Top Items:
Daniel Strauss / Talking Points Memo:
RNC Spokesman Is Furious The GOP Has Been Lumped With Bundy (VIDEO) — A top spokesman for the Republican National Committee got heated during an interview Friday on CNN, saying Republicans have been unfairly linked to Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and his racist remarks.
Discussion:
BobCesca.com, The Daily Caller, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Raw Story, Pirate's Cove, RedState, BizPac Review and TruthRevolt.org
RELATED:
ThinkProgress:
Cliven Bundy Says If People Thought His Comments Were Racist, It's MLK's Fault — Cliven Bundy, the embattled rancher who revealed himself this week to be not just a critic of the government, but also a blatant racist, dug himself further into a hole Friday morning by saying that Martin Luther King …
Crystal Wright / CNN:
Why we conservatives are still getting it wrong with Bundy — Editor's note: Crystal Wright is a conservative writer who runs the blog ConservativeBlackChick.com. She also is a principal at the Baker Wright Group, a communications and public relations firm. You can follow her on Twitter @GOPBlackChick.
Discussion:
The Dish
Paul Begala / CNN:
Conservative hero is racist rancher? Didn't see that one coming — Editor's note: Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist and CNN political commentator, was a political consultant for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in 1992 and was counselor to Clinton in the White House.
Discussion:
New Day, TruthRevolt.org and Politico
Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:
Bundy's Black Bodyguard: ‘I Would Take A Bullet For That Man’ (VIDEO) — One of the supporters serving as a bodyguard for Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy during his standoff with federal authorities — and who also happens to be black — said he would still “take a bullet for” Bundy after the rancher made racially inflammatory comments.
Discussion:
Mediaite
Politico:
Michael Grimm expected to be indicted — Rep. Michael Grimm is expected to be indicted by the U.S. attorney in New York, according to the New York Republican's lawyer. — Grimm has been under investigation by federal authorities for alleged campaign finance violations.
Discussion:
New York Times, BuzzFeed, Washington Post, Roll Call, Daily Kos and Capital New York
RELATED:
CNN:
Feds close to filing charges against Rep. Michael Grimm, officials say — (CNN) — Federal prosecutors are preparing criminal charges against Rep. Michael Grimm, capping a two-year FBI investigation that ranges from his business dealings to his first campaign for Congress in 2010, U.S. officials briefed on the matter said.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Josh Rogin / The Daily Beast:
Exclusive: Putin Halts All Talks With White House — As new U.S. sanctions against Russia loom, the Kremlin has shut down—at least for now—intensive high level communications between top U.S. and Russian officials. — Since the invasion of Crimea, President Vladimir Putin …
Discussion:
Fox News, US Department of State, RT, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit and The Moderate Voice
RELATED:
John Boel / WAVE-TV:
EXCLUSIVE: Politicians at cockfighting rally caught on video — LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - It's part of Kentucky's landscape, even when it's not readily visible. This part is hidden in a Henry County valley behind the trees by Lake Jericho. — It features sprawling farms that raise chickens, but not the kind you eat.
RELATED:
Jonathan Topaz / Politico:
Matt Bevin sorry for cockfighting event speech
Matt Bevin sorry for cockfighting event speech
Discussion:
Business Insider, Outside the Beltway, Daily Kos, Hot Air and Conservative Intelligence …
Michael Tomasky / The Daily Beast:
Republicans Are Racists? No, It's Just All a Big Coincidence — The revolting comments. The emails. The jokes. The posters. The T-shirts. The ghostwriters. It's not like it's a pattern or something. — Come on, fellow liberals. Calm down. I guess maybe it's fair to call Cliven Bundy a racist.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and The PJ Tatler
The Hill:
Issa questions role of Holder's DOJ in targeting of Tea Party groups — House Republicans on Thursday broadened their investigation into the IRS's improper targeting of conservative groups, questioning whether the Justice Department might have played a role.
