memeorandum: Obama to Draw Contrasts With Republicans Over Spending (Darlene Superville/Associated Press)

11:30 AM ET, March 18, 2015

Top Items:

Jodi Rudoren / New York Times:

Netanyahu Soundly Defeats Chief Rival in Israeli Elections — TEL AVIV — After a bruising campaign focused on his failings, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel won a clear victory in Tuesday's elections and seemed all but certain to form a new government and serve a fourth term …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Washington Post, Slate, The Hugh Hewitt Show, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, McClatchy Washington Bureau, The Week, New York Magazine, Outside the Beltway, Liberaland, The Daily Caller, The Times of Israel, Daily Kos, CANNONFIRE and Politico

John Podhoretz / New York Post:

Netanyahu gambles his career and scores breathtaking victory — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech to supporters at party headquarters in Tel Aviv. — When it comes to elections, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu is the political equivalent of a scrambling quarterback.

Discussion: Commentary Magazine, Power Line, Wall Street Journal, Taylor Marsh, Scared Monkeys, Betsy's Page and Washington Free Beacon

New York Times:

An Israeli Election Turns Ugly — Israel's election has done a lot to reveal the challenges facing the country and the intentions of the men who seek to lead it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's outright rejection of a Palestinian state and his racist rant against Israeli Arab voters …

Discussion: Al Jazeera English, Common Dreams, Guardian, Reuters, Washington Post, The Nation, Hot Air, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Lawfare and New Atlanticist

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:
WH Avoids Congratulating Bibi

Discussion: The PJ Tatler, American Spectator and The Gateway Pundit

Michael Crowley / Politico:
Bibi wins big

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Post, The Other McCain, New York Times, The Times of Israel, The Week, The PJ Tatler and Haaretz

Isabel Kershner / New York Times:
Deep Wounds and Lingering Questions After Israel's Bitter Race

Discussion: CNN, Hot Air, Jerusalem Post, The Daily Caller, National Review, Mashable, Politico, Washington Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Raw Story and Hit & Run

BBC:
Israel election: Netanyahu's Likud storms to victory

Discussion: The Talking Dog and New York Magazine

Jerusalem Post:
In victory speech, Netanyahu says he will seek ‘strong, stable government’

Discussion: Commentary Magazine, Power Line, Washington Post and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Dan Tuohy / UnionLeader.com:

Trump drops ‘Apprentice,’ will launch presidential exploratory committee — New Hampshire Union Leader — Donald Trump will launch a presidential exploratory committee Wednesday, the eve of the business mogul's return to New Hampshire. — A senior adviser tells the New Hampshire Union Leader …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Politico, Bloomberg Business, CNBC, WMUR, US News, Business Insider, Mediaite, TalkLeft, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Chicago and New York Magazine

Steve Peoples / Associated Press:

Trump launching presidential exploratory committee — WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump announced plans Wednesday to form a presidential exploratory committee. — “I am the only one who can make America truly great again,” the Republican businessman and reality television star declared in a statement announcing the move.

Discussion: Joe. My. God.

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Mickey Kaus quits Daily Caller after Tucker Carlson pulls critical Fox News column — The blogger Mickey Kaus has quit his job at The Daily Caller after the conservative site's editor-in-chief, Tucker Carlson, pulled a critical column about Fox News from the site, Kaus told the On Media blog on Tuesday.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Talking Points Memo, Hit & Run, Poynter, The Huffington Post, The Other McCain, Vox Popoli, Mediaite, Roger Ailes, Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Little Green Footballs, more at Mediagazer »

Vox:

We don't need to keep criminals in prison to punish them — America's prison state is a disaster. One percent of the adult population is behind bars, and corrections is squeezing higher education out of state budgets. We have five times as many people in prison as we ever had before 1980 …

Discussion: Booman Tribune

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:

What Happens After Prison: The Big Challenge in Criminal Justice Reform — There's been a lot of premature celebration about the growing trans-ideological, bipartisan convergence on criminal justice reform as a worthy area of public policy cooperation at a time when such topics are very rare.

