memeorandum: The problem with Romney: not Mormon enough (Bryan Fischer/afa.net)

2:35 PM ET, April 5, 2012

Top Items:

Romney takes the lead in Pennsylvania — Mitt Romney's taken the lead in PPP's newest poll of Rick Santorum's home state of Pennsylvania. Romney has 42% to 37% for Santorum with Ron Paul at 9% and Newt Gingrich at 6%. The numbers represent a dramatic turnaround from when PPP polled the state a month ago.

Dave Williams / bizjournals:

Newt Gingrich think tank files bankruptcy … Newt Gingrich's health-care think tank has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. — The Center for Health Transformation — , which has offices in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and St. Louis, plans to liquidate its assets, according to a filing Wednesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Atlanta.

Discussion: Washington Wire, msnbc.com, The Hill, American Prospect, Wonkette, The Other McCain, The Raw Story, ThinkProgress and The Caucus

Politico:
Rick Santorum huddles with conservatives about future

Discussion: National Review, LifeNews.com, Campaign 2012 and The Spectacle Blog

Katharine Q. Seelye / The Caucus:
Conservatives Meet Santorum to Pressure Gingrich to Exit

Discussion: Hot Air, Guardian and New York Times

myfoxdc WTTG FOX 5:
Santorum Taking Four-Day Break from Campaign Trail

Discussion: Ballot Box and American Spectator

Mollie Reilly / The Huffington Post:
Newt Gingrich's Think Tank Files For Bankruptcy

Discussion: Politico

Kristin Jensen / Bloomberg:

Priebus Says Gender Battle as Fictonal as Caterpillar War — The leaders of the two political parties clashed over the role of gender in U.S. elections, with the Democrat saying her opponents have been “shockingly out of touch” on women's issues and the Republican saying Democrats and the media have created a phony conflict.

Discussion: The Raw Story, LifeNews.com, Politico, Little Green Footballs, ThinkProgress, Feministing, msnbc.com, Wonkette, Indecision Forever, The Jawa Report, The Maddow Blog, Daily Kos, Shakesville and Booman Tribune

Reuters:

White House in damage control over Obama Supreme Court remarks — (Reuters) - The White House was forced on the defensive on Wednesday as it sought to explain controversial remarks President Barack Obama made earlier in the week about the Supreme Court's review of his signature healthcare reform law.

Discussion: Politifact.com Truth …, Washington Wire, Taylor Marsh, Don Surber, The Daily Caller, Pundit & Pundette, RedState and Campaign 2012

Naftali Bendavid / Washington Wire:
Caterpillars Enlisted in ‘War on Women’ Fight

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Jonathan Martin / Politico:
Ed Gillespie joins Team Romney

Discussion: msnbc.com, CNN and The Huffington Post

Marion Barry / nbcwashington.com:

Barry Comment Critical of Asian Business Owners — While celebrating his Democratic primary victory in Ward 8 Tuesday night, D.C. Councilman Marion Barry delivered a remark apparently critical of Asian business owners. — Barry spoke of changes in the ward, saying he's worked hard …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Weasel Zippers and Washington Free Beacon

Tim Mak / Politico:

Report: Marion Barry: ‘Dirty’ Asian stores — Former District of Columbia mayor Marion Barry referred to “dirty” Asian-owned businesses after winning the city's Council Ward 8 primary, demanding that “they ought to go,” according to a report. — “We got to do something about these Asians coming …

Discussion: Mediaite

Politico:

Bay State not buying ‘war on women’ — Political analysts shocked by Republican Scott Brown's 2010 victory to replace Ted Kennedy as Massachusetts senator should brace themselves. This year's contest between Sen. Brown and Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren remains a key battleground …

Discussion: Pirate's Cove, Taylor Marsh, Mediaite and The Lonely Conservative

Javier Manjarres / The Shark Tank:

Marco Rubio to Santorum and Gingrich: “It's Time Now to Concede” — Senator Marco Rubio made some bold statements regarding the Republican Presidential primary race,while attening one of his regional Senate office openings in Palm Beach county, Florida. — Rubio has openly endorsed Governor …

Discussion: The Hill

Ezra Klein:
Buck up, Republicans: Romney is stronger than you think

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Outside the Beltway, Campaign Stops, 2012 Decoded and The Daily Caller

Paul Waldie / Globe and Mail:

Healthy polar bear count confounds doomsayers — WINNIPEG— From Thursday's Globe and Mail — The debate about climate change and its impact on polar bears has intensified with the release of a survey that shows the bear population in a key part of northern Canada is far larger than many scientists thought, and might be growing.

