memeorandum: Proposal to Limit Prosecutions Of Marijuana Cases in Brooklyn (Stephanie Clifford/New York Times)

3:20 AM ET, April 24, 2014

Top Items:

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.

Nate Cohn / New York Times:

Midterm Calculus: Why Criticism of Poll Is Misguided — Why Criticism of Poll Is Misguided — The new New York Times Upshot/Kaiser Family Foundation surveys offer some pretty good results for Democrats — with caveats — so it's no surprise that polling aficionados are scouring the details for an explanation.

Discussion: GOP.com, The Week, Daily Kos and Talking Points Memo

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

Discussion: TruthRevolt.org and Talking Points Memo

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:
Why the New York Times Poll Is Bogus

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The New Republic, Power Line, Real Clear Politics and The Mahablog

New York Times:
Close Races in 4 Southern States Could Tip Senate Power Balance

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, CNN, The Moderate Voice, The New Republic, Politico, Washington Post, TruthRevolt.org, Talking Points Memo, Hinterland Gazette, Bloomberg View, Associated Press, Weekly Standard, Washington Free Beacon, Mediaite, Hot Air, NewsBusters and National Review

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Rand Paul: GOP might be over-selling voter fraud — Here's another interesting comment from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) during his sitdown with former senior Obama adviser David Axelrod on Tuesday: Paul said that the Republican Party might be over-selling incidences of voter fraud.

Discussion: RealClearPolitics Video Log, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller and The Right Scoop

David Corn / Mother Jones:

WATCH: Rand Paul Says Jimmy Carter Was Better on the Budget Than Ronald Reagan — The Kentucky senator has been hailing Reagan lately. But a few years ago, Paul routinely knocked the Republican icon as a fiscal failure. — As Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) ponders a presidential bid …

Discussion: msnbc.com, ThinkProgress, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mediaite, The Week, The Dish, BobCesca.com, Talking Points Memo, Balloon Juice, The Raw Story and Pamela Geller, Atlas Shrugs

Ramesh Ponnuru / Bloomberg View:
Vice President Rand Paul?

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

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Rand Paul on abortion: “We're not changing any of the laws until the country is persuaded otherwise”

Discussion: The Federalist, Politico, LifeNews.com, National Review and The Daily Caller

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 …

Discussion: The Raw Story, The Reality-Based Community, Little Green Footballs, Balloon Juice and The Daily Banter

Washington Times:
Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy hailed as patriot, ripped as lawless deadbeat

Discussion: Hot Air, National Review and Mediaite

Adam Liptak / New York Times:

Justices Rule Child Pornography Restitution Is Too High — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside a $3.4 million award to a victim of child pornography who had sought restitution from a man convicted of viewing images of her. That figure was too much, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote …

Discussion: Washington Post and Election Law Blog

Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:
Opinion analysis: Dividing the duty to pay for child porn

Discussion: Bloomberg View, Outside the Beltway and Washington Post

David G. Savage / Los Angeles Times:
Supreme Court sets aside $3.4-million verdict for child-porn victim

Discussion: The Verge

Gautham Nagesh / Wall Street Journal:

FCC To Propose New ‘Net Neutrality’ Rules — The Federal Communications Commission plans to propose new open Internet rules on Thursday that would allow content companies to pay Internet service providers for special access to consumers, according to a person familiar with the proposal.

Discussion: Free Press, Washington Post, Re/code, Los Angeles Times, ThinkProgress, The Verge and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »

Edward Wyatt / New York Times:

In Policy Shift, F.C.C. Will Allow a Web Fast Lane — WASHINGTON — The principle that all Internet content should be treated equally as it flows through cables and pipes to consumers looks all but dead. — Companies like Disney, Google or Netflix will be allowed to pay Internet service providers …

Discussion: Mediaite and The Verge

Forrest A. Nabors / Politico:

She Can See This Disaster From Her House — If Republicans lose the Alaska Senate race, they'll have Sarah Palin to thank. — Begich spoke on Feb. 3, ostensibly on the subject of new business opportunities in technology. As he was being introduced, his darting eyes and scratches …

Discussion: CNN, Tampa Bay Times and Liberaland

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: The Verge and The Week

Evan McMorris-Santoro / BuzzFeed:

Photo Of Obama In Conservative Attack Ad Is Photoshopped From Hospital Trip After Aurora Shooting — Conservative group Americans For Prosperity cut out the hospital and the governor of Colorado to show President Obama and Democratic Sen. Mark Udall looking sad together for a negative campaign ad.

Discussion: KDVR.com, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos and Taylor Marsh

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: Cafe Hayek

Steven Ertelt / LifeNews.com:

Energy Plant in Oregon Burning Aborted Babies From Canada to Generate Electricity — An energy plant in Oregon is reportedly burning aborted babies from Canada to generate electricity. UPDATE: Local officials say they will stop the practice while they look into the situation.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, NewsBusters, The Gateway Pundit and The Right Scoop

Gabe Gutierrez / NBC News:

Up in Arms: Georgia Governor To Sign Controversial Gun Bill Wednesday — Opponents, like Stephanie Stone of Atlanta, argue the law misinterprets the Second Amendment and will promote a culture of guns. — “I think this bill is reckless,” she said. “I think it's dangerous and irresponsible.”

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Politico and Liberaland

Greg Bluestein / Political Insider blog:
Nathan Deal signs broad gun rights expansion

Discussion: USA Today, Washington Post, NewsBusters, ThinkProgress, Gawker, The Raw Story and NBC News

Stephanie Clifford / New York Times:

Proposal to Limit Prosecutions Of Marijuana Cases in Brooklyn — The Brooklyn district attorney's office will stop prosecuting people arrested on charges of possessing small amounts of marijuana, according to a confidential policy proposal that the district attorney, Kenneth P. Thompson …

Discussion: Gothamist, Gawker, WNYC News and Capital New York

Benjamin Weiser / New York Times:

D'Souza Case Is Political, Lawyer Says — When the conservative author and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza was charged in January with illegally using straw donors to contribute to a 2012 New York Republican Senate campaign, his lawyer denied that he had acted with any corrupt or criminal intent.

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, Mediaite and Talking Points Memo

David Ferguson / The Raw Story:
Prosecutors: Cuckolded husband's tape proves Dinesh D'Souza knew he broke campaign laws

Discussion: addictinginfo.org

Jon Burkett / WTVR-TV:

75-year-old grandmother says she was restrained during police raid — HENRICO, Va. (WTVR) -Ruth Hunter, a 75-year-old woman, said she was tied up while State Police invaded her Henrico apartment. — She said officers told her during the raid what they were looking for, and court documents also show the information.

Discussion: The Daily Caller and The Raw Story

RT:

Lavrov: Kiev issued ‘criminal order’ allowing use of weapons against civilians — The coup-appointed Kiev government's order to use force against Ukrainian citizens is “criminal,” the Russian Foreign Minister told RT. He also denied claims that there is Russian military presence on Ukrainian territory.

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, The Gateway Pundit and Guardian

Greg Botelho / CNN:
U.S. paratroopers in Poland amid crisis

Discussion: Mediaite, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, VodkaPundit and Associated Press

Sharon Otterman / New York Times:

Interfaith Panel Denounces a 9/11 Museum Exhibit's Portrayal of Islam — Past the towering tridents that survived the World Trade Center collapse, adjacent to a gallery with photographs of the 19 hijackers, a brief film at the soon-to-open National September 11 Memorial Museum will seek …

Discussion: The Lead with Jake Tapper, American Power, Pamela Geller, Atlas Shrugs and National Review