Evans / Weekly Standard:

Free ‘Pussy Riot’ Protest in Washington — A group of protestors gathered this afternoon outside the Russian ambassador's Washington residence to protest the jailing of the three Russian punk rock musicians from the group Pussy Riot. The musicians—Maria Alyokhina, 24, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and BuzzFeed

Benjy Sarlin / 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com:

TPM2012 — Paul Ryan Slams Obama For Not Saving Auto Plant That Closed Under Bush — Paul Ryan slammed President Obama on Thursday for failing to rescue an auto factory in his Wisconsin district — one that closed in 2008, under President George W. Bush.

Discussion: New York Times, Addicting Info, Daily Kos, Wonkette, The Daily Beast, The Maddow Blog, Talking Points Memo and USA Today

David Shepardson / detroitnews.com:
Ryan criticizes Obama on '08 GM plant closure from before he took office

Discussion: New York Magazine and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Amy Worden / Philly.com:

Pa. drops plans for 2 online initiatives to boost voting — HARRISBURG - On the same day a judge cleared the way for the state's new voter identification law to take effect, the Corbett administration abandoned plans to allow voters to apply online for absentee ballots for the November election and to register online to vote.

Discussion: rubber hose, American Prospect and US Politics

Charlie Savage / New York Times:

A Measure of Change: Obama Lags on Filling Seats in the Judiciary — WASHINGTON — President Obama is set to end his term with dozens fewer lower-court appointments than both Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush achieved in their first four years, and probably with less …

Discussion: Brookings Institute

Politico:

Obama's soft-media strategy — Forget Chris Matthews — he'll take Nancy O'Dell. — President Barack Obama has been taking a lot of questions in the two months since his last press conference or national news interview. He's just been doing them with ESPN, Entertainment Tonight …

Discussion: Hot Air, The Right Scoop, The Hill, Algemeiner.com and CNN

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:

Barton's Fall From Grace — Back in June I wrote about a new book by two conservative evangelical writers who took great issue with the take on Thomas Jefferson's church-state views offered by the famous controversialist David Barton, who more than any one person is cited by Christian Right folk as …

Discussion: tpmmuckraker … and The Reality-Based Community

postcrescent.com:

Protester spits on Romney supporter in Wisconsin — POLITICAL SPAT: Romney protester spits on supporte...: AUG. 17, 2012: During a Mitt Romney rally near Appleton, Wis., a protester, Mary Hoglund, 83, confronts Wisconsin state Sen. Alberta Darling. A supporter challenges her and Hoglund spits in her face.

Discussion: The Right Scoop