memeorandum: Clinton defends, clarifies debt remarks (Rebecca Shabad/The Hill)

12:30 PM ET, June 10, 2014

Top Items:

How do Americans view the Bergdahl swap? — Shares - — Just over a week after U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was freed by the Taliban, a CBS News Poll shows 45% of Americans disapprove of the deal that saw him released in exchange for five Taliban militants, while 37% approve of it.

Discussion: CNN, Business Insider, Politico, CBS DC, Outside the Beltway, Washington Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mediaite, Hot Air and Washington Free Beacon

John Parkinson / ABC News:

Hagel Made Final Call on Bergdahl Swap, Congress Told — Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel - not President Obama - executed the administration's final call to proceed with the prisoner exchange of five ranking Taliban detainees for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, administration officials told Congress today in a classified briefing today.

Discussion: Questions and Observations, The Daily Caller, Independent Journal Review, “The Lid” and The PJ Tatler

Michael Warren / Weekly Standard:

Obama Administration: Bergdahl Was Chuck Hagel's Call — The last question asked at Monday night's closed-door briefing of members of the House of Representatives was a simple one: Who made the decision to transfer five top Taliban officials held at Guantanamo Bay to Qatar in exchange …

Discussion: Power Line, Betsy's Page and Washington Post

Pew Research Center for the People and the Press:
Public Has Doubts about Bergdahl Prisoner Exchange

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Scared Monkeys, Business Insider, Hot Air, New York Times, The PJ Tatler, Wall Street Journal, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, Washington Free Beacon and NationalJournal.com

Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard:
Did Gitmo Detainees Know of Transfer Before Congress?

Discussion: Gulf Times and Hot Air

Gregory Korte / Associated Press:
USA TODAY poll: Obama mishandled Bergdahl exchange

Discussion: USA Today, Guardian, Hot Air, Real Clear Politics, Washington Free Beacon, National Review, RedState and Weekly Standard

Noah Rothman / Hot Air:
Andrea Mitchell not buying State Dept.'s spin on Bergdahl Swap

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, Weekly Standard and Ed Driscoll

Chris Good / ABC News:

The Hillary Clinton Interview: 21 Revealing Quotes … Hillary Clinton sat down with ABC's Diane Sawyer for an exclusive, wide-ranging interview, coinciding with the release of her new memoir, “Hard Choices.” In it, Clinton weighed in on everything from her 2016 timetable to Benghazi …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Guardian and CNN

Rebecca Shabad / The Hill:
Clinton defends, clarifies debt remarks

Discussion: The Dish, Hot Air, ABC News, Washington Post and Politico

Frank James / NPR:
Hillary Clinton: I Helped Restore U.S. Leadership In The World

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Weekly Standard

Julie Beck / The Atlantic Online: What's Missing From Hillary's Iraq Apology

Dana Hughes / ABC News:
Hillary Clinton Calls Benghazi Scrutiny ‘More of a Reason to Run’ in 2016

Discussion: Politico, ABC News, Fox News, Mediaite, Washington Post, New York Magazine, Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, Business Insider, Independent Journal Review, PoliticusUSA, CNN, The Lead with Jake Tapper and Weekly Standard

RealClearPolitics Video Log:
Hillary Clinton: “We Came Out Of The White House Dead Broke”

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Reaction

Washington Post:

Insurgents seize Iraqi city of Mosul as troops flee — BEIRUT — Insurgents seized control early Tuesday of most of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, including the provincial government headquarters, offering a powerful demonstration of the mounting threat posed by extremists to Iraq's teetering stability.

Discussion: CBS News, Gawker, WAMC, Hot Air, Business Insider, The PJ Tatler, The Other McCain, National Review and Associated Press

Hayes Brown / ThinkProgress:

One Of The World's Scariest Terrorist Groups Now Controls Major City In Iraq — ISIS fighters in Fallujah, the first city the group captured — A terrorist group that al Qaeda has deemed too radical and unpredictable now controls the second largest city in Iraq as of Tuesday …

Discussion: Shakesville, Full, Outside the Beltway and Washington Post

BBC:
Iraq militants seize second city of Mosul

Discussion: New York Times, The Jawa Report, Mashable and The Long War Journal

Associated Press:
Militants overrun parts of key Iraqi city of Mosul

Discussion: The Seattle Times and Washington Post

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

Republicans' gagging hypocrisy — The Republican-led House will reach a dubious milestone this week: It will enter the record books as the most gagged in American history. — The House Rules Committee on Tuesday plans to approve two more “closed rules” for debate — a procedure …

Discussion: The Colorado Independent and Prairie Weather

Politico:

New poll gives McDaniel 6-point lead in runoff — Rangel touts Bill Clinton endorsement on new mailer — Ernst up 5 in post-primary Vox Populi poll — Graham debates GOP challengers in S.C. — With help from Elizabeth Titus, Alex Isenstadt, James Hohmann and Tarini Parti

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Daily Kos

John Aloysius Farrell / Politico:

Yes, Nixon Scuttled the Vietnam Peace Talks — It's been rumored for years. Now we have real proof. — Did Richard Nixon's campaign conspire to scuttle the Vietnam War peace talks on the eve of the 1968 election to capture him the presidency? — Cruz country — Clinton's Obama challenge

Discussion: Political Insider blog and Balloon Juice

Azam Ahmed / New York Times:

‘Friendly Fire’ Strike Kills 5 Special Operations Soldiers in Afghanistan — KABUL, Afghanistan — Five American Special Operations service members and at least one Afghan soldier were killed when a coalition aircraft accidentally unleashed an airstrike on their position in southern Afghanistan …

Discussion: Gawker, The Week and Outside the Beltway

CNN: ‘Friendly fire’ kills five American service members in Afghanistan

New York Times:

More Voting Games in Ohio — Someday, after they figure out how to appeal to a broader swath of the electorate, Republicans will probably be embarrassed by how much time they have spent making it harder for Americans to vote. For now, though, the beat just goes on.

Discussion: Daily Kos and Prairie Weather

Paul Waldman / Washington Post:

How much does right-wing rhetoric contribute to right-wing terrorism? — Yesterday, a man and a woman shot two police officers in a Las Vegas restaurant after saying, “this is a revolution.” Then they draped their bodies in a Gadsden flag. According to reports now coming in, the couple …

Discussion: American Prospect, The Federalist, Shakesville, emptywheel, No More Mister Nice Blog, Hit & Run, Prairie Weather, Hullabaloo and ThinkProgress

Amanda Kooser / CNET:

Bulletproof blanket seeks to shield kids during school shootings — The bright orange bulletproof Bodyguard Blanket is geared at protecting kids from danger during school shootings or natural disasters. — Bodyguard Blankets deployed during a tornado drill. — ProTecht

Discussion: CBS Houston and The Raw Story

Guardian:

Revealed: Asian slave labour producing prawns for supermarkets in US, UK — Thai “ghost ships” that enslave, brutalise and even kill workers are linked to global prawn supply chain, Guardian investigation discovers — Link to video: Globalised slavery: how big supermarkets are selling prawns in supply chain by slave labour

Discussion: Gawker and Lawyers, Guns & Money