memeorandum: Port Authority acknowledges SEC probe into use of funds on N.J. road repairs (Shawn Boburg/NorthJersey.com)

6:30 PM ET, June 13, 2014

Top Items:

Fareed Zakaria / Washington Post:

Who lost Iraq? The Iraqis did, with an assist from George W. Bush — It is becoming increasingly likely that Iraq has reached a turning point. The forces hostile to the government have grown stronger, better equipped and more organized. And having now secured arms …

Discussion: his vorpal sword, The Dish, The Week, The Daily Beast, The Mahablog and National Review

Paul Waldman / Washington Post:

On Iraq, let's ignore those who got it all wrong — At noon today, President Obama issued his first statement on the deteriorating situation on Iraq. “This is not solely or even primarily a military challenge,” he said. “The United States will do our part, but understand that ultimately it's …

Discussion: American Prospect, Daily Kos, The Daily Banter, Politico, Weekly Standard and AEIdeas

CNN:

Obama: ‘We will not be sending U.S. troops to Iraq’ — [Adds breaking news update 12:05 p.m.] — President Barack Obama said Friday that the United States “will not be sending U.S. troops back into combat in Iraq,” but that he would be reviewing a range of other options to support …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, Liberaland, The Lead with Jake Tapper and KFOR-TV

Parisa Hafezi / Reuters:

Exclusive: Alarmed by Iraq, Iran open to shared role with U.S. - Iran official — (Reuters) - Shi'te Muslim Iran is so alarmed by Sunni insurgent gains in Iraq that it may be willing to cooperate with Washington in helping Baghdad fight back, a senior Iranian official told Reuters.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, New York Times, American Spectator, Hot Air, Informed Comment, Bloomberg View, Blazing Cat Fur and The Dish

Washington Post:

Volunteers flock to defend Baghdad as insurgents seize more Iraqi territory — IRBIL, Iraq — Shiite clerics called on Iraqi civilians Friday to take up arms against advancing Sunni insurgents inspired by al-Qaeda, drawing the battle lines for a major sectarian confrontation in the fracturing state.

Discussion: Rational Irrationality, Reuters, AEIdeas, Committee to Protect …, Washington Monthly, National Review, Agence France-Presse and CNN

Washington Post:
Transcript: President Obama's remarks on the crisis in Iraq

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, TalkLeft and National Review

CNN:
Iran sends forces to Iraq as ISIS militants press forward, official says

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

New York Times:
Prime Minister Maliki Panics as Insurgents Gain

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, Slate, The Long War Journal, Firedoglake, Hit & Run, emptywheel, Daily Kos and Washington Free Beacon

Washington Post:
Obama says he will not send troops to Iraq but is considering ‘other options’

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Guardian and Weekly Standard

Reihan Salam / Slate:
We Never Should Have Left Iraq

Discussion: Reuters, Commentary Magazine, alicublog, The Dish, AEIdeas, Hinterland Gazette, National Review, Hullabaloo, RedState, Telegraph, Hot Air, Foreign Policy and Washington Post

Paul Lewis / Guardian:
Obama ‘urgently’ considering air assault on targets in Syria and Iraq

Discussion: Washington Post, The Daily Beast, ThinkProgress and The Dish

Shane Harris / Foreign Policy:
Jihadist Gains in Iraq Blindside American Spies

Discussion: National Review, The Week, The Daily Signal, Hot Air, Institute for the Study …, American Spectator, Vox Popoli, The Long War Journal, The Dish, Business Insider and TalkLeft

Peter Baker / New York Times:
Obama Says He Will Decide on Military Support for Iraq in ‘Days Ahead’

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Politico and JustOneMinute

New York Times:
Iraqi Shiite Cleric Issues Call to Arms Against Sunni Militants

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Gawker

Fazel Hawramy / Guardian:
Kurdish peshmerga seize a chaotic victory in Kirkuk

Discussion: Business Insider, The Dish and RedState

Daily Mail:
ABU DUA: IMPRISONED BY THE US, THE MAN WHO HATES THE WEST MORE THAN OSAMA BIN LADEN AND IS THE DRIVING FORCE BY ISIS

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, neo-neocon, Blazing Cat Fur, The Federalist, CANNONFIRE, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Riehl World News and Reuters, more at Mediagazer »

Brian Umana / Washington Post:

I'm a Democrat and I helped the tea party unseat Eric Cantor — People are baffled today that Rep. Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, lost his job when he lost his GOP primary Tuesday night. A common refrain is, how could this have happened? (Sample headline: “Why Did Cantor Lose?

