memeorandum: Mrs. Obama: Seek out those with different beliefs (Bruce Schreiner/Associated Press)

10:50 AM ET, May 12, 2013

Top Items:

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

The Taxman vs. the Tea Party — AS a taxpayer and a conservative who hopes to remain on good terms with the Internal Revenue Service for many April 15ths to come, I don't want to speculate too freely about the motives of the “low level” I.R.S. employees who decided to single out Tea Party groups …

Discussion: TIME and Daily Kos

Stephen Ohlemacher / bigstory.ap.org:

AP EXCLUSIVE: IRS KNEW TEA PARTY TARGETED IN 2011 — You are here — Home » Mitch McConnell » AP Exclusive: IRS knew tea party targeted in 2011 — WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior Internal Revenue Service officials knew agents were targeting tea party groups as early as 2011 …

Discussion: Associated Press, The PJ Tatler, americanthinker.com, Atlas Shrugs, Althouse, The Huffington Post, Michelle Malkin, Twitchy, CNSNews and National Review

Ben Smith / BuzzFeed:

Pro-Israel Group Sees “Same Conduct” In IRS's Tea Party Campaign — Z Street charged in 2010 that the Obama Administration was persecuting it for its policy views. Does Israel activism “contradict the Administration's public policies?” an IRS agent allegedly asked.

Lauren French / Politico:

IRS officials knew of tea party targeting — Senior Internal Revenue Service officials knew employees were singling out conservative groups for extra scrutiny as early as 2011, according to a watchdog agency's report set to be released next week, POLITICO has confirmed from a congressional source.

Discussion: CNN, Taylor Marsh, Weasel Zippers, Maggie's Farm, The Lonely Conservative, Power Line and Reuters

William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion:
IRS anti-Tea Party scandal gets real …

Discussion: Ed Driscoll, Scared Monkeys, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers, protein wisdom, ProfessorBainbridge.com, The PJ Tatler, Hot Air and The Jewish Press

Fox News:
House Republicans swiftly announce hearing on IRS targeting conservative groups

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Associated Press:
AP Exclusive: Watchdog report says senior IRS officials knew tea party groups targeted in 2011

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and National Review

Kristin Wartman / New York Times:

Pay People to Cook at Home — THE home-cooked family meal is often lauded as the solution for problems ranging from obesity to deteriorating health to a decline in civility and morals. Using whole foods to prepare meals without additives and chemicals is the holy grail for today's advocates of better eating.

Discussion: Althouse

BuzzFeed:

Bloomberg Execs Knew Journalists Were Tracking Clients In 2011 — An anchor made on-air comments about tracking log in information more than a year ago. A big deal internally — but handled quietly. — Executives at the financial information company Bloomberg have known about journalists using …

Discussion: New York Post, Weasel Zippers and The Verge, more at Mediagazer »

Steve Liesman / CNBC:

Fed, Treasury Examining Bloomberg Use of Terminal Data — Both the Federal Reserve and the US Treasury Department are examining the extent to which Bloomberg-terminal usage by top officials might have been tracked by Bloomberg journalists, CNBC has learned.

Discussion: Deadline.com and AllThingsD, more at Mediagazer »

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

Congressman Tears Into Fox News Host For Obsessing Over Benghazi Talking Points — Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) tore into Fox News' Chris Wallace and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-MI) for obsessing over the talking points U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice used when talking to the media …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Bruce Schreiner / Associated Press:

Mrs. Obama: Seek out those with different beliefs — RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) - First lady Michelle Obama urged Eastern Kentucky University graduates on Saturday night to reach out to people with different political beliefs, saying the country would benefit from the conversations.

Discussion: Jammie Wearing Fools and Associated Press

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:

G.O.P. Delays on Nominees Raise Tension — WASHINGTON — President Obama's latest cabinet-level nominees are running into deep resistance in the Senate, pitching Democrats and Republicans into another tense standoff over White House appointments. — Just days after Republicans used Senate rules …

Washington Post:

Will Obama suffer the ‘second-term curse’? — Recent events suggest that the 44th president may not be immune to the phenomenon that historians call the “second-term curse.” — Not four months after his ambitious inaugural address, President Obama finds himself struggling to move his legislative agenda through an unbudging Congress.

Discussion: American Power and Rothenblog

Guy Benson / Townhall.com:

Wow: CBS News President and WH Official Tied to Benghazi Scandal Are Brothers — One of the mainstream media journalists whose pursuit of the truth has been truly tenacious and nonpartisan is CBS News' Sharyl Attkisson. Her tough reporting has made life difficult for everyone from Hillary Clinton …

Discussion: Yahoo! News, Politico, ABCNEWS, NewsBusters and Jammie Wearing Fools