memeorandum: Zimmerman's side: He was the victim of road rage (CNN)

8:55 AM ET, May 13, 2015

Top Items:

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Senate deals stinging defeat to Obama trade agenda — Senate Democrats on Tuesday delivered a stinging blow to President Obama's trade agenda by voting to prevent the chamber from picking up fast-track legislation. — A motion to cut off a filibuster and proceed to the trade bill fell short of a 60-vote hurdle, 52-45.

Discussion: Horizons, Common Dreams, Senator Sanders's Feed, Portside, Wall Street Journal, United Steelworkers, The PJ Tatler, Yahoo Politics, Daily Kos, Washington Monthly, Washington Post, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Politico and Reuters

Kevin Cirilli / The Hill:

NOW president: Obama's Warren critique sexist — National Organization for Women (NOW) president Terry O'Neill on Wednesday called President Obama's critique of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sexist. — O'Neill told The Hill she took issue with Obama calling Warren by her first name during …

Discussion: Mediaite, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Twitchy, Washington Post and Patterico's Pontifications

Seung Min Kim / Politico:

Senator suggests gender played into Obama-Warren spat — Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, one of the top Democratic opponents of President Barack Obama's trade agenda, criticized Obama on Tuesday for what the senator saw as “disrespectful” comments toward Sen. Elizabeth Warren and indicated that Warren's gender may have played a role.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Hill, Betsy's Page, Reuters, Hot Air, BuzzFeed, Mediaite, Taylor Marsh, Bloomberg View, American Spectator and Bloomberg Business

Laura Barron-Lopez / The Huffington Post:
Here's The Senator Who United Democrats To Block Obama's Trade Agenda

Discussion: Bloomberg Business and The Atlantic

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:
Senate Democrats Foil Obama on Asia Trade Deal

Discussion: Washington Post, Hot Air, Philly.com, Moe Lane, Mediaite, The PJ Tatler and National Journal

Paul Kane / Washington Post:
Feud with Warren breaks open amid ‘fast track’ vote

Discussion: Roll Call, Politico, The Huffington Post and NPR

Brent Budowsky / The New York Observer:
Obama Hurls Insults at Liberals on Trade

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, Viking Pundit, Fox News and CNN

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:
Dem Senator Accuses Obama of Sexism Toward Elizabeth Warren

Discussion: The Federalist and American Spectator

Politico:
Reid offers plan to break trade impasse

Discussion: Washington Post, RealClearPolitics Videos, American Spectator, BuzzFeed, Bloomberg Business, The Hill, DownWithTyranny!, Common Dreams, Wall Street Journal and Salon

Facebook Media:

Introducing Instant Articles — As more people get their news on mobile devices, we want to make the experience faster and richer on Facebook. People share a lot of articles on Facebook, particularly on our mobile app. To date, however, these stories take an average of eight seconds to load …

Discussion: Politico, Raw Story, The Verge, New York Times, TechCrunch, Engadget, Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post and Talking Points Memo, more at Mediagazer »

Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:

The New York Times-Facebook Deal Is Here — It could represent a seismic change for both the publishing industry and for the media company itself. — 1.9k — Shares — 1k — Tomorrow morning, in what marks a tectonic shift in the publishing industry, the New York Times is expected …

Discussion: Hot Air, The PJ Tatler and Poynter., more at Mediagazer »

blog.amtrak.com:

Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188 at North Philadelphia — We are deeply saddened by the loss of life from Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188 that derailed north of Philadelphia Tuesday evening. We ask the news media to be respectful of our customers, our employees, and their families.

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, Baltimore Sun and The Talking Dog

Paul Nussbaum / Philly.com:

Nutter: At least 5 dead as Amtrak train derails in Port Richmond — At least five people were killed and more than 50 were injured when a northbound Amtrak train derailed Tuesday night in Port Richmond, Mayor Nutter said. — Scores of emergency personnel swarmed over more than a half-dozen …

Discussion: CNN, Scared Monkeys, The Week and NPR

Kathryn A. Wolfe / Politico:

Investigation launched into fatal Amtrak crash — As many as 50 people were injured in the crash. Sen. Tom Carper had been on the train until shortly before the collision. — An Amtrak train from Washington, D.C., to New York City derailed Tuesday night in Philadelphia …

Discussion: NPR and The PJ Tatler

Wall Street Journal:

Republican Field, Mellow Edition — I find myself feeling mellow on the subject of 2016. I have nonspecific affection and sympathy for everyone. Actually when I think of the Republican field the picture that comes to mind is of Cloris Leachman in the movie “Spanglish.” Merrily: “I love you.

