memeorandum: Steve King says he is close to decision on U.S. Senate race (Ed Tibbetts/Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier)

10:35 AM ET, April 8, 2013

Top Items:

BBC:

Margaret Thatcher dies — Former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher has died “peacefully” at the age of 87 after suffering a stroke, her family has announced. — David Cameron called her a “great Briton” and the Queen spoke of her sadness at the death. — Lady Thatcher was Conservative prime minister from 1979 to 1990.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Shakesville, BizPac Review, Mediaite and FP Passport

Andrew Sparrow / Guardian:

Margaret Thatcher dies aged 87 — Andrew Sparrow's rolling coverage of reaction to the death of Lady Thatcher

Discussion: The Week, Scared Monkeys, The Hinterland Gazette, Joe. My. God., Taylor Marsh, Towleroad News #gay and Jammie Wearing Fools

Telegraph:

Margaret Thatcher dies of stroke aged 87 — Baroness Thatcher, Britain's greatest post-war prime minister, has died at the age of 87 after suffering a stroke, her family has announced. — Her son, Sir Mark, and daughter Carol confirmed that she died this morning.

Discussion: NEWS.com.au, Twitchy, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Week and NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Sky News:

Margaret Thatcher Dies After Stroke — Baroness Thatcher, Britain's Iron Lady, has died after suffering a stroke at the age of 87. — Her children Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother had died peacefully following a stroke this morning. — Speaking to Sky News …

Discussion: americanthinker.com, The PJ Tatler and Vox Popoli

Joseph R. Gregory / New York Times:

Margaret Thatcher, Who Remade Britain, Dies at 87 — Margaret Thatcher, the “Iron Lady” of British politics who pulled her country back from 35 years of socialism, led it to victory in the Falklands war and helped guide the United States and the Soviet Union through the cold war's difficult last years, died Monday.

Discussion: Guardian and The Hugh Hewitt Show

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Margaret Thatcher, UK's first female prime minister, dies aged 87 — Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died early Monday at the age of 87, after suffering a stroke. — Thatcher, whose tough-as-nails style earned her the nickname “The Iron Lady,” served as Britain's leader from 1979 to 1990 …

Discussion: Politico, Associated Press and CNN

Fred Barbash / Washington Post:

Margaret Thatcher, former British prime minister, dead at 87 — View Photo Gallery — Margaret Thatcher: 1925-2013: Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, the grocer's daughter whose overpowering personality, bruising political style and free-market views transformed Britain …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Booman Tribune

Michael White / Guardian:
Margaret Thatcher dead at 87 following stroke

Discussion: Washington Monthly and The Jawa Report

Fox News:
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dies after suffering stroke

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and protein wisdom

Richard Allen Greene / CNN:
Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first female PM, dead at 87

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Moderate Voice, Feministing, Applesauce and Hot Air

David Wright / ABCNEWS:
Margaret Thatcher, Britain's Iron Lady, Dead at 87

Discussion: Yahoo! News and The Raw Story

Jonathan Allen / Politico:

Hill holds Obama's legacy in its hands — It's now or never for the White House. — President Barack Obama's second-term agenda is in doubt as Congress returns to Washington this week for a spring and summer stretch that could go a long way to define the scope of Obama's legacy.

Discussion: Capital New York, msnbc.com, The Hill and ThinkProgress

Jackie Calmes / New York Times:

Obama Must Walk Fine Line as Congress Weighs Agenda — WASHINGTON — The days ahead could be decisive ones for the main pieces of President Obama's second-term agenda: long-range deficit reduction, gun safety and changes to immigration law. — With Congress back this week from a recess …

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and Prairie Weather

Politico:
Obama's make-or-break week on guns

Discussion: Roll Call

Washington Post:
Gun legislation's prospects improve

Discussion: The Hill and Prairie Weather

Evan McMorris-Santoro / BuzzFeed: Obama Takes Control In The Second Term

Washington Post:
Gun legislation's prospects improve

Discussion: American Prospect, The Fix and First Read

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:
Sen. McCain: I 'don't understand' GOP threats to filibuster Senate gun bill

Discussion: CNN, Hot Air, The Fix, JustOneMinute, Post Politics, Crooks and Liars and Politico

Hollywood Reporter:

Westboro Baptist Church to Picket Roger Ebert's Funeral — The anti-gay group says it will protest outside the movie critic's memorial service Monday in Chicago. — Leaders of Kansas' Westboro Baptist Church, notorious for picketing at the funerals of soldiers and gay teenagers …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, The Raw Story, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, Guardian and Mashable

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Insurance and Freedom — President Obama will soon release a new budget, and the commentary is already flowing fast and furious. Progressives are angry (with good reason) over proposed cuts to Social Security; conservatives are denouncing the call for more revenues. But it's all Kabuki.

Discussion: Prairie Weather

Tony Capaccio / Bloomberg:

Pentagon to Seek Less for Missile Defense in 2014 Budget — The Pentagon will request $9.16 billion for missile defense programs for the 2014 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, about $550 million less than this year's $9.71 billion, according to internal budget figures obtained by Bloomberg News.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Weekly Standard and Washington Free Beacon

Jeff Mapes / Oregonian:

Gay marriage opponents lose first round of fight over ballot title for Oregon initiative — The Oregon attorney general's office isn't buying an attempt by gay marriage opponents to radically rewrite the ballot title for a proposed initiative that would allow same-sex marriages in Oregon.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Towleroad News #gay, Advocate and Joe. My. God.

Ezra Klein / Washington Post:

At least 28 of Max Baucus's former aides are now tax lobbyists — Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. That means he's the guy in the Senate charged with writing any overhaul of the nation's tax laws. And that means that anyone who has ever worked …

Discussion: The Volokh Conspiracy