memeorandum: After Speakership, Hastert Amassed His Millions Lobbying Former Colleagues (Jonathan Weisman/New York Times)

4:20 PM ET, May 31, 2015

Top Items:

Statement by the Vice President — It is with broken hearts that Hallie, Hunter, Ashley, Jill and I announce the passing of our husband, brother and son, Beau, after he battled brain cancer with the same integrity, courage and strength he demonstrated every day of his life.

Discussion: Yahoo Politics, Taylor Marsh, White House.gov Blog, Associated Press, Business Insider, Telegraph and The Week

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 White House, Reuters, Scared Monkeys, PoliticusUSA, The PJ Tatler, Advocate, PinkNews, Hinterland Gazette, Outside the Beltway, Booman Tribune and Daily Kos

Michael D. Shear / New York Times:
Joseph R. Biden III, Vice President's Son, Dies at 46

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Michael D. Shear / New York Times:
Beau Biden, Vice President Joe Biden's Son, Dies at 46

Discussion: Towleroad News #gay, Washington Monthly and ThinkProgress

Edward-Isaac Dovere / Politico:
Beau Biden, son of the vice president, dies at 46

Discussion: ABC News and Yahoo Politics

Kelly Chen / The Huffington Post:
Beau Biden, Joe Biden's Son, Dead At 46 From Brain Cancer

Discussion: Slantpoint and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Beau Biden / Washington Post: Vice President Biden's family announces death of his son Beau Biden

CNN:

John Kerry in Geneva hospital after bike accident in nearby France — Story highlights — (CNN)U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry broke his right femur in a cycling accident in Scionzier, France, on Sunday morning, State Department spokesman John Kirby said.

Discussion: New York Times, Mediaite, Twitchy, NPR, Ed Driscoll and Booman Tribune

Bradley Klapper / Associated Press:

Secretary Kerry Flown to Swiss Hospital After Bike Crash — Secretary of State John Kerry was helicoptered to a Swiss hospital Sunday after a bike crash outside of Geneva, where he had been holding nuclear talks with Iran's foreign minister. — Kerry suffered a likely leg injury …

Discussion: ABC News

Jeanette Minns / Politico:

John Kerry breaks leg in biking accident in Europe — Secretary of State John Kerry broke his right femur in a bicycling accident in France on Sunday and is returning to the US for treatment, scuttling the final parts of a multi-stop diplomatic trip that has already included meeting with Iranian nuclear negotiators.

Discussion: ABC News

Ben Schreckinger / Politico:

How Bernie Sanders' ‘radical’ ideas entered the municipal mainstream — “He ran against everything.” — On March 4, 1981, red dawn broke over the Green Mountains. — “'Everyone's scared.' Socialist elected mayor of Vermont's largest city,” blared the UPI headline over an article that began …

Discussion: Booman Tribune and Liberaland

Washington Post:

Fatal police shootings in 2015 approaching 400 nationwide — In an alley in Denver, police gunned down a 17-year-old girl joyriding in a stolen car. In the backwoods of North Carolina, police opened fire on a gun-wielding moonshiner. And in a high-rise apartment in Birmingham, Ala. …

Discussion: Al Jazeera English, NPR, Hinterland Gazette, The Atlantic, Hot Air, Liberaland, Slantpoint and Prairie Weather

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:

NBC trying to keep Brian Williams - but maybe not as ‘Nightly News’ anchor — Brian Williams may lose his seat as anchor of the “NBC Nightly News,” but executives are looking for a way to keep him at the network in a new role. — Weeks of complex negotiations between Williams and NBC are not yet complete …

Discussion: Daily Mail, Mediaite and Deadline, more at Mediagazer »

Sarah Palin / Facebook:

Yet another anti-freedom politician jumps in the race today for POTUS. As cool as he is with his rock 'n roll persona, this typical liberal's erroneous grasp of our Bill of Rights merely continues the strange and disastrous agenda of Barack Obama. Good to know he doesn't have much chance of winning.

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Hinterland Gazette

Washington Post:

Hastert's post-Congress life one of political withdrawal and chasing cash — J. Dennis Hastert's political winter in Washington has been defined by two seemingly contradictory traits. He shrank almost completely from the spotlight, while becoming so dogged in the pursuit of wealth that it puzzled his longtime friends.

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:
After Speakership, Hastert Amassed His Millions Lobbying Former Colleagues

Discussion: The PJ Tatler

Randall Balmer / Los Angeles Times:

Op-Ed Mike Huckabee's rhetoric of religious victimization — Just prior to announcing his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, Mike Huckabee addressed the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition in Waukee. “We are criminalizing Christianity in this country,” Huckabee declared.

Discussion: The Hugh Hewitt Show

Erik Schelzig / Associated Press:

Jeb Bush Says Rand Paul ‘Wrong’ on Ending Surveillance Laws — Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Saturday that Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul is “wrong” on his efforts to end post-Sept. 11 surveillance laws used against suspected spies and terrorists.

Discussion: Bloomberg Business

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: The Moderate Voice, The PJ Tatler, Outside the Beltway and Politico

Jennifer Jacobs / Des Moines Register:
Iowa Poll: Walker maintains popularity with 7-point lead

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and NOLA River

New York Times:

Democrats Seek a Richer Roster to Match G.O.P. — WASHINGTON — Over the last few months, Harold M. Ickes, a longtime ally of Hillary Rodham Clinton, has helped organize private meetings around the country with union leaders, Clinton backers and Democratic strategists.