memeorandum: The Romney video that never was-starring Donald Trump (Ashley Killough/CNN)

8:00 AM ET, June 15, 2013

Top Items:

Facebook Releases Data, Including All National Security Requests — Over the last week, in press statements as well as Mark's post last Friday, we've repeatedly called for governments worldwide to be willing to provide more details about programs aimed at keeping the public safe.

Discussion: Digits, AllThingsD, CNN, The Verge, Engadget, GigaOM, BBC, Mashable, ABC News and TalkLeft

Reuters:

Web companies begin releasing surveillance information after U.S. deal — (Reuters) - Facebook and Microsoft have struck agreements with the U.S. government to release limited information about the number of surveillance requests they receive, a modest victory for the companies as they struggle …

Discussion: The Verge, AllThingsD and Business Insider

Micah Cohen / FiveThirtyEight:

Polls Show Chemical Weapons Affect Public's View on Syria — The Obama administration, which had long resisted sending weapons to antigovernment forces in Syria's civil war, has decided to supply them with small arms after concluding that the troops of President Bashar al-Assad …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Huffington Post and Hit & Run

CNN:
Sources: US to send small arms, ammo to Syrian rebels

Discussion: RIA Novosti, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Reality-Based Community

Julian Pecquet / The Hill:
Obama to press Putin on Syria when they meet Monday

Discussion: Guardian and Politico

Suzanne Goldenberg / Guardian:

Al Gore: NSA's secret surveillance program ‘not really the American way’ — Former vice-president - not persuaded by argument that program was legal - urges Congress and Obama to amend the laws — The National Security Agency's blanket collection of US citizens' phone records was …

Discussion: Mediaite, Hot Air, Yahoo! News, The Hill and emptywheel

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Paul Ryan a Favorite of Republicans — Christie, Rubio more popular among all Americans than Ryan — PRINCETON, NJ — Of five recent Republican newsmakers also mentioned as potential 2016 presidential candidates, Wisconsin Rep. and 2012 vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan is rated …

Discussion: Hot Air, Politico and Mediaite

Emily Schultheis / Politico:
Paul Ryan explains GOP's 2012 loss

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and Daily Kos

Ashley Killough / CNN:

The Romney video that never was-starring Donald Trump — (CNN) - Real-estate mogul Donald Trump said Friday night that Mitt Romney's team asked him to appear in a “commercial” for the campaign last year-but it never saw the light of day. — The video, he said, was supposed to run during …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Politico, Hot Air, Mediaite and Weekly Standard

Justin Sink / The Hill:

White House: Obama's $100M Africa trip ‘great bang for our buck’ — President Obama's $100 million trip to African offers “great bang for our buck,” the White House said Friday. — Deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes defended the cost of Obama's upcoming trip to South Africa …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, TheBlaze.com and Michelle Malkin

Justin Sink / The Hill:
White House: Obama will defend Internet spying to Europeans

Discussion: CNN

Erik Slavin / Stars & Stripes:

Judge: Obama sex assault comments ‘unlawful command influence’ … Two defendants in military sexual assault cases cannot be punitively discharged, if found guilty, because of “unlawful command influence” derived from comments made by President Barack Obama, a judge ruled in a Hawaii military court this week.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …, Politico, Weasel Zippers and The Hill

Will Weissert / Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Texas gov. signs ‘Merry Christmas’ law; says religious freedom is not freedom from religion — AUSTIN, Texas — Surrounded by sleigh bell-ringing Santa Claus impersonators, Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday signed a law protecting Christmas and other holiday celebrations in Texas public schools …

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Guardian:

Iran presidential election: second round forecast after late flurry at polls — All six candidates pledge to respect result as millions queue to vote for successor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — Iran's presidential race appears poised for a runoff vote next week after millions …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh

Thomas Erdbrink / New York Times:
Moderate in Iranian Election Leads in Initial Returns

Discussion: AEIdeas, The Huffington Post, Washington Post and JIMROMENESKO.COM

David Edwards / The Raw Story:

‘Cliff’ from ‘Cheers’ wants Allen West to spread his ‘gene pool’ across America — Conservative actor John Ratzenberger, who is best known as the character “Cliff” from the television sitcom Cheers, on Friday called for former Rep. Allen West (R-FL) to take “something from his gene pool” …

Discussion: Mediaite

CBS News:

CBS News confirms Sharyl Attkisson's computer hacked — CBS News announced Friday that correspondent Sharyl Attkisson's computer was hacked by “an unauthorized, external, unknown party on multiple occasions,” confirming Attkisson's previous revelation of the hacking.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Erik Wemple:
CBS News confirms multiple breaches of Sharyl Attkisson's computer

Discussion: Moe Lane, Twitchy, protein wisdom, Politico, Little Green Footballs, Power Line, Michelle Malkin, Betsy's Page, Taylor Marsh and Hot Air, more at Mediagazer »

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Obamacare, Public Opinion, and Conservative Self-Delusion — One of the more important conservative beliefs about Obamacare, running right alongside the certainty that the law is a disaster that will fail in every respect, is the belief that Americans share their antipathy to the law.

Kyle Balluck / The Hill:

Clinton: Christie ‘consorting with a leper’ — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) raised eyebrows among Republicans last year, when he heartily embraced President Obama in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which hit shore just days before the presidential election.

Judd Legum / ThinkProgress:

George Zimmerman's Father Says The ‘True Racists’ Are African-American — As the murder trial for George Zimmerman begins, his father has released an emotional and highly unusual e-book, publicly opining on all aspects of the case. The book by Robert Zimmerman Sr., called “Florida v. Zimmerman …

Discussion: THEROOT.COM and Booman Tribune

Carlo Muñoz / The Hill:

DOD omits details of secret disclosures in ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ report — Pentagon investigators intentionally omitted details of possible disclosures of top-secret information to the makers of “Zero Dark Thirty” in their final review of the department's involvement in the film.

Discussion: Politico

Jordy Yager / The Hill:

Holder dodges GOP subpoena — Attorney General Eric Holder has agreed to meet with House Republicans as part of their probe into whether he misled Congress or acted inappropriately in the Justice Department's investigation of two separate leaks to media outlets.

Discussion: CNN