Discussion:
BizPac Review, BobCesca.com and Wall Street Journal
RELATED:
ThinkProgress:
Boehner Acknowledges That Repealing Obamacare 'Isn't The Answer'
Boehner Acknowledges That Repealing Obamacare 'Isn't The Answer'
Discussion:
Politico, msnbc.com, Campaign for America's Future and The PJ Tatler
Paul Steinhauser / CNN:
Boehner public mocking of colleagues on immigration similar to what he's done in private
Boehner public mocking of colleagues on immigration similar to what he's done in private
Discussion:
protein wisdom, PoliticusUSA and Heritage Action for America
Alex Pappas / The Daily Caller:
Exclusive: Gov. Tom Ridge Resigns From Bloomberg's New Gun Control Group — Former Republican Gov. Tom Ridge is stepping down from his position with Michael Bloomberg's new anti-gun organization, The Daily Caller has learned. — “When I signed on as an advisor to Everytown …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Mediaite and The PJ Tatler
RELATED:
Mike Hayes / BuzzFeed:
Bloomberg Group Sends Hundreds Of Gun Reform Activists To NRA Convention
Bloomberg Group Sends Hundreds Of Gun Reform Activists To NRA Convention
Discussion:
USA Today, ABC News and National Review
David Brooks / New York Times:
The Piketty Phenomenon — Many people join the political left driven by a concern for the poor. But, over the past several years, the Democratic Party has talked much more about the middle class than the poor. Meanwhile, progressive political movements like Occupy Wall Street directed their fervor at the top 1 percent.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog and Balloon Juice
RELATED:
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
The Piketty Panic — “Capital in the Twenty-First Century,” …
The Piketty Panic — “Capital in the Twenty-First Century,” …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, CalWatchDog, JustOneMinute, Prairie Weather, TheBlaze.com, CNN, Capitol Report, This Is Brad DeLong's … and Forbes
Bill Ruthhart / Chicago Tribune:
Emails show Emanuel aides, producers coordinated CNN ‘Chicagoland’ scenes — If it seemed as though some scenes of CNN's documentary series “Chicagoland” were coordinated by Mayor Rahm Emanuel's City Hall and the show's producers, that's because they were.
Discussion:
Politico, Deadline.com, Mediaite, The Huffington Post, TruthRevolt.org, The Daily Caller, The PJ Tatler, Hot Air, Firedoglake and CNN
Sean Trende / Real Clear Politics:
Christie's Chances & the 2016 Nomination — Once upon a time, not so long ago, the consensus among pundits was that Chris Christie was the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016 — and a relatively solid one at that. That, of course, was before news broke that his administration …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and Hot Air
RELATED:
Heather Haddon / Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Attorney Issues Subpoena to Committee Probing George Washington Bridge Scandal
U.S. Attorney Issues Subpoena to Committee Probing George Washington Bridge Scandal
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Tim Cavanaugh / National Review:
Chris Hayes Wants to Kill About 5.7 Billion People — MSNBC host Chris Hayes is getting an alarming amount of attention for his latest effort in The Nation, a stemwinder arguing that the abolition of fossil fuels is like the abolition of slavery. — The argument may sound forced …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and RedState
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Why Elizabeth Warren should run for president — BARACK OBAMA JOE BIDEN HILLARY CLINTON 2016 ELECTIONS CAMPAIGNS ELIZABETH WARREN — Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren is starting a publicity tour for her new campaign-style book, A Fighting Chance. As she talks to the press …
Discussion:
CANNONFIRE and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Weekly Standard:
The Obamacare Opportunity — An opening for a genuine alternative. — Widget tooltip — Obamacare's defenders are doing their best to sustain a triumphant mood these days. In the wake of the late-March surge in exchange enrollment, many proponents of the law have insisted it can no longer be rolled back.
ThinkProgress:
Drought Now Covers Every Last Inch Of California — For the first time in at least 15 years, all of California is officially in drought. — According to the April 22 release of the U.S. Drought Monitor, every last inch of California is in a state of “moderate” to “exceptional” drought …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Farm Futures, ncdc.noaa.gov and Shakesville