memeorandum: Bristol Palin calls her ex ‘the gnat’ in new book (Frazier Moore/Associated Press)

11:35 AM ET, June 18, 2011

Top Items:

Charlie Savage / New York Times:

2 Top Lawyers Lost to Obama in Libya War Policy Debate — WASHINGTON — President Obama rejected the views of top lawyers at the Pentagon and the Justice Department when he decided that he had the legal authority to continue American military participation in the air war …

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

Obama rejects top lawyers' legal views on Libya — The growing controversy over President Obama's illegal waging of war in Libya got much bigger last night with Charlie Savage's New York Times scoop. He reveals that top administration lawyers — Attorney General Eric Holder …

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Volokh Conspiracy and ThinkProgress

Jon Ward / The Huffington Post:

Mitt Romney Refuses To Sign Pro-Life Pledge … WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has refused to sign a pledge being circulated by a pro-life group, citing concerns with the language used in the pact. — Romney, a spokeswoman said, is concerned that the pact …

Discussion: The Mahablog, Hot Air and FrumForum

Jonathan Chait / The New Republic:
Huntsman As GOP Litmus Test

Discussion: Mother Jones

Matt Bai / The Caucus:
Why Huntsman Should Be Taken Seriously

Discussion: Booman Tribune, No More Mister Nice Blog, Oliver Willis, Ben Smith's Blog, Hot Air and The Daily Caller

Jonathan Bernstein / A plain blog about politics: Oy, Bai — Matt Bai hits the campaign trail with Jon Huntsman …

A.Killough / CNN:

Bachmann: Schools should teach intelligent design — New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann explained her skepticism of evolution on Friday and said students should be taught the theory of intelligent design. — Bachmann, a congresswoman from Minnesota …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and FrumForum

Jeff Zeleny / The Caucus:

Bachmann Accuses Obama of Secret Medicare Plan — NEW ORLEANS — Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, the latest candidate to join the Republican presidential campaign, suggested Friday that President Obama secretly wanted Medicare to go bankrupt so retirees would be forced to enroll in the new national health care law.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Reality-Based Community, The Impolitic and The New Republic

Michael O'Brien / The Hill: DeMint creates litmus test for 2012 field

Ina Jaffe / NPR:

Liberal Bloggers: Obama ‘Not Our Boyfriend Anymore’ … President Obama took his licks from progressives who are meeting in Minneapolis at the Netroots Nation Convention, the annual gathering of liberal bloggers and other social media activists. — The panel that drew one of the biggest crowds …

Discussion: Questions and Observations, PoliPundit.com and Pajamas Media

John Aravosis / AMERICAblog Gay:
Senior White House aide: 1996 Obama gay marriage questionnaire is a fake, even though Obama signed it

Discussion: Moe Lane, GayPatriot, AMERICAblog News, Pam's House Blend, Pajamas Media, Firedoglake, Sense of Events, Runnin' Scared, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Towleroad News #gay

Chris Johnson / Washington Blade:
NETROOTS: Pfeiffer suggests 1996 Obama statement supporting marriage equality a fake

Discussion: AMERICAblog Gay and Ben Smith's Blog

Jennifer Preston / New York Times:

Fake Identities Were Used on Twitter in Effort to Get Information on Weiner — At least three months before the revelation that former Representative Anthony D. Weiner was sending lewd messages and photos to women online, a small group of self-described conservatives was monitoring his exchanges with women on Twitter.

Discussion: Mediaite, Patterico's Pontifications, Verum Serum and FrumForum

Frazier Moore / Associated Press:

Bristol Palin calls her ex ‘the gnat’ in new book — NEW YORK - Bristol Palin writes in her new book of losing her virginity to boyfriend Levi Johnston on a camping trip after getting drunk for the first time on too many wine coolers. — She awoke in her tent, alone …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

WVLT-TV:

Judge has harsh words for Mom before sentencing her for spanking her kid … CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (CBS) — A judge in Corpus Christi, Texas had some harsh words for a mother charged with spanking her own child before sentencing her to probation. — “You don't spank children today,” said Judge Jose Longoria.

Discussion: Datechguy's Blog and Instapundit

MRC TV:

Petition to Ban Job Killing ATM Machines — When we went out on the street and started asking people to sign a petition to ban ATM machines, we expected most of them to call us crazy or to simply ignore us. But in Barack Obama's America, banning cash machines as economic stimulus actually seems …

Discussion: Hot Air

Thomas Beaumont / Associated Press:

APNewsBreak: Perry aides fact-finding on Iowa — DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Key advisers to Texas Gov. Rick Perry are beginning to lay the groundwork for a campaign for Iowa's leadoff GOP presidential caucuses by making inquiries about the process in case the Republican seeks the 2012 nomination.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and FrumForum

Chuck Lindell / Austin American-Statesman:
Poll: Most Texans approve of Perry, but few support presidential bid — yet

Discussion: Hot Air, The New Republic, The Politico, Pajamas Media and Firedoglake

Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar / Associated Press:

Obama admin to end health care waivers — WASHINGTON — Removing a potential political distraction ahead of next year's elections, the Obama administration Friday announced an early end to a health care waiver program that has come under fire from congressional Republicans.

Discussion: americanthinker.com, Healthwatch, Michelle Malkin, Hot Air, The Lonely Conservative and Pajamas Media

Jamie Klatell / The Hill:

Obama: We've offered ‘a little extra support’ for fathers — President Obama used his weekly address to talk about being a father, what he called his “hardest, but always my most rewarding job,” and what his administration is doing for dad's across America in tough economic times.

Discussion: The Politico

BBC:

Afghanistan's Karzai: US ‘in peace talks with Taliban’ — The Taliban's official position is that foreign troops must leave Afghanistan before it starts talks — The US is engaged in talks with the Taliban, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said, in the first high-level confirmation of US involvement.

Discussion: The Page and FrumForum

Eric Lichtblau / New York Times:

AARP Is Open to Cuts for Social Security Benefits — WASHINGTON — AARP, the powerful lobby for older Americans that has been seen as one of the leading opponents of Social Security benefit cuts, said on Friday that it was open to modest reductions in benefits for future recipients.

Discussion: Via Meadia, AARP, The Baseline Scenario, Firedoglake, Jared Bernstein, Hot Air, The Agonist and Wall Street Journal

David Dayen / Firedoglake:
Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Social Security Benefit Cuts “Off the Table”

Discussion: In the Arena, Washington Wire, National Review and Hullabaloo

New York Times:

After Talks With G.O.P., Cuomo Expects Passage of Gay Marriage Bill — ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Friday that he expected same-sex marriage legislation to be approved before the end of the legislative session next week, and indicated that to win passage of the measure he is prepared …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and AMERICAblog Gay

Evan McMorris-Santoro / TPMDC:

Andrew Breitbart (Briefly) Crashes Netroots Nation, Commotion Ensues — MINNEAPOLIS — There will be no Weiner-style gatecrashing from Andrew Breitbart at the Netroots Nation conference here. — That is, unless Breitbart wants to pony up $355 for a ticket.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Moderate Voice, American Power, The Gateway Pundit, The Other McCain and Joe. My. God.