Briefing

‘We tell Wisconsin, we tell our country … voters really do want leaders who stand up and make the tough decisions.’

1. SCOTT WALKER, Republican governor of Wisconsin, who became the first U.S. governor to survive a recall vote that arose from his push to end collective bargaining for public workers

‘They chopped off the heads of their nobility. We are very lucky that we have held on to ours.’

2. WILL PAKENHAM-WALSH, businessman from Britain’s Isle of Wight, chastising other European countries while celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee

‘We need more Europe, not less.’

3. ANGELA MERKEL, Chancellor of Germany, explaining how tighter integration of the European Union’s banking systems could prevent future financial crises

‘Sectarianism has no mercy against anyone.’

4. SADEQ AL-MOUSAWI, Baghdad resident, after a suicide car bomber targeting Shi’ite religious offices killed at least 18 people and wounded about 125 more

‘We understand how old singers who need to get people talking about them go to such extremes.’

5. MARINE LE PEN, head of France’s right-wing National Front party, digging at Madonna for flashing a faked image of Le Pen with a swastika on her forehead during a concert in Tel Aviv

1 in 5

Ratio of American adults who admit to peeing in pools; no data are available for those who do so and deny it

20%

Percentage of super-PAC donations made by women; roughly half came from a single donor, Miriam Adelson, who supported Newt Gingrich

21

Age of Sho Yano, who earned an M.D. from the University of Chicago; he entered college at 9, medical school at 12 and received a Ph.D. at 18

160,000

Number of American teenagers hired for summer jobs in May, up at least 100% over the same month in 2011

Sources: Politico; New York Times; EU Observer; New York Times; Daily Mail