memeorandum: Government spent nearly $3.7M on ex-presidents in 2012 (Associated Press)

10:30 AM ET, March 26, 2013

Top Items:

Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:

Alaska Sen. Mark Begich Says “Same Sex Couples Should Be Able To Marry” — “Government should keep out of individuals' personal lives—if someone wants to marry someone they love, they should be able to,” the senator says in a statement. — Image by Alex Wong / Getty Images

Discussion: Yahoo! News, The Maddow Blog, The Hill, Guardian, Business Insider, Joe. My. God., New York Times, Balloon Juice, NBCNews.com, Towleroad News #gay, The Columbus Dispatch and CBS News

Wall Street Journal:

. . . Gays Deserve Equal Rights — States shouldn't remain free to discriminate for as long as they wish. — Four years ago, the two us of joined forces and launched a federal constitutional challenge to Proposition 8, a ballot initiative which eliminated the right of same-sex couples in California to marry.

Discussion: msnbc.com

Susan Page / USA Today:

GOP chairman urges tolerance for views on gay marriage — Republican National Chairman Reince Priebus, on USA TODAY's Capital Download, says the party shouldn't act ‘like Old Testament heretics’ on same-sex marriage but should welcome those who support it. — WASHINGTON — The GOP platform leaves …

Peter Baker / New York Times:

Bill Clinton's Decision, and Regret, on Defense of Marriage Act — WASHINGTON — He had just flown across the country after an exhausting campaign day in Oregon and South Dakota, landing at the White House after dark. But President Bill Clinton still had more business before bed.

Discussion: Yahoo! News, CNN, ABCNEWS, msnbc.com, The Times of Israel and The Caucus

Facebook:
Mark Warner · 20,148 like this

Discussion: Towleroad News #gay, Politico, ABCNEWS, Advocate, First Read, Box Turtle Bulletin, Hot Air and The Raw Story

Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:
Sen. Mark Warner Reverses Course, Supports Marriage Equality

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Advocate, The Fix, Politico, Towleroad News #gay, ThinkProgress and The Huffington Post

Jonathan Allen / Politico:

Rand Paul and Ted Cruz threaten filibuster on guns — Sens. Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee are threatening to filibuster gun-control legislation, according to a letter they plan to hand-deliver to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office on Tuesday. — “We will oppose the motion …

Discussion: BizPac Review, The Week, Hot Air, msnbc.com, Weasel Zippers, Prairie Weather, Mediaite and First Read

CBS News:

Poll: Support for stricter gun control wanes — Poll analysis by Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Anthony Salvanto and Fred Backus — Soon after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced an assault weapons ban would not be part of a gun control bill, a new CBS News poll shows support …

Discussion: Politico and Hot Air

Dan Friedman / NY Daily News:
Mayor Bloomberg's $12 million ad blitz backing gun control causes headaches for Democrats in gun-friendly territory

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and Runnin' Scared

Emily Miller / Washington Times:
Mayor Bloomberg's irresponsible gun attack ads

Discussion: Hot Air, The Daily Caller, Michelle Malkin, NewsBusters and The Gateway Pundit

Justin Sink / The Hill: Connecticut senators blast NRA robocalls to Newtown residents

John McCormick / Bloomberg:

Rand Paul Stops Pushing IRS Doom as 2016 Campaign Looms — In recent years, Senator Rand Paul has called for abolishment of the Internal Revenue Service. He's urged an audit of the Federal Reserve. He's questioned the constitutionality of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Manu Raju / Politico:
Rubio splits with Paul on foreign policy

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Wire and Roll Call

Frank Bruni / New York Times:
Rand Paul's Loopy Ascent

Discussion: TheBlaze.com

Quinnipiac News + Events:

Release Detail — March 26, 2013 - New Jersey Voters Want Christie For Gov, Less For Pres, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Girth And Gender Are Tiny Issues In Governor's Race — New Jersey voters, by overwhelming margins, approve of the job Gov. Christopher Christie is doing …

Discussion: Politico, CNN and The Run 2016

Numbers / Pew Research Center for the People …:

Supreme Court's Favorable Rating Still at Historic Low — Few Conservatives View the Roberts Court as Conservative — OVERVIEW — As the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments on two same-sex marriage cases, and with several other high-profile cases on its docket …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Right Turn, CNN, ABCNEWS, Taking Note, The Fix, Liberal Values, New York Times, Infowars, Politico and Gallup

CNN:
CNN Poll: ‘Rob Portman effect’ fuels support for same-sex marriage

Discussion: New York Times, ABCNEWS, Politico, Washington Monthly, Yahoo! News, Guardian, News Desk, AMERICAblog, BuzzFeed, National Review, The Week, Christian Science Monitor and The Huffington Post

Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:

Racist Hate Group To Conduct Nighttime Patrols On College Campus — A racist hate group at Towson University has announced plans to conduct its own nighttime police patrols on campus. — Founded last year, the White Student Union has stirred significant controversy already.

Discussion: UrbanGrounds

The Towerlight:
White Student Union returns to campus

Discussion: The Raw Story, Guardian, The Daily Caller and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group:

Newt Gingrich forms joint fundraising PAC — Seems that 2012 is the (fundraising) campaign that just won't die. We already know that President Barack Obama, despite winning what he loudly advertised would be his last campaign, is still hot on the fundraising trail.

Discussion: The Hill, Roll Call and The Daily Caller

Justin Sink / The Hill:

After taking hit in the polls, Obama pivots back to immigration reform — The White House hopes to bolster President Obama's political standing by shifting attention from the bruising budget battles of the last month to immigration reform and gun control. — Democrats welcome the pivot …

Discussion: Right Wing News and Vodkapundit

Robert Costa / National Review:

Walker Writing Book with Former Bush Adviser — Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin, a potential contender for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, is collaborating on a book with Marc Thiessen, a former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush.

Discussion: Politico, Taegan Goddard's … and The Hill

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

Can gay marriage survive SCOTUS loss? — The tide might be turning in favor of gay marriage, but that doesn't mean the Supreme Court will be swept up in it. — For all the toasting in Washington and excitement among gay rights groups about the historic oral arguments this week …

Discussion: New York Times and The Plum Line

Fox News:

Gun store rescinds Mark Kelly's rifle purchase, questions his ‘intent’ — A Tucson gun store owner has decided to rescind the sale of a military-style rifle to Mark Kelly, the husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, after Kelly said he had intended the purchase to make a political point …

Discussion: BizPac Review and The Gateway Pundit

Russell Goldman / ABCNEWS:

Michele Bachmann Campaign Probed — Federal investigators are probing allegations that Rep. Michele Bachmann, or members of her staff, inappropriately used money raised during her presidential campaign, her lawyer and former campaign staffers said today. — Bachmann has not been formally accused …

Discussion: Daily Kos

John Avlon / The Daily Beast:
Exclusive: Congressional Ethics Probe Adds to Michele Bachmann's Political Woes

NBCNews.com:

Italy court: Amanda Knox to be retried for Meredith Kercher murder — Amanda Knox was ordered to stand trial again for the murder of her British roommate Meredith Kercher by Italy's top appeal court on Tuesday, but there appeared to be little the country could do to force her to return for the new hearings.

Discussion: New York Times, Mediaite, Gawker, Taylor Marsh and Towleroad News #gay