memeorandum: Republicans use IRS scandal to tar Obamacare (Jake Miller/CBS News)

12:30 AM ET, May 20, 2013

Top Items:

Noel Sheppard / NewsBusters:

Schieffer to Obama Advisor: 'Why Are You Here? Why Isn't the White House Chief of Staff Here?' — As NewsBusters reported two weeks ago, CBS's Bob Schieffer is fed up with the White House's talking points concerning what happened at our consulate in Benghazi, Libya, last September.

Discussion: The Other McCain and Hot Air

CNN:

ABC's Jonathan Karl to CNN: ‘I regret the email was quoted incorrectly’ — (CNN) - Jonathan Karl, chief White House correspondent for ABC News, addressed criticism of his reporting on the Benghazi talking points controversy, saying in a statement to CNN that he regrets the inaccuracy of his report.

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:

Obama Aide: ‘Irrelevant Fact’ Where President Was During Benghazi Attacks — Obama aide Dan Pfeiffer said it's an “irrelevant fact” where the president physically was during the Benghazi terror attack on September 11, 2012: — Host Chris Wallace reminds Pfeiffer that Obama didn't really talk …

Discussion: Politico, Doug Ross, Conservatives4Palin, Scared Monkeys, Hot Air, The PJ Tatler, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Other McCain, Power Line, protein wisdom, Riehl World News and The Mahablog

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:
Pfeiffer on IRS Scandal: ‘Law Is Irrelevant’

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, The Daily Caller, Conservatives4Palin and Althouse

Benjamin Bell / ABCNEWS:
Dan Pfeiffer: IRS Behavior ‘Inexcusable’ Whether or Not Illegal

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:
Pfeiffer defends White House handling of IRS targeting scandal

Discussion: Politico, Weasel Zippers, Hot Air, The PJ Tatler and CNN

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:

Justice Department Spied on Fox News Reporter — “When the Justice Department began investigating possible leaks of classified information about North Korea in 2009, investigators did more than obtain telephone records of a working journalist suspected of receiving the secret material,” the Washington Post reports.

Discussion: Riehl World News

Ann E. Marimow / Washington Post:

A rare peek into a Justice Department leak probe — When the Justice Department began investigating possible leaks of classified information about North Korea in 2009, investigators did more than obtain telephone records of a working journalist suspected of receiving the secret material.

Peter Hart / FAIR:

A Right-Wing Mole at ABC News — Jonathan Karl and the success of the conservative media movement — Conservatives don't just complain loudly, endlessly and inaccurately about liberal media bias. They also train right-leaning journalists to make their way into the supposedly hostile terrain of Beltway media.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Crooks and Liars, Little Green Footballs, Hullabaloo and The Raw Story

CNN:

CNN Poll: Controversies hurting Obama? Has GOP overreacted? — Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama comes out of what was arguably the worst week of his presidency with his approval rating holding steady, according to a new national poll. — But a CNN/ORC International survey …

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Truthdig, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Huffington Post, The Hinterland Gazette, The Moderate Voice, Politico, Weekly Standard, Booman Tribune, msnbc.com and The Week

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
Mitch McConnell Backs Away From GOP Claims Of A Benghazi Cover Up

Discussion: The Huffington Post and The Caucus

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:
Poll: Obama at 53 percent approval after week of controversies

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Zack Colman / The Hill:
Sen. Cornyn blasts White House for ‘culture of cover-ups and intimidation’

Discussion: CNN and Politico

Margaret Brennan / CBS News:
Evidence emerges that Obama administration official knew of IRS targeting during 2012 campaign

Discussion: Power Line and The Gateway Pundit

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:

Obama gets personal about race and manhood in Morehouse College speech — President Obama on Sunday summoned the graduates of historically black Morehouse College to “transform the way we think about manhood,” urging the young men to avoid the temptation to make excuses and to take responsibility …

Discussion: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Hinterland Gazette, Weasel Zippers and The Gateway Pundit

Amie Parnes / The Hill:
Obama urges Morehouse grads to lead by ‘the power of your example’

Discussion: Politico

Andy Borowitz / Borowitz Report:

Obama Denies Role in Government — WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—President Obama used his weekly radio address on Saturday to reassure the American people that he has “played no role whatsoever” in the U.S. government over the past four years. — “Right now, many of you are angry at the government …

Discussion: LewRockwell.com Blog, NewsBusters and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

NBC News:

May 19: Mitch McConnell, Dan Pfeiffer, Dave Camp, Xavier Becerra, Peggy Noonan, Bob Woodward, Donald Rumsfled — Below: — MR. DAVID GREGORY: This Sunday, damage control by the White House on several fronts. How much harm will it do to the president's second term agenda?

Discussion: Crooks and Liars and Connecting.the.Dots

Jake Miller / CBS News:

Republicans use IRS scandal to tar Obamacare — PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO — Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., linked the ongoing targeting scandal at the IRS with Obamacare in the weekly Republican address on Saturday, warning that the troubled agency has too much control over the rules and regulations governing the implementation of the law.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars

Wall Street Journal:

Yahoo to Buy Tumblr for $1.1 Billion — Yahoo Inc.'s board has approved a deal to acquire blogging startup Tumblr, people familiar with the matter said Sunday. — Yahoo has agreed to pay $1.1 billion in cash for the company, one of the people said. Tumblr would continue to operate largely …