memeorandum: BREAKING: ExxonMobil shareholders vote down LGBT protections (John Wright/Dallas Voice)

4:40 PM ET, May 29, 2013

Top Items:

Gerry Mullany / New York Times:

Bachmann Won't Seek Re-election Next Year — Representative Michele Bachmann, the Minnesota Republican who made an ill-fated run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, announced Wednesday that she would not seek a fifth term in Congress next year.

Kevin Robillard / Politico:

James Carville on Michele Bachmann: ‘Sad day’ — Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville predicted on Wednesday that Republicans throughout the country would be “relieved” Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has decided to retire. — “Sad day,” Carville quipped on MSNBC's “Morning Joe” …

Discussion: CNN, Sky Dancing, The Dish and Washington Monthly

Politico:

Bachmann's fall — Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) — the tea-party firebrand facing investigations and a daunting reelection race — abruptly announced on Wednesday morning that she will not seek reelection to a fifth term. — Her move marked a spectacular fall for a congresswoman …

Discussion: Red Alert Politics, The Week, Yahoo! News, PoliticusUSA and msnbc.com

Garance Franke-Ruta / The Atlantic Online:

Reading Between the Lines of Michele Bachmann's Retirement Speech — The U.S. representative's video announcing her decision not to run for reelection is notable for what it doesn't say. — She was the first woman to win the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa during her Republican presidential primary bid …

Discussion: A plain blog about politics, Washington Monthly and The Daily Caller

Annie-Rose Strasser / ThinkProgress:
The 8 Most Outlandish Moments Of Michele Bachmann's Time In Congress

Discussion: The Maddow Blog, Taylor Marsh and American Prospect

Mike Allen / Politico:
HOLDER TO MEET WITH BUREAU CHIEFS …

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Huffington Post and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
Michele Bachmann: A Fact Checker's dream

Discussion: Yahoo! News, PolitiFact, Poynter, Business Insider, The Fix, The Spectacle Blog and Mediaite

Jeff Zeleny / ABCNEWS:
McConnell Campaign Ad Uses IRS Scandal Against Obama

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite and Politico

Catalina Camia / USA Today:
Tea Party fave Bachmann won't run for Congress again

Discussion: The Agonist and NewsBusters

Reid Wilson / NationalJournal.com:
Bachmann's Departure Relieves GOP Headache

Discussion: The Week and First Read

Associated Press:
Minn. Rep. Michele Bachmann says she won't run for re-election in 2014

Discussion: Conservatives4Palin, The Moderate Voice and Wake up America

Alexander Burns / Politico:

Sources: Lincoln Chafee to switch parties — Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee has notified senior Democratic Party officials that he intends to switch his party registration and join the Democratic Party, multiple sources familiar with Chafee's decision told POLITICO.

Discussion: CNN, The PJ Tatler, The Maddow Blog, Weasel Zippers, Conservatives4Palin, WJLA-TV and The Raw Story

Sean Sullivan / Post Politics:
Chafee plans to run for second term as a Democrat

Discussion: The Fix, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Daily Caller

Associated Press:
Independent RI Gov. Chafee, ex-GOP, to become Dem

Discussion: Hot Air

Stuart Stevens / The Daily Beast:

A Bad Relationship: How the Press Came To Love Obama More Than Itself — As the scandals pile up, the press keeps finding excuses for the president, writes Stuart Stevens. — In Dan Brown's new novel, Inferno, the lead character is struck with amnesia, unable to remember critical events even as he's trying to save the world.

Discussion: protein wisdom, Mother Jones, New York Post, Mediaite, Betsy's Page, The Impolitic, The PJ Tatler, Washington Post and Politico

Jonathan Turley / USA Today:

Fire Eric Holder: Column — Top lawyer doesn't have credibility to investigate anyone, let alone himself. — Recently, Attorney General Eric Holder appeared before the House Judiciary Committee to answer questions about the administration's sweeping surveillance of journalists with the Associated Press.

Discussion: Fox News, Politico, Yahoo! News, msnbc.com, Business Insider, Hit & Run, The Common Ills, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, Twitchy, Wake up America and Talking Points Memo, more at Mediagazer »

Devlin Barrett / Washington Wire:
Holder to Get New Spokesman at Justice

Discussion: National Review

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
House Judiciary panel launches official probe into whether Holder lied

Discussion: Power Line, CNN, Hot Air and Crime and Consequences Blog

Open Channel:

IRS higher-ups requested info on conservative groups, letters show — Additional scrutiny of conservative organizations' activities by the IRS did not solely originate in the agency's Cincinnati office, with requests for information coming from other offices and often bearing the signatures …

Discussion: New York Post, Hot Air, The Huffington Post, Wonkblog, protein wisdom, The Right Scoop, The PJ Tatler, Wake up America, LifeNews.com, Daily Kos, americanthinker.com, Patterico's Pontifications, Questions and Observations, Weasel Zippers, Weekly Standard, Mediaite, Government Executive and Washington Free Beacon

Steve Benen / The Maddow Blog:
When IRS scrutiny was fair and warranted

Discussion: BuzzFeed, American Spectator, Salon and The Spectacle Blog

Tara Culp-Ressler / ThinkProgress:

Oklahoma Lawmaker Blasts GOP's War On Women: ‘What Happened To The Republican Party That I Joined?’ — In an op-ed published on Wednesday, an Oklahoma Republican sharply criticizes his fellow party members for focusing on enacting unnecessary legislation to limit women's access to abortion and contraception.

