memeorandum: Police: Approximately 20 killed in Florida club shooting (Mike Schneider/Associated Press)

1:55 PM ET, June 12, 2016

Top Items:

Omar Mateen, Terrorist Who Attacked Orlando Gay Club, Had Been Investigated by FBI — Mateen was a ‘known quantity’ to federal law enforcement before he killed 53 people in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. — Omar Mateen of Port Saint Lucie, Florida, came to the attention …

Discussion: Politico, Power LinePower Line, NBC News, Business Insider, Jihad Watch, Pamela Geller, Hot Air, Hit & Run, AMERICAblog NewsAMERICAblog … and Tim Blair

NBC News:

At Least 50 Dead After ‘Terrorism’ at Orlando Gay Club — Rep. Alan Grayson: This Might Be a Hate Crime 4:02 — At least 50 people are dead and more than 50 others are wounded after a gunman opened fire and took hostages at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, early Sunday morning, police said.

Lee Ferran / ABC News:

What We Know About Omar Mateen, Suspected Orlando Nightclub Shooter — Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old U.S.-born citizen, has been identified as the suspect in Sunday's mass shooting that left at least 50 dead and more than 50 others wounded at the Pulse Nightclub, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

Discussion: news9.com KWTV, Heat Street, AOL, Raw Story, WCTX-TV, Business Insider and The Week

Adam Goldman / Washington Post:

Orlando nightclub shooting: 50 killed in ‘domestic terror incident’ at gay club; gunman identified — A gunman opened fire inside a crowded gay nightclub in Orlando, killing 50 people and injuring dozens more in a rampage that turned into a deadly hostage situation.

Discussion: Media Matters for America, Guardian, The Atlantic, Gothamist, RedState, Mediaite, AOL, Bearing Arms, Business Insider, WTVR-TV, New York Magazine, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, WNCN, WCMH-TV, NPR, Prairie Weather, The Truth About Guns and Joe.My.God.

David Caplan / ABC News:

‘Mass Casuality Situation’ Following Shooting at Orlando Nightclub, Shooter Dead: Police — A shooting at an Orlando nightclub early Sunday morning has been described as a “mass casualty situation,” police announced Sunday morning. — “The shooter inside the nightclub is dead,” tweeted Orlando Police shortly before 6 a.m.

Discussion: Politico, The Hill, Mediaite, The Moderate Voice, Talking Points Memo, The Hinterland Gazette, Daily Kos, The Last Refuge, Jihad Watch, alan.com and Joe.My.God.

New York Times:

Shooting at Orlando Nightclub Kills 50, Police Say — ORLANDO, Fla. — A gunman killed 50 people and wounded 53 in a crowded gay nightclub in Orlando early Sunday, officials said, in the worst mass shooting slaughter in American history, and law enforcement officials called it an act of terrorism.

Discussion: Orlando Sentinel, WESH-TV, TheBlaze.com, Complex, Los Angeles Times, Sputnik International, Independent Journal …, Al Jazeera English, Outside the Beltway, Althouse, Sky Dancing, Vocativ and Watermark Online

Adam Goldman / Washington Post:

Ex-wife of suspected Orlando shooter: ‘He beat me’ — The ex-wife of the 29-year-man suspected of killing 50 people in a Orlando nightclub early Sunday said that he was violent and mentally unstable and beat her repeatedly while they were married. — The ex-wife said she met Omar Mateen online …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Hit & Run and Instapundit

Kim Hjelmgaard / USA Today:

Pulse more than ‘just another gay club’ — One of the owners of the gay nightclub where multiple people were shot early Sunday in Orlando started the club to promote awareness about the area's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Her brother died from AIDS.

Discussion: Mother Jones, The Atlantic, The New Civil Rights Movement and Shakesville

Matt Higgins / CBS New York:

Police: Gunman Kills 50 In Orlando Nightclub Attack — ORLANDO, Fla. (CBSNewYork/AP) — A gunman wielding an assault-type rifle and a handgun opened fire inside a crowded Florida nightclub early Sunday before dying in a gunfight with SWAT officers, police said.

