memeorandum: Gingrich says Romney ‘most likely’ nominee, would back him in Nov. (Vicki Needham/The Hill)

12:30 PM ET, April 8, 2012

Top Items:

Remembering Mike Wallace 1918-2012 … PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO — (CBS News) For half a century, he took on corrupt politicians, scam artists and bureaucratic bumblers. His visits were preceded by the four dreaded words: Mike Wallace is here. — Wallace took to heart the old reporter's pledge …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, msnbc.com and CNN, more at Mediagazer »

Brian Stelter / Media Decoder:

Reactions to the Death of Mike Wallace, ‘60 Minutes’ Pioneer — Mike Wallace in his CBS office in 2006. — 11:40 a.m. | Updated Mike Wallace, a pioneer of American broadcasting who confronted leaders and liars for the newsmagazine “60 Minutes” for four decades, has died, CBS News said Sunday morning.

Discussion: Politico, The Moderate Voice, New York Times, Mashable!, Outside the Beltway, Taegan Goddard's … and Gawker

Associated Press:

Mike Wallace, star interviewer on CBS News' ‘60 Minutes’ for decades, dies at age 93 — BEBETO MATTHEWS/AP - Television news journalist Mike Wallace at the 2007 National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Awards Gala in New York. Wallace, famed for his tough interviews on “60 Minutes,” has died.

Discussion: Booman Tribune, more at Mediagazer »

Russell Berman / The Hill:

DNC chairwoman says Romney, GOP lawmakers ‘rooting for economic failure’ — The chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), said congressional Republicans and Mitt Romney seem to be “rooting for economic failure” after they panned the latest jobs report.

Discussion: CNN, Politico, Weasel Zippers and UrbanGrounds

Vicki Needham / The Hill:

Gingrich says Romney ‘most likely’ nominee, would back him in Nov. — GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich says he will support front-runner Mitt Romney if he garners the delegates needed for the nomination. — “I think you have to be realistic, given the size of his organization …

Discussion: CNN, Politico and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Reuters:
Isn't it “marvelous?” Obama seeks to define Romney for voters

Discussion: Althouse, Scared Monkeys, Power Line and USA Today

Rich Lowry / National Review:

Parting Ways — Anyone who has read Derb in our pages knows he's a deeply literate, funny, and incisive writer. I direct anyone who doubts his talents to his delightful first novel, “Seeing Calvin Coolidge in a Dream,” or any one of his “Straggler” columns in the books section of NR.

Dylan Byers / Politico:
National Review fires John Derbyshire

Discussion: iOwnTheWorld.com, Connecting.the.Dots, Little Green Footballs, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Guardian, Mediaite, CANNONFIRE and Outside the Beltway

Faiz Shakir / ThinkProgress:
In 2009, Derbyshire Argued Women Shouldn't Vote: ‘Women Voting Is Bad For Conservatism’

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and The Other McCain

Faiz Shakir / ThinkProgress:
Derbyshire In 2003: I'm A Proud ‘Racist’

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Juanita Jean's, The New Civil Rights Movement, News Corpse, Mediaite and Suburban Guerrilla, more at Mediagazer »

Jason DeParle / New York Times:

Welfare Limits Left Poor Adrift as Recession Hit — PHOENIX — Perhaps no law in the past generation has drawn more praise than the drive to “end welfare as we know it,” which joined the late-'90s economic boom to send caseloads plunging, employment rates rising and officials of both parties hailing the virtues of tough love.

Discussion: Jared Bernstein, Hullabaloo, Blogging Blue and Economix

Sbhagav / CBS Baltimore:

Crowd Beats, Strips & Robs Tourist On St. Patrick's Day; Incident Caught On Camera — BALTIMORE (WJZ)- Caught on camera- a tourist being beaten in downtown Baltimore and instead of helping him, a crowd laughs and steals his belongings. — Mike Hellgren has the video and the investigation.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and The POH Diaries

Susan Candiotti / CNN:

2 arrested in Tulsa shootings — Tulsa, Oklahoma (CNN) — Authorities in Oklahoma arrested two people early Sunday in connection with a deadly spate of apparently random shootings in Tulsa that have had residents on edge. — About 30 representatives from four law enforcement agencies …

Discussion: Fox News, The Gateway Pundit, Liberty Street and Macsmind

Byron Tau / Politico:

Newt touts ‘Chilean model’ for Social Security — Newt Gingrich Sunday said that he'd like to see the United States adopt a ‘Chilean model’ for Social Security — a pension system that is reliant on a government mandated purchase of a private investment account.

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Kansas City Star:

Bank wants Missouri Rep. Cleaver to pay $1.5 million on car wash loan — U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's car wash headache is raging once again. — The bank that loaned the Kansas City congressman and his wife $1.3 million in 2002 to buy the Grandview Auto Wash at 12204 Blue Ridge Extension …

Discussion: Power Line, UrbanGrounds and The Gateway Pundit

Reuters:

Hamas executes 3 in Gaza, including ‘collaborator’ — Terror group denounces man who allegedly helped Israel as a “traitor,” says executions were in accordance with religion, law. — Hamas executed three men on Saturday, hanging two convicted murderers and a Gazan found guilty of collaborating …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers