Check out Mini-memeorandum for simple mobiles or memeorandum Mobile for modern smartphones.
12:15 PM ET, May 16, 2013

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Peter Baker / New York Times:
New Controversies May Undermine Obama  —  WASHINGTON — Thwarted on Capitol Hill, stymied in the Middle East and now beset by scandal, President Obama has reached a point just six months after a heady re-election where the second term he had hoped for has collided with the second term he actually has.
RELATED:
Jennifer Epstein / Politico:
Obama tries to stop the bleeding  —  In recent days, Democratic strategists have all but begged President Barack Obama to take control of a deepening public relations disaster that threatens to derail his second-term agenda.  —  On Wednesday evening, Obama did just that.
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
In IRS and AP scandals, a frighteningly impotent government  —  At a time when Congress can't pass a budget and the president can't win approval of any important legislation, the public is indignant about the threat of an overreaching, all-powerful federal government that uses the IRS and the Justice Department to harass its enemies.
CBS News:
Boston bombings suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left note in boat he hid in, sources say  —  (CBS News) Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left claiming responsibility for the April 13 attack on the Boston Marathon, reports CBS News senior correspondent John Miller.
Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard:
Benghazi Emails Directly Contradict White House Claims  —  The White House on Wednesday released 94 pages of emails between top administration and intelligence officials who helped shape the talking points about the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, that the CIA would provide to policymakers in both the legislative and executive branches.
RELATED:
John Hinderaker / Power Line:
The Benghazi Emails: What Do They Show?  —  This afternoon the White House released 100 pages of emails that trace the development of the talking points about Benghazi that Susan Rice eventually used on her notorious tour of the Sunday morning news shows, and that formed the basis …
John Hudson / Foreign Policy:
Will Benghazi furor keep Susan Rice out of the White House?
Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The PJ Tatler
Reid J. Epstein / Politico:
State fretted over Benghazi talking points
Jake Tapper / The Lead with Jake Tapper:
First on CNN: White House releases 100 pages of Benghazi e-mails
Ben Swann / WXIX-TV:
FOX19 EXCLUSIVE: Four local IRS workers allegedly connected to scandal  —  Posted by FOX19 Digital Media Staff - email  —  FOX19 has exclusively learned that as many as four people may be the first Cincinnati Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees to face disciplinary action …
RELATED:
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Eric Holder's abdication  —  As the nation's top law enforcement official, Eric Holder is privy to all kinds of sensitive information.  But he seems to be proud of how little he knows.  —  Why didn't his Justice Department inform the Associated Press, as the law requires, before pawing through reporters' phone records?
RELATED:
Justin Sink / The Hill:
Liberal talk radio host Bill Press calls for Holder to be fired
Discussion: Hot Air
New York Post:
Justice, tea & the AP
Emma Innes / Daily Mail:
Men who are physically strong are more likely to have right wing political views  —  Men who are physically strong are more likely to take a right wing political stance, while weaker men are inclined to support the welfare state, according to a new study.  —  Researchers discovered political …
Duane Patterson / The Greenroom:
Would You Believe The Administration Got Phone Records of The House Of Representatives?  —  That's the revelation made by California Congressman Devin Nunes, who sits on the House Ways And Means Committee on Hugh Hewitt's Show Wednesday night.  Here's the key part of that transcript:
RELATED:
The Hugh Hewitt Show:
Congressman Devin Nunes Previews Ways And Means Hearing Friday, Plus A Bombshell On The AP Scandal  —  HH: Joined now by Congressman Devin Nunes of California's 22nd Congressional district.  He is a member of the powerful Ways And Means Committee, and he will be holding hearings …
Quinnipiac News + Events:
Release Detail  —  May 16, 2013 - Dem Inches Ahead In Virginian Governor's Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Hillary Clinton, Sen. Warner Run Well In 2016 Pres Race  —  Democrat Terry McAuliffe has opened up a slight 43 - 38 percent lead over Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the race …
Michael Kinsley / New Republic:
Paul Krugman's Misguided Moral Crusade Against Austerity  —  Feeling perhaps that columnist Paul Krugman hasn't made the point emphatically enough, The New York Times Monday published an op-ed shocker by two academics with the title, “How Austerity Kills.”  Kills?  Yes, kills.
RELATED:
J. Bradford DeLong / Brad DeLong:   Seven Howlers from Michael Kinsley's Very Misguided War Against Paul Krugman
Sam Laird / Mashable:
NFL Player Instagrams Himself Peeing on IRS Building  —  Tax-season gripes regarding the Internal Revenue Service are about as American as baseball and apple pie.  But we bet you've never expressed your frustration quite like NFL player Evan Mathis did on Wednesday
Kevin Williamson / National Review:
Theater Night: Vigilantes 1, Vulgarians 0  —  I had a genuinely new experience at the theater tonight: I was thrown out.  —  The show was Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, which was quite good and which I recommend.  The audience, on the other hand, was horrible — talking …
Max Fisher / WorldViews:
A fascinating map of the world's most and least racially tolerant countries  —  When two Swedish economists set out to examine whether economic freedom made people any more or less racist, they knew how they would gauge economic freedom, but they needed to find a way to measure a country's level of racial tolerance.
Discussion: Foreign Policy, Telegraph and normblog
The Lead with Jake Tapper:
First on CNN: Pickering, Mullen challenge Issa to let them testify in public  —  In a letter to Rep. Darrell Issa exclusively obtained by CNN, the co-chairmen behind an independent review of September's deadly attack in Benghazi, Libya, expressed irritation over the House Oversight Committee …
Discussion: ThinkProgress, First Read and Daily Kos
Sam Baker / The Hill:
House set to vote on ObamaCare repeal  —  The House will vote Thursday to repeal President Obama's healthcare law — a move Republicans hope will open the door to narrower votes to target specific parts of the law.  —  GOP leaders scheduled the vote in a concession to conservative freshmen …
Washington Post:
Groups that sought tax-exempt status say IRS dealings were a nightmare  —  The Common Sense Campaign, a self-described constitutionalist group based in Montgomery, Ala., aspired to be a smaller version of the National Rifle Association — powerful and influential, without having to pay federal income taxes.
Christian Toto / BREITBART.COM:
FLASHBACK: PRESIDENT OBAMA TARGETED GIBSON GUITARS, BOEING ON IDEOLOGICAL GROUNDS  —  Even mainstream media outlets are running story upon story about President Barack Obama's possible ties to the government grabbing a wire service's phone records and the IRS bullying conservative groups.
Discussion: Althouse
 