Roger Simon / Politico:
Was Jeb dropped on head as a child?

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Fox News, The Huffington Post, Talking Points Memo, The Week, Mediaite and American Bridge PAC

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

There Is No ‘Blue Wall’ — If you were browsing campaign coverage at this point in advance of the 1992 election, you'd be reading a lot about the Republicans' impregnable “red wall.” OK — it wouldn't have been called the “red wall” (the association of Republicans with red states and Democrats …

Discussion: Bloomberg View, Hot Air, Politico and Bloomberg Business

Everett Rosenfeld / CNBC:

Moody's downgrades Chicago debt to ‘junk’ with negative outlook — Moody's downgraded Chicago's credit rating down to junk level “Ba1” from “Baa2.” — The announcement, which the ratings agency released Tuesday afternoon, cited a recent Illinois court ruling voiding state pension reforms.

Discussion: Shot in the Dark

Meghan Keneally / ABC News:

Madison Police Officer Who Shot Tony Robinson Will Not Face Charges … The Madison, Wisconsin, police officer who fatally shot a 19-year-old will not be criminally charged for the shooting since the district attorney announced today that it was a “lawful use of deadly police force.”

Discussion: FOX6Now.com, Scared Monkeys and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Jethro Mullen / CNN:
Will police officer face charges over killing of Tony Robinson in Wisconsin?

Discussion: JSOnline, Gawker, The Huffington Post and Mediaite

Dan Messineo / Local News:

Right-to-work bill passes through Missouri Senate — Democrats attempt to filibuster right-to-work bill — JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - — A right-to-work bill passed through the Missouri Senate Tuesday evening after a more than 8 hour filibuster by democrats.

Discussion: TPNN, The Gateway Pundit and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Meghann Myers / USA Today:

Navy to double maternity leave, make fitness changes — Navy Secretary Ray Mabus is set to unveil a host of far-reaching initiatives and policy changes aimed at improving quality of life and careers for sailors and Marines, a senior Navy official confirmed to Navy Times.

Discussion: The Week and Outside the Beltway

WXIA-TV:

Man saves dog, but gets arrested anyway — A man saves a dog from a hot Mustang but was arrested because of how he did it. The move landed Michael Hammons behind bars. WXIA — CONNECT — ATHENS, GA (WXIA) - A man saves a dog from a hot Mustang but was arrested because of how he did it.

Discussion: Addicting Info and fox4kc.com

Paul Lewis / Guardian:

Revealed: FBI violated its own rules while spying on Keystone XL opponents — The FBI breached its own internal rules when it spied on campaigners against the Keystone XL pipeline, failing to get approval before it cultivated informants and opened files on individuals protesting …

Discussion: New York Times, Mashable and Common Dreams

David K. Shipler / New Yorker:

Pamela Geller and the Anti-Islam Movement — The winning cartoon in the contest to draw the Prophet Muhammad, early this month in Garland, Texas, which two gunmen attacked, depicts a fierce Prophet waving a scimitar and saying, “You can't draw me!” The artist, whose hand and pencil are visible …

Discussion: The PJ Tatler

David Brooks / New York Times:

The Center-Right Moment — The most surprising event of this political era is what hasn't happened. The world has not turned left. Given the financial crisis, widening inequality, the unpopularity of the right's stances on social issues and immigration, you would have thought …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Democratic Strategist

Patrick Wintour / Guardian:

David Cameron to unveil new limits on extremists' activities in Queen's speech — Prime minister will announce counter-terrorism bill including plans to restrict harmful actions of those seeking to radicalise young people — A counter-terrorism bill including plans for extremism disruption orders designed …

Discussion: Business Insider and Jay Bookman

Tom Baldwin / Guardian:

The BBC was not in the pocket of Labour this election. Quite the opposite — For all its faults, the BBC is an organisation that is invested in fairness. But it has been too easily swayed by pressure from Tory-supporting newspapers — If history is written by the winners …

Discussion: Business Insider and Spectator

The White House:

Remarks by the President in Conversation on Poverty at Georgetown University — Washington, D.C. — MR. DIONNE: It's a real honor to be here today with my two Presidents — President Obama and President DeGioia. (Laughter.) And my friend, David Brooks, hurled the most vicious insult …

Discussion: American Spectator and The Daily Caller