memeorandum: Oliver North Of All People Blasts Obama For Financing Terrorist Orgs In Bergdahl Swap (Tom Kludt/Talking Points Memo)

6:55 PM ET, June 4, 2014

Top Items:

Why Team Obama Was Blindsided by the Bergdahl Backlash — Congratulations, Mr. President! And identical congrats to your sorcerer's apprentice, National Security Adviser Susan Rice. By trying to sell him as an American hero, you've turned a deserter already despised by soldiers …

Discussion: Daily Kos, Booman Tribune and VodkaPundit

Kevin Sieff / Washington Post:
Exclusive: Afghan villagers recall when Bergdahl stumbled into their midst

Discussion: Mediaite, The Lead with Jake Tapper, Fox News, The Daily Caller and National Review

Michelle Malkin / Townhall.com:
Exclusive: The Story You Haven't Yet Heard About Bowe Bergdahl's Desertion

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon and Patterico's Pontifications

Wall Street Journal:
Secret Videos Prompted Bowe Bergdahl Taliban Prisoner Swap

Discussion: Mediaite, CNN, Christian Science Monitor, Washington Post, The PJ Tatler, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller, Lawfare, The Huffington Post, The Dish, Just Security, MiamiHerald.com, NBC News, New York Times, New York Magazine and The Hill

New York Times:
Can Bowe Bergdahl Be Tied to 6 Lost Lives? Facts Are Murky

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Guardian, The Federalist, CNN, National Review, The Daily Caller, Prairie Weather, Washington Post, The Week, susiemadrak.com, BREITBART.COM, Althouse, NBC News, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Infowars and NewsHounds blog

Brian Ries / Mashable:
Republicans Delete Digital Praise of Bowe Bergdahl Release

Discussion: OnPolitics, Business Insider, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, PoliticusUSA, ThinkProgress, BREITBART.COM, The Huffington Post and BuzzFeed

Michael Tomasky / The Daily Beast:
The Bowe Bergdahl Story Is Right-Wing Crack

Discussion: msnbc.com, Independent Journal Review, The Moderate Voice, Liberaland, Guardian, Here & Now, Crooks and Liars and National Review

Matthew Rosenberg / New York Times:
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl Was Exchanged for Detainees at Guantánamo

Discussion: Gawker, Taylor Marsh and Weekly Standard

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Graham warns of Republican impeachment push over Gitmo — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) warned Wednesday that Republican lawmakers would call for President Obama's impeachment if he released more prisoners from Guantanamo Bay without congressional approval. — Republicans worry Obama may try …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, CNN and PoliticusUSA

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:

Oliver North Of All People Blasts Obama For Financing Terrorist Orgs In Bergdahl Swap — Naturally, Lt. Col. Oliver North has plenty to say about the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. — North, the former Reagan aide-turned-conservative commentator best-known for his central role …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Daily Banter, BREITBART.COM, Hinterland Gazette, Daily Kos, Washington Monthly, Right Wing Watch and The Gateway Pundit

NY Daily News:
Surrender without honor

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The PJ Tatler, Hot Air, Power Line, Mediaite, Associated Press, madmagazine.com, National Review and TIME

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Prisoner swap blows up on White House

Discussion: Politico, Josh Blackman's Blog, Washington Post, The Daily Beast and Hot Air

Donna Cassata / Associated Press:
Dem Leader Assails GOP Over Soldier Swap

Discussion: Politico

Robert Tracinski / The Federalist:
Why Are We Releasing Terrorists Who Kill Girls Because They Go To School?

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Hill, RedState, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, BuzzFeed, TPNN and The PJ Tatler

Greta Van Susteren / Gretawire:

THIS IS SO DANGEROUS!!! What is WRONG WITH THE SECRET SERVICE???!!??? If Polish tabloids can get these pics (and video) with a camera lens, is there anyone who doesn't think the President is vulnerable to someone armed? — As you know, President Obama is traveling in Europe.

Discussion: NY Daily News, Politico, Talking Points Memo, CNN, Mediaite and Gawker

Danika Fears / New York Post:

Obama snapped pumping iron at hotel gym — Even the president pumps iron at the hotel gym. — A fellow gym user snapped a few covert shots and video of President Obama lifting weights at a 5-star hotel in Warsaw, Poland — evidently without being seen by the president's security team — then posted them on his Facebook page.

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Gawker, Business Insider, Fox News, TPNN and The Daily Caller

Adam Auriemma / Wall Street Journal:

Solved: People Magazine's Hillary Clinton Cover Mystery — Attention Twitter: We can confirm that's not a walker. — Hillary Clinton's appearance on the cover of the People magazine raised some eyebrows Wednesday—and not for her comments on a potential run in 2016 or about Monica Lewinsky.

