memeorandum: ‘This Is How Wars End in the 21st Century’ (Major Garrett/NationalJournal.com)

12:05 PM ET, May 28, 2014

Top Items:

Tracy Connor / NBC News:

EXCLUSIVE: Edward Snowden Tells Brian Williams the U.S. Stranded Him in Russia — In the sit-down, Snowden also fought back against critics who dismissed him as a low-level hacker — saying he was “trained as a spy” and offered technical expertise to high levels of government.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Hinterland Gazette, CBS DC, The Huffington Post and VodkaPundit

Erin McClam / NBC News:
EXCLUSIVE: Edward Snowden Tells Brian Williams: ‘I Was Trained as a Spy’

Discussion: Business Insider, Daily Dot, NPR, The Week, Gawker, The Raw Story and Mashable

Kendall Breitman / Politico: Edward Snowden: ‘I was trained as a spy’

Margalit Fox / New York Times:

Maya Angelou, Lyrical Witness of the Jim Crow South, Dies at 86 — Maya Angelou, the memoirist and poet whose landmark book of 1969, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” — which describes in lyrical, unsparing prose her childhood in the Jim Crow South — was among the first autobiographies …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Hinterland Gazette, Colorlines and Shakesville

MyFOX8.com:

Maya Angelou dead at 86 — Dr. Maya Angelou during a Dec. 2013 interview (WGHP) — WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Award-winning author, renowned poet and civil rights activist Dr. Maya Angelou has died. She was 86. — Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines confirmed Angelou was found by her caretaker on Wednesday morning.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Fox News Insider, The Daily Caller, Jezebel, Daily Kos, Daily Dot, KDVR.com, Mediaite and Mashable

Kate Milani / Wall Street Journal:

President Obama's Remarks at West Point Commencement — President Barack Obama is delivering the commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point this morning. Here are his remarks, as prepared for delivery: — Good morning. Thank you, General Caslen, for that introduction.

Discussion: National Review

CNN:
Obama wants to turn page on foreign policy

Discussion: Hit & Run, Taylor Marsh and White House.gov Blog

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Obama jabs foreign policy critics

Discussion: Hot Air

Karoli / Latest from Crooks and Liars:

Krauthammer Calls Obama's Troop Withdrawal Plan “An Act Of Personal Narcissism” — Charles Krauthammer needs some English classes so he can understand that keeping a promise is not an act of narcissism. — Predictably, conservatives have their panties in a bunch over President Obama's announcement …

Discussion: Fox News

Josh Encinias / National Review:
Krauthammer's Take: Obama's 2016 Timing for Afghanistan Withdawal Is ‘Personal Narcissism’

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Booman Tribune

Steve Holland / Reuters:
Obama plans to end U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan by 2016

Discussion: AEIdeas, Power Line, The Daily Beast, Washington Free Beacon and Washington Post

Eric H. Cline / New York Times:

Climate Change Doomed the Ancients — THIS month, a report issued by a prominent military advisory board concluded that climate change posed a serious threat to America's national security. — The authors, 16 retired high-ranking officers, warned that droughts, rising seas and extreme weather events …

Discussion: The Hugh Hewitt Show

Major Garrett / NationalJournal.com:

‘This Is How Wars End in the 21st Century’ — The new unsettling normal of victory. — SGT John Pacarello rests along a ridgeline following a patrol up a mountainside near Forward Operating Base (FOB) Shank on March 31, 2014 near Pul-e Alam, Afghanistan. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Discussion: Informed Comment

Kristina Wong / The Hill:
US to keep troops in Afghanistan

Discussion: Politico and Firedoglake

Randall Balmer / Politico:

The Real Origins of the Religious Right — They'll tell you it was abortion. Sorry, the historical record's clear: It was segregation. — One of the most durable myths in recent history is that the religious right, the coalition of conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists …

Discussion: Prairie Weather, CANNONFIRE and Ricochet

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Conservative Lead on Social and Economic Ideology Shrinking — On social issues, 34% identify as conservative and 30% as liberal — PRINCETON, NJ — More Americans continue to identify themselves as conservatives than as liberals on economic and social matters.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Washington Post, Real Clear Politics and Politico

David Montgomery / Argus Leader:

Bosworth attacks misogyny, media in chaotic news conference — Standing in front of a profane backdrop created by her own campaign, an emotional Annette Bosworth condemned criticism of her, blasted the media, addressed her alleged scandals and even issued a book recommendation in a free-wheeling news conference Tuesday.

Discussion: Fox News, Business Insider, Washington Post, The Raw Story, Politico and Mediaite

Lane DeGregory / Tampa Bay Times:

Beverly Young: I'm running against David Jolly in '16 — Democrats failed to find a candidate to challenge Republican David Jolly for the congressional seat long held by the late C.W. Bill Young, but they may have one lined up for 2016: Beverly Young, the congressman's widow who campaigned for Jolly earlier this year.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Politico, Washington Post and BizPac Review

Jonathan Topaz / Politico:

Vietnam veterans call Richard Burr ‘insulting’ — The Vietnam Veterans for America is slamming Sen. Richard Burr in a new letter, saying his comments about veterans service organizations were “insulting” and “ugly.” — “On behalf of the membership of Vietnam Veterans of America …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Liberaland, The World's Greatest … and RedState

Margaret Carlson / Bloomberg View:
The VA Needs a Good Marine

Discussion: Wall Street Journal

Charlie Savage / New York Times:

Holder Hints Reporter May Be Spared Jail in Leak — WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. hinted Tuesday that the Justice Department might choose not to jail a New York Times reporter for defying a subpoena forcing him to discuss his confidential sources — even as the Obama …

Discussion: Prairie Weather, Outside the Beltway and Associated Press, more at Mediagazer »

Josh Gerstein / Politico: Feds seek extra redactions in drone memo

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Exclusive: Defiant Michael Grimm lashes out at media — NEW YORK — A defiant Rep. Michael Grimm, in his most extensive interview since federal prosecutors accused him of rampant fraud, accused the media on Tuesday of trying to destroy him and vowed to campaign hard for reelection …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite and ABC News

Joe Sonka / FatLip:

Mitch McConnell doubles down on lie that Kynect is unconnected to Obamacare — When Mitch McConnell dropped jaws last Friday by saying that the fate of Kynect — and the health insurance coverage of over 400,000 Kentuckians — is “unconnected” to the repeal of the Affordable Care Act …

Discussion: Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Talking Points Memo and AMERICAblog News

Phillip M. Bailey / WFPL:
Obamacare Presents Political Dilemmas for Alison Lundergan Grimes and Mitch McConnell

Discussion: Daily Kos and FatLip

Washington Post:

Americans overwhelmingly side with Hillary Clinton over Karl Rove in brain flap — Republican strategist Karl Rove may need a different strategy to slow Hillary Clinton's 2016 candidacy. — Two-thirds of Americans in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll disapprove of the Republican strategist …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, CNN, Politico, ABC News and No More Mister Nice Blog

Arthur Chu / The Daily Beast:

Your Princess Is in Another Castle: Misogyny, Entitlement, and Nerds — Nerdy guys aren't guaranteed to get laid by the hot chick as long as we work hard. There isn't a team of writers or a studio audience pulling for us to triumph by getting the girl. — I was going to write …

Discussion: Hot Air, Taylor Marsh and Culture Desk