memeorandum: How Mitch McConnell crushed the tea party (Peter Hamby/CNN)

8:00 AM ET, May 21, 2014

Top Items:

James Hohmann / Politico:

2014 primary election results: Establishment, self-funders win big in primaries — Tuesday was a great night for incumbents, the GOP establishment and self-funders. — It was a bad 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, Scared Monkeys, The Moderate Voice, Taylor Marsh 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

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 …

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

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:

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, alicublog and National Review

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

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

David Weigel / Slate:

Rick Santorum Endorsed the Judge Who Just Legalized Gay Marriage in Pennsylvania — Gay marriage is legal in Pennsylvania today, following a ruling by U.S. District Judge John Jones. Pennsylvania had gotten into the pre-emptive-ban game early in 1996, and that ban is now gone …

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

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

Niels Lesniewski / Roll Call:
Reid Hints at ‘Nuclear’ Summer Over Debate Time

Discussion: Daily Kos and 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

Bill Barrow / Associated Press:

Ga., Ky. Primaries: Lots of Attention, Few Votes — A relatively small slice of the electorate will participate in Republican primaries in Georgia and Kentucky, despite international attention and eye-popping sums of money heaped on races that will help determine which party controls …

Discussion: CNN

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

Discussion: Washington Post

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

Charles Levinson / Wall Street Journal:

Comey: FBI ‘Grappling’ With Hiring Policy Concerning Marijuana — Monday was a big day for the nation's cyber police. The Justice Department charged five Chinese military officials with hacking, and brought charges against the creators of powerful hacking software.

Discussion: Mediaite, Business Insider, Firedoglake, The Moderate Voice, The Verge and TalkLeft

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

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