Reading List: Friday 5/22

Here's the latest round-up of interesting articles for today:

• President Obama today signed a credit card reform bill, preventing companies from arbitrarily raising interest rates and limiting the fees they can charge.
• The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals today upheld the findings of a lower court that the tobacco industry violated "civil racketeering laws by lying to the public about the dangers of their product."
• President Obama appears to be on track to announce his nominee for the Supreme Court before his scheduled overseas trip on June 3rd, having interviewed more than two of the potential candidates this week.
• In a commencement address at Boston College's law school today, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said there is reason to be optimistic about the future of the long-term US economy because of America's historical resilience.
• Liberty University in Virginia, which was founded by Rev. Jerry Falwell of the Moral Majority, today shut down the (very small) campus Democratic Party club, claiming that the group's parent organization stood against the moral principles of the school.
• David S. Broder of the Washington Post has an op-ed on the Obama-Cheney foreign policy debate that occurred this week, and why it was worthwhile for the country.
• Former Speaker Newt Gingrich has an op-ed in the Post on the ramifications of California's Tuesday vote, which he says reflects a growing discontent with corrupt big government.
• Former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson critiques Obama's foreign policy speech from earlier this week in PostPartisan.
• Politico has an interesting article on how the Obama team, which consists of many former members of Congress, continue to exercise their gym privileges at the Hill, and thereby keep in touch informally with current legislative members and staffers.
• The White House appears to be willing to reopen channels with Cuba, which they signaled today by scheduling high-level meetings on migration issues between the two countries.
• Under a war crimes law passed nine years ago, a Canadian judge today convicted a Rwandan resident of genocide-related charges.
• President Obama today delivered the commencement address at the U.S Naval Academy at Annapolis, receiving a warm welcome and promising to maintain the status and primacy of the US military.
• David Brooks makes the case in a NYT op-ed that Cheney is really attacking the former Bush administration, more than he is Obama.
• WHO Chief Dr. Margaret Chan today warned that the H1N1 virus (swine flu) is likely to worsen around the world.