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Taylor Marsh, The Awl, Shakesville, Mediaite and Mashable

Sandra Sobieraj Westfall / People.com:
Hillary Clinton Opens Up About Becoming a Grandmother - and Possible Presidential Run

Discussion: New York Times, Talking Points Memo, OnPolitics, Mediaite and FishbowlDC

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

Don't Harsh Our Mellow, Dude — The caramel-chocolate flavored candy bar looked so innocent, like the Sky Bars I used to love as a child. — Sitting in my hotel room in Denver, I nibbled off the end and then, when nothing happened, nibbled some more. I figured if I was reporting …

Ann Althouse / Althouse:
Maureen Dowd went to Colorado, ate some marijuana candy, and had an 8-hour freakout.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Joe. My. God. and Gawker, more at Mediagazer »

Alexander Burns / Politico:

Thad Cochran backers face agonizing choice — Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran's national backers awakened to a wrenching decision Wednesday: whether to continue pouring energy and cash into an effort to rescue a six-term incumbent who failed to win a majority of the vote in this week's primary.

Discussion: CNN, Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, Associated Press, Yahoo! News and Outside the Beltway

Molly Ball / The Atlantic Online:
Mississippi Republicans Can't Make Up Their Mind

Discussion: New York Magazine, Bloomberg View, New York Times, Fox News, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider and The Dish

Adam Weymouth / The Atlantic Online:
Thad Cochran, the Last of the Naive Republicans

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Post, Business Insider, The Daily Caller, Guardian, Daily Kos, Real Clear Politics, Wall Street Journal, Taegan Goddard's …, Yahoo! News, Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, Slate and American Spectator

John Hult / Argus Leader:

Annette Bosworth arrested on perjury and election fraud charges — Former U.S. Senate candidate Annette Bosworth has turned herself into the Minnehaha County Jail following the issuance of a warrant for her arrest. — Attorney General Marty Jackley issued the warrant for Bosworth this morning.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Huffington Post, Business Insider, Liberaland, KCLO-TV, OnPolitics and Politico

Thomson Reuters Foundation / Trust.org:

Idaho hometown of newly freed soldier cancels planned celebration — The hometown of U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl has canceled a rally planned for later this month celebrating his release from five years of Taliban captivity, a municipal official told Reuters on Wednesday, amid allegations that he was a deserter.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Weekly Standard

NBC News:
Officials in Bergdahl's Hometown: Stop the Hate

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Hot Air and Mediaite

ThinkProgress:

Ohio May Take Away Low-Income Women's Access To The Most Effective Form Of Birth Control — The Ohio legislature is currently considering a measure that would institute a sweeping ban on insurance coverage for abortion in state residents' public and private health plans.

Discussion: Daily Kos

Kristen Mitchell / The Columbus Dispatch:
Ohio bill would restrict abortion coverage

Discussion: The Raw Story and Hit & Run

Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar / Associated Press:

NOW APPLICATION ‘INCONSISTENCIES’ VEX HEALTH LAW — FILE - This May 14, 2014 file photo shows Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President Barack Obama's nominee to become secretary of Health and Human Services testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington. More than 2 million people who got health insurance …

Discussion: Politico, Nextgov, Hot Air, The Daily Caller and The Verge

Kim Brooks / Salon:

The day I left my son in the car — I had no idea it would consume the next years of my life — The day it happened was no different from most; I was worried, and I was running late. I was worried because in a few hours' time I was going to be enduring a two-and-a-half hour flight with my kids, ages 1 and 4.

Discussion: Unfogged and susiemadrak.com

Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:

Supreme Court Denies Attempt To Stop Oregon Same-Sex Marriages — The National Organization for Marriage tried to get the Supreme Court to stop same-sex couples from marrying while it appeals a decision not allowing it to intervene in the case. The Supreme Court denied the request without comment Tuesday.

Discussion: Joe. My. God. and The New Civil Rights Movement

eng.kremlin.ru:

Vladimir Putin's interview with Radio Europe 1 and TF1 TV channel — In the run-up to his visit to France, Vladimir Putin gave an interview to Radio Europe 1 news programme author and frontman Jean-Pierre Elkabbach and anchor of the evening news on TF1 TV channel Gilles Bouleau.

Discussion: Politico, CNN, Business Insider and Mediaite

Marisa Guthrie / Hollywood Reporter:

Lara Logan Back at Work on ‘60 Minutes’ — UPDATED: The correspondent will likely be back on the newsmagazine in the fall, but she'll begin appearing on other CBS News broadcasts in the coming weeks. — Lara Logan has returned to work at CBS News, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

Discussion: Politico, Mediaite and The Huffington Post, more at Mediagazer »