memeorandum: Romney asks GOP delegates to sign pledge, but some refuse (CNN)

10:40 PM ET, April 20, 2012

Top Items:

CNN:

Romney asks GOP delegates to sign pledge, but some refuse — Scottsdale, Arizona (CNN) - Members of the Republican National Committee gathering in Arizona were invited to meet with Mitt Romney in private Friday and have their pictures taken with the presumptive GOP nominee, but there was a price of admission: loyalty.

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Politico, Wonkette, ABCNEWS and Online NewsHour

Politico:

RNC at a Crossroads — SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Here at the Scottsdale Fairmont Princess Resort, the Republican National Committee is mired in the minutiae of the nominating calendar and convention rules. — Meanwhile, back at 1401 New York Ave., NW, in a nondescript office suite in downtown Washington …

Discussion: CNN and Daily Kos

Holly Bailey / ABCNEWS:
Romney: I'll build Keystone pipeline even ‘if I have to do it myself’

Discussion: Yahoo! News and CNN

Mitch Daniels / CNN:
Daniels offers tough love for Romney

Discussion: Hot Air, Politico, Mediaite and ABCNEWS

CNN:

CNN NEWSROOM — George Zimmerman Bond Hearing — THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. — GLADYS ZIMMERMAN, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN'S MOTHER (via telephone): This program started like three years ago and when the problem started …

Matt Gutman / ABCNEWS:
Warning Graphic Photo: Possible New Evidence Shows George Zimmerman's Bloodied Head

Discussion: UrbanGrounds, JustOneMinute, New York Magazine and Clayton Cramer's Blog

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:
The George Zimmerman Bail Hearing

Discussion: This Just In, Guardian and TalkLeft

Richard Fausset / Los Angeles Times:
George Zimmerman apologizes to Trayvon Martin family; bond is set

Discussion: DISSENTING JUSTICE, The New Republic and No More Mister Nice Blog

Faiz Shakir / ThinkProgress:
Prosecutor: Zimmerman Allegedly Slapped His Ex-Girlfriend And ‘Asked Her How It Felt’

Discussion: Jezebel and Colorlines

Alex Alvarez / Mediaite:
GMA Shows Exclusive Images Of George Zimmerman's Head Injuries From Night Of Trayvon's Death

Discussion: Taylor Marsh

New York Times:
Zimmerman Apologizes as Bail is Set in Martin Case

Discussion: Guardian and The Week

Judd Legum / ThinkProgress:

New Romney Spokesman Used Twitter For Sexist Attacks — Presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney's new foreign policy spokesperson Richard Grenell has an odd penchant for targeting the wives of male politicians and women in general on Twitter. — Grenell, who served as George W. Bush's spokesperson …

Discussion: Good As You, Politico, New York Magazine, Towleroad News #gay and Washington Post

Alexander Burns / Politico:

New Romney flack's old pastime: ridiculing the Gingriches — Mitt Romney's campaign put out word Thursday that Richard Grenell, the former Bush administration spokesman at the United Nations, was joining his team as a spokesman on foreign policy issues. — In between his gigs at the UN …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Indecision Forever, Daily Kos, Poliglot, Joe. My. God. and Guardian

Dan Friedman / NationalJournal.com:

Manchin on the Fence About Obama Vote — Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who has done more than any other Democrat up for reelection this year to distance himself from President Obama, said he does not know if he will vote for Obama or presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney in November.

Discussion: CNN, Hit & Run, The Gateway Pundit, The Reaction, Wake up America, Mediaite, Don Surber, The Daily Caller, Hot Air, Hotline On Call, Taegan Goddard's …, Wonkette, Outside the Beltway, The PJ Tatler and GOP 12

Ry Rivard / Charleston Daily Mail:
Raese blasted for Hitler comment

Discussion: Politico

CNN:
Manchin may buck party in presidential vote

Discussion: The Political Carnival, New York Magazine and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Dave Wagner / WCNC-TV:

Sources: Gingrich cancels North Carolina trip — CHARLOTTE, N.C. - There is increased speculation Friday evening about the political future of Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. — Sources told NewsChannel 36 Gingrich has canceled all of his appearances in North Carolina next week.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Other McCain, Hot Air and The Atlantic Online

Gerald Herbert / ABCNEWS:

Gingrich North Carolina Stops Called Off, Then On Again — The Newt Gingrich campaign found itself in a state of confusion Friday night when reports surfaced that Gingrich would cancel all of his stops in North Carolina next week, fueling suggestions that Gingrich would be suspending his campaign.

