memeorandum: WHITE HOUSE TO FOCUS ON ROAD, BRIDGE REPAIR (Darlene Superville/Associated Press)

5:35 PM ET, May 10, 2014

Top Items:

Andrew C. McCarthy / National Review:

Why Lois Lerner Should Be Granted Immunity — In this week's episode of the Capitol Hill soap opera, Lois Lerner, the apparatchik at the center of the IRS jihad against conservative groups, was at long, long last held in contempt of Congress. Amid the farce, the House's IRS probe is floundering.

Discussion: his vorpal sword and Power Line

Susan Ferrechio / Washington Examiner:

GOP will start Benghazi probe without Dems after Nancy Pelosi rejects committee rules — CONGRESS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DEMOCRATIC PARTY JOHN BOEHNER NATIONAL SECURITY NANCY PELOSI BENGHAZI PENNAVE TERRORISM LIBYA — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has rejected the terms …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, The Hill, The PJ Tatler, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hot Air, Conservatives4Palin and Washington Free Beacon

Bernie Becker / The Hill:
One year later, Republicans put IRS probe on the backburner

Discussion: Politico, Hot Air and Mediaite

Jonathan Martin / New York Times:

Republicans Tighten Grip on Debates in 2016 Race — MEMPHIS — The Republican National Committee moved Friday to seize control of the presidential primary debates in 2016, another step in a coordinated effort by the party establishment to reshape the nominating process.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Outside the Beltway

James Hohmann / Politico:

GOP leaders reconsider Rand Paul — MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Not that long ago, most Republican leaders saw Rand Paul as the head of an important faction who, like his father, ultimately had no shot at becoming the party's presidential nominee. — Now the question is no longer whether Paul …

Discussion: PoliticusUSA

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
Paul Diverges From His Party Over Voter ID

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Politico, Hot Air, The Raw Story and Balloon Juice

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

Ted Cruz, the reckless accuser — Sen. Ted Cruz, in a speech to fellow conservatives at the Federalist Society this week, provided detailed evidence of what the right calls the “lawlessness” of the Obama administration. — The Texas Republican, in his latest McCarthyesque flourish …

Discussion: Althouse

Ellen Weinstein / Wall Street Journal:

How to Trick the Guilty and Gullible into Revealing Themselves — It starts with a basic understanding of game theory and incentives — King Solomon built the First Temple in Jerusalem and was known throughout the land for his wisdom. — David Lee Roth fronted the rock band Van Halen …

Discussion: Althouse and Marginal REVOLUTION

ThinkProgress:

Saturday's Illegal Cliven Bundy-Endorsed ATV Rally Runs Through Sacred American Indian Sites — Matt Lee-Ashley is a Senior Fellow with the Public Lands Project at the Center for American Progress. — This Aug. 11, 2009 photo shows a restored cliff dwelling south of Blanding, Utah.

Discussion: KUTV-TV, Hullabaloo and Center for American …

Darlene Superville / Associated Press:

WHITE HOUSE TO FOCUS ON ROAD, BRIDGE REPAIR — You are here — Home » United States government » White House to focus on road, bridge repair — WASHINGTON (AP) — With time running out, the White House was preparing to press Congress next week to keep money flowing …

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Peter Hamby / CNN:

Biden delivers ‘Elizabeth Warren-type speech’ at fundraiser — Washington (CNN) - Vice President Joe Biden appeared at a closed-door fundraiser in South Carolina Friday and delivered what one attendee called “an Elizabeth Warren-type speech” about the struggles of America's middle class …

Discussion: Mediaite and America Rising

Doug Stanglin / USA Today:

Man on TV dating show reveals killing first wife, lover — A 62-year-old man looking for a wife on a TV dating show stunned the host and studio audience by revealing that he had murdered his first wife and later killed a lover with an ax during an argument.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Daily Caller and HyperVocal

Eric Schmitt / New York Times:

U.S. Officers Kill Armed Civilians in Yemen Capital — WASHINGTON — A United States Special Operations commando and a Central Intelligence Agency officer in Yemen shot and killed two armed Yemeni civilians who tried to kidnap them while the Americans were in a barber shop in the country's capital …

Discussion: emptywheel

Bill Carter / New York Times:

A Successor to ‘Colbert’ Is Named — What comes after “The Colbert Report”? — On Comedy Central it will be “The Minority Report” and the host will be the “senior black correspondent” from “The Daily Show” — otherwise known as Larry Wilmore. — Comedy Central has concluded a deal …

Discussion: Mediaite, Taylor Marsh, The Week, Gothamist, The Verge, Politico and Capital New York, more at Mediagazer »

Andrew Demillo / Associated Press:

Arkansas Judge Strikes Down Gay Marriage Ban — An Arkansas judge on Friday struck down the state's ban on gay marriage, opening the door for gay couples to wed. — Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza said the 2004 amendment's definition of marriage as allowable only between a man …