Discussion: TheBlaze.com

Kyle Rothenberg / Fox News:

Cochran campaign says senator just joking when claimed ignorance of Cantor loss — Two days after Eric Cantor's primary loss received national attention, Mississippi GOP Sen. Thad Cochran — who's caught in a tight primary race of his own — said he had no idea what happened in Virginia …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, Politico, CNN, WJTV, The Week and MSNewsNow.com

Matthew Boyle / BREITBART.COM:

THAD COCHRAN: I GREW UP DOING ‘ALL KINDS OF INDECENT THINGS WITH ANIMALS’ — Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) provided his latest head-scratching comment in public, this time joking he engaged in illicit activities with animals as a child. — “[We'd] get back [to the Pine Belt-Hattiesburg area of Mississippi] …

Discussion: Liberaland, New York Times, The Week, The Daily Caller and Riehl World News

New York Times:

David Brat and Jack Trammell show unease in the spotlight — ASHLAND, Va. — Before the two professors became overnight political rivals in one of the most improbable, high-profile races in memory, they knew each other best as basketball teammates. — David Brat, the economics professor …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Daily Kos and Washington Post

Philip Klein / Washington Examiner:
The absurdity of electing Kevin McCarthy to replace Eric Cantor as House majority leader

Discussion: The New Republic, Hot Air, Washington Monthly, Washington Post, New York Times, RedState and Wall Street Journal

Geoff Pender / The Clarion-Ledger:
Cochran ‘indecent things with animals’ creates buzz

Discussion: Liberaland, Hinterland Gazette, The Raw Story, Riehl World News, Hot Air, BuzzFeed and PoliticusUSA

waysandmeans.house.gov:

IRS Claims to Have Lost Over 2 Years of Lerner Emails — f t # e — Washington, DC - Today, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) issued the following statement regarding the Internal Revenue Service informing the Committee that they have lost Lois Lerner emails from a period of January 2009 - April 2011.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Associated Press, Power Line, Wall Street Journal, Washington Free Beacon, Mediaite and NewsBusters

Politico:

Chelsea Clinton paid $600K by NBC — Chelsea Clinton earned an annual salary of $600,000 at NBC News before switching to a month-to-month contract earlier this year, sources with knowledge of the agreement told POLITICO. — Clinton, who joined NBC News as a “special correspondent” …

Discussion: Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo and Outside the Beltway, more at Mediagazer »

Congressman Raul Labrador:

LABRADOR ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER — “I want a House Leadership that reflects the best of our Conference” — BOISE, ID - Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-ID) announced his candidacy today to serve as House Majority Leader. He released the following statement:

Discussion: Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, OnPolitics, Daily Kos, The Daily Signal, The Week and National Review

ABC News:
House GOP Conservative in Long-Shot Leadership Bid

Discussion: Politico and Outside the Beltway

Jonathan Topaz / Politico:

McCain Iraq interview gets heated — Sen. John McCain continued his blistering attack on President Barack Obama's handling of Iraq on Friday, again calling for his entire national security team to be replaced and saying his decisions have been very costly. — “The president wanted …

Discussion: ABC News, The Daily Beast, Daily Kos, ABC News, No More Mister Nice Blog and Shakesville

Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic Online:

Hillary Clinton's Gay-Marriage Problem — Until 2013, she held a position that lots of Democratic voters now regard as deeply wrongheaded. Some even insist that it is hateful and bigoted. — Hillary Clinton didn't refrain from supporting same-sex marriage for political reasons-prior to last year …

Discussion: The Dish, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, NY Daily News, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Mediaite and The Week Magazine

JSOnline:

Scott Walker declines to define stand on gay marriage today — For years, Gov. Scott Walker has been a rock-solid proponent of traditional marriage between one man and one woman. — As Milwaukee County executive, he opposed efforts to provide health care benefits to the gay partners of county employees.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, The Daily Beast and Daily Kos