Top Items:
Peter Baker / New York Times:
New Controversies May Undermine Obama — WASHINGTON — Thwarted on Capitol Hill, stymied in the Middle East and now beset by scandal, President Obama has reached a point just six months after a heady re-election where the second term he had hoped for has collided with the second term he actually has.
Discussion:
The Plum Line, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Politico, Ross Douthat, First Read, National Review, Washington Post and The Week
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Jennifer Epstein / Politico:
Obama tries to stop the bleeding — In recent days, Democratic strategists have all but begged President Barack Obama to take control of a deepening public relations disaster that threatens to derail his second-term agenda. — On Wednesday evening, Obama did just that.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog and The Reaction
Washington Post:
Acting director of IRS resigns amid furor over targeting of conservative groups — President Obama on Wednesday demanded and accepted the resignation of the acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Steven T. Miller, as part of a multi-pronged effort to quell controversies that threaten to dominate his second term.
Discussion:
The Week, msnbc.com, americanthinker.com, The Fix, CNN, Post Politics, The Volokh Conspiracy, Wall Street Journal and USA Today
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
In IRS and AP scandals, a frighteningly impotent government — At a time when Congress can't pass a budget and the president can't win approval of any important legislation, the public is indignant about the threat of an overreaching, all-powerful federal government that uses the IRS and the Justice Department to harass its enemies.
Discussion:
Washington Wire, Prairie Weather, Balkinization, The Huffington Post and The Plum Line
Jacob Lew / Daily Mail:
Obama fires acting IRS commissioner as pressure grows surrounding political targeting …
Obama fires acting IRS commissioner as pressure grows surrounding political targeting …
Talking Points Memo:
Obama Administration Sacks IRS Chief After Targeting Scandal
Obama Administration Sacks IRS Chief After Targeting Scandal
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Shakesville, CNN, The Mahablog and Daily Kos
CBS News:
Boston bombings suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left note in boat he hid in, sources say — (CBS News) Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left claiming responsibility for the April 13 attack on the Boston Marathon, reports CBS News senior correspondent John Miller.
Discussion:
Politico, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, CNN, Weasel Zippers, NPR, Mediaite, Riehl World News, The Jawa Report, Jihad Watch, Gawker, CBS Boston and WNAC-TV
John Hinderaker / Power Line:
The Benghazi Emails: What Do They Show? — This afternoon the White House released 100 pages of emails that trace the development of the talking points about Benghazi that Susan Rice eventually used on her notorious tour of the Sunday morning news shows, and that formed the basis …
Discussion:
The Week and The Hugh Hewitt Show
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Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard:
Benghazi Emails Directly Contradict White House Claims
Benghazi Emails Directly Contradict White House Claims
Discussion:
Hot Air, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Daily Caller, Washington Free Beacon, Twitchy, Mediaite and Addicting Info
Jake Tapper / The Lead with Jake Tapper:
First on CNN: White House releases 100 pages of Benghazi e-mails
First on CNN: White House releases 100 pages of Benghazi e-mails
Discussion:
americanthinker.com, The Week, Washington Wire, Hot Air, ThinkProgress, Scared Monkeys, Taylor Marsh, CNN, The Hill, The PJ Tatler, News Desk, The Hinterland Gazette and Politico
Reid J. Epstein / Politico:
State fretted over Benghazi talking points
State fretted over Benghazi talking points
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon and National Review
John Hudson / Foreign Policy:
Will Benghazi furor keep Susan Rice out of the White House?
Will Benghazi furor keep Susan Rice out of the White House?
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler
New York Times:
E-Mails Show Jostling Over Talking Points on Libya Attack
E-Mails Show Jostling Over Talking Points on Libya Attack
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Maddow Blog, Slate, msnbc.com, The Hill, IHT Rendezvous and CNN
Glenn Thrush / Reuters:
W.H. Benghazi documents point to CIA
W.H. Benghazi documents point to CIA
Discussion:
CNN and Washington Free Beacon
Ben Swann / WXIX-TV:
FOX19 EXCLUSIVE: Four local IRS workers allegedly connected to scandal — Posted by FOX19 Digital Media Staff - email — FOX19 has exclusively learned that as many as four people may be the first Cincinnati Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees to face disciplinary action …
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Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Eric Holder's abdication — As the nation's top law enforcement official, Eric Holder is privy to all kinds of sensitive information. But he seems to be proud of how little he knows. — Why didn't his Justice Department inform the Associated Press, as the law requires, before pawing through reporters' phone records?
Discussion:
Power Line, The Daily Beast, Hot Air, The Huffington Post and Politico
RELATED:
New York Post:
Justice, tea & the AP — At hearings yesterday before the House Judiciary Committee, conservatives found themselves defending the press when they hammered away at Attorney General Eric Holder over the Justice Department's secret gathering of phone records of Associated Press reporters and editors.
Discussion:
Poynter, Politico and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »
Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
Louie Gohmert Gets Heated With Eric Holder: “He Has Challenged My Character”
Quinnipiac News + Events:
Release Detail — May 16, 2013 - Dem Inches Ahead In Virginian Governor's Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Hillary Clinton, Sen. Warner Run Well In 2016 Pres Race — Democrat Terry McAuliffe has opened up a slight 43 - 38 percent lead over Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the race …
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, Weekly Standard, First Read, Taylor Marsh and The Hill
Duane Patterson / The Greenroom:
Would You Believe The Administration Got Phone Records of The House Of Representatives? — That's the revelation made by California Congressman Devin Nunes, who sits on the House Ways And Means Committee on Hugh Hewitt's Show Wednesday night. Here's the key part of that transcript:
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Power Line, Reason, Ed Driscoll and americanthinker.com
RELATED:
Sam Baker / The Hill:
House set to vote on ObamaCare repeal — The House will vote Thursday to repeal President Obama's healthcare law — a move Republicans hope will open the door to narrower votes to target specific parts of the law. — GOP leaders scheduled the vote in a concession to conservative freshmen …
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Taylor Marsh and msnbc.com
RELATED:
Evan McMorris-Santoro / BuzzFeed:
Obama Tries To Tamp Down Three Controversies At Once
Obama Tries To Tamp Down Three Controversies At Once
Discussion:
First Read, Michelle Malkin and The PJ Tatler
Washington Post:
Groups that sought tax-exempt status say IRS dealings were a nightmare — The Common Sense Campaign, a self-described constitutionalist group based in Montgomery, Ala., aspired to be a smaller version of the National Rifle Association — powerful and influential, without having to pay federal income taxes.
Discussion:
Booman Tribune, Althouse, New York Times, The Fix, The Maddow Blog and The Monkey Cage
RELATED:
Max Fisher / WorldViews:
A fascinating map of the world's most and least racially tolerant countries — When two Swedish economists set out to examine whether economic freedom made people any more or less racist, they knew how they would gauge economic freedom, but they needed to find a way to measure a country's level of racial tolerance.
Discussion:
Foreign Policy, Telegraph and normblog
Christian Toto / BREITBART.COM:
FLASHBACK: PRESIDENT OBAMA TARGETED GIBSON GUITARS, BOEING ON IDEOLOGICAL GROUNDS — Even mainstream media outlets are running story upon story about President Barack Obama's possible ties to the government grabbing a wire service's phone records and the IRS bullying conservative groups.
Discussion:
Althouse