memeorandum: WI Attorney General Releases 100 PAGES of Documented Threats Against Lawmakers During the Budget “Negotiations” (Jim Hoft/The Gateway Pundit)

12:20 PM ET, May 17, 2011

Top Items:

Rep. Paul Ryan Staying in House, Won't Run for U.S. Senate — Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is staying in the House, and won't run for the U.S. Senate, two well-placed GOP sources tell National Journal. — Ryan began informing close friends of his decision Tuesday and is expected to announce later in the day.

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Note, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Pajamas Media, The Politico, The Raw Story, JSOnline, msnbc.com, The Daily Caller and FrumForum

Aharding / CNN:

Gov. Nikki Haley hammers Gingrich over Medicare remarks — Dallas (CNN) - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich might not want to count on a presidential endorsement from South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. — In an interview with CNN Tuesday, Haley sharply admonished Gingrich for his comments …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Hill, Mediaite, GOP 12 and Taegan Goddard's …

The Politico:

Thompson plans to run for Senate — Tommy Thompson, the Republican former Wisconsin governor and George W. Bush's first secretary of Health and Human Services, has told friends he plans to run for the open Senate seat in Wisconsin, according to top Wisconsin sources.

Discussion: JSOnline, Boston Globe, The New Republic, TPMDC, Hot Air and The Greenroom

Wall Street Journal:

Gingrich to House GOP: Drop Dead — Newt undermines his former comrades on Medicare. — The Republican Presidential campaign is off to a slow start, but judging by the last week not slow enough. First Mitt Romney defends his ObamaCare prototype in Massachusetts, and now Newt Gingrich …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress, Power Line, The Politico, A plain blog about politics, Fox Nation, Betsy's Page, Top of the Ticket, Hot Air, The Caucus and TPMDC

Christian Heinze / GOP 12:

Angry Iowan gets in Newt's face — Newt Gingrich faces some one-on-one blowback for his comments about Paul Ryan.

Discussion: The Daily Caller

W. James Antle III / The Politico:

What Rand Paul could teach Ron Paul — Rep. Ron Paul (R- Texas) found himself in an unusual position at the South Carolina GOP presidential debate. According to most polls, Paul was the frontrunner of the five candidates on stage. Though some big names were missing, it signals how far Paul has come in four years.

Discussion: Presidential Campaign and Barefoot and Progressive

Judd Legum / ThinkProgress:

Gingrich Blames Press For Ryan Controversy: Liberal Media ‘Took Dramatically Out Of Context What I Said’ — On Sunday's Meet the Press, Newt Gingrich blasted Paul Ryan's Republican budget as “right-wing social engineering” and radical. — His remarks were roundly criticized virtually everyone …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Mahablog, msnbc.com, Mediaite and Towleroad News #gay

Jeff Poor / The Daily Caller:
Krauthammer on Gingrich's presidential aspirations: 'Now it's over'

Discussion: The Page and Daily Kos

Rich Lowry / National Review:
Newt the Unreliable

Discussion: RushLimbaugh.com, Daily Kos, Washington Post, Fox News Insider, Cold Fury and CNN

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:
Newt Meets the Voters

Discussion: Mediaite

First Read / msnbc.com:
First Thoughts: What matters and what doesn't

Discussion: The Politico, Taegan Goddard's … and The Daily Dish

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Cantor reserves judgment on whether Gingrich is ‘finished’

Discussion: CNN, The Hugh Hewitt Show, O.KayHenderson.com, TPMDC, AMERICAblog News, NPR, The Reaction, Healthwatch and Ballot Box

Jason Clayworth / Des Moines Register:
Iowan to Gingrich: Get out now before you make a bigger fool of yourself

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Daily Caller, Booman Tribune, The Blaze, Michelle Malkin, Libertarian Leanings, Washington Examiner, Hot Air, Conservatives4Palin, Pajamas Media, Questions and Observations, Taylor Marsh, TPMDC and Verum Serum

Los Angeles Times:

Schwarzenegger fathered a child with longtime member of household staff — His wife, Maria Shriver, moved out of their Brentwood mansion earlier this year after the former governor acknowledged the child was his. The staff member worked for the family for 20 years, retiring in January.

