memeorandum: FACT SHEET: Affordable Care Act by the Numbers (The White House)

5:55 AM ET, April 18, 2014

Top Items:

Obamacare Signups Hit 8 Million — And both young and old are on board — President Obama just announced the final numbers for the Affordable Care Act's open enrollment period. — Eight million people have signed up for private insurance plans through the new marketplaces.

Discussion: New York Times, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Mediaite, Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress and Washington Post

The White House:

FACT SHEET: Affordable Care Act by the Numbers — The Affordable Care Act is working. It is giving millions of middle class Americans the health care security they deserve, it is slowing the growth of health care costs and it has brought transparency and competition to the Health Insurance Marketplace.

Discussion: Business Insider, AEIdeas, Health Affairs Blog, The Heritage Foundation, Daily Kos and White House.gov Blog

The Hill:

Obama tells Dems to ‘be proud’ as O-Care enrollments reach 8M — A defiant President Obama on Thursday announced that 8 million people have enrolled in ObamaCare plans while exhorting Democrats to “be proud” of what they've achieved. — Holding an unscheduled press conference at the White House …

Discussion: Politico, Hot Air and NO QUARTER USA NET

Politico:

Obama: 8 million enrolled under ACA — President Barack Obama called Thursday on Republicans to end their quest to repeal Obamacare — and Democrats to “forcefully defend and be proud” of the law. — In remarks from the White House briefing room, Obama delivered a vigorous defense of the program …

John Dickerson / Slate:

Obama Trolls the GOP — The refined cynicism of the president. — How do I get you to pay attention to this story? I could type out a balanced tale about an incremental change in White House spin and message control, relying on your discernment, patience, and kindness toward all the creatures of the Earth.

Discussion: Hot Air

Sam Baker / NationalJournal.com:
Obamacare Is On a Winning Streak

Discussion: The New Republic, Liberal Values, ThinkProgress and Gallup

Elise Viebeck / The Hill:
Obama to meet with healthcare leaders

Discussion: Politico, Weekly Standard and The Daily Caller

Major Garrett / NationalJournal.com: The Pen, Phone, and Stray Voltage

Oren Dorell / USA Today:

Jews ordered to register in east Ukraine — Jews in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk where pro-Russian militants have taken over government buildings were told they have to “register” with the Ukrainians who are trying to make the city become part of Russia, according to Israeli media.

Adam Taylor / Washington Post:

What we know about the ‘grotesque’ leaflet handed out to Jews in Donetsk — A leaflet calling for Jews to register has reportedly been handed out in Ukraine's eastern region of Donetsk. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has commented on the letter, saying that it is “not just intolerable; it's grotesque, is beyond unacceptable.”

Discussion: Firedoglake, AMERICAblog News and Mediaite

ThinkProgress:
Someone Is Ordering Eastern Ukraine's Jews To ‘Register’

Discussion: The Daily Beast, BuzzFeed, National Review, Business Insider, International Business Times and susiemadrak.com

Julia Ioffe / The New Republic: Ukraine Is Not Ordering Its Jews to Register

Michal Margalit / Ynetnews:
Donetsk leaflet: Jews must register or face deportation

Discussion: Ben Swann Truth In Media, Business Insider, Israel Matzav, “The Lid”, Fox News, TheBlaze.com, The PJ Tatler, Ed Driscoll, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Weasel Zippers and Wake up America

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Diplomatic deal struck on Ukraine

Discussion: BBC, New York Times and The Moderate Voice

Karen DeYoung / Washington Post:
Ukraine prepared to offer autonomy to eastern regions if Russia pulls back troops

Discussion: Fox News, Infowars, The Agonist, kyivpost.com, Hot Air, Mediaite and Guardian

Tal Kopan / Politico:

Chelsea Clinton announces pregnancy — In a joint appearance, Chelsea and Hillary Clinton announced Thursday that Chelsea is expecting her first child later this year. — Speaking at a No Ceilings event, sponsored by the Clinton Foundation and Microsoft, the Clintons addressed women's issues …

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:

Chelsea Clinton announces she's pregnant — NEW YORK - Chelsea Clinton announced here Thursday afternoon that she is expecting her first child later this year. — “I just hope that I will be as good a mom to my child and hopefully children as my mom was to me,” the former first daughter …

Discussion: Gawker and Hinterland Gazette

Liz Kreutz / ABC News:
Chelsea Clinton: I'm Pregnant!

