memeorandum: Q&A: Ta-Nehisi Coates on Reparations, Ignorant Journalism, and Whether He Talks to President Obama (Isaac Chotiner/The New Republic)

8:45 PM ET, June 5, 2014

Top Items:

EXCLUSIVE: Bergdahl declared jihad in 2010, secret documents show — U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl at one point during his captivity converted to Islam, fraternized openly with his captors and declared himself a “mujahid,” or warrior for Islam, according to secret documents prepared on the basis …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, Right Wing News, The Daily Caller, TPNN, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Beast, Independent Journal Review, Mediaite, The PJ Tatler and National Review

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:

Scarborough And Todd Get Into On-Air Shouting Match Over Bergdahl's Dad — MSNBC's Chuck Todd and Joe Scarborough got into a shouting match Thursday on “Morning Joe” over Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's father in a heated debate that ultimately centered around the host's own parenting skills.

Discussion: The New Republic and Hullabaloo

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: Hot Air, Politico, USA Today, Washington Post, TPNN, The Dish, The PJ Tatler, RedState, Fox News, his vorpal sword, Mediaite, Hinterland Gazette, BuzzFeed, The Gateway Pundit and VodkaPundit

TIME:

Behind the Scenes of Bowe Bergdahl's Release — Asked whether the Taliban would be inspired by the exchange to kidnap others, a commander laughed. “Definitely.” — In the days and hours leading up to the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl last week, his Taliban captors in Pakistan prepared for a big sendoff.

Discussion: The Jawa Report, The Gateway Pundit, Business Insider, Fox News Insider, National Review and Independent Journal Review

New York Times:

Bergdahl Walked Away Before, Military Report Says — WASHINGTON — A classified military report detailing the Army's investigation into the disappearance of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in June 2009 says that he had wandered away from assigned areas before — both at a training range in California …

Discussion: Hot Air, Little Green Footballs, The Jawa Report, The Lead with Jake Tapper, Mediaite, CNN, Washington Post, National Review, Los Angeles Times and Prairie Weather

Kendall Breitman / Politico:

Charles Krauthammer backs Bowe Bergdahl deal — Charles Krauthammer says he supports President Barack Obama's deal to bring Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl home. — “Had the choice been mine I would have made the same choice,” Krauthammer told Fox News' “Special Report” on Wednesday.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Associated Press and BuzzFeed

Evan McMurry / Mediaite:
Scarborough, Todd Erupt over Bergdahl's Dad: 'Don't Criticize the Parents in Here'

Discussion: PJ Media and Hot Air

Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Outraged by Bergdahl case, fellow soldiers break secrecy pledge to tell story

Discussion: Hot Air, The PJ Tatler, CNN, American Spectator, New York Times, Washington Free Beacon, Power Line, Washington Post and The Lead with Jake Tapper

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:
GOP Rep. Who Defended Bergdahl Now Calls Him Deserter

Discussion: KUSI-TV, PoliticusUSA, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Colorado Independent

William Saletan / Slate:
Trading Taliban prisoners for a POW doesn't reward terrorism. It keeps our promise to our troops.

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, The Dish, National Review, Mashable and CNN

Rebecca Shabad / The Hill:

Paul has warning for released detainees — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) late Tuesday said if the United States discovered any of the released Guantánamo Bay prisoners were planning a terrorist attack, “there would be a drone with their name on it.” — On Fox News's “Your World with Neil Cavuto …

Peter Baker / New York Times:
Officials Say Disclosure of Prisoner Swap Could Have Endangered Bergdahl

Discussion: IMAGINE 2050

Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Bergdahl Case Shakes Democrats' Confidence in Administration

Discussion: Politico, Hot Air, JustOneMinute and VodkaPundit

James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:
Bergdahl, Kerry and the left's view of the military.

