Donors to Hal Rogers (shocker!) got a sweet deal from the government to sell them $6.5 million worth of $17,000 drip pans. All thanks to Rogers’ fancy earmarks. [NYT]

A small group of anti-war demonstrators staged a peaceful “die in” on Thursday at President Barack Obama’s election campaign headquarters in Chicago to demand an end to the war in Afghanistan and unmanned drone aircraft attacks overseas. [Reuters]

Oh, please. These Democrats are only a member of ALEC so they can go on trips for free. The same as every other Democrat and Republican in the state legislature. [WFPL]

Roger Alford spends almost every waking moment attacking this website and loving the teabaggers. So here’s more on his obsession with them. [H-L]

The Republicans are still terrified of President Barack Obama and they can’t stop foaming at the mouth. Chris Christie tried to eat everybody. And there’s no way the RPK is raising much cash with K.C. Crosbie at the helm. Won’t be long til that joint is as bad off as the KDP. [Ronnie Ellis]

In a nondescript building next to the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Washington, a group of lawyers gathers every fortnight to bicker in public. [The Economist]

Even the NAACP has decided it doesn’t hate the gays and supports gay marriage. [Reuters]

And Maryland has decided that the gays can now get gay divorced. So. Get ready for all kinds of gay fighting. [BBC]

The Paulbots are slowly beginning to eat each other alive. It’s almost interesting watching them foam at the mouth now that their overlord has admitted permanent defeat. [Politico]

When MaryAnn Nellis tried to pay for groceries on April 14, her credit card was declined. Later, she said, she found out why: Her credit card company, Capital One, had flagged an earlier purchase as potentially fraudulent. The problem? A $5 donation to Friends of Scott Walker, the Wisconsin governor’s campaign committee, Nellis said. [ProPublica]

This whole “war on coal” scam is near-death. Almost no one believes there’s actually an effort to kill coal forever. The mouth-breathers like Bill Bissett and the Kentucky Coal Association continue to push that non-sense and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars attacking anyone who dares question mountaintop removal or dares suggest the world consider other energy options. [The Hill]

I’ll Have Another overtook Bodemeister, blazing down the stretch to win the Preakness in the final strides Saturday and keep alive his hopes of winning the Triple Crown. [NPR]

Nope, Chris Christie didn’t rip his suit while in Lexington. He apparently ripped Barack Obama. Or tried to. But it was really tough to stand at the podium for a long time. [H-L]

The Obama administration on Thursday ordered hefty tariffs on solar panels imported from China, arguing the Chinese goods are sold below fair-market place and are endangering the U.S. clean energy industry. [Slate]

Not all Kentucky State Police officers are like this guy. Not all officers try to get a little sexytime in exchange for not making an arrest. [H-L]

This Winchester man did such a great thing that he became a hot topic throughout the national media yesterday. [HuffPo]

Clarence Aaron seemed to be especially deserving of a federal commutation, an immediate release from prison granted by the president of the United States. At 24, he was sentenced to three life terms for his role in a cocaine deal, even though it was his first criminal offense and he was not the buyer, seller or supplier of the drugs. [ProPublica]

Here comes Ben Chandler trying to pretend he’s responsible for keeping the USPS facility in Lexington open. [WKYT]

U.S. crime statistics show illegal drugs play a central role in criminal acts, providing new evidence that tackling drugs as a public health issue could offer a powerful tool for lowering national crime rates, officials said on Thursday. [Reuters]

If you missed it? Almost everybody is getting killed in Louisville these days. You can’t do anything without getting shot. It’s almost like being in Lexington. [C-J/AKN]

Almost nobody is going to go vote on Tuesday. All those television advertising dollars? Completely wasted. [H-L]

Okay, this latest thing from Chuck Schumer seems a bit ridiculous. If these douchebags want to renounce their citizenship, why not just go ahead and push them out forever? [Wonkette]