Jennifer Epstein / The Politico:
Arnold Schwarzenegger had child with employee

Discussion: New York Times, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, newsfeed.time.com, The Lonely Conservative and FrumForum

The Huffington Post:

Confidential Federal Audits Accuse Five Biggest Mortgage Firms Of Defrauding Taxpayers [EXCLUSIVE] … WASHINGTON — A set of confidential federal audits accuse the nation's five largest mortgage companies of defrauding taxpayers in their handling of foreclosures on homes purchased …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Credit Slips, naked capitalism, Suburban Guerrilla, DownWithTyranny! and RADAMISTO

Gretchen Morgenson / New York Times:
New York Investigates Banks' Role in Financial Crisis

Discussion: New York Magazine, CBS New York, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Law Blog, The Politico, naked capitalism and Firedoglake

Patrick Gavin / The Politico:

CINDY CRAWFORD FLIP-FLOPS FOR MITT ROMNEY — During her modeling career, Cindy Crawford was skilled at switching outfits. Now, she's switching presidential candidates, it seems. — Eric Fehrnstrom, a spokesman for Mitt Romney, took to Twitter Monday to oh-so-subtly boast that Team Romney …

Discussion: The Hill, Don Surber, The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Mitt Romney's money machine cranks up

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, New York Magazine, GOP 12, Ballot Box, Outside the Beltway and CNN

Bernard-Henri Levy / The Daily Beast:

Bernard-Henri Lévy Defends Accused IMF Director — THE DAILY BEAST ON: — No one knows if the IMF director is guilty of sexual assault—and by dragging him through the mud, politicians and the press are committing gross acts of injustice, says French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy.

Discussion: The Lede, Outside the Beltway, The Awl, DownWithTyranny!, Guardian and The Reality-Based Community

Matt Welch / Hit & Run:
BHL: France's National Disgrace

Discussion: National Review, New York Times, Feministe, Ideas Market and Fox News

Matthew Boyle / The Daily Caller:

Nearly 20 percent of new Obamacare waivers are gourmet restaurants, nightclubs, fancy hotels in Nancy Pelosi's district — Of the 204 new Obamacare waivers President Barack Obama's administration approved in April, 38 are for fancy eateries, hip nightclubs and decadent hotels …

Discussion: National Review, UrbanGrounds, Hot Air, The Lonely Conservative and AmSpecBlog

Salman Masood / New York Times:

Pakistan and NATO Forces Exchange Fire — ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistani ground troops opened fire on two NATO helicopters that crossed into Pakistan's airspace from Afghanistan early Tuesday morning, the Pakistani Army said in a statement. A firefight then briefly erupted between NATO forces …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Hot Air and Jihad Watch

Sharon LaFraniere / New York Times:
Pakistan's Prime Minister Visits China

Discussion: The Reaction

Paul Ryan:

Shared Scarcity versus Renewed Prosperity — Paul Ryan addresses the Economic Club of Chicago — Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Paul Ryan — Thank you so much, Anne, for the kind introduction. — I want to thank you all for inviting me to speak.

Discussion: Paul Krugman, Macro and Other Market Musings, The Lonely Conservative, National Review, Firedoglake, Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality … and American Spectator

Christian Heinze / GOP 12:

Fred Malek on the 2012 field — GOP veteran big-wig, Fred Malek , dished on the 2012 field on The Daily Rundown today. — On Newt Gingrich's spat with Paul Ryan: … But Malek added that Newt was still a viable contender. — On Sarah Palin, whom he forged a fairly close, professional friendship with since 2008:

Peter Svensson / Associated Press:

LED bulbs hit 100 watts as federal ban looms — NEW YORK - Two leading makers of lighting products are showcasing LED bulbs that are bright enough to replace energy-guzzling 100-watt light bulbs set to disappear from stores in January. — Their demonstrations at the LightFair trade show …

Discussion: Pirate's Cove, Outside the Beltway and The Lonely Conservative

Associated Press:

Sources: Navy SEALs Knew Bin Laden Mission Was One-Shot Deal — WASHINGTON — Those who planned the secret mission to get Usama bin Laden in Pakistan knew it was a one-shot deal, and it nearly went terribly wrong. — The U.S. deliberately hid the operation from Pakistan …

Discussion: Pajamas Media and Betsy's Page

The Atlantic Online:

Black Confederates Revealed — Though they certainly didn't tell anyone: … I've spent much of my adult life studying various theories of race and racism, and the last few years in a rather intensive mode of study. In all of that time one inescapable conclusion has dogged me: Race is such bulls**t.

Discussion: Moe Lane

The Note:

How Serious Was Donald Trump About 2012? ‘More Serious Than...People Realize,’ Political Adviser Says — ABC News' Michael Falcone (@michaelpfalcone) reports: — Had Donald Trump decided to run for president he and his aides were planning an announcement event in an iconic location …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Taegan Goddard's …, The Reaction, Donklephant, Washington Post and The Atlantic Online