Top Items:
James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:
Bergdahl, Kerry and the left's view of the military. — “If I've lost Neuman, I've lost Middle America.” That's how we imagine President Obama reacting to being scathed by MAD magazine. The Usual Gang of Idiots tweeted a parody poster yesterday for “Barack Obama's Unfortunate New Movie,” titled “Trading Private Bergdahl.”
Discussion:
Townhall.com, Hot Air, BarbWire.com, Mashable, National Review and Weekly Standard
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Politico:
White House braced for Bowe Bergdahl backlash — President Barack Obama's Rose Garden appearance Saturday afternoon with Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's parents was an attempt to humanize the prisoner swap to deflect potential criticism of letting five Taliban leaders out of Guantanamo Bay, White House aides say.
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Post, National Review, Mediaite, The Daily Caller and Associated Press
Michael B. Mukasey / Washington Post:
The ghastly transaction that freed Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl — (Uncredited/AP) - In this image taken from video obtained from Voice Of Jihad Website, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, A Taliban fighter speaks to Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, in eastern Afghanistan.
Discussion:
National Review, Fox News, Washington Times, Betsy's Page, Balloon Juice, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and The Gateway Pundit
Justin Sink / The Hill:
WH surprised by Bergdahl — The White House has been caught off guard by the negative reaction to the deal that freed Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the last American prisoner of war in Afghanistan. — It has been particularly surprised by criticism of Bergdahl, who is accused of walking away …
Discussion:
New York Times and Politico
TIME:
Taliban Commander: More Kidnappings to Come After Bergdahl Deal — A Taliban commander close to the negotiations over the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl told TIME Thursday that the deal made to secure Bergdahl's release has made it more appealing for fighters to capture American soldiers and other high-value targets.
Discussion:
Hinterland Gazette and The Gateway Pundit
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Outraged by Bergdahl case, fellow soldiers break secrecy pledge to tell story — BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL BARACK OBAMA BOWE BERGDAHL — One of the most striking elements of the Bowe Bergdahl affair is word that top Army officers were so anxious to keep the matter a secret …
Discussion:
CNN, The Natural Truth, The Lead with Jake Tapper, Politico, RedState and Talking Points Memo
Emily Bazelon / Slate:
Gitmo Fail — Obama promised to close Guantánamo.
Gitmo Fail — Obama promised to close Guantánamo.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Prairie Weather and Guardian
New York Times:
Behind P.O.W.'s Release: Urgency and Opportunity
Behind P.O.W.'s Release: Urgency and Opportunity
Discussion:
Power Line, Washington Post, Just Security, Wall Street Journal, NPR and Politico
Yahoo! News:
McChrystal on Bergdahl: 'We don't leave Americans behind. That's unequivocal'
McChrystal on Bergdahl: 'We don't leave Americans behind. That's unequivocal'
Discussion:
Politico and Taegan Goddard's …
Kevin Sieff / Washington Post:
Exclusive: Afghan villagers recall when Bergdahl stumbled into their midst
Exclusive: Afghan villagers recall when Bergdahl stumbled into their midst
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Power Line, Yahoo! News, Mediaite, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, National Review, Fox News, The Daily Beast, Lawfare and CNN
Matt Higgins / CBS DC:
Report: White House Aides Accusing Bergdahl's Unit Comrades Of ‘Swift Boating’ Him
Report: White House Aides Accusing Bergdahl's Unit Comrades Of ‘Swift Boating’ Him
Discussion:
Politico, RedState and The Gateway Pundit
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Graham warns of Republican impeachment push over Gitmo
Graham warns of Republican impeachment push over Gitmo
Discussion:
Politico, CNN, PoliticusUSA and Washington Monthly
The Clarion-Ledger:
McDaniel rep, others locked in courthouse — An official investigation has been opened into three people who were found locked in the Hinds County Courthouse hours after it was closed by election officials Tuesday after returns had been counted in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. — CONNECT
Discussion:
Washington Post, Daily Kos, Politico, Mediaite, Red Racing Horses and Talking Points Memo
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Michael Scherer / TIME:
Brian Schweitzer Isn't Holding Much Back as 2016 Approaches — Would he be a better president than Hillary Clinton? He thinks so — To get rid of the trash, former Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer either has to drive it away in a pickup from his remote lake house or burn it in a rusty oil barrel.
