memeorandum: Justice Department dropped case charging threats to Barack Obama (Josh Gerstein/Politico)

10:05 AM ET, March 30, 2012

Top Items:

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Broccoli and Bad Faith — Nobody knows what the Supreme Court will decide with regard to the Affordable Care Act. But, after this week's hearings, it seems quite possible that the court will strike down the “mandate” — the requirement that individuals purchase health insurance — and maybe the whole law.

Discussion: The New Republic, Questions and Observations, Prairie Weather, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, The Mahablog, American Spectator and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Eugene Robinson / Washington Post:

A stronger prescription for what ails health care — In arguments before the Supreme Court this week, the Obama administration might have done just enough to keep the Affordable Care Act from being ruled unconstitutional. Those who believe in limited government had better hope so, at least.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Pirate's Cove, Daily Kos and Feministing

New York Post:
A supreme shock for ‘La-La’ libs

Discussion: Don Surber, Hot Air, Power Line, The Other McCain, americanthinker.com, New York Magazine, Patterico's Pontifications, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Betsy's Page and Viking Pundit

John Yoo / Wall Street Journal:
What Conservative Legal Revolution?

Discussion: Hot Air and New York Times

Adam Liptak / New York Times:
News Analysis: Justice Anthony M. Kennedy May Be Key to Health Law Ruling

Discussion: USA Today, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, The BLT and Althouse

Health Care at the High Court:
GOP Ad Uses Doctored SCOTUS Audio

Discussion: The Maddow Blog, SCOTUSblog, Law Blog, The Raw Story and Daily Kos

Lawrence Hurley / eenews.net: SUPREME COURT: — Justice was blind to some facts in Idaho wetlands case

Erik Wasson / The Hill:

Both Democrats and Republicans see Ryan budget as big campaign issue — House GOP leaders on Thursday brandished their newly passed 2013 budget as the foundation of the Republican fall election campaign. — They know the budget is going nowhere until the November elections …

Discussion: msnbc.com

Paul Ryan / CNN:

Ryan endorses Romney — Washington (CNN) - Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin endorsed Mitt Romney on Friday, ahead of his state's Tuesday primary. — The chairman of the House Budget Committee said Romney is the best person to serve as president and the candidate most likely to beat President Barack Obama in the general election.

Discussion: Shakesville, Hot Air and Politico

BuzzFeed:
Exclusive: Paul Ryan Will Endorse Romney

Discussion: The Other McCain, BuzzFeed and HotAirPundit

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Paul Ryan: 'We don't think the generals are giving us their true advice' on budget

Discussion: Jay Bookman, The Maddow Blog, Politico, CNN, Washington Monthly and Mother Jones

George H.W. Bush / CNN:
Time to fold 'em, Bush 41 says to Romney's rivals

Discussion: Scared Monkeys and Politico

Pete Kasperowicz / The Hill:
Rep. Paul Ryan's budget passed by the House with 10 Republican defections

Discussion: Ballot Box, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/*, Hot Air, Daily Kos, Washington Free Beacon and Indecision Forever

Adrian Chen / Gawker:

White Supremacist Hacks Trayvon Martin's Email Account, Leaks Messages Online — The racist smear campaign against Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teen shot to death last month in Florida, has reached a new level of ghoulishness. A white supremacist hacker says he's broken into Martin's email …

Discussion: Riehl World View, Mediaite, Angry Black Lady Chronicles, Riptide 2.0, Colorlines and Little Green Footballs

John Nolte / BREITBART.COM:
ROSEANNE TWEETS ADDRESS OF ZIMMERMAN'S PARENTS - UPDATE: BARR THREATENS TO GO TO HOUSE

Discussion: The Smoking Gun, Scared Monkeys, The Jawa Report, NewsBusters.org and Weasel Zippers

Michael Muskal / Los Angeles Times:
Trayvon Martin: Spike Lee settles with family forced to flee home

Discussion: The Daily Caller, americanthinker.com, The Lede, Weasel Zippers, Guardian, msnbc.com, Gothamist, New York Magazine and HotAirPundit

Extra:
‘Extra’ Exclusive: Oprah Winfrey Sounds-Off on Trayvon Martin Tragedy

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, EURweb, Weasel Zippers, Los Angeles Times and Gothamist

