memeorandum: Amid scandal, embattled VA chief visits Capitol (Martin Matishak/The Hill)

8:45 AM ET, May 21, 2014

Top Items:

Martin Matishak / The Hill:

Amid scandal, embattled VA chief visits Capitol — Embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Tuesday visited the leaders of the House Appropriations Committee. — The meeting with House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Hot Air, Fox News and Washington Post

Jonathan Topaz / Politico:

President Obama, Eric Shinseki to meet on VA — President Barack Obama will meet with Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki and deputy chief of staff Rob Nabors on Wednesday at 10 a.m., according to the White House. — A White House news release said the president will meet …

Discussion: CNN

The Hill:

Vet scandal rocks Obama — The White House tried Tuesday to douse flames of criticism over allegations that dozens of veterans have died because of gross mismanagement at Veterans Affairs hospitals. — President Obama's chief of staff, Denis McDonough, met frustrated Democrats on Capitol Hill …

Discussion: Prairie Weather

Jonathan S. Tobin / Commentary Magazine:
When a President Learns Everything on TV

Discussion: Ed Driscoll, Mediaite and Washington Free Beacon

New York Times:
V.A. Accusations Aggravate Woes of White House

Discussion: CNN, No More Mister Nice Blog and alicublog

Ron Fournier / NationalJournal.com:
Quiz: How Dumb Does Obama Think We Are?

Discussion: CNN, Betsy's Page, Hot Air, NewsBusters, ABC News, National Review, JustOneMinute, The Daily Caller and Daily Mail

Justin McCarthy / Gallup:

Same-Sex Marriage Support Reaches New High at 55% — Nearly eight in 10 young adults favor gay marriage — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans' support for the law recognizing same-sex marriages as legally valid has increased yet again, now at 55%. Marriage equality advocates have had a string …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Real Clear Politics and Politico

David Weigel / Slate:
Rick Santorum Endorsed the Judge Who Just Legalized Gay Marriage in Pennsylvania

Discussion: New York Times, SCOTUSblog, Outside the Beltway and Hot Air

Otto Kitsinger / Associated Press:
Federal Appeals Court Puts Same-Sex Marriage On Hold In Idaho

Discussion: The Mahablog

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:
Bush-Appointed Judge Cites Scalia In Axing Pennsylania Gay Marriage Ban

Discussion: Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times

Carl Willis / WSB-TV:

School district apologizes over yearbook quote incident — Sponsored Links — CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — UPDATE: Paris Gray and her family met with the school's principal and the area superintendent on Tuesday. They apologized for the miscommunication and said they would not deny her giving a speech at graduation.

Discussion: Gawker, WGN-TV, The Raw Story, KFOR-TV, Mediaite and Mashable

James Hamblin / The Atlantic Online:

The Chemistry Joke That Got a Student Suspended — Paris Gray, upstanding vice president of her about-to-graduate high-school class in Jonesboro, Georgia, was suspended last Friday when administrators figured out what her yearbook quote meant. It read:

Discussion: The Other McCain

James Hohmann / Politico:

2014 primary election results: Establishment, self-funders win big in primaries — Tuesday night was great for incumbents, the GOP establishment and self-funders. — It was not so great a night to be a Clinton in-law. — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell defeated his GOP challenger …

Discussion: The Hill, Fox News, Courier-Journal, Outside the Beltway, Power Line, The Moderate Voice, Taylor Marsh, Scared Monkeys and Washington Post

Alexander Burns / Politico:

Payback time: GOP incumbents learn how to win — In 2014, the tea party insurrection is starting to look more like the Boston massacre. — In state after state this primary season, entrenched politicians are proving that incumbency counts for something after all, leveraging the stature …

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Peter Hamby / CNN:

How Mitch McConnell crushed the tea party … Mitch McConnell walks into less-than-friendly territory at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March, holding a rifle aloft while Bon Jovi's “Living on a Prayer” plays. The rifle is for a lifetime achievement award he'll present to retiring Republican Sen. Tom Coburn.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, RedState, Washington Post and New Day

CNN:

Boehner: Tea party and GOP aren't that different — (CNN) - House Speaker John Boehner said Tuesday the tea party and conservative Republicans are basically one in the same. — As establishment Republican candidates try to fend off a series of tea party challengers in Tuesday's midterm primaries …

Bill Barrow / Associated Press:
Ga., Ky. Primaries: Lots of Attention, Few Votes

Discussion: CNN

Bloomberg:
Businesses Turn Out Workers' Votes to Stomp Tea Party

Discussion: Washington Post

Seung Min Kim / Politico:

Harry Reid optimistic on David Barron — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) signaled Tuesday that a controversial judicial nominee from the Obama administration is likely to win eventual confirmation from the Senate. — The nominee, David Barron, has drawn some criticism and scrutiny …

Discussion: The Hill and CNN

Brett LoGiurato / Business Insider:
The Sequel To Rand Paul's Epic Filibuster Is Happening Tomorrow

Discussion: Booman Tribune

Dick Morris / The Hill:

Turn up the heat on Clinton — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has characterized her place in history as akin to a runner in a relay race: taking the baton, running her laps as best she can, and then handing it off to John Kerry, her successor. — But the actual record indicates that …

Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:

CNN President: We Won't Be ‘Shamed’ Into Covering Benghazi — CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker on Monday said that the network probably won't be covering the House select committee to investigate Benghazi. — “We're not going to be shamed into it by others who have political beliefs …

Discussion: Watts Up With That? and Twitchy

Nicole Levy / Capital New York:
Jeff Zucker talks CNN's post-plane plans

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Hot Air and The Daily Banter

ThinkProgress:

Biggest Loser: Thawing Greenland Competes With Collapsing Antarctic For Fastest Ice Loss — Several new studies underscore scientists' concerns we're headed toward a coastline at least this flooded (20 meters or 69 feet) over many hundreds of years: — The worst-case scenario for sea level rise …

Discussion: leeds.ac.uk, Balloon Juice and UCIrvine News

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

WTF? — I'm not sure why this isn't a bigger deal. I hadn't heard about it other than in this brief passage tucked away in a Politico article about the House GOP agriculture bill. But it takes a small program intended provide meals to children in the school lunch program during …

Discussion: Daily Kos and Balloon Juice

Jennifer Robison / Las Vegas Review-Journal:

Nevada will dump Xerox as health insurance exchange contractor — The Silver State Health Insurance Exchange board voted unanimously Tuesday to end its relationship with Xerox, the vendor contracted in 2012 to build the exchange's Nevada Health Link website.

Discussion: ACASignups.net, Hot Air and Twitchy

David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times:

GM issues more recalls, this time for 2.42 million vehicles — General Motors' recall saga continued Tuesday with the beleaguered automaker recalling another 2.42 million vehicles for four separate issues. The move also means GM will take a $400-million charge against second-quarter earnings.

Discussion: Firedoglake