memeorandum: Anti-gay bill suffers near fatal blow in state House (Matt Hennie/PQA)

2:05 PM ET, March 27, 2015

Top Items:

Harry Reid Says He Won't Seek Re-Election — WASHINGTON — Senator Harry Reid, the tough tactician who has led Senate Democrats since 2005, will not seek re-election next year, bringing an end to a three-decade congressional career that culminated with his push of President Obama's ambitious agenda against fierce Republican resistance.

Paul Kane / Washington Post:

Harry Reid endorses Chuck Schumer to succeed him as Senate Minority Leader — Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) has endorsed Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) to succeed him after he retires at the end of 2016. — “I think Schumer should be able to succeed me,” …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Business Insider, NPR, American Spectator and The Week

Manu Raju / Politico:

REID RETIRING — After a brutal eye injury, the 75-year-old Senate Democratic leader decides to forego another grueling campaign for reelection. — Harry Reid, a soft-spoken, uninspiring public speaker but savvy backroom political operator, plotted his way up the rungs of the Democratic leadership throughout his career.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Talking Points Memo, Roll Call, USA Today, FOX31 Denver, Politic365, Daily Kos, Associated Press and The Gateway Pundit

David Weigel / Bloomberg Business: Democrats May Find it Easier to Defend Reid's Open Seat

Cameron Joseph / The Hill:
Dem Rep. Titus considering bid for Reid's seat

Discussion: Politico and OnPolitics

Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:

GERMAN NEWS REPORT: Co-Pilot of Germanwings Airbus Was MUSLIM CONVERT ...'Hero of Islamic State'? — GERMAN REPORT —HE WAS RADICALIZED! … Police have reportedly found an “item of significance” at the apartment of the co-pilot who crashed the Germanwing passenger plane into the Alps this week.

Discussion: Pamela Geller, Atlas Shrugs, EveryJoe, Fox News Insider, Vox Popoli, BizPac Review, Israel Matzav, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Associated Press

Simon Calder / The Independent:

Andreas Lubitz: Knee-jerk reaction to 9/11 enabled mass murder — The ill-thought reinforced cockpit door has had catastrophic consequences — A leading aviation security expert has condemned the rules on cockpit access as a “knee-jerk reaction to the events of 9/11” - which, he says …

Discussion: Liberaland and FOX News Radio

New York Times:

Co-Pilot in Germanwings Crash Hid Medical Condition From Employer, Prosecutors Say — DÜSSELDORF, Germany — Documents show that Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot who is believed to have deliberately crashed a Germanwings jet into the French Alps on Tuesday, had a medical condition that he hid …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, The Week, ABC News and Poynter

Kirsti Knolle / Reuters:
German pilot said to have suffered from depression, anxiety

Discussion: Guardian, The Week and Twitchy

David Edwards / Raw Story:
Pat Robertson: ‘Was the co-pilot a Muslim? Why did he want to kill all those people?’

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Wall Street Journal, Outside the Beltway, The Hinterland Gazette, Liberaland, we hunted the mammoth and Mirror.co.uk

New York Times:
Reducing Risks After the Germanwings Crash

Discussion: Forbes, Belmont Club, Techdirt, Guardian and The Week

Yelp Official Blog:

An Open Letter to States Considering Imposing Discrimination Laws — A little over one year ago I wrote an open letter to then-Arizona Governor Jan Brewer requesting that she veto SB 1062, a bill that would have allowed businesses in the state to discriminate against consumers.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Addicting Info and Washington Post

Zack Ford / ThinkProgress:

How To Kill A Discriminatory ‘Religious Liberty’ Bill: Call The Bluff — Georgia State Sen. Josh McKoon (R) defends his “religious freedom” bill to a House committee. — CREDIT: AP Photo/David Goldman — Georgia lawmakers have been quickly advancing their own version of a …

Discussion: PQA, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Indianapolis Star

Matt Hennie / PQA:

