memeorandum: Over Guantánamo, Justices Come Under Election-Year Spotlight (Linda Greenhouse/New York Times)

1:00 AM ET, June 14, 2008

Top Items:

NBC's Tim Russert dead at 58 — Washington bureau chief, ‘Meet the Press’ moderator collapsed on job — Tim Russert at the Newseum in Washington on Nov. 14. — Live video — LIVE: Remembering Tim Russert — LIVE VIDEO: Watch MSNBC's coverage of the life of NBC News Washington …

Charles Hurt / New York Post:

TIM RUSSERT DIES FROM APPARENT HEART ATTACK … Tim Russert, NBC journalist and political heavyweight host of “Meet the Press,” has died after collapsing at NBC's Washington news bureau. He was 58 years old. — Television sources said Russert was recording a voice-over when he collapsed in the studio today.

Discussion: CNN, The American Conservative, TPM Election Central, Associated Press, JustOneMinute, MOMocrats, The Political Carnival and The Jawa Report

Katharine Q. Seelye / The Caucus:

NBC's Tim Russert Dies — Tim Russert, the host of “Meet the Press,” and NBC's Washington bureau chief, has died. He was 58. — Mr. Russert was a towering figure in American journalism and moderated several debates during the recent presidential primary season.

Discussion: City Room, The Current, The Trail, Comments from Left Field, Crooks and Liars, Firedoglake, TV Decoder, The Opinionator, The Huffington Post, The BLT, Reason Magazine and The Sideshow

John Cole / Balloon Juice:

Let's Get Something Straight — I liked Tim Russert, even though I thought his BS gotcha nonsense was thorough idiocy and not helping the debate at all. He was a likable guy- friendly, always smiling. I understand it is a loss for the beltway folks, and he had a lot of really good friends …

Discussion: Brilliant at Breakfast and Emptywheel

Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:

NBC's Tim Russert Dies at 58 — Host of ‘Meet the Press’ Suffers Heart Attack — Tim Russert, the Democratic operative turned NBC commentator who revolutionized Sunday morning television and infused journalism with his passion for politics, died this afternoon.

Discussion: TVNewser, Tammy Bruce and TownHall Blog

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Obama on Russert's death — Obama in Columbus, Ohio:

Discussion: FOX Embeds, TIME.com and Stumper

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

On Tim Russert — News of the sudden death of Tim Russert, Washington bureau chief of NBC News and host of “Meet the Press,” will have a large — and lasting — impact on the world of politics and journalism. — Russert was, without question, the single most influential political journalist working in Washington.

Discussion: The Trail, FishBowlDC, TVNewser, Law Blog and Marc Ambinder

Michelle Malkin:

Reports: Tim Russert dead after heart attack; was working in NBC Washington bureau — He was 58. — Reports coming in from the NYPost and NYTimes. — He was a fixture of Beltway political journalism, good on the entitlement crisis, and by all accounts, a good-humored guy.

Discussion: Hot Air, The Other McCain, CBN.com, New York Post, American Spectator, Althouse, AMERICAblog News and The Sundries Shack

Brian Maloney / The Radio Equalizer:
Talk Radio Reacts To News Of Tim Russert's Sudden Passing

Discussion: NewsBusters.org

Ezra Klein / American Prospect:
SAD NEWS. — The wires are reporting that Tim Russert died from a heart attack today.

Discussion: The Raw Story and The Daily Dish

MSNBC:
Vigilance needed on campaign claims

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Huffington Post, TVNewser, Pollster.com, Salon, NewsBusters.org and Gateway Pundit

Michael Scherer / Swampland:

McCain Slams The Supreme Court's Habeas Decision — PEMBERTON, N.J.—I am still sitting in a John McCain town hall, so have not had time to transcribe the full quotes, but wanted to post this quick. After a day of consideration, the McCain Campaign has decided to come out hard against yesterday's 5 …

Discussion: The Anonymous Liberal, The Huffington Post, Flopping Aces, TIME.com, The Trail, Newshoggers.com, The Moderate Voice, American Street, Real Clear Politics, Political Machine, Donklephant, Commentary, JustOneMinute, BitsBlog, Buck Naked Politics and The New Republic

Linda Greenhouse / New York Times:
Over Guantánamo, Justices Come Under Election-Year Spotlight

Discussion: New York Times

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Town hall talks break down — The talks between the McCain and Obama campaigns on debates appear to have broken down, with Obama's campaign — evidently concluding that the format could favor McCain, or at least give McCain some oxygen — offering just one town hall and one extra debate in response to McCain's suggestion of 10.

Discussion: New York Times, Donklephant, Wake up America, John McCain Report blog, The Carpetbagger Report, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Redstate, The Jed Report, The Swamp and Sister Toldjah

Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
CONGRESSMAN TO MCCAIN: STOP USING MY SONG!

Discussion: DownWithTyranny!, AMERICAblog News and Spin Cycle

Gallup:
Gallup Daily: Obama 46%, McCain 43%

Discussion: Power Line, The Strata-Sphere, Hot Air and Wake up America

Glenn Kessler / The Trail:

Obama Defines Social Security ‘Doughnut’ Plan — COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sen. Barack Obama today plans to make a firm commitment to a Social Security tax hike on people making more than $250,000 a year, stepping away from an earlier plan he floated last year to boost the 12.4 percent payroll tax …

Discussion: The Caucus, The Corner and Eschaton

Kombiz Lavasany / Democratic National Committee: McCain Bamboozles Seniors On Social Security

Sara Just / Political Radar:

McCain Cancels Event with Controversial Fundraiser — ABC's Rick Klein reports: Sen. John McCain on Friday abruptly cancelled a Monday fundraiser that had been scheduled at the home of a Texas oilman, after ABC News contacted the campaign inquiring about a verbal blunder the Texan made during …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Political Carnival and Oliver Willis

Nico Pitney / The Huffington Post:

Dems Not Backing Obama? Rahm Will Deal With It — As the man who guided (and pressured and arm-twisted) Democrats to historic congressional gains in 2006, what is Rep. Rahm Emanuel doing now about party members like Rep. Dan Boren who have balked at publicly endorsing Sen. Barack Obama?

Discussion: Open Left and Matthew Yglesias

Jennifer Rubin / Commentary:

This Is Why Facts Matter — Senior Brookings Fellows Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack gave a report today and entertained questions at a Brookings briefing on Iraq. It was the single most illuminating presentation I have witnessed on the status of Iraq and the potential way forward.

Discussion: TBogg

Raymond Hernandez / New York Times:

Giuliani Plans to Aid Hopefuls, for His Share — WASHINGTON — With the Republican Party in need of money for the November elections, former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani has offered to appear at fund-raisers around the country for G.O.P. candidates. But there is a catch: He wants some cash out of the deal.