memeorandum: U.S. forces begin airstrikes in Tikrit, where Iran-backed militias are in lead (Washington Post)

10:15 AM ET, March 26, 2015

Top Items:

Stephanie Kirchner / Washington Post:

French prosecutor: Co-pilot of doomed flight sought to ‘destroy the plane’ … DÜSSELDORF, Germany — A French prosecutor said Thursday that the co-pilot of the doomed Germanwing flight appeared to want to “destroy the plane,” in a stunning twist to the investigation that shifted attention …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, Vox Popoli, Mashable, NPR and New York Times

Daily Mail:

BREAKING NEWS: Germanwings co-pilot DELIBERATELY crashed Flight 4U9525 into mountain to ‘destroy the plane’ after locking his captain out of cockpit, reveals French prosecutor — The co-pilot of the doomed Germanwings Airbus A320 locked his captain out of the cockpit before deliberately crashing …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and PUNDIT PRESS

Asoleycerro / KTLA:

Germanwings Co-Pilot Deliberately ‘Accelerated the Descent’ of Plane That Crashed: Prosecutor — Breaking updates: — • There was screaming on the doomed Germanwings flight only in the last few minutes, and death was instantaneous when the plane crashed, Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said Thursday.

Discussion: Informed Comment

New York Times:
Germanwings Co-Pilot Deliberately Crashed Airbus Jet, French Prosecutor Says

Discussion: CBS News, Scared Monkeys and Zero Hedge

John R. Bolton / New York Times:

To Stop Iran's Bomb, Bomb Iran — FOR years, experts worried that the Middle East would face an uncontrollable nuclear-arms race if Iran ever acquired weapons capability. Given the region's political, religious and ethnic conflicts, the logic is straightforward.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and PoliticusUSA

Reuters:

Saudi Arabia, allies launch air campaign in Yemen against Houthi fighters — (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia launched air strikes in Yemen on Thursday in coalition with Gulf region allies to counter Iran-backed forces besieging the southern city of Aden, where the U.S.-supported Yemeni president had taken refuge.

Discussion: Common Dreams, Associated Press and The Moderate Voice

Al Jazeera English:
Saudi and Arab allies bomb Houthi positions in Yemen

Discussion: Israpundit

New York Times:
Saudi Arabia Leads Air Assault in Yemen

Discussion: Foreign Policy, Reuters, Washington Post, RedState, Hot Air, Guardian, USA Today, MintPress News, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Times, Washington Free Beacon and France 24

Washington Post:

U.S. forces begin airstrikes in Tikrit, where Iran-backed militias are in lead … BAGHDAD — U.S. warplanes began striking Islamic State forces in and around the Iraqi city of Tikrit on Wednesday, drawing the United States directly into a battle that has pitted the militants against Iraqi forces dominated by Iranian-backed militias.

Discussion: Hot Air, Informed Comment, Common Dreams and Power Line

Reuters: U.S.-led coalition, Iraqis pound Islamic State in Tikrit

New York Times:
Opening New Iraq Front, U.S. Strikes ISIS in Tikrit

Discussion: defense.gov, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Reuters

Rosie Gray / BuzzFeed:

Tucker Carlson's Brother: De Blasio Spokesperson A “Self-Righteous Bitch” — Accidental reply-all: Buckley Carlson says mayor's spokesperson has “extreme dick-fright” in email she received. — Brendan Hoffman / Getty — WASHINGTON — Daily Caller founder Tucker Carlson's brother Buckley Carlson referred …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, Gawker, Mediaite, Politico, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, The Huffington Post, New York Magazine and The Daily Caller

Nancy A. Youssef / The Daily Beast:

Everything The White House Told You About Bowe Bergdahl Was Wrong — His release was supposed to be the political masterstroke in the last days of the war. But the war is still going, and Bergdahl is going to court. — In the space of nine months, he went from being heralded at the White House to facing prison for life.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Dan Lamothe / Washington Post:
Bowe Bergdahl, once missing U.S. soldier, charged with desertion

Helene Cooper / New York Times:
Bowe Bergdahl Charged With Desertion and Misbehavior Before the Enemy

Discussion: The Daily Caller

California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris:

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Issues Statement on Proposed Ballot Initiative — Contact: (415) 703-5837, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov — LOS ANGELES - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today issued the following statement on her decision to file an action for declaratory relief seeking …

Discussion: KQED News, Mashable, Advocate, Los Angeles Times and Election Law Blog

Christopher / Sacramento Bee:
Capitol Alert — California Attorney General Kamala Harris asked …

Discussion: Hit & Run, New York Magazine, Washington Post, Bloomberg Business, KQED News and The Daily Banter

Warren Rojas / Roll Call:

Congresswoman Demonstrates ‘Worst Parking Job Ever’ (Video) — Updated 5:02 p.m. | Abandon all hope, ye who happen to park anywhere near geometrically challenged-motorist Eleanor Holmes Norton. — A HOH tipster watched in horror Wednesday as the D.C. delegate, 77, awkwardly forced …

Discussion: Fox News, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Business Insider and The Daily Banter

A.B. Stoddard / The Hill:

Israel a trap for Clinton — As Hillary Clinton prepares to sell herself as the next leader of the free world, she will want to find balance herself somewhere between the Obama administration, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the U.S. Congress on a nuclear arms deal with Iran …

Gregory Korte / OnPolitics:

Here's the new White House briefing room seating chart — The seating chart for the White House Press Briefing Room. (Gregory Korte / USA TODAY) — There are hundreds — maybe thousands — of reporters in Washington who cover the White House from time to time, but only 49 seats in the White House briefing room.

Discussion: TVNewser, Washington Post and Politico

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson / The Hill:

Advise, consent and confirm Loretta Lynch — Loretta Lynch, the president's nominee to replace Eric Holder as the U.S. attorney general, is poised to become the first African-American woman to lead the Justice Department as the nation's chief law enforcement officer.

Bernie Becker / The Hill:

Black business owners backing GOP estate tax repeal bid — Republicans seeking to repeal the estate tax have rolled out the endorsements of black business advocates who argue the levy is especially painful for minority entrepreneurs. — Harry Alford of the National Black Chamber of Commerce …

WDIV-TV:

Local 4 Defenders: Violent traffic stop in Inkster caught on camera … INKSTER, Mich. - — Video obtained exclusively by the Local 4 Defenders shows an African-American motorist being beaten by white police officers from the city of Inkster. — The primary officer involved says he was protecting himself.

Discussion: Hit & Run, Detroit Free Press, ThinkProgress, Fox 59 and Balloon Juice

Richard Hasen / SCOTUSblog:

Opinion analysis: A small victory for minority voters, or a case with “profound” constitutional implications? — It is easy to read the Supreme Court's five-to-four decision in Alabama Legislative Black Caucus v. Alabama and Alabama Democratic Conference v. Alabama as a mostly inconsequential case giving …

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, PrawfsBlawg, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Times, IVN.us and Washington Monthly

Robert Barnes / Washington Post:
Supreme Court rules against Alabama redistricting plan

Discussion: USA Today, Addicting Info, New York Times and Booman Tribune

Walter Frick / The Atlantic Online:

Welfare Makes America More Entrepreneurial — A man wearing a U.S. flag necktie stands in line at the National Capital Region Job Fair (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters ) — In 1988, Ronald Reagan traveled to the Soviet Union and gave a speech at Moscow State University, making the case for capitalism.

Discussion: Washington Post