Discussion: Wonkette

New York Times:
The Wisdom of Bob Dole

Discussion: msnbc.com and PoliticusUSA

State Rep. Doug Cox / Daily Oklahoman:
The GOP and abortion legislation

Discussion: The Raw Story

RT:

Larry King joins RT with brand new politics show — Award-winning interviewer Larry King will host a mold-breaking political talk show on RT from next month, speaking to both leading establishment figures, and those who are not afraid to go against the grain.

Discussion: The Week, Mediaite, BBC, The Lede, Politico, The Daily Caller, Gawker, americanthinker.com, Business Insider, Deadline.com and The Huffington Post, more at Mediagazer »

Rukmini Callimachi / bigstory.ap.org:

AP EXCLUSIVE: RISE OF AL-QAIDA SAHARA TERRORIST — You are here — Home » Osama bin Laden » AP Exclusive: Rise of al-Qaida Sahara terrorist — DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — After years of trying to discipline him, the leaders of al-Qaida's North African branch sent one final letter to their most difficult employee.

Discussion: Yahoo! News, Firedoglake, Sky Dancing, Power Line, Poynter, Guardian, AMERICAblog, Open Channel, The Week, Gawker, Hit & Run, Maggie's Farm and The Monkey Cage

Gulf News:

Working women should be molested: Saudi writer — Writer campaigning against moves to bring women into mixed-gender work environments — Abu Dhabi: A Saudi writer has urged his Twitter followers to sexually molest women hired to work as cashiers in big grocery stores …

Discussion: Jihad Watch, ThinkProgress, Weasel Zippers and Atlas Shrugs

Pew Social & Demographic Trends:

Breadwinner Moms — Mothers Are the Sole or Primary Provider in Four-in-Ten Households with Children; Public Conflicted about the Growing Trend — CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW — A record 40% of all households with children under the age of 18 include mothers who are either the sole or primary source …

Discussion: New York Times, BBC, ThinkProgress, msnbc.com, The Week, Ricochet Conversations Feed, Taylor Marsh, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and Right Wing Watch

Brigid Schulte / Washington Post:
Nearly 40 percent of mothers are now the family breadwinners, report says

Discussion: National Review, WJLA-TV and msnbc.com

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Newsweek confirms it is eyeing sale — Newsweek CEO Baba Shetty and editor-in-chief Tina Brown have sent a memo to staff confirming earlier reports that parent-company IAC is exploring a sale of the now online-only magazine. — In the memo, Shetty and Brown attributed the exploration …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Gawker, Variety, The Huffington Post, Mashable and Capital New York, more at Mediagazer »

Garance Franke-Ruta / The Atlantic Online:

Why the Clinton Scandals Were a Bigger Deal Than the Obama Ones — Or, how to tell a personal scandal from a policy controversy — President Obama visited the Jersey Shore Tuesday, where Gov. Chris Christie presented him with a stuffed bear at an arcade and the two declared the shore open …

Discussion: The Dish

New York Post:

Sexting king Weiner trolls for interns — Calling all co-eds — sexting king Anthony Weiner wants you! — The mayoral wild card has put out a call for passionate young campaign interns who can handle both the rigors of his bizarre bid for mayor and the snickers they're sure to get from their friends and family.

Discussion: Jezebel, Wake up America, Gothamist, Capital New York, The Daily Caller and Politicker

John Wright / Dallas Voice:

BREAKING: ExxonMobil shareholders vote down LGBT protections — LGBT advocates, from left, Daniel Cates, Cd Kirven and Rafael McDonnell, protest outside ExxonMobil's shareholders meeting on Wednesday. (Anna Waugh/Dallas Voice) — As expected, ExxonMobil shareholders again voted …

Discussion: ThinkProgress

Matthew Holehouse / Telegraph:

Tim Yeo: humans may not be to blame for global warming — Humans may not be responsible for global warming, according to Tim Yeo, the MP who oversees government policy on climate change. — Mr Yeo is one of the Conservative Party's strongest advocates of radical action to cut carbon emissions

Discussion: Bishop Hill

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:

Elizabeth Warren Praises Michelle Obama's Biceps — Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) had nothing but kind words for Michelle Obama at a Democratic fundraiser Wednesday afternoon in Boston, gushing over the first lady's toughness and physique. — “I love Michelle Obama. She's a real fighter.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers