memeorandum: Judge orders California to pay for inmate's sex change (Associated Press)

7:55 AM ET, April 4, 2015

Top Items:

Eric Ham / The Hill:

Clinton has inevitability, but Bush has the Electoral College — As the 2016 presidential field slowly takes shape, the race — even with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) announcing his candidacy — centers on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-Fla.).

Discussion: Prairie Weather

Hugh Hewitt / The Hugh Hewitt Show:

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough On 2016, The Iran “Deal” And Hillary's Glass Jaw — Morning Joe joined me on today's show: — Audio: — 04-03hhs-scarborough — Transcript: — HH: Joined now by MSNBC's Joe Scarborough. Happy Easter weekend to you, Joe, I hope you get the weekend off.

Discussion: Liberaland, TVNewser and Business Insider

Adam C. Smith / Tampa Bay Times:

Florida not a given for Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio — Bad enough that Florida is by far the most populated state never to produce a president. This diverse, mega battleground most resembles America, but we haven't even produced a presidential nominee, despite the underdog campaigns of Reubin Askew in 1984 and Bob Graham in 2004.

Discussion: Associated Press and BuzzFeed

Terence Burlij / CNN:
Iran deal: 2016 GOPers and Hillary Clinton react

Discussion: Business Insider, Hullabaloo and The American Conservative

Mark Leibovich / New York Times:

Tom Cotton Is Not Mailing It In — Your last name is Cotton, and this interview was arranged by your communications director, Caroline Rabbitt. Who is your chief of staff, Beatrix Potter? If only. No, my chief of staff is Doug Coutts. — You were raised in rural Arkansas …

Discussion: Mediaite, Washington Post, Bloomberg Business, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, NPR and The Week

Judith Miller / Wall Street Journal:

The Iraq War and Stubborn Myths — Officials didn't lie, and I wasn't fed a line, writes Judith Miller — I took America to war in Iraq. It was all me. — OK, I had some help from a duplicitous vice president, Dick Cheney. Then there was George W. Bush, a gullible president …

Discussion: Guardian, Mediaite and Politico

Mike Nowatzki / INFORUM:

ND House kills bill outlawing discrimination based on sexual orientation — BISMARCK - For the third time in six years, North Dakota lawmakers have killed legislation that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation, despite warnings from some Democrats and Republicans that it could tarnish …

Discussion: Mediaite, PoliticusUSA, Raw Story, JIMROMENESKO.COM and Human Rights Campaign Blog

Aaron Burner / WDAY-TV:
ND House strikes down bill outlawing sexual orientation discrimination, supporters will push for bill next session

Discussion: Raw Story and Talking Points Memo

Associated Press:

Judge orders California to pay for inmate's sex change — Photo provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows Michelle-