Discussion: The Reality-Based Community

Associated Press:

Walker Aide Quits After Questioning Iowa's Role in Campaign — An aide to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's national political operation resigned late Tuesday after drawing heated criticism from the head of the Iowa Republican Party for questioning the state's early role in the presidential nominating process.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, Bloomberg Business, Mediaite, OnPolitics, Political Wire, JSOnline and Hot Air

Erick Erickson / RedState:
Dear @ScottWalker, Liz Mair Is a Friend of Mine

Discussion: The Hill, Bloomberg Business, National Review, Mediaite, Radio Iowa, The Daily Caller and Hot Air

Frank Turek / Townhall.com:

Why the 14th Amendment Can't Possibly Require Same-Sex Marriage — The Supreme Court is about to decide if the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution requires the states to redefine marriage to include same sex relationships. There are several reasons why the answer is no.

Discussion: BarbWire.com

Laurie Goodstein / New York Times:
Largest Presbyterian Denomination Gives Final Approval for Same-Sex Marriage

Discussion: Advocate, The Huffington Post, Washington Post, Raw Story, Shakesville, The Week and Joe. My. God.

Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:
Marriage Equality Advocates Stall On Decision About Who Will Argue At Supreme Court

Discussion: Slate, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press and Towleroad News #gay

Jana Winter / The Intercept:

Cyanide Sent to White House — An envelope sent to the White House Mail Screening Facility on Monday tested positive for cyanide, according to an internal law enforcement document obtained by The Intercept. — The envelope listed a return address for a man who the alert says has a record …

Discussion: NBC News, Wall Street Journal, Hot Air, New York Times, Fox News, Washington Post, Mediaite, New York Magazine, Politico and NPR

Brent Budowsky / The Hill:

Why Hillary can win big — The most popular former president since the Second World War is John Kennedy. The most popular living former president is Bill Clinton. The most popular public figure in America is Pope Francis, whose favorable rating was a towering 78 percent in a recent Pew poll.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh

Carl Campanile / New York Post:

Activist allegedly tried to bait protesters with ‘kill cops’ script — A controversial conservative activist is being accused of trying to incite anti-police protesters by saying, “I wish I could kill some of these cops,” to provoke them into making outrageous statements.

Discussion: Liberaland, Raw Story, Balloon Juice, Little Green Footballs and Jezebel

Politico:

Aaron Schock's final hours — His decision to quit was so abrupt that even Speaker John Boehner didn't get a heads up. — Aaron Schock's Tuesday began with a quiet early-morning stroll near the Capitol with his close friend, Missouri Rep. Jason Smith. Sporting shorts and a sweatshirt …

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, Bloomberg Business, National Review, The Huffington Post, BillMoyers.com and Business Insider

Politico:
Rep. Aaron Schock resigns

CNN:

Poll: Hillary Clinton still tops in 2016 - CNN.com — Hillary Clinton continues to be a dominant force heading into the 2016 presidential election, according to a new CNN/ORC poll. The former secretary of state maintains a broad lead over the field of potential Democratic challengers …

Discussion: TalkLeft, US News, Hinterland Gazette, Chicago and Mediaite

Debra Hale-Shelton / Arkansas Online:

Judge dismisses oil-spill lawsuit — He says ruling seems unfair, but class action unwarranted — A federal judge dismissed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday against Exxon Mobil over a 2013 oil spill in Mayflower and acknowledged that the message his decision sends to people with pipeline easements …

Discussion: Fuel Fix

Edward-Isaac Dovere / Politico:

Barack Obama's green gambit — The president is pushing for a global climate change accord that could seal his environmental legacy. — President Barack Obama is quietly but steadily working behind the scenes on what could become one of his signature achievements: A global agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Discussion: The PJ Tatler and The Week

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Holder goes out swinging — Attorney General Eric Holder is speaking his mind in his final days in office, swiping at GOP antagonists and leaving the Department of Justice on his own terms. — Holder has ridiculed Senate Republicans for delaying the nomination of his successor, Loretta Lynch …

Discussion: Instapundit

Alice Ollstein / ThinkProgress:

Schools Plan Massive Layoffs After Scott Walker Guts Funding — This week, Wisconsin kicked off a series of hearings on Governor Scott Walker's proposed budget, which would slash about $300 million from the University of Wisconsin system over two years, funnel hundreds of millions to build …

Discussion: JSOnline