memeorandum: Life sentences for serious cyberattacks are proposed in Queen's speech (Tom Brewster/Guardian)

9:05 AM ET, June 5, 2014

Top Items:

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: Washington Post, The Hill, National Review, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal and New York Times

Kevin Sieff / Washington Post:

Exclusive: Afghan villagers recall when Bergdahl stumbled into their midst — Among the most tantalizing mysteries surrounding Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's departure from his U.S. military base in 2009 is this: Was he trying to find the Taliban? Or did he simply wander away and get captured?

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Mediaite, New York Times, Yahoo! News, Power Line, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Hot Air, National Review, The Daily Beast, Lawfare and CNN

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, Betsy's Page, Washington Times, BarbWire.com, Mashable and National Review

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

Yahoo! News:

McChrystal on Bergdahl: 'We don't leave Americans behind. That's unequivocal' — Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal on Wednesday urged Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's critics not to “judge” him until all the facts are in and sharply defended the extensive and risky search efforts that claimed the lives of some of his fellow soldiers.

Discussion: Politico and Taegan Goddard's …

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 Lead with Jake Tapper, National Review, The Daily Caller and The Federalist

Emily Bazelon / Slate:

Gitmo Fail — Obama promised to close Guantánamo. Why is he releasing dangerous detainees and ignoring the rest? — I believed Barack Obama when he promised to close Guantánamo. It sounds so naïve. But in the days after his first inauguration …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Guardian and Prairie Weather

Alex Berenson / New York Times:
A Prisoner of War, but Not a Hero

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Gawker, Independent Journal Review and Guardian

Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:
McCrystal: Don't ‘Judge’ Bergdahl And The Prisoner Swap Yet (VIDEO)

Discussion: Politico, RedState, Mediaite, Business Insider, CNN and Hullabaloo

Matt Higgins / CBS DC:
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

Discussion: CNN, PoliticusUSA and Washington Monthly

Thomas B. Edsall / New York Times:

The Republican Case Against Republican Economics — After the 2012 presidential election, key Republicans began to criticize their party's opposition to immigration reform and gay rights. But now party reformers are questioning something much more central: free-market orthodoxy.

Discussion: National Review and AEIdeas

Bloomberg:
Tea Party Regains Steam With Cochran U.S. Senate Runoff

Discussion: Bloomberg View

Alexander Burns / Politico:
Thad Cochran backers face agonizing choice

Discussion: The Clarion-Ledger, Red Racing Horses, Associated Press, Washington Monthly, CNN, Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine, Outside the Beltway and Yahoo! News

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: Bloomberg View, Mediaite, Politico, CNN and Gawker

Danika Fears / New York Post:
Obama snapped pumping iron at hotel gym

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

Leslie Larson / NY Daily News:
Footage of Obama's Warsaw workout prompts security questions

Discussion: protein wisdom and Talking Points Memo

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 …

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

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 …

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

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

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

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: Politico, CBS News, Capitol Report, Liberal Values, Hullabaloo, Shakesville, Taylor Marsh, Mediaite, Mashable, Talking Points Memo, OnPolitics, People.com and FishbowlDC

Joe Palazzolo / Wall Street Journal:

Cyberbullying Law Challenged in Court — New York Jurists to Decide if Criminal Statute Violates Freedom of Speech; Other States and Localities Await Precedent — New York's high court on Thursday will consider one of the first legal challenges to state and local laws that make it a crime …

Sean Sullivan / Washington Post:

Poll: Obama administration less competent than Bush's or Clinton's, more Americans say — A majority of voters say the Obama administration is less competent than Bill Clinton's and a plurality say it is less competent than George W. Bush's according to a new Fox News poll released Wednesday.

Discussion: Fox News, Hot Air and Power Line

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