memeorandum: Baltimore's blight puts O'Malley on defensive in bid for presidency (Robert McCartney/Washington Post)

5:10 PM ET, May 30, 2015

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Manu Raju / Politico:

Exclusive: Rand Paul: ‘I will force the expiration’ of the PATRIOT Act — In a statement to POLITICO, Paul warns that he would not consent to any efforts to pass either an extension of current law or the USA Freedom Act. — Rand Paul plans to force the expiration of the PATRIOT Act Sunday …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Talking Dog, Mediaite, Washington Post, Slantpoint, The Hill, New Yorker and New York Times

Michael Hirsh / Politico:

Can Martin O'Malley take flight? — The former Maryland governor wants to seize Elizabeth Warren's mantle and take on Hillary too. Problem is almost no one knows him. — Lead image by Greg Kahn for Politico Magazine. — BALTIMORE—Martin O'Malley grins gamely when I ask him why there isn't yet a …

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, ABC News, The Moderate Voice, The Reaction and OnPolitics

Dustin Volz / National Journal:

Rand Paul Vows to Force Expiration of Patriot Act — “Tomorrow, I will force the expiration of the NSA illegal spy program.” — Sen. Rand Paul announced Saturday he intends to force the expiration of the Patriot Act's surveillance authorities this weekend by refusing to allow votes …

Discussion: New York Times, Hit & Run and Outside the Beltway

Charlotte Alter / TIME:

Martin O'Malley Announces Presidential Run — “The presidency is not a crown to be passed back and forth by you between two royal families” — Two-term Maryland governor Martin O'Malley announced his presidential campaign Saturday with a swing at Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush.

Discussion: Advocate

Robert McCartney / Washington Post:

Baltimore's blight puts O'Malley on defensive in bid for presidency — When Martin O'Malley announces his bid for the presidency Saturday in Baltimore, he is hoping that backdrop will strengthen his effort to become the leading candidate for progressives. — But the backdrop also could be his albatross.

Discussion: Hinterland Gazette

Sahil Kapur / Bloomberg Business:
Martin O'Malley Announces Democratic Presidential Bid

Discussion: Liberal Values, Washington Post and Yahoo Politics

Redditt Hudson / Vox:

I'm a black ex-cop, and this is the real truth about race and policing — On any given day, in any police department in the nation, 15 percent of officers will do the right thing no matter what is happening. Fifteen percent of officers will abuse their authority at every opportunity.

Discussion: The Reaction

Orin Kerr / Washington Post:

If I understand the history correctly, in the late 1990s, the President was impeached for lying about a sexual affair by a House of Representatives led by a man who was also then hiding a sexual affair, who was supposed to be replaced by another Congressman who stepped down when forced to reveal …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Hullabaloo, Outside the Beltway, The Moderate Voice and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Emmakristina Sveen / The Daily Caller:

University Feminist Group Vandalizes Fraternity On The Eve Of Graduation Weekend — On the night of Thursday, May 21 as numerous alumni and families of soon-to-be graduates crowded the Wesleyan University campus, a student feminist group vandalized the house and lawn of Delta Kappa Epsilon …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Instapundit

Kevin Cirilli / The Hill:

House Dem: Left has ‘hijacked’ party message — Rep. John Delaney (Md.), a centrist House Democrat, on Friday warned that voices on the left have “hijacked” his party's message. — “With Washington already broken, the last thing we need is a left-wing version of the tea party,” …

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

John Eligon / New York Times:

To Fill Budget Hole, Kansas G.O.P. Considers the Unthinkable: Raising Taxes — TOPEKA, Kan. — With the state facing a $400 million budget hole for the coming fiscal year, the conservatives who dominate the Legislature here say they are agonizing over the likelihood of doing something …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Kansas City Star, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times and Associated Press

Rummana Hussain / Chicago:

Muslim chaplain from NU claims racist remarks on United flight — A Muslim chaplain from Northwestern University said a United Airlines flight attendant made derogatory comments to her after she requested an unopened can of Diet Coke on a flight from Chicago to Washington D.C.

Discussion: BARE NAKED ISLAM and Raw Story

Lauren McGaughy / Houston Chronicle:

Open carry will soon be the law in Texas … AUSTIN - Texas will soon be an open carry state. — The state House and Senate on Friday gave final approval to the legislation, which starting on Jan. 1 will allow those with a concealed carry license to openly tote their handguns in a shoulder or hip holster.

Julie Hirschfeld Davis / New York Times:

U.S. Removes Cuba From State-Sponsored Terrorism List — WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Friday removed Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism, a crucial step in normalizing ties between Washington and Havana and the latest progress in President Obama's push to thaw relations between …

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, Outside the Beltway and The Right to Rise PAC