memeorandum: Mitch McConnell won't block immigration bill (Tarini Parti/Politico)

9:10 PM ET, May 21, 2013

Top Items:

Top IRS official will invoke Fifth Amendment — A sign for the Internal Revenue Service stands in front of it's headquarters in Washington. (Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg / May 15, 2013) — WASHINGTON - A top IRS official in the division that reviews nonprofit groups will invoke the Fifth Amendment …

Shane Goldmacher / NationalJournal.com:

Top IRS Official to Invoke Fifth, Issa Subpoenas — Lois Lerner, the IRS official who headed the tax-exempt division when the targeting of tea-party groups took place, plans to invoke her Fifth Amendment right to refuse to answer questions before Congress on Wednesday.

Discussion: Doug Ross, The Volokh Conspiracy and National Review

Ian Swanson / The Hill:

White House, Treasury discussed how to handle disclosure of IRS story — The White House said Tuesday that senior officials took part in discussions over how the IRS would disclose its targeting of conservative groups, marking the latest shift in the White House's official line on the matter.

Discussion: CNN and Politico

Juliet Eilperin / Post Politics:

Internal IRS probe cited same problems with approach to conservative groups in May 2012, House aide says — An Internal Revenue Service review of the agency's approach of scrutinizing conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status questioned the now-controversial policy a year ago …

Discussion: Federal Eye, Daily Kos, Questions and Observations and The Daily Caller

Politico:
White House reveals new IRS details

Discussion: Yahoo! News and National Review

Politico:
IRS's Lois Lerner to take the Fifth

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Here we go: IRS official Lois Lerner to plead the Fifth at congressional hearing tomorrow

Discussion: The Hill, Conservatives4Palin, Yahoo! News, Patterico's Pontifications and Jammie Wearing Fools

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Sharyl Attkisson's computers compromised — Sharyl Attkisson, the Emmy-award winning CBS News investigative reporter, says that her personal and work computers have been compromised and are under investigation. — “I can confirm that an intrusion of my computers has been under some investigation …

Discussion: Committee to Protect …, Washington Post, msnbc.com, Power Line, The Daily Caller, Michelle Malkin, The Right Scoop, The Dish, Riehl World News, TVNewser, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers, Business Insider, The Huffington Post, The PJ Tatler, National Review and PoliticusUSA, more at Mediagazer »

John Podhoretz / New York Post:

Leaks turn to deluge for reeling White House — The wheels came off the Obama administration yesterday. — We learned of a startling assault on freedom of the press by the Department of Justice, following the revelation last week of the unprecedented information-gathering foray by that department against The Associated Press.

Discussion: CNN, his vorpal sword and National Review

Ryan Lizza / News Desk:

The Justice Department and Fox News's Phone Records — The Obama Justice Department has seized the phone records of numbers that are associated with White House staffers and, apparently, with Fox News reporters, according to a document filed on October 13, 2011, in the case of Stephen Jin-Woo Kim …

Discussion: Politico, Weasel Zippers, FP Passport, Hot Air, Gawker, Gretawire and Business Insider, more at Mediagazer »

Allahpundit / Hot Air: Fast and Furious/Benghazi investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson: Something fishy's …

Kirsten Powers / The Daily Beast:
How Hope and Change Gave Way to Spying on the Press

Discussion: Washington Post, The Daily Caller, Hot Air, The Reaction, Power Line, Conservatives4Palin and Betsy's Page

Rachel Weiner / Post Politics:

Inhofe: Tornado aid ‘totally different’ from Hurricane Sandy aid — In the wake of the devastating tornado in an Oklahoma City suburb, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) rejected comparisons between federal aid for this disaster and the Hurricane Sandy relief package he voted against.

John Aravosis / AMERICAblog:
Oklah. GOP Senator takes own constituents hostage, demands budget cuts or no tornado aid

Discussion: National Review, Politico, Hot Air, CNN, Daily Kos, The Moderate Voice and Firedoglake

NY Daily News:
Oklahoma Senator who voted “no” on Sandy aid calls home-state tornado “totally different”

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and AMERICAblog

Mackenzie Weinger / Politico:

Kristol to Rubio: ‘Walk away’ — The Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol has some advice for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on the Senate's immigration reform bill: Walk away. — “He should walk away from it,” Kristol said Tuesday on “The Laura Ingraham Show.” “He should say, I made a good faith effort …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and The Right Scoop

Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:

Sen. Patrick Leahy Withdraws Amendment To Include Gay Couples In Immigration Reform Bill — “I don't want to be the senator who asks Americans to choose between the love of their life and the love of their country,” Leahy says. Four Democrats on the committee said they would not support the amendment.