Discussion: Politico, CBS New York, Joe. My. God. and Mashable

CNN:
Chelsea Clinton announces she's pregnant with first child

Discussion: Guardian and Taylor Marsh

Hendrik Hertzberg / Comment:

NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE: NEW YORK STATE CLIMBS ABOARD — On Tuesday, the State of New York took a baby step—or maybe a giant leap!—toward making the United States of America something more closely resembling a modern democracy: Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill joining up the Empire State …

Discussion: The Week and The Moderate Voice

Salon:

Dick Morris is very afraid: A horrible pundit's “popular vote” hysteria — It is widely acknowledged that Dick Morris is the worst pundit in America. It's truly not up for debate. He's so bad that even Roger Ailes was embarrassed by his hilariously wrong predictions in the 2012 election and let him go.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Hullabaloo

Glenn Blain Daily / NY Daily News:
New York joins campaign to end Electoral College role in presidential elections

Discussion: Hot Air and Hullabaloo

Las Vegas Review-Journal:

Reid calls Bundy supporters ‘domestic terrorists’ — By LAURA MYERS — LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL — U.S. Sen. Harry Reid on Thursday called supporters of Bunkerville rancher Cliven Bundy “domestic terrorists” because they defended him against a Bureau of Land Management cattle roundup …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, Weasel Zippers, Infowars and The Truth About Guns

Jonathan Kandell / New York Times:

Gabriel García Márquez, Conjurer of Literary Magic, Dies at 87 — Gabriel García Márquez, the Colombian novelist whose “One Hundred Years of Solitude” established him as a giant of 20th-century literature, died on Thursday at his home in Mexico City. He was 87.

Discussion: Boing Boing and The Moderate Voice

Kenneth Chang / New York Times:

Scientists Find an ‘Earth Twin,’ or Perhaps a Cousin — It is a bit bigger and somewhat colder, but a planet circling a star 500 light-years away is otherwise the closest match of our home world discovered so far, astronomers announced on Thursday. — The planet, known as Kepler 186f …

Discussion: Liberal Values, Outside the Beltway, Doug Ross, Shakesville, Towleroad News #gay, The Verge and Talking Points Memo

Associated Press:

Man urinates in reservoir, ruins 38M gallons of water — PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland water officials are discarding 38 million gallons of drinking water after a 19-year-old was caught urinating into one of the city's reservoirs. — A security camera caught the man urinating at about 1 …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Balloon Juice

RealClearPolitics Video Log:

Carney: The Toughest Interview Obama Had Was With Jon Stewart — JAY CARNEY: I remember we had some discussion during 2012 about well, is it appropriate for the president, the sitting president and candidate, to give interviews with Jon Stewart and others. And the answer was yes …

Discussion: Hit & Run, Hot Air, NewsBusters, Twitchy, Weasel Zippers, Ed Driscoll, MichelleMalkin.com and Independent Journal Review

Noam Levey / Los Angeles Times:

Obamacare effects are bigger than expected, poll finds — New Gallup survey data suggest that about 12 million previously uninsured Americans have gained coverage since the fall. — Just 12.9% of adults nationally lacked coverage in the first half of April, initial data from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index indicate.

Discussion: Democratic Strategist and VodkaPundit

nbcnewyork.com:

4 Catholic High School Students Expelled After Confederate Flag, Blackface Incidents — Four Catholic high school students on Long Island have been expelled after two senior boys brought a Confederate flag to a school event and two sophomore girls posted a blackface photo on social media, the school said.

Discussion: Hinterland Gazette and Liberaland

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Poll: Hillary Clinton's numbers worst since 2008, as GOP brand surges — A new poll shows former secretary of state Hillary Clinton's (D) numbers hitting their lowest point in six years. — Meanwhile, it finds that the Republican Party is experiencing something of a renaissance.