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

Justice Department dropped case charging threats to Barack Obama — The Justice Department has quietly given up on a criminal case involving alleged death threats against Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign, leaving in place a legal precedent that the department's own lawyers predicted …

Chris Mooney / DeSmogBlog:

Conservatives versus Science: A New Scientific Validation of the Republican War on Science (and Republican Brain) Thesis — UPDATE: The paper discussed below is downloadable here. — For a while now, I've been aware of a powerful new paper that directly tests the central argument …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Crooked Timber, Los Angeles Times and ThinkProgress

Scott Jaschik / Inside Higher Ed:
Search form

Discussion: Gawker, Instapundit and msnbc.com

Wall Street Journal:

Not-So-Smooth Operator — Obama increasingly comes across as devious and dishonest. — Something's happening to President Obama's relationship with those who are inclined not to like his policies. They are now inclined not to like him. His supporters would say, “Nothing new there,” but actually I think there is.

Discussion: Don Surber and Betsy's Page

David Brooks / New York Times:

A Moderate Conservative Dilemma — Nathan Fletcher was raised in Arkansas, played college baseball in California and enlisted in the Marines as a reserve in 1997. He saw combat in 2004, based in the Sunni Triangle in Iraq. — One day Fletcher's unit went to relieve a convoy and was …

Discussion: Associated Press, The Huffington Post, The Moderate Voice, Economist's View, Dynamist and San Diego Reader

Josiah Ryan / The Hill:

Reid: No recess appointments this time — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) promised Republican counterpart Mitch McConnell (Ky.) before adjourning the Senate Thursday night that President Obama would not appoint any of his nominees to the executive branch or the bench during the chamber's two-week break.

Discussion: ThinkProgress

Alexander Marquardt / Associated Press:

Israelis Suspect Obama Media Leaks to Prevent Strike on Iran — JERUSALEM - Two reports today about Iran's nuclear program and the possibility of an Israeli military strike have analysts in Israel accusing the Obama administration leaking information to pressure Israel not to bomb Iran …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, Angry Black Lady Chronicles, americanthinker.com and Theo Spark

Mark Murray / msnbc.com:

NBC/Marist Poll: Romney leads in Wisconsin primary — In the upcoming Wisconsin primary, billed as perhaps the final opportunity to change the trajectory of the Republican presidential contest, frontrunner Mitt Romney leads Rick Santorum by seven percentage points, according to a new NBC News/Marist poll.

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's … and americanthinker.com

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

North Carolinians support, but don't understand marriage amendment — PPP's newest look at the marriage amendment in North Carolina finds it passing by a wide margin, but also that voters don't really understand what the ban does and that once they do things get a lot closer.

Discussion: livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com, Gay Politics and Towleroad News #gay

Brian Brown / NOM Blog:
“Gay Marriage has Backfired...”, NOM Marriage News

Discussion: Holy Bullies … and Good As You

Jake Shermanand Anna Palmer / Politico:

Republicans retreat on gay marriage — Just a few years ago, House Republicans were trying to etch their opposition of gay marriage into the Constitution. — Now? They're almost silent. — It's been one of the swiftest shifts in ideology and strategy for Republicans, as they've come nearly full circle on same-sex politics.

JSOnline:

Activities of former Cain operative scrutinized — Federal authorities have opened an investigation into two Wisconsin-based corporations founded and run by Mark Block, a veteran political operative who ran Herman Cain's unsuccessful presidential campaign. — “They are very interested …

Discussion: Politico and Hotline On Call

BBC:

France arrests 19 Islamist suspects in dawn raids — The BBC's Christian Fraser: “Everything that is happening at the moment also has to be seen through the prism of the election” — Police in France have arrested 19 Islamist suspects and seized weapons in a series of dawn raids, President Nicolas Sarkozy says.

Discussion: americanthinker.com and msnbc.com

Apickering / Fair Labor Association:

Foxconn Investigation Report — Publication date: — Thursday, March 29, 2012 — On February 13, FLA launched an independent investigation into labor rights allegations at Foxconn, an Apple supplier in China. FLA assessors logged more than 3,000 staff hours inside the factories.