Only in Kentucky. A condemned killer’s fight to receive surgery for agonizing hip pain pushed Kentucky officials into an uncomfortable debate over security, politics and even the possibility of inviting scorn from Fox News pundits. [WLEX18]

Did you know that President Barack Obama is a scary dictator monster because he wants women to be able to decide whether or not they do things with their bodies? [Wonkette]

Yep, the House voted to continue the war with Afghanistan. Which may be a bigger blunder than Iraq. But that’s the American way. [HuffPo]

Don’t miss Comment on Kentucky tonight at 8:00 P.M. Eastern on KET. Scheduled guests: Russ Cassady, Bill Estep, Tom Loftus. Sure to be a great show with Cassady – the editor of the Appalachian News-Express. [KET]

Steve Nunn’s attorney, Warren Scoville, finally ditched him. Could it be the recent national media attention? Or the lack of cash? [H-L]

This bootlegger story is one of the dumbest things we’ve read in a long time. Locking people up for having alcohol in a dry county. It’s 2012! [WKYT]

This foreigner maybe stole all of Jim Higdon’s Cornbread. This is why America can’t have nice things. [Daily Herald]

The legacy of unemployment will haunt the United States’ economy for years to come. [NYT]

Gay-hater Vernie McGaha endorsed Republican mark Polston to be his replacement in Frankfort. [WKYT]

You can’t even let your kid ride a bike in Richmond these days without it getting hit by a car. [Richmond Register]

Afghan commanders have refused more than a dozen times within the past two months to act on U.S. intelligence regarding high-level insurgents, arguing that night-time operations to target the men would result in civilian casualties, Afghan officials say. [WaPo]

KSP Commissioner shares a touching story about fallen trooper Mack Brady in honor of National Police Memorial Week. You should probably give this a read. [Rodney Brewer]

What the hell are these teabaggers going on about these days? Something about killing each other? The Paul Family and their pals sure are wonky. [Wonkette]

Yep, Linda Breathitt was appointed to the Public Service Commission to replace Charlie Borders. [Press Release & H-L]

What doesn’t smell right about Steve Beshear “promoting” the bourbon industry in Taiwan? [C-J/AKN]

Former Congresscritter Ron Lewis endorsed Gary Moore in the 4th District race for the U.S. Congress today. [Releases & Such]

At the bottom of its press releases the US Postal Service brags that if it were a private company, it would rank 35th on the Fortune 500 list. Were it a private firm, it would also be bankrupt. [The Economist]

For the second month in a row, weak job growth numbers unsettled nerves in the White House and on Wall Street. [NPR]

Didn’t you love all the Louisvillians pontificating about Eastern Kentucky problems last night as they watched 60 Minutes? And you know they’ve never been east of Lexington. Interesting how that works. [Mainstream Awfulness]

Concern the U.S. economy was heading for another summer swoon was mounting even before Friday’s disappointing jobs data. [Reuters]

The TSA is revealing passenger complaints some four years later. Which isn’t exactly awesome. [ProPublica]

Vice President Joe Biden said Sunday he was “absolutely comfortable” with gay marriage, sending his office into an immediate effort to clarify his comments as reflecting no change. Gotta keep those gays from getting too uppity, so had to tone it down a notch. [Politico]

Let’s see how many horrible stories Owsley County can handle this year. Because this one is awful. [H-L]

Just what Churchill Downs needs right after the Kentucky Derby. A murder that makes international news. [Reuters & C-J/AKN]

You can’t read this story about a wife, a bullet hole and skyping with her husband in Afghanistan without your heart skipping a beat. [WKYT]

On Derby Day, how Republicans help millionaire horse owners pay less in taxes. [Think Progress]

There’s no new word on Jim Higdon’s new truckload of Cornbread Mafia other than it’s still stolen and the po-leece menz in Elgin, Illinois still don’t know what’s going on. [No Beans Tonight]

Turns out that racism doesn’t pay. Feds have issued a stark warning against the hostile Alabama immigration law. [HuffPo]