Discussion: The Enterprise Blog, Questions and Observations, Watts Up With That? and Weasel Zippers

Ezra Klein / Bloomberg:

About Ezra Klein — Ezra Klein is a columnist and blogger at The Washington Post and a policy analyst for MSNBC. His work focuses on domestic and economic policy-making, as well as the political system that's constantly screwing it up. — Don't Worry About Deficit That Will Heal Itself

Discussion: protein wisdom, The Enterprise Blog and National Review

David Brody / The Brody File:

Exclusive: Scott Walker Says His Sons “Targeted on Facebook” Over Recall Effort — In an exclusive interview with The Brody File, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker says the vitriol over the effort to recall him has gotten so bad at times that his children have been “targeted on Facebook.”

Discussion: JSOnline

Mj Lee / Politico:
Gov. Walker: My family's been targeted

Discussion: The Raw Story

BBC:

Rocket fired from Egypt hits Israeli city of Eilat — A Grad rocket has landed in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, but has caused no damage or injuries, Israeli security officials said. — District police chief Ron Gertner told Israeli radio the rocket had been fired from Egypt's Sinai peninsula.

Discussion: Associated Press, Questions and Observations, Atlas Shrugs, The Gateway Pundit, The Right Scoop and Conservatives4Palin

Peter Lauria / Reuters:

Exclusive: Low ratings could end cable deal for Gore's Current TV — (Reuters) - Al Gore's Current TV has bigger problems to deal with than a potential lawsuit from fired news anchor Keith Olbermann - namely not getting kicked off Time Warner Cable for low ratings.

Discussion: Capital New York, Weasel Zippers, The Raw Story and Politico, more at Mediagazer »

Scott Johnson / Power Line:

United States v. $35,131 — Reader Rob Carty has directed our attention to this week's opinion by Judge Lynn N. Hughes of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas in the forfeiture case of The United States of America v. $35,131.00 in United States Currency.

Shelby Steele / Wall Street Journal:

The Exploitation of Trayvon Martin — The absurdity of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton is that they want to make a movement out of an anomaly. Black teenagers today are afraid of other black teenagers, not whites. — Two tragedies are apparent in the Trayvon Martin case.

Discussion: DISSENTING JUSTICE

Jonathon M. Seidl / TheBlaze.com:

CNN ENHANCES ZIMMERMAN 911 CALL AGAIN — AND REPORTER NOW DOUBTS RACIAL SLUR USED — Recently, CNN enhanced audio of George Zimmerman — the man who shot Trayvon Martin — to try and determine if he did, in fact, use a racial slur while calling police on the night of the shooting.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, The Jawa Report and Los Angeles Times

Alicia M. Cohn / The Hill:

Obama: It's time for Augusta golf club to admit women members — President Obama thinks women should be allowed membership in the Georgia golf club that is hosting the Masters tournament this week, according to the White House. — “His personal opinion is women should be admitted,” …

Discussion: JSOnline and CNN

James Brightman / GamesIndustry International:

EA defends itself against thousands of anti-gay letters — EA is standing up for same sex relationships in games despite outrage from some — EA has been inundated in recent weeks with what GamesIndustry International understands to be “several thousand” letters and emails protesting …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Towleroad News #gay, PinkNews.co.uk and Joe. My. God.

Daily / Telegraph:

Surgery bans elderly patient over her carbon footprint — An elderly woman was ordered to find a new GP because the “carbon footprint” of her two-mile round trips to the surgery where she had been treated for 30 years was too large. — Greater London had the lowest carbon emissions per person, with six tonnes each

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The Lonely Conservative

David Boaz / Cato @ Liberty:

Socialism and Social Darwinism — The arbiters of appropriate expression in America get very exercised when conservatives call Barack Obama a “socialist.” They treat the claim in the same way as calling Obama a Muslim, Kenyan, or “the anti-Christ.” — But headlines this week report …

Discussion: Hit & Run

Peter Overby / NPR:

Boycotts Hitting Group Behind ‘Stand Your Ground’ … Two of America's best-known companies, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, have dropped their memberships in the American Legislative Exchange Council, a low-profile conservative organization behind the national proliferation of “stand your ground” gun laws.

Discussion: Feministing, ThinkProgress, Jay Bookman, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Examiner and ColorOfChange

CNN:

Navarrette: GOP version of DREAM Act holds promise — Ruben Navarrette says plan for a new approach on DREAM Act that gets illegal immigrant kids right with the law but denies citizenship is a commonsense way to break a stalemate, take step in the right direction

Discussion: Naked Politics and GOP 12

Ernesto Londoño / Washington Post:

Afghanistan sees rise in ‘dancing boys’ exploitation — DEHRAZI, Afghanistan — The 9-year-old boy with pale skin and big, piercing eyes captivated Mirzahan at first sight. — “He is more handsome than anyone in the village,” the 22-year-old farmer said, explaining why he is grooming the boy as a sexual partner and companion.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, News Desk and LewRockwell.com Blog

American Banker:

Bankers Form SuperPac for ‘Surgical’ Strike at Industry's Enemies — Frustrated by a lack of political power and fed up with blindly donating to politicians who consistently vote against the industry's interests, a handful of leaders are determined to shake things up.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Ezra Klein and Hullabaloo