Top Items:
Los Angeles Times:
Dennis Hastert paid to conceal sexual misconduct, sources say — Indicted former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was paying an individual from his past to conceal sexual misconduct, two federal law enforcement officials said Friday. — One of the officials, who would not speak publicly …
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Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:
So What Did Hastert Do? — “The Coach”, former House Speaker turned high-priced lobbyist, is the target of a mysterious indictment. The Times has some details (and attaches the indictment) and the WaPo has some speculation that is informative for its omissions. — Background from the Times:
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Post and CANNONFIRE
Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:
Creepy C-SPAN Caller To Hastert: Do You ‘Remember Me From Yorkville?’ (VIDEO) — Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) got a strange call from an Illinois resident last year in a C-SPAN segment that surfaced in light of allegations that he agreed to pay $3.5 million in hush money to an individual from the town of Yorkville.
Discussion:
TVNewser and Associated Press
John Stanton / BuzzFeed:
Sources: Hastert Lawyers Asked U.S. Attorney To Withhold Details Of Alleged “Misconduct”
Sources: Hastert Lawyers Asked U.S. Attorney To Withhold Details Of Alleged “Misconduct”
Monique Garcia / Chicago Tribune:
Hastert statue shelved at Illinois Capitol
Hastert statue shelved at Illinois Capitol
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress and Chicago
Megan R. Wilson / The Hill:
Hastert resigns lobbying position after indictment
Hastert resigns lobbying position after indictment
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Scared Monkeys, CNN, RT, BuzzFeed and Politico
Monica Davey / New York Times:
U.S. Accuses Ex-House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert of Paying to Hide ‘Misconduct’
U.S. Accuses Ex-House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert of Paying to Hide ‘Misconduct’
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Booman Tribune and Washington Post
Lydia Saad / Gallup:
Americans Choose “Pro-Choice” for First Time in Seven Years — Story Highlights — PRINCETON, N.J. — Half of Americans consider themselves “pro-choice” on abortion, surpassing the 44% who identify as “pro-life.” This is the first time since 2008 that the pro-choice position …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Moderate Voice, Hot Air, The Federalist, PoliticusUSA, LifeNews.com, Mediaite and The Huffington Post
RELATED:
Adam B. Lerner / Politico:
Pro-choice outpolls pro-life for first time in 7 years
Pro-choice outpolls pro-life for first time in 7 years
Discussion:
Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times
Deborah Sontag / New York Times:
An Award for Bill Clinton Came With $500,000 for His Foundation — To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Petra Nemcova, a Czech model who survived the disaster by clinging to a palm tree, decided to pull out all the stops for the annual fund-raiser of her school-building charity, the Happy Hearts Fund.
Discussion:
Fox News, Mediaite, American Spectator, Bloomberg Business, Hot Air, The Week, Althouse and Politico
Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Rand Paul's money problem — Behind the Kentucky senator's NSA ‘filibuster’ lies a desperate quest for cash. — In a presidential campaign defined by billionaire sugar daddy donors, Rand Paul has a problem: He doesn't seem to have one. — While his rivals cultivate wealthy backers …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, NBC News, Bloomberg Business, Washington Monthly and Hot Air
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Julian Hattem / The Hill:
Thousands of websites block Congress in Patriot Act protest — Thousands of websites are blocking Congress's access to their sites in a show of force to protest the Patriot Act. — Led by the online activist group Fight for the Future, more than 10,000 sites have added code that redirects …
Discussion:
Guardian and Business Insider
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David Wasserman / FiveThirtyEight:
The Supreme Court Could Give The GOP Another 8 Seats In Congress — This week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a lawsuit filed by conservative activists in Texas that could redefine the principle of “one person, one vote” as we know it. And if the Court sides with the plaintiffs …
Discussion:
Election Law Blog, Political Wire, AMERICAblog News and Daily Kos
RELATED:
Dan Merica / CNN:
Bernie Sanders distances himself from ‘dumb’ 1972 essay on rape — Bernie Sanders wrote about rape fantasies in 1970s 06:17 — New York (CNN)Bernie Sanders' campaign tried on Thursday to distance the presidential candidate from a 1972 essay in which he wrote — among other things …
Discussion:
TheBlaze.com, Salon, Daily Mail, The Hill, Seven Days, Taylor Marsh, Shakesville, Hinterland Gazette, BuzzFeed and BarbWire.com
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Charles C. W. Cooke / National Review:
Let's Not Crucify Bernie Sanders for His Sexual-Fantasies Essay
Let's Not Crucify Bernie Sanders for His Sexual-Fantasies Essay
Politico:
Lincoln Chafee to announce presidential run on June 3 — Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee will officially enter the presidential race on June 3, a source with knowledge of his plans told POLITICO. — He'll make the announcement in a speech he's scheduled to deliver next Wednesday …
Discussion:
OnPolitics, The Week and The PJ Tatler
Nelson D. Schwartz / New York Times:
U.S. Economy Contracted 0.7% in First Quarter — The economy got off to an even weaker start this year than first thought, the government reported Friday, as economic activity contracted amid a disappointing trade picture and continued caution on spending by businesses and consumers alike.
Discussion:
Associated Press, White House.gov Blog, Washington Monthly, Wall Street Journal, Truth Revolt, Scared Monkeys and The Week
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Matt Richtel / New York Times:
Windshield Devices Bring Distracted Driving Debate to Eye Level — In a widely watched YouTube video, a man is driving around Los Angeles when his phone rings. On a small screen mounted on the dashboard, an image of the caller, the man's mother, appears. — But there's an optical twist …
Discussion:
Boing Boing and Eschaton
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Christie to pull New Jersey from Common Core — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced Thursday he will pull his state out of Common Core, a move that could bolster his standing with grassroots Republican primary voters opposed to the education standards.
RELATED:
Matt Arco / New Jersey Online:
Christie: Dump Common Core education standards
Christie: Dump Common Core education standards
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The PJ Tatler and Politico
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
If Hillary becomes president, who will make her obey the law? — A President Hillary Clinton would have far more power to set up a secretive system of communications than a Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Who could tell her no? (AP Photo) — Last year, before Hillary Clinton's …
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
The Insecure American — America remains, despite the damage inflicted by the Great Recession and its aftermath, a very rich country. But many Americans are economically insecure, with little protection from life's risks. They frequently experience financial hardship …
Jeff Rathke / US Department of State:
Rescission of Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism — Press Statement — Director, Office of Press Relations — Washington, DC — In December 2014, the President instructed the Secretary of State to immediately launch a review of Cuba's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism …
Discussion:
Telegraph, Daily Mail, Common Dreams, mrctv.org/videos and The Week
Joe Conason / Politico:
The fake Clinton scandals are back — The right's newest crusade has an old fake villain. — Lead image by AP Photo. — Has Washington learned nothing from Whitewater? The Clintons have spent their entire political lives in the capital dogged by one fake scandal after another.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, The Atlantic, Slate, The National Memo, Washington Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Liberal Values and Daily Mail