memeorandum: ‘Devious Defecator’ Case Tests Genetics Law (Gina Kolata/New York Times)

10:55 PM ET, May 30, 2015

Top Items:

Michael D. Shear / New York Times:

Joseph R. Biden III, Vice President's Son, Dies at 46 — WASHINGTON — Joseph R. Biden III, the former attorney general of Delaware and the eldest son of Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., has died after spending more than a week receiving an unspecified treatment at the Walter Reed National …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Little Green Footballs and Washington Monthly

Paul Kane / Washington Post:

Beau Biden, vice president's son, dies of brain cancer — Joseph Robinette “Beau” Biden III, the son of Vice President Biden and former state attorney general of Delaware, died Saturday after battling brain cancer for several years. — Biden, 46, the oldest son of the vice president …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, Outside the Beltway and Booman Tribune

Ali Breland / Politico:

Marco Rubio won't compete in Iowa Straw Poll — Sen. Marco Rubio will not participate in the Iowa Straw Poll, his campaign team confirmed Saturday. — The Florida senator and 2016 hopeful's decision marks the latest blow to the August event long considered a staple on the Republican road to the presidential nomination.

John McCormick / Bloomberg Business:

Scott Walker Has Early Lead in Iowa Poll as Jeb Bush Faces Challenges — Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has expanded his early lead in Iowa, while former Florida Governor Jeb Bush continues to face headwinds and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida shows upside potential in the state that hosts …

Discussion: Weekly Standard

Jennifer Jacobs / Des Moines Register:

Iowa Poll: Walker maintains popularity with 7-point lead — Scott Walker's popularity streak in Iowa is real: He's seven percentage points ahead of his nearest competition in the presidential horse race here, chased by a tight pack of four in a clear top tier: Ben Carson, Rand Paul, Jeb Bush and Mike Huckabee.

Discussion: NOLA River and Political Wire

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: Bloomberg Business, CNN, Hot Air, The Talking Dog, ThinkProgress, Mediaite, Washington Post, Weekly Standard, The Hill, The Daily Beast, New York Times and Slantpoint

Michael Hirsh / Politico:
Can Martin O'Malley take flight?

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

Dustin Volz / National Journal:
Rand Paul Vows to Force Expiration of Patriot Act

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

Tim Devaney / The Hill:

Administration preps new gun regulations — The Justice Department plans to move forward this year with more than a dozen new gun-related regulations, according to list of rules the agency has proposed to enact before the end of the Obama administration. — The regulations range …

Discussion: The PJ Tatler and Liberaland

Jesse Singal / New York Magazine:

The Case of the Amazing Gay-Marriage Data: How a Graduate Student Reluctantly Uncovered a Huge Scientific Fraud — “What’s the book? There’s no book for this. What do we do? ’” — 7.5k — Shares — 6.4k — The exposure of one of the biggest scientific frauds …

Discussion: Pharyngula and Washington Post

Ana Marie Cox / The Daily Beast:

How ‘Public Servant’ Hastert Got His Riches — Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was paying hush money to protect his reputation. The question, however, is what reputation? — Not-so-frequently Asked Questions About the Hastert Indictment — It's clear that the indictment …

Discussion: Liberaland, NPR and The Moderate Voice

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: Liberaland, Raw Story and BARE NAKED ISLAM

Gina Kolata / New York Times:

‘Devious Defecator’ Case Tests Genetics Law — Seven years ago, Congress prohibited employers and insurers from discriminating against people with genes that increase their risks for costly diseases, but the case that experts believe is the first to go to trial under the law involves something …

Discussion: Washington Post

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.

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

Discussion: Power Line

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

Discussion: Washington Post, Yahoo Politics and Liberal Values

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, PoliticusUSA and Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times