 
 Archived Page Info: 
This is a snapshot of memeorandum at 12:15 PM ET, May 16, 2013.

View the current page or another snapshot:


 
 Who's Hiring in Media? 
 
 See Also: 
memeorandum: site main
memeorandum River: reverse chronological memeorandum
memeorandum Mobile: for phones
memeorandum Leaderboard: memeorandum's top sources
 
 Subscribe: 
memeorandum RSS feed
memeorandum on Mastodon
 
 
 More Items: 
Washington Post:
Congress should clarify authorization for war
Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:
Bachmann launching early TV ads in Minnesota
Discussion: CNN
Walter Russell Mead / Via Meadia:
Georgia Tech Takes MOOCs to the Next Level
Discussion: Sense of Events
Dallas Morning News:
At least 6 killed, dozens hurt in Granbury tornadoes as storms strike North Texas
Discussion: Crooks and Liars and FrontBurner
New York Times:
Weiner Said to Hire Relative Unknown to Run Mayoral Campaign
Discussion: BuzzFeed, The Week and Runnin' Scared
Eliana Johnson / National Review:
Director of IRS Tax-Exempt Determinations Office Is Obama Donor
Leslie Postal / Orlando Sentinel:
Kiera Wilmot, student who caused small explosion, won't face charges
 Earlier Items: 
Tiffany Hsu / Los Angeles Times:
A powerful use for spoiled food
Quentin Hardy / NYT Bits:
Google Buys a Quantum Computer
Discussion: The Verge and Business Insider
BBC:
The Force called to Star Wars clash
Discussion: Mashable and The Daily Banter
Matthew Yglesias / Slate:
I Boldly Went Where Every Star Trek Movie and TV Show Has Gone Before
Laura Bassett / The Huffington Post:
North Carolina Birth Control Bill Protested By Women In ‘Mad Men’ Garb
Discussion: ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES
Clare O'Connor / Forbes:
New App Lets You Boycott Koch Brothers, Monsanto And More By Scanning Your Shopping Cart
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Analyzing Comcast's spinoff of cable networks, purposefully structured with low debt: the move might be a signal to the industry that it's time to consolidate

Leah Nylen / Bloomberg:
Filing: the US DOJ's proposal requires Google to allow websites more ability to opt-out of its AI products and provide more ad placement controls to advertisers

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
James Harding says the Tortoise-Observer deal could create a profitable media group and there isn't a guaranteed future for the Observer with the Guardian

 
Sister Sites:

Techmeme
 Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web
Mediagazer
 Top news and commentary for media professionals from all around the web
WeSmirch
 The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page