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7:10 PM ET, March 31, 2015

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
New York Times:
Defying Criticism, Arkansas Legislature Passes Bill on Religious Freedom  —  LITTLE ROCK, Ark., — Despite intensifying criticism from business leaders both within and outside of Arkansas, the state legislature on Tuesday passed its version of a measure billed as a religious freedom law …
RELATED:
Jill Lawrence / US News:
A Glimpse Into the GOP's Backward Bubble  —  Defending Indiana's anti-gay, ‘religious freedom’ law makes Gov. Mike Pence the face of GOP insularity.  —  If there's one takeaway from Indiana Gov. Mike Pence's “religious freedom restoration” debacle, it's that Republicans ignore today's cultural environment at their peril.
Indianapolis Star:
Gov. Pence, fix ‘religious freedom’ law now  —  We are at a critical moment in Indiana's history.  —  And much is at stake.  —  Our image.  Our reputation as a state that embraces people of diverse backgrounds and makes them feel welcome.  And our efforts over many years to retool our economy …
Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
“Smoking Doesn't Kill” And Other Great Old Op-Eds From Mike Pence  —  The Indiana governor who is at the center of the debate surrounding the recently signed Religious Freedom Restoration Act in his state wrote some interesting op-eds 15 years ago.  —  “Time for a quick reality check.
David Brooks / New York Times:
Religious Liberty and Equality  —  Over the past few decades the United States has engaged in a great struggle to balance civil rights and religious liberty.  —  On the one hand, there is a growing consensus that straight, gay and lesbian people deserve full equality with each other.
Brian Beutler / The New Republic:
The Real Consequences of Indiana's “Religious Freedom” Law  —  It's not about boutique wedding shops.  What if Hobby Lobby refused to allow gay customers?  —  When Arizona's then-Governor Jan Brewer vetoed legislation last February to protect religious individuals and business owners …
New York Times:
In Indiana, Using Religion as a Cover for Bigotry
David Weigel / Bloomberg Business:
Trevor Noah, From Progressive Icon to Villain in 24 Hours  —  Why people turned on Trevor Noah so quickly.  —  The media hot take, the quick response to unfamiliar news, generally ages like milk left out in the August sun.  Sonia Saraiya's reaction to Trevor Noah, the new host of The Daily Show, has not even aged that well.
RELATED:
Jessica Winter / Slate:
The Problem Isn't That Trevor Noah Is Offensive.  The Problem Is That He's a Giant Dope.  —  Not since John McCain selected Sarah Palin as his running mate have the vetting capacities of a powerful political force been cast into such doubt.  When Trevor Noah was announced Monday as the next host …
Jaimie Etkin / BuzzFeed:
People Are Mad About Trevor Noah's Old Tweets About Women And Jews
Discussion: Mashable and The Huffington Post
Adam Nossiter / New York Times:
In Nigeria's Election, Muhammadu Buhari Defeats Goodluck Jonathan  —  KANO, Nigeria — With anger swelling over corruption, inequality and a devastating Islamist insurgency in the nation's north, Nigerians chose a former general who once ruled with an iron hand to be their next president, according to election results on Tuesday.
RELATED:
Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
Harry Reid's appalling defense of his attack on Mitt Romney's tax record  —  One of the more outlandish moments of the 2012 campaign came when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid went to the floor of the world's greatest deliberative body and accused GOP nominee Mitt Romney of not paying any taxes at all for the past 10 years.
RELATED:
Washington Free Beacon:
Harry Reid Justifies Lying About Romney's Taxes from Senate Floor: 'He Didn't Win, Did He?'
Discussion: RedState and Hot Air
BuzzFeed:
Rand Paul Said He Doesn't Believe In The Concept Of Gay Rights  —  Sen. Rand Paul said he doesn't buy into the concept of gay rights because they are defined by a gay person's lifestyle.  —  “I don't think I've ever used the word gay rights, because I don't really believe in rights based on your behavior …
Neil Eggleston / White House.gov Blog:
Upholding the Principle of Fairness in Our Criminal Justice System Through Clemency  —  Building on his commitment to address instances of unfairness in sentencing, President Obama granted 22 commutations today to individuals serving time in federal prison.  Had they been sentenced under current laws …
RELATED:
The White House:
FACT SHEET: U.S. Reports its 2025 Emissions Target to the UNFCCC  —  State Department Submits President Obama's Ambitious 2025 Target to Cut U.S. Climate Pollution by 26-28 Percent from 2005 Levels  —  To view the INDC submission, click HERE.  —  Building on the strong progress …
RELATED:
Page Six:
Weinstein accused of molesting model  —  Harvey Weinstein leaves his home in New York City on Tuesday.  The Hollywood exec faces accusations he groped Italian model Ambra Battilana (right).  —  A stunning 22-year-old model with ties to former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi told police …
Discussion: Daily Mail and The Daily Caller
David Dayen / Salon:
Barney Frank drops a bombshell: How a shocking anecdote explains the financial crisis  —  Barney Frank has a new autobiography out.  He's long been one of the nation's most quotable politicians.  And Washington lives in perpetual longing for intra-party conflict.
Discussion: Bloomberg View
Ben Domenech / The Federalist:
The End of Tolerance And Enforced Morality  —  Are you having a fun Culture War 4.0?  It's certainly been a crazy ride for Indiana state representatives, who appear to be caving to pressure to “clarify” RFRA language after being assaulted for being anti-gay.
Discussion: The Mahablog
Dylan Byers / Politico:
Laura Ingraham to launch news site  —  Laura Ingraham, the conservative radio host and Fox News contributor, is planning to launch a new conservative news and opinion website, sources with knowledge of her plans told the On Media blog on Tuesday.  —  One source said that Neil Munro …
Lazar Berman / The Times of Israel:
Iran militia chief: Destroying Israel is ‘nonnegotiable’  —  Basij commander Mohammad Reza Naqdi also threatens Saudis, saying their fate will be like that of Saddam Hussein  —  The commander of the Basij militia of Iran's Revolutionary Guards said that “erasing Israel off the map” is …
Dylan Byers / Politico:
The MSNBC ratings keep getting worse  —  Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse for MSNBC, along came the quarterly ratings reports.  —  In both daytime and prime time, MSNBC endured its lowest quarterly demo numbers in a decade, and its total viewership since the final quarter of 2007.
Discussion: The PJ Tatler
 