Anti-gay bill suffers near fatal blow in state House — A last-ditch effort to add LGBT protections to an anti-gay “religious freedom” bill passed the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, prompting Republicans to table the controversial proposal. — The amendment from gay-friendly state …

Discussion: Political Insider blog, Towleroad News #gay and ThinkProgress

Manu Raju / Politico:

2016 brawl breaks out on Senate floor — Paul lashes Cruz, Rubio for ‘dangerous’ and ‘reckless’ positions on government spending. — The 2016 Republican nomination contest spilled onto the Senate floor Thursday, turning a marathon budget debate into a battle over which candidate is prepared to lead the country at a time of war.

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, New York Times, The Week and FOX News Radio

James Hohmann / Politico:
Insiders pump the brakes on Cruz

Discussion: Hot Air, BostonGlobe.com and ABC News

David Lawder / Reuters:
Senate passes Republican budget with deep safety net cuts

Discussion: Shakesville, Hot Air and Daily Kos

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Mornings in Blue America — Two impossible things happened to the U.S. economy over the course of the past year — or at least they were supposed to be impossible, according to the ideology that dominates half our political spectrum. First, remember how Obamacare was supposed to be a gigantic job killer?

Discussion: Daily Kos, Addicting Info and Hullabaloo

Brent Budowsky / The Hill:

The four faces of Cruz — At the risk of giving solace to the list of possible Republican candidates for the presidency, which seems larger than the starting offense for the Texas Longhorns, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) might have begun the implosion of his presidential candidacy the day after he announced it.

Discussion: Climate Denial Crock …, Daily Kos and US News

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Ted Cruz's Senate record by the numbers

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications

Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:

Here's why the Senate stalemate over the human-trafficking bill is so complex — “Just to refresh everybody's memory: Since 1976, all funding, all appropriations bills, and many authorization bills, including the Affordable Care Act and the Defense authorization bills, have been subjected …

Discussion: FOX News Radio

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:
Senate Approves Budget of G.O.P. Wishes in All-Night Session

Discussion: Common Dreams and The Week

Jana Winter / The Intercept:

Exclusive: TSA's Secret Behavior Checklist to Spot Terrorists — Fidgeting, whistling, sweaty palms. Add one point each. Arrogance, a cold penetrating stare, and rigid posture, two points. — These are just a few of the suspicious signs that the Transportation Security Administration directs …

Discussion: The Hill, The Daily Caller, The Verge and Watchdog.org

Josh Kraushaar / National Journal:

Democrats' Identity Crisis Is Spilling Into Their Senate Races — Democrats have been remarkably successful at avoiding contentious primaries, but the ones taking place in 2016 will be consequential. — On the surface, the Democratic Party looks remarkably unified heading …

Darren Sands / BuzzFeed:

The Obamas Are Seriously Considering Moving To New York City — Looking for a home, and a library, after the White House. — Obama and then-mayoral-candidate Bill de Blasio at Juniors Restaurant in Brooklyn in 2013. — Mandel Ngan / Getty Images — Barack and Michelle Obama …

Discussion: American Spectator and Mediaite

Politico:

Senate passes budget as negotiations with House loom ahead — Throughout “vote-a-rama,” much focus centered on the handful of Republicans mulling 2016 bids. — Reaching a final budget agreement with the House is a top priority for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. AP Photo

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, The Hill, New York Times, Daily Kos and Washington Post

Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Senators endorse Iran sanctions in budget vote

Discussion: Mark Kirk, Roll Call, ThinkProgress and Politico

Steve Peoples / Associated Press:

Gov. Scott Walker's Immigration Stance at Center of Dispute — A dispute over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's position on immigration erupted on Thursday, highlighting the Republican's struggle to appeal to conservatives on the explosive issue as he prepares to launch a Republican presidential bid.

Discussion: Hot Air, ImmigrationProf Blog and Wall Street Journal