Discussion: Joe. My. God. and Towleroad News #gay

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
McConnell won't block immigration bill from hitting Senate floor

Discussion: Politico, Ballot Box, The Fix and Booman Tribune

Charlie Cook / NationalJournal.com:

Republicans' Hatred of Obama Blinds Them to Public Disinterest in Scandals — Republicans are so focused on their bitter battles against Obama, they can't see how little impact the “scandals” have had on public opinion. — Red-faced Republicans, circling and preparing to pounce …

Discussion: The Week, Washington Post, Mother Jones, The Plum Line, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice, Booman Tribune and First Read

Christopher Mims / Quartz:

The audacious plan to end hunger with 3-D printed food — Anjan Contractor's 3D food printer might evoke visions of the “replicator” popularized in Star Trek, from which Captain Picard was constantly interrupting himself to order tea. And indeed Contractor's company, Systems & Materials Research Corporation …

Discussion: FP Passport, Mashable, The Daily Caller, The Raw Story and Smart News

Aaron Souppouris / The Verge:
NASA is funding a 3D food printer, and it'll start with pizza

Discussion: The Week

Ramesh Ponnuru / Bloomberg:

‘Obama Scandals’ Could Actually Hurt Republicans — Republican politicians and activists can barely contain their glee at the simultaneous eruption of three major controversies about the Obama administration. — Conservatives are at a low boil over the administration's dissembling …

Discussion: The Dish

Washington Post:
May 2013 Post-ABC poll

Peter J Reilly / Forbes:

Someone Claiming To Be Jamie Dimon Arrested By Homeland Security — After being arrested by Federal Protective Service yesterday, they were asked for their names. Among the names that the arrested gave were Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan Chase, Brian Moynihan of BOA, John Stumpf of Wells Fargo …

Discussion: Home Defenders League, Crooks and Liars and ThinkProgress

Tim Craig / Washington Post:
Protesters arrested after attempt to storm Justice Department

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Hullabaloo, Crooks and Liars, Firedoglake, Daily Kos and The Raw Story

Scott Friedman / nbcdfw.com:

Accused Fort Hood Shooter Paid $278,000 While Awaiting Trial — Injured soldier outraged suspected shooter receives salary while his family financially struggles in recovery — The Department of Defense confirms to NBC 5 Investigates that accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan …

Discussion: Jammie Wearing Fools, The Raw Story, Weasel Zippers, The Week, Jihad Watch, protein wisdom, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Free Beacon and The PJ Tatler

Nate Raymond / Reuters:

Tea Party group sues IRS over inappropriate targeting — (Reuters) - A California-based Tea Party group sued the U.S. Internal Revenue Service on Monday in what marked the first lawsuit to stem from an investigation finding the agency singled-out conservative organizations.

Discussion: Politico, The Impolitic, Weasel Zippers, Reuters and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

TRUE the VOTE:
TRUE THE VOTE FILES SUIT AGAINST THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE

Discussion: National Review and The PJ Tatler

The DOMA Project:

Defeat of DOMA, More Critical Than Ever, as Key Senate Democrats Signal They Will Abandon LGBT Amendments to Comprehensive Immigration Reform — BETRAYAL: BUT FOR THE VOTES, IT IS ALL BUT OVER. — Today will likely be the day many of us have long known would come.

Discussion: Washington Blade, The Huffington Post and Towleroad News #gay

Julie Pace / bigstory.ap.org:
AP SOURCES: OBAMA OK PUNTING GAY IMMIGRATION IDEA

Discussion: Associated Press, BuzzFeed, Poliglot, ThinkProgress, Advocate and Politico

Ben Armbruster / ThinkProgress:

GOP Aides Mock House Republicans' ‘Crazy’ Benghazi Witch-Hunt — Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) is leading the GOP's Benghazi witch-hunt (Credit: Reuters) — GOP aides are criticizing the House Republicans' partisan witch-hunt over the Obama administration's handling of the attacks …

Discussion: The Hill

Frank Oliveri / Roll Call:
House Defense Bill Aims to Implement Lessons From Benghazi Attack

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Maddow Blog and New York Times

Paul Waldman / American Prospect:

Mr. Smith Is Vaporized in the Fire of a Thousand Suns — It hasn't gotten too much attention given the other things that are going on, but there is a battle looming this summer over the filibuster, one that could be a significant milestone in the already poisonous relationship between the parties on Capitol Hill.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Impolitic and Crooks and Liars

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:

Liberal Pundits Gather in West Wing — National Public Radio reporter Ari Shapiro reports that liberal pundits were seen entering the West Wing: … The pundits include Jonathan Capehart, Josh Marshall, and Ezra Klein.

Discussion: Gretawire

John Lichfield / The Independent:

Far-right French historian, 78-year-old Dominique Venner, commits suicide in Notre Dame in protest against gay marriage — A far-right French historian shot himself in the head beside the altar of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris today apparently in protest against the legalisation of gay marriage in France.

Discussion: Advocate, Gawker and Towleroad News #gay