Discussion: Rational Irrationality, Questions and Observations, The Dish, Allen B. West, Taylor Marsh, alicublog, Twitchy, Hot Air, Townhall.com, BarbWire.com, Power Line and Weekly Standard

Michael B. Mukasey / Washington Post:
The ghastly transaction that freed Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl

Discussion: The Hill, New York Times, NPR, Just Security, Betsy's Page, Fox News, National Review, Wall Street Journal and Hot Air

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Obama: ‘Absolutely no apologies’

Discussion: NPR, Washington Post, Washington Times, Daily Kos, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hot Air, Hinterland Gazette and CBS DC

Elliot Ackerman / The New Republic:
Bowe Bergdahl haunted us all

Discussion: Washington Post, Chicago Boyz, Yahoo! News, TIME, Business Insider and Balloon Juice

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: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Politico, The PJ Tatler, Red Racing Horses, susiemadrak.com, Fox News, Mediaite and Daily Kos

Daniel Strauss / Talking Points Memo:
Sheriff's Office: McDaniel Camp Account Of Courthouse Caper A ‘Fabrication’

Discussion: Daily Kos

Harry Enten / FiveThirtyEight:
Is There a Favorite in the Republican Runoff For Senate in Mississippi?

Discussion: The Clarion-Ledger, Washington Monthly, Taegan Goddard's … and Washington Post

Therese Apel / The Clarion-Ledger:
Hinds Sheriff's Dept. denies allowing McDaniel staffers access to courthouse after hours

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Talking Points Memo, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Mediaite

CBS News:

Hillary Clinton's “Hard Choices”: Bergdahl, Benghazi and more — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the World Bank May 14, 2014 in Washington, D.C. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES — Shares - — Hillary Clinton's long-awaited memoir, “Hard Choices” isn't scheduled …

Discussion: Politico, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, OnPolitics, Mediaite, Business Insider, America Rising and The Huffington Post

Michael Scherer / TIME:
Brian Schweitzer Isn't Holding Much Back as 2016 Approaches

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Politico, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mediaite, Washington Post and Outside the Beltway

Yahoo! News:
Gen. Stanley McChrystal on Bowe Bergdahl, Hillary Clinton and his call to national service

Discussion: National Review, Politico, Taegan Goddard's … and Hot Air

Ricardo Baca / The Cannabist:

Inside look at what NYT's Dowd was told about edibles in visit to Denver — When Pulitzer-winning New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd came to Denver in January 2014 to report on the newly legal recreational marijuana sales that had just begun throughout Colorado — the same trip …

Discussion: Business Insider, Firedoglake, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, Taylor Marsh and The Huffington Post

Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:
Maureen Dowd's Cannabis Tour Guide Says He Warned Her About Edibles

Discussion: The Cannabist, The Federalist, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Daily Kos, VICE, Business Insider, The Dish, BarbWire.com, Booman Tribune, New York Times, The Daily Caller and The Huffington Post

Dave Forster / Virginian-Pilot:

Virginia DMV orders Lyft, Uber to stop operating — Virginia's Department of Motor Vehicles sent cease and desist orders today to Lyft and Uber, telling the two ride services that they must stop operating in violation of state law or face fines against their part-time drivers.

Discussion: Hit & Run, The Daily Signal, Hot Air, CBS DC, Independent Journal Review and Techdirt

Isaac Chotiner / The New Republic:

Q&A: Ta-Nehisi Coates on Reparations, Ignorant Journalism, and Whether He Talks to President Obama — Ta-Nehisi Coates's cover story in this month's Atlantic, ‘The Case For Reparations,’ is not merely a call for greater dialogue and conversation about America's racial history.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Washington Monthly, The Great Debate, The Dish and The Atlantic Online

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: Politico, The Daily Caller, Independent Journal Review, NewsBusters and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Mike Allen / Politico:
HILLARY SAYS NO LINGERING EFFECTS FROM HER CONCUSSION …

Discussion: CNN, Talking Points Memo, Hinterland Gazette, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, The Huffington Post, People.com, ESPN, Liberal Values and NPR

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: The Moderate Voice, Esquire, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller, Outside the Beltway, The Raw Story, Mediaite and Joe. My. God.

KIRO-TV:

Seattle Pacific University shooting: Multiple victims, 2 shooters — Quick Facts: — At least six people shot at Seattle Pacific University. — At least one suspect in custody. Police initially said two. — School is about 10 min. from downtown Seattle with about 4,000 students.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Gawker

Jeremy Herb / Politico:

Bernie Sanders, John McCain strike VA deal — Sens. Bernie Sanders and John McCain have struck a deal on legislation to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand veterans' access to health care and make it easier to fire VA officials for misconduct.

Discussion: CNN, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Mediaite