Discussion: The Caucus

Abby Phillipand Dave Levinthal / Politico:

Obama raised $46M in March — President Barack Obama's re-election campaign in March raised $46.4 million and spent $37.7 million — not including money raised with the Democratic National Committee, new federal campaign finance filings indicate. — That easily exceeded …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:
Jon Corzine Still Bundling for Obama

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and Conservatives4Palin

Fox News:

Palin to Secret Service agent: 'Check this out - you're fired ... the buck stops with the president' — This is a rush transcript from “On the Record,” April 19, 2012. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. — GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: First, talk about rotten luck!

Discussion: Reuters, Enik Rising, ABCNEWS, A plain blog about politics and HotAirPundit

RealClearPolitics Video Log:
Palin To Secret Service Agent: “Check This Out, Bodyguard — You're Fired”

Discussion: The Political Carnival, Campaign 2012, tpmmuckraker …, Wall Street Journal, Washington Monthly, Booman Tribune, Indecision Forever, Hot Air, Wonkette, Washington Post, Don Surber and Weasel Zippers

Cindy Adams / New York Post:

Olbermann at loose ends — Unemployed, perennially confrontational talking head Keith Olbermann aimlessly wandered around Central Park South earlier this week, seemingly looking for a friend or a purpose. — Our spies snapped unflattering pictures of Olbermann decked out in a giant red pullover …

Rex W. Huppke / Chicago Tribune:

Facts, 360 B.C.-A.D. 2012 — In memoriam: After years of health problems, Facts has finally died. — A quick review of the long and illustrious career of Facts reveals some of the world's most cherished absolutes: Gravity makes things fall down; 2 + 2 = 4; the sky is blue.

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »

Amanda Terkel / The Huffington Post:

Heather Wilson Mocks Al Franken's Anti-Bullying Bill, Says It Would Criminalize Teasing … REACT: — FOLLOW: — Al Franken , Elections 2012, Video, Heather Wilson, New Mexico Senate Election, SB 555, Al Franken Bullying, Anti-Bullying, Election 2012, Gay Bullying, Heather Wilson Al Franken …

Discussion: ThinkProgress

Chris Geidner / Poliglot:
BREAKING: White House Endorses Safe Schools Bill and Student Non-Discrimination Act

Discussion: Joe. My. God.

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Jobless rate falls in Ohio, Florida, where Obama is opening lead in polls — Unemployment rates in the key battleground states of Florida and Ohio have fallen sharply, according to a report released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. — Florida's unemployment rate fell by .4 percent …

Discussion: The Political Carnival and Indecision Forever

Ryan Grim / The Huffington Post:

4/20: How ‘Weed Day’ Got Its Name … REACT: — FOLLOW: — Video, 4 20, 4 20 Meaning, 4-20, 420, 420, 420 Day, 420 History, 420 Meaning, April 20 History, April 20, History Of 420, Photo Galleries, Why Is 420 Weed Day, San Francisco News … Warren Haynes, the Allman Brothers Band guitarist …

Discussion: Hit & Run and The Hairpin

Erick Stakelbeck / CBN.com:

Media Matters' Anti-Christian Agenda Exposed — WASHINGTON — An influential organization with ties to the White House came under fire recently for attacking Christian news outlets. — Now, CBN News has obtained a document showing that the very foundation of the group known as Media Matters …

Discussion: The PJ Tatler and Washington Free Beacon

J. Lester Feder / Politico:

HHS hires former Planned Parenthood spokesman — If the Obama administration was already on bad terms with abortion opponents, it's not going to improve relations by hiring Planned Parenthood's former spokesman for a job at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

NewsMax.com:

Jeb Warns Newsmax: Get Ready For ‘Most Negative Campaign’ Ever — More ways to share... Mixx — Stumbled — LinkedIn — Vine — Buzzflash — Newstrust — Technocrati — Forward Article — Americans are facing what will likely be the “most negative campaign in modern times” …

Discussion: HotAirPundit, ABCNEWS, Politico, Mediaite, Guardian, CNN and Indianapolis Star

Carlos Maza / Equality Matters:

Fox's O'Reilly, Carlson Warn That Glee Makes Kids Experiment With Homosexuality, Identify As Transgender — During the April 19 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly hosted a segment attacking this week's episode of Glee for featuring a storyline about a transgender teenager struggling with her gender identity.

Discussion: Good As You and Towleroad News #gay

Joshua Rhett Miller / Fox News:

LEGOs for girls has feminist group in a twist — The new “Lego Friends” line rolled out in December features LadyFigs, curvier takeoffs on the traditional boxy figurines that live in a place called Heartlake City. Shown above is a set depicting “Stephanie's Outdoor Bakery.” (LEGO.com)

Discussion: Hot Air, Weasel Zippers and The PJ Tatler