memeorandum: Libya protests prompt U.S. to evacuate diplomats, put troops on alert (Ernesto Londoño/Washington Post)

2:55 PM ET, May 11, 2013

Top Items:

Ernesto Londoño / Washington Post:

Libya protests prompt U.S. to evacuate diplomats, put troops on alert — Growing concerns over protests roiling Libya prompted the State Department to begin evacuating some diplomats from Tripoli, as the Pentagon put troops stationed at nearby European bases on high alert.

Discussion: Hot Air, americanthinker.com, Outside the Beltway and Post Politics

Mark Landler / New York Times:

Benghazi E-Mails Put White House on the Defensive — WASHINGTON — A long-simmering dispute over the White House's account of the deadly assault on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, flared up on Friday, with a disclosure of e-mails that show the White House was more deeply involved …

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, TIME, Via Meadia and Twitchy

Alex Koppelman / News Desk:

Spinning Benghazi — It's a cliché, of course, but it really is true: in Washington, every scandal has a crime and a coverup. The ongoing debate about the attack on the United States facility in Benghazi where four Americans were killed, and the Obama Administration's response to it, is no exception.

Discussion: Fox News, The Daily Caller, Guardian, WFPL, The Strata-Sphere, Pundit & Pundette, National Republican …, Viking Pundit and National Review

Noah Rothman / Mediaite:
MSNBC Guests: Benghazi Scandal Makes White House ‘Look Terrible,’ Possibly An ‘Impeachment Issue’

Discussion: Maggie's Farm, The Gateway Pundit and Washington Free Beacon

Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
An alternative explanation for the Benghazi talking points: Bureaucratic knife fight

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mother Jones, USA Today, Post Politics, The Fix and Business Insider

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
Susan Rice Barely Discussed The Possibility That Al-Qaeda Was Involved In Benghazi When She Was On Sunday Shows

Discussion: Weekly Standard

Justin Sink / The Hill:
White House denies misleading public on Benghazi talking points

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Washington Free Beacon, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Reaction and The Gateway Pundit

Peter Schroeder / The Hill:

Obama hails top cops, reiterates call for tougher gun laws — President Obama hailed the nation's police force as America at “its best and its bravest” Saturday, while continuing his push for tougher gun laws. — At an event honoring the nation's top cops, Obama reiterated his call for …

Kevin Liptak / CNN:

Honoring cops, Obama keeps pressure on gun control — Washington (CNN) - Honoring police officers at the White House on Saturday, President Barack Obama made another call on Congress to enact tough restrictions on guns. — At the annual “Top Cops” event in the East Room …

Discussion: Politico

Nick Wing / The Huffington Post:

Michele Bachmann: 9/11, Benghazi Were God's ‘Judgment,’ So We Must Hold Day Of Prayer On Sept. 11 — Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) continued to promote a right-wing Sept. 11 “National Day of Prayer and Fasting” on Thursday, telling an audience gathered at a Capitol Hill event that such actions …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Outside the Beltway and The Raw Story

Kyle Mantyla / Right Wing Watch:
Bachmann: 9/11 and Benghazi Were God's Judgment

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, The Maddow Blog and Hullabaloo

Sam Baker / The Hill:

Rep. Pelosi knocks Republicans' ‘obsession’ with Benghazi attack — Congressional Republicans are using their Benghazi investigation as political “subterfuge” to distract from other issues, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Saturday. — Pelosi said it's important to find …

Meenal Vamburkar / Mediaite:

Maher, Joy Reid Clash With Glenn Greenwald Over Benghazi: 'Obama's Supposed To Micromanage' The World? — On his Friday night show, Bill Maher invited his panel to discuss this week's developments about Benghazi — debating whether the story is as scandalous as Republicans are making it out to be.

Discussion: Balloon Juice and The Raw Story

J. Bradford DeLong / Brad DeLong:

Moby Ben, or, The Washington Super-Whale: Hedge Fundies, the Federal Reserve, and Bernanke-Hatred — In February 2012, a number of hedge fund traders noted one particular index—CDX IG 9—that seemed to be underpriced. It seemed to be cheaper to buy credit default protection on the 125 companies …

Discussion: Business Insider and Paul Krugman

Jon Hilsenrath / Wall Street Journal:
Fed Maps Exit From Stimulus

Discussion: Business Insider, The Lonely Conservative and Biz Beat Blog

Kevin Liptak / CNN:

West Wing briefly evacuated due to smoke, Secret Service says — (CNN) — The West Wing of the White House, including the press area, was evacuated Saturday out of an abundance of caution as authorities investigate the source of smoke coming out of what is believed to be a mechanical closet, a Secret Service spokesman told CNN.

Discussion: The Hill

Lee Stranahan / BREITBART.COM:

KOCH SPONSORS PRO-AMNESTY BUZZFEED EVENT — An event touting itself as an evening of immigration reform discussion with a “diversity of opinion” turns out to be slanted heavily towards “comprehensive immigration reform.” The BuzzFeed Brews Special Edition: Immigration Summit …

Discussion: Mediaite, National Review, Right Wing Watch, Right Turn and The Dish

Ezra Klein / Wonkblog:

The IRS was wrong to target the tea party. They should've gone after all 501(c)4s. — Let's be very clear: because the Internal Revenue Service holds so much private data, and because it can make people's lives absolutely miserable, it is of paramount importance in our political system that it both is …

Discussion: Prairie Weather, Balloon Juice, The Plum Line, Law Blog, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Daily Kos

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:
I.R.S. Apologizes to Tea Party Groups Over Audits of Applications for Tax Exemption

Discussion: Weekly Standard, National Review, Scared Monkeys, The Week, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers, Business Insider, House Committee … and Washington Post

Sarah Kliff / Wonkblog:

Budget request denied, Sebelius turns to health executives to finance Obamacare — HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is asking private industry executives to help fund Obamacare's implementation. — Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has gone, hat in hand …

Discussion: The Hill, Hullabaloo, Politico, Hot Air, Mediaite, CNN, The Raw Story and The Lonely Conservative

Michael O'Brien / NBC Politics:

Rand Paul challenges Hillary Clinton in key Iowa speech — CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Presidential elections start in Iowa. — On Friday, Sen. Rand Paul put his stake in the ground for a possible run in 2016 by mocking the Obama administration and delivering a blistering critique of former Secretary …

Discussion: The League of Ordinary …, The Hill and Mediaite