memeorandum: Pulse more than ‘just another gay club’ (Kim Hjelmgaard/USA Today)

1:25 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: Power LinePower Line, NBC News, Business Insider, Jihad Watch, Pamela Geller, 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: Associated Press, AOL, Raw Story, WCTX-TV 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: Guardian, Media Matters for America, RedState, The Atlantic, Gothamist, Mediaite, AOL, Bearing Arms, Business Insider, WTVR-TV, New York Magazine, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, WNCN, WCMH-TV, Prairie Weather, The Truth About Guns, Joe.My.God. and NPR

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

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

New York Times:

50 Dead in Shooting at Gay Nightclub in Orlando; Possible Terror Link — 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 said it was an act of terrorism.

Discussion: Orlando Sentinel, TheBlaze.com, Los Angeles Times, Sputnik International, Al Jazeera English, Outside the Beltway, Althouse, Sky Dancing, Vocativ, The Daily Beast, Complex and Watermark Online

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: Fox News, Jihad Watch, Vox Popoli and The Gateway Pundit

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: The White House, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, KRON4.com, Washington Free Beacon and Pamela Geller

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

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

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 and Hit & Run

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

Discussion: Slate, ThinkProgress, Equality Florida, WESH-TV, Washington Post, CBS New York and Friendly Atheist

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

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

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

Discussion: alan.com and Pamela Geller

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

Associated Press:
50 dead at gay dance club in Orlando

Discussion: news9.com KWTV and Washington Monthly

New York Daily News:
Terror attack at Orlando gay club Pulse leaves about 20 people dead, 42 others wounded …

Discussion: Independent Journal …, Bearing Arms and Washington Free Beacon

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

Discussion: Fox News

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