 
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 More Items: 
Estelle Shirbon / Reuters:
Queen Elizabeth's Windsor Castle faces first labor dispute: union
Discussion: Guardian, BarbWire.com and NPR
Andrew Wolfson / Courier-Journal:
Ky: No one can marry same sex, ban not biased
Andy Greenberg / Wired:
FEDS DEMAND REDDIT IDENTIFY USERS OF A DARK-WEB DRUG FORUM
Dylan Byers / Politico:
National Review goes nonprofit
Laura Vitto / Mashable:
18 simple April Fools' Day pranks
Discussion: WHNT-TV
Danielle Douglas-Gabriel / Washington Post:
A revolt is growing as more people refuse to pay back student loans
Discussion: Common Dreams and Instapundit
 Earlier Items: 
Jennifer Chowdhury / NBC News:
Indiana Woman Gets 20 Years for Feticide
Michael Stratford / Inside Higher Ed:
Cash Monitoring List Unveiled
Cory Bennett / The Hill:
Anonymous to launch ‘electronic Holocaust’ against Israel
Jura Koncius / Washington Post:
Stuff it: Millennials nix their parents' treasures
Chicago Tribune:
Mayor Rahm Emanuel opens big lead on mayoral challenger Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia
Discussion: Politico, Political Wire and Chicago
Jack Gillum / Associated Press:
Clinton also used iPad for email; mixed personal, work chats
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Max Tani / @maxwelltani:
Memo: WaPo's Matt Murray lays out plans for WP Ventures, the “third newsroom”; Krissah Thompson will be editor and Samantha Henig will be general manager

Jack Dunn / Variety:
Trump appoints Mark Burnett, the British TV executive who created and produced the reality show The Apprentice, as a special envoy to the UK

Liz Pelly / Harper's:
How Spotify used its Perfect Fit Content program to rig its system against musicians, filling popular playlists with “ghost artists” to cut its royalty payouts

 
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