Did Richard Beliles finally wake up from his nap? ALEC is the least of the issues he should be complaining to Jack Conway about these days. Not that ALEC is puppies and rainbows or anything. [C-J/AKN]

Danville police arrested a man after he crashed his van into two buildings and then hitched a ride away from the scene Tuesday night. [WLEX18]

The poor economy is tied to a rise in domestic violence incidents, according to the latest survey. [HuffPo]

Mitch McConnell won’t be in Warshington to have funtimes with President Barack Obama and the University of Kentucky Wildcats on Friday. He’ll be in Kentucky playing horsey stuff– i.e., wining and dining people who will make him even richer. [The Hill]

Even the Frankfort paper is alarmed at the severity of Richie Farmer’s shenanigans. Still sad watching him fall apart. [State-Journal]

Mining minerals from astroids sounds crazy. Could it work? Is this what Newtpooper should have been talking about instead of his moon stuff? [The Economist]

Space commander Newt Gingrich has issued a special sad secret video communique from space with terrifying news from the future: “I want to take this opportunity to give you an insider advance notice that…” — WHAT IS IT, WE HATE SUSPENSE — “…on Wednesday, I’ll be officially suspending the campaign.” [Wonkette]

A man in Frankfort was arrested for being on Washington’s most-wanted list. Unfortunately, he was not a legislator. [H-L]

Lawwwwd, you can’t even go to Walmart in Georgetown these days without getting robbed in the parking lot. Tell your meemaw to watch herself! [WKYT]

Aww, Mittens Romney was ashamed that one of his aides/advisors was super-gay. Everybody feel sorry for him, because the gay. [WaPo]

This is how embargoes should be used, state government folks. Only when there’s a serious threat to security. [HuffPo]

From the Department of Things That Actually Happened: Rick Perry called on a mannequin with its hand raised to ask him a question. [Wonkette]

Did President Barack Obama give up on diplomacy too soon when it came to Iran? [The Economist]

Surely we’re not the only folks excited to see how many millions of dollars Newt Gingrich has wasted on jewels and shiz. [Politico]

Rick Perry says it’s just a kid mistake for Marines to urinate on Afghan corpses. Yep, just a kid mistake and not a nightmare for diplomacy. [CNN]

What does Ron Paul want out of this presidential race stunt thing he’s got going on? [The Hill]

You are super-excited that Kentucky’s public universities are bracing for cuts and performance-based funding. As Jim Ramsey rakes in millions and Shirley Q rakes in just as much. [Ryan Alessi]

A record 84 percent of Americans say they disapprove of the way the Congress is doing its job compared with just 13 percent who approve of how things are going, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll. [Reuters]

Cutting-edge text analytics are helping the Obama campaign determine voters’ hopes and fears. [Slate]

Indiana issued the nation’s first LGBT license plate. Faux Family Foundation folks are freaking out. [The Bilerico Project]

On Thursday, Jamie Comer will attend a press conference to introduce industrial hemp legislation with Richard Henderson. On Friday night, he’ll eat porkchops in Bowling Green. [Press Release]

The weather was crazy today, it was 60 degrees and there were all kinds of tornaders. Just like Frankfort. [H-L]

People are still freaking out over First Lady Michelle Obama’s “angry black woman” remark because they’re afraid to deal with race. [The Hill]

President Barack Obama is getting ready to pitch to gay voters. Will they catch? [Politico]

Will Katie Stine run for Geoff Davis’ seat in the KY-04 Congressional district? That’d further divide the teabaggers and the Davis people with Massie and Webb-Edgington. [Deep KY-04 Thoughts]

A year ago we wrote about the Douglas Fir-lough Tree spotted around Frankfort. Hasn’t anyone seen it this year? [Page One Flashback]

Budget battles and a stagnant economy greet America’s soldiers as they return from Iraq and Afghanistan. [The Economist]

This happened a few days ago but it illustrates perfectly how teabaggers refuse to understand anything that’s common sense for most. [Politico]