Discussion: Fox News, The White House, Raw Story, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, KRON4.com, Washington Free Beacon, Pamela Geller and Independent Journal …

Kurt Vile / CBS News:

Islamic terrorism tie eyed in Orlando gay bar shooting — ORLANDO, Fla. - A shooting and hostage situation early Sunday morning at a Florida nightclub — which describes itself as “Orlando's hottest gay bar” — left “around 20” people dead, including the gunman, officials say.

Discussion: CNN, USA Today, ThinkProgress, CBS New York, CBS Baltimore, Gothamist, Patterico's Pontifications, The Root, The Truth About Guns, Tim Blair and The Last Tradition

Daily Mail:

‘We consider this an act of terrorism’: Suspected Islamic extremist shoots dead at least 20 dead at Florida gay club after bursting in ‘wearing a suicide vest’ and taking hostages - injuring a further 42 — Gunman, believed to have ‘leanings to radical Islamic terrorism’, opened fire inside Pulse gay club in Orlando

Discussion: AMERICAN DIGEST, Jihad Watch, Vox Popoli, The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Beast

Tom Cleary / Heavy.com:

Omar Mateen: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know — Email Follow — Omar Mir Seddique Mateen has been named as the gunman who killed 50 people and wounded 53 others at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, CBS News reports. — He was later killed by police after taking hostages at the LGBT club.

Discussion: NBC News, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Jihad Watch and Mediaite

Omar Mateen / TMZ.com:
Terrorist Was 29-Year-Old Islamic Radical (PHOTO)

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Pamela Geller and Shot in the Dark

Lisa Cianci / Orlando Sentinel:
Blood donors needed after mass shooting in Orlando

Discussion: Slate, ThinkProgress, CNN, Washington Post, Equality Florida, CBS New York and Friendly Atheist

Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
Dem rep: Orlando shooter ‘made pledge of allegiance’ to ISIS

Discussion: RedState and Jihad Watch

Guardian:
Florida nightclub shooting: 50 killed and 53 injured in ‘act of terror’ - rolling updates

Discussion: Washington Post, Complex, No More Mister Nice Blog and The American Conservative

Mike Schneider / Associated Press:
Police: Approximately 20 killed in Florida club shooting

Discussion: New York Post, FiveThirtyEight, The Jawa Report, Townhall.com, New Urban Legends, CNN, Truth Revolt and The Last Refuge

NBC News:
Orlando Nightclub Shooting: Mass Casualties After Gunman Opens Fire in Gay Club

Discussion: Fox News

Associated Press:
50 dead at gay dance club in Orlando

Discussion: Associated Press and Washington Monthly

Carl M. Cannon / Real Clear Politics:

Trump Is Looking for a Way Out — Long before Donald Trump made his first foray into Las Vegas real estate, I had an unsettling experience gambling in a downtown Vegas casino. The cards were falling my way until late at night, when I began making subtle mistakes. My stack of poker chips, once piled high, dwindled.

New York Times:

Hillary Clinton's New Ad Attacks Donald Trump Using Strong Words (His) — In her first ad of the general election campaign, Hillary Clinton will use Donald J. Trump's words to portray him as a violently divisive candidate who is intolerant of the diverse fabric of the American electorate.

Discussion: AOL

Josh Haskell / ABC News:
Clinton Frames First General Election Ad as ‘Choice About Who We Are as a Nation’

Discussion: Politico, Associated Press and The Gateway Pundit

Annie Karni / Politico:
Clinton launches first general election ad

Discussion: RedState

Evelyn Rupert / The Hill:

WV Dems call for resignation of DNC chair — West Virginia Democrats joined in on a call to end the role of unbound superdelegates in the Democratic primary process and also showed support for the resignation of Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Discussion: Raw Story and The Week