memeorandum: THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE (Mitch McConnell/TIME)

1:05 PM ET, April 24, 2014

Top Items:

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:

A Defiant Rancher Savors the Audience That Rallied to His Side — BUNKERVILLE, Nev. — Cliven Bundy stood by the Virgin River up the road from the armed checkpoint at the driveway of his ranch, signing autographs and posing for pictures. For 55 minutes, Mr. Bundy held forth to a clutch …

Arturo Garcia / The Raw Story:

Conservatives begin backing away after Cliven Bundy's remarks disparaging ‘the Negro’ — Republican politicians began backtracking on their support of Nevada anti-government rancher Cliven Bundy after the New York Times caught Bundy making racially-inflammatory remarks blaming African-Americans …

Discussion: The Daily Banter, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice, Fox News Insider, Business Insider, Sky Dancing, Gretawire, Hullabaloo, NewsBusters and The Mahablog

Danaradio / The Dana Show:

On Cliven Bundy's Remark — I was alerted to this story this evening in the NYT on rancher Cliven Bundy which featured a quote I was told was racist, and therefor I should apologize for ever criticizing the Bureau of Land Management's handling of this and other situations: … A few things.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite and Joe. My. God.

Los Angeles Times:

The U.S. can't let Cliven Bundy win his range war — The Nevada cattle rancher is not a man of principle but a bad loser. He should be made to pay grazing fees. — Nevada cattle rancher Cliven Bundy (Los Angeles Times / April 22, 2014) — Times Editorial Board

Discussion: Right Wing Watch

Jonathan Topaz / Politico:

Rand Paul slams Cliven Bundy's racist rant — Republican Sens. Rand Paul and Dean Heller on Thursday both denounced as “offensive” and “racist” Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy's recent comments about African-Americans. — “His remarks on race are offensive and I wholeheartedly disagree with him …

Discussion: Washington Post, Mediaite, Outside the Beltway, Hullabaloo and The Federalist

Timothy Cama / The Hill:

Republicans slam Bundy's ‘appalling and racist’ remarks — Republicans who had supported Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy in his fight with the government over grazing fees rebuked him on Thursday after he made controverisal comments about African Americans. — Republican Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) …

Discussion: Right Wing Watch

Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:

Cliven Bundy Wonders If Blacks Are ‘Better Off As Slaves’ Than On Gov't Assistance — Now that he's won a confrontation with the Bureau of Land Management over grazing his cattle on federal land, Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy has time to hold court on everything from abortion to the current state of “the Negro.”

Discussion: RedState, alicublog, Washington Post, Daily Kos and The Daily Banter

Jamelle Bouie / Slate:
What Cliven Bundy Knows About “The Negro”

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Hot Air and Mediaite

Brett LoGiurato / Business Insider:
Nevada Rancher Cliven Bundy Makes Ridiculously Racist Comments, Says Blacks Might Have Been ‘Better Off’ As Slaves

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, CNN, Fox News and Mediaite

Dylan Byers / Politico:
Bundy just ended the Stewart-Hannity feud

Discussion: Mediaite and FishbowlDC

Norm Clarke:

Wynn, Clooney exchange barbs over heated dinner conversation — George Clooney, right, shown last year at Wynn Las Vegas promoting his Casamigos tequila with Steve and Andrea Wynn, reportedly took issue with Steve Wynn's comments about President Barack Obama. (Courtesy) — George Clooney.

Discussion: TruthRevolt.org, The Daily Caller, “The Lid”, NewsBusters, Gawker, The Week, Mediaite and Fox News Insider

CNN:

A fatal wait: Veterans languish and die on a VA hospital's secret list — (CNN) — At least 40 U.S. veterans died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system, many of whom were placed on a secret waiting list. — The secret list was part of an elaborate scheme designed …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Fox News, RedState, The PJ Tatler, Fox News Insider, Business Insider and Washington Free Beacon

CNN:

Obama: Japanese robots a little scary' — Tokyo (CNN) - President Barack Obama has some new high tech friends — The President played soccer Thursday with a Japanese robot during a stop at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, or Mirikan.

Discussion: Politico, The Daily Caller and BizPac Review

Colleen McCain Nelson / Wall Street Journal:
Obama Plays Soccer With Robot

Discussion: Mashable, Business Insider and The Verge

Jonathan Topaz / Politico: Obama plays with Japanese robot

Edward Wyatt / New York Times:

F.C.C., in a Shift, Backs Fast Lanes for Web Traffic — WASHINGTON — The principle that all Internet content should be treated equally as it flows through cables and pipes to consumers looks all but dead. — The Federal Communications Commission said on Wednesday that it would propose …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Guardian, Free Press, The Huffington Post, Shakesville, Business Insider, The Week, Colorlines, Daily Kos, The Verge, Mediaite and Prairie Weather, more at Mediagazer »

Gautham Nagesh / Wall Street Journal:
FCC To Propose New ‘Net Neutrality’ Rules

Discussion: The Verge, Business Insider, Gawker, New York Times, The Week, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, ThinkProgress, Poynter and Re/code, more at Mediagazer »

Rebecca Shabad / The Hill:

Holder says Sotomayor's affirmative action dissent was ‘courageous’ — Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday called Justice Sonia Sotomayor's dissent in the Supreme Court's latest affirmative action ruling “courageous.” — At an event on diversity within the Justice Department …

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications

Chicago Tribune: Race, diversity and the ballot box

Nate Cohn / New York Times:

Southern Whites' Loyalty to G.O.P. Nearing That of Blacks to Democrats — President Obama's landslide victory in 2008 was supposed to herald the beginning of a new Democratic era. And yet, six years later, there is not even a clear Democratic majority in the country, let alone one poised for 30 years of dominance.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Post and Booman Tribune

New York Times:
Southerners Don't Like Obamacare. They Also Don't Want to Repeal It.

Discussion: American Prospect, ThinkProgress, TruthRevolt.org and Talking Points Memo

George F. Will / Washington Post:

Barack Obama, the adolescent president — Recently, Barack Obama — a Demosthenes determined to elevate our politics from coarseness to elegance; a Pericles sent to ameliorate our rhetorical impoverishment — spoke at the University of Michigan. He came to that very friendly venue …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and Cafe Hayek

Mitch McConnell / TIME:

THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE — Rand Paul

Discussion: Washington Monthly and The Huffington Post

Ramesh Ponnuru / Bloomberg View:
Vice President Rand Paul?

Discussion: The Week, Hot Air, Booman Tribune, OnPolitics, The Hill and Mediaite

Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:

GOP Lawmaker: Women Get Paid Less Because ‘Men Are More Motivated’ (VIDEO) — A Republican lawmaker from New Hampshire on Wednesday said that women are paid less than men because they don't work as hard or as often, insisting throughout his speech that his argument was legitimate, despite objections from his fellow lawmakers.

Wall Street Journal:

Telling Students to Earn Less — Obama now calls for reforming his bleeding college loan program. — The federal student loan program is becoming so costly to taxpayers that even President Obama is pretending to fix it. Readers will recall Mr. Obama as the man who has spent …

Discussion: National Review

Sabrina Tavernise / New York Times:

F.D.A. Will Propose New Regulations for E-Cigarettes — WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration will propose sweeping new rules on Thursday that for the first time would extend its regulatory authority from cigarettes to electronic cigarettes, popular nicotine delivery devices …

Discussion: Mashable, Right Wing News, The Verge and The Week