Poverty of children demands attention. Unfortunately, neither Warshington nor Frankfort want to pay the matter any attention at all. [The Hill]

The government is running late with rules for disclosing drug company payments to doctors. So late, in fact, that they conveniently won’t even apply until well after the upcoming election. [Pro Publica]

Brazil’s forest policy could undermine its climate goals and the rest of the world has to pay the damn price. [WaPo]

Owsley Brown Frazier just threw a $25 million cash donation to the University of Louisville. It’ll be used to improve academic, research and athletic programs. [H-L]

We’d just like to remind you that Greg Fischer is allowing Bud Schardein, the guy responsible for the nightmare at Louisville’s Metro Sewer District, to remain on until “retirement.” Even after that scathing audit. All so he can get a sweet payday. [WFPL]

People still believe orange man John Boehner should be trusted with anything. That blows our minds. [Wonkette]

Michele Bachmann and her big ole gurl of a husband were confronted by gay rights supporters in Iowa. [HuffPo]

So here you go…

East Room

2:50 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody. Please be seated. Thank you, Chaplain Kibben. Good afternoon, everyone. And on behalf of Michelle and myself, welcome to the White House.

It’s been said that “where there is a brave man, in the thickest of the fight, there is the post of honor.” Today, we pay tribute to an American who placed himself in the thick of the fight — again and again and again. In so doing, he has earned our nation’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor. And we are extraordinarily proud of Sergeant Dakota Meyer. (Applause.)

Today is only the third time during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that a recipient of the Medal of Honor has been able to accept it in person. And we are honored to be joined by one of the two other recipients — Sergeant First Class Leroy Petry, who is here.

I would point out something else — of all the Medal of Honor recipients in recent decades, Dakota is also one of the youngest. He’s 23 years old. And he performed the extraordinary actions for which he is being recognized today when he was just 21 years old.

Despite all this, I have to say Dakota is one of the most down-to-Earth guys that you will ever meet. In fact, when my staff first tried to arrange the phone call so I could tell him that I’d approved this medal, Dakota was at work, at his new civilian job, on a construction site. He felt he couldn’t take the call right then, because he said, “If I don’t work, I don’t get paid.” (Laughter.) So we arranged to make sure he got the call during his lunch break. (Laughter.) I told him the news, and then he went right back to work. (Laughter.) That’s the kind of guy he is. He also asked to have a beer with me, which we were able to execute yesterday.

Read the rest after the jump…

Dakota is the kind of guy who gets the job done. And I do appreciate, Dakota, you taking my call. (Laughter.) The Medal of Honor reflects the gratitude of the entire nation. So we’re joined here by members of Congress, including somebody from your home state, the Republican leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell. We are joined here by leaders from across my administration, including Secretary of Veterans Affairs Ric Shinseki and Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, and leaders from across our Armed Forces, including the Commandant of the Marine Corps General James Amos.

We’re honored to welcome Dakota’s father, Mike, who’s here; his extraordinary grandparents; and more than 120 of Dakota’s family and friends, many from his home state of Kentucky. I want to welcome Dakota’s comrades from the Marine Embedded Training Team 2-8, and we are humbled by the presence of the members of the Medal of Honor Society.

Dakota, I realize the past two years have not been easy for you, retelling the story of that day and standing here today. You’re a very modest young man. But, as you’ve said, you do it for a simple reason — retelling the story — because it helps you to honor those who didn’t come home, and to remind your fellow Americans that our men and women in uniform are over there fighting every single day.

So that’s how we’ll do this today. It’s fitting that we do so this week, having just marked the 10th anniversary of the attacks that took our nation to war. Because in Sergeant Dakota Meyer, we see the best of a generation that has served with distinction through a decade of war.