Discussion:
Politico and Washington Post
Evan Gahr / The Daily Beast:
Really, Dr. Carson? Obamacare Is Worse Than 9/11? — The Republican presidential hopeful thinks that Obamacare has caused Americans more pain than jetliners crashing into the World Trade Center and two costly wars. — Dr. Ben Carson, the Republican right's favorite African-American neurosurgeon …
Discussion:
Joe. My. God., The Raw Story and Mediaite
John Feehery / Wall Street Journal:
Obama the Velcro President — They said that Ronald Reagan was the Teflon President. Nothing, not even Iran-Contra, could stick to him. — Barack Obama is the Velcro President. Everything is sticking to him. — He probably thought he could get some major political mileage …
Discussion:
Hinterland Gazette
Eric Liu / The Atlantic Online:
The Message of D-Day — Twenty years ago, as a speechwriter for President Clinton, I traveled to Normandy for the 50th anniversary of D-Day. This week I'm returning for the first time, with my fellow former speechwriter Jeremy Rosner and our spouses, to be present for the 70th-anniversary commemoration.
Alana Goodman / Washington Free Beacon:
Hillary to New York Times: Back Off — Some of Hillary Clinton's closest aides blasted the New York Times for what they said was unfair coverage of the former first lady during a recent secret meeting with the paper's Washington bureau, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.
Discussion:
Independent Journal Review, NewsBusters, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and ABC News
Stephanie Simon / Politico:
Big Brother: Meet the Parents — This story is part of a POLITICO series examining the unchecked expansion of private-sector data collection and the implications for consumer privacy. — You've heard of Big Oil and Big Tobacco. Now get ready for Big Parent.
Discussion:
Eduwonk
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Three in Four in U.S. Still See the Bible as Word of God — But 21%, near the 40-year high, consider it fables and history — PRINCETON, NJ — Twenty-eight percent of Americans believe the Bible is the actual word of God and that it should be taken literally.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, NPR and The New Civil Rights Movement
Peter Schroeder / The Hill:
Senate Democrats go back to student loans in populist push — Senate Democrats are preparing a populist push next week, when they bring up legislation that would enable borrowers to refinance their student loans. — The bill would help the pocketbooks of those Americans struggling …
Richard Goldstein / New York Times:
Don Zimmer, Who Spent 60 Eventful Years in Baseball, Dies at 83 — Don Zimmer, the stubby, Popeye-muscled baseball lifer with the unforgettable jowls whose passion for the game endured through more than 60 years as a player, manager, coach and adviser, died on Wednesday in Dunedin, Fla. He was 83.
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway and NPR
Matt Stoller / VICE:
The VICE Reader: The Con-Artist Wing of the Democratic Party — Former US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner (left) yucking it up at a meeting of global elites in 2009. Photo via Flickr user IMF — The most consequential event of this young century has been the financial crisis.
Discussion:
Bloomberg View and susiemadrak.com
Houghtonmodern / Houghton Library Blog:
Caveat Lecter — Good news for fans of anthropodermic bibliopegy, bibliomaniacs and cannibals alike: tests have revealed that Houghton Library's copy of Arsène Houssaye's Des destinées de l'ame (FC8.H8177.879dc) is without a doubt bound in human skin.
Discussion:
The Raw Story, Telegraph, The Verge and Washington Post
Susan Davis / Associated Press:
2014 Senate landscape tilts in GOP's favor — WASHINGTON — Contests are set in nearly half the states for November's elections, and with few contested primary elections remaining on the calendar, Republicans are enjoying clear advantages in their quest for a Senate takeover.
Discussion:
Capitol Report
Holly Yan / CNN:
Gunman kills 3 officers, remains at large in Canadian subdivision, police say — So what happened here Wednesday seems unimaginable to residents. — A man dressed in fatigues and carrying a rifle went on a rampage, killing three police officers and wounding two others. — 3 officers wounded in Canada shooting
Discussion:
CBC News, Gawker, The Agonist and Scared Monkeys
James Covert / New York Post:
City Council members rip Walmart's charity of ‘dangerous dollars’ — More than half the members of the City Council have fired off a letter to Walmart demanding that it stop making millions in charitable contributions to local groups here. — Twenty-six of the 51 members of the Council charged …
Discussion:
Teamster Nation, National Review, Hot Air and Fox News Insider