Let me tell the story. I want you to imagine it’s September 8, 2009, just before dawn. A patrol of Afghan forces and their American trainers is on foot, making their way up a narrow valley, heading into a village to meet with elders. And suddenly, all over the village, the lights go out. And that’s when it happens. About a mile away, Dakota, who was then a corporal, and Staff Sergeant Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, could hear the ambush over the radio. It was as if the whole valley was exploding. Taliban fighters were unleashing a firestorm from the hills, from the stone houses, even from the local school.

And soon, the patrol was pinned down, taking ferocious fire from three sides. Men were being wounded and killed, and four Americans — Dakota’s friends — were surrounded. Four times, Dakota and Juan asked permission to go in; four times they were denied. It was, they were told, too dangerous. But one of the teachers in his high school once said, “When you tell Dakota he can’t do something, he’s is going to do it.” (Laughter.) And as Dakota said of his trapped teammates, “Those were my brothers, and I couldn’t just sit back and watch.”

The story of what Dakota did next will be told for generations. He told Juan they were going in. Juan jumped into a Humvee and took the wheel; Dakota climbed into the turret and manned the gun. They were defying orders, but they were doing what they thought was right. So they drove straight into a killing zone, Dakota’s upper body and head exposed to a blizzard of fire from AK-47s and machine guns, from mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.

Coming upon wounded Afghan soldiers, Dakota jumped out and loaded each of the wounded into the Humvee, each time exposing himself to all that enemy fire. They turned around and drove those wounded back to safety. Those who were there called it the most intense combat they’d ever seen. Dakota and Juan would have been forgiven for not going back in. But as Dakota says, you don’t leave anyone behind.

For a second time, they went back — back into the inferno; Juan at the wheel, swerving to avoid the explosions all around them; Dakota up in the turret — when one gun jammed, grabbing another, going through gun after gun. Again they came across wounded Afghans. Again Dakota jumped out, loaded them up and brought them back to safety.

For a third time, they went back — insurgents running right up to the Humvee, Dakota fighting them off. Up ahead, a group of Americans, some wounded, were desperately trying to escape the bullets raining down. Juan wedged the Humvee right into the line of fire, using the vehicle as a shield. With Dakota on the guns, they helped those Americans back to safety as well.

For a fourth time, they went back. Dakota was now wounded in the arm. Their vehicle was riddled with bullets and shrapnel. Dakota later confessed, “I didn’t think I was going to die. I knew I was.” But still they pushed on, finding the wounded, delivering them to safety.

And then, for a fifth time, they went back — into the fury of that village, under fire that seemed to come from every window, every doorway, every alley. And when they finally got to those trapped Americans, Dakota jumped out. And he ran toward them. Drawing all those enemy guns on himself. Bullets kicking up the dirt all around him. He kept going until he came upon those four Americans, laying where they fell, together as one team.

Dakota and the others who had joined him knelt down, picked up their comrades and — through all those bullets, all the smoke, all the chaos — carried them out, one by one. Because, as Dakota says, “That’s what you do for a brother.”

Dakota says he’ll accept this medal in their name. So today, we remember the husband who loved the outdoors –Lieutenant Michael Johnson. The husband and father they called “Gunny J” — Gunnery Sergeant Edwin Johnson. The determined Marine who fought to get on that team — Staff Sergeant Aaron Kenefick. The medic who gave his life tending to his teammates — Hospitalman Third Class James Layton. And a soldier wounded in that battle who never recovered — Sergeant First Class Kenneth Westbrook.

Dakota, I know that you’ve grappled with the grief of that day; that you’ve said your efforts were somehow a “failure” because your teammates didn’t come home. But as your Commander-in-Chief, and on behalf of everyone here today and all Americans, I want you to know it’s quite the opposite. You did your duty, above and beyond, and you kept the faith with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps that you love.

Because of your Honor, 36 men are alive today. Because of your Courage, four fallen American heroes came home, and — in the words of James Layton’s mom — they could lay their sons to rest with dignity. Because of your Commitment — in the thick of the fight, hour after hour — a former Marine who read about your story said that you showed how “in the most desperate, final hours…our brothers and God will not forsake us.” And because of your humble example, our kids — especially back in Columbia, Kentucky, in small towns all across America — they’ll know that no matter who you are or where you come from, you can do great things as a citizen and as a member of the American family.

Therein lies the greatest lesson of that day in the valley, and the truth that our men and women in uniform live out every day. “I was part of something bigger,” Dakota has said, part of a team “that worked together, lifting each other up and working toward a common goal. Every member of our team was as important as the other.” So in keeping with Dakota’s wishes for this day, I want to conclude by asking now-Gunnery Sergeant Rodriguez-Chavez and all those who served with Dakota — the Marines, Army, Navy — to stand and accept thanks of a grateful nation. (Applause.)

Every member of our team is as important as the other. That’s a lesson that we all have to remember — as citizens, and as a nation — as we meet the tests of our time, here at home and around the world.

To our Marines, to all our men and women in uniform, to our fellow Americans, let us always be faithful. And as we prepare for the reading of the citation, let me say, God bless you, Dakota. God bless our Marines and all who serve. And God bless the United States of America. Semper Fi. (Applause.)

MILITARY AIDE: The President of the United States, in the name of the Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Corporal Dakota L. Meyer, United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, while serving with Marine Embedded Training Team 2-8, Regional Corps Advisory Command 3-7, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on 8 September 2009.

Corporal Meyer maintained security at a patrol rally point, while other members of his team moved on foot with two platoons of Afghan National Army and border police into the village of Ganjgal for a pre-dawn meeting with village elders. Moving into the village, the patrol was ambushed by more than 50 enemy fighters firing rocket-propelled grenades, mortars, machine guns from four to five positions on the slopes above. Hearing over the radio that four U.S. team members were cut off, Corporal Meyer seized the initiative.

With a fellow Marine driving, Corporal Meyer took the exposed gunner’s position in a gun truck as they drove down the steeply terraced terrain in a daring attempt to disrupt the enemy attack and locate the trapped U.S. team. Disregarding intense enemy fire now concentrated on their lone vehicle, Corporal Meyer killed a number of enemy fighters with the mounted machine guns and his rifle — some at near point-blank range — as he and his driver made three solo trips into the ambush area.

During the first two trips, he and his driver evacuated two dozen Afghan soldiers, many of whom were wounded. When one machine gun became inoperable he directed the return to the rally point to switch to another gun truck for a third trip into the ambush area, where his accurate fire directly supported the remaining U.S. personnel and Afghan soldiers fighting their way out of the ambush.

Despite a shrapnel wound to his arm, Corporal Meyer made two more trips into the ambush area in a third gun truck, accompanied by four other Afghan vehicles, to recover more wounded Afghan soldiers and search for the missing U.S. team members.

Still under heavy enemy fire, he dismounted the vehicle on the fifth trip and moved on foot to locate and recover the bodies of his team members. Corporal Meyer’s daring initiative and bold fighting spirit throughout the six-hour battle significantly disrupted the enemy’s attack and inspired the members of the command force to fight on. His unwavering courage and steadfast devotion to his U.S. and Afghan comrades, in the face of almost certain death, reflect a great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

(The Medal is presented.) (Applause.)

CHAPLAIN KIBBEN: Let us close in prayer: God, may this ceremony serve as a reminder of the responsibility that comes with receiving the grace gift of freedom. And as we depart this hallowed hall and return to our daily lives, we pray that you would ennoble and enable us, that when called up we would recall the resolute fearlessness of Sergeant Dakota Meyer and all those who wear the stars of valor, and live up to our responsibilities to bring honor to You and to this country.

It is in Your Holy name we pray. Amen.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for joining us here today. We are grateful for Dakota. We are grateful for all our men and women in uniform. And I hope that all of you have not only been inspired by this ceremony, but also will enjoy the hospitality of the White House. I hear the food is pretty good. (Laughter.)

Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. (Applause.)

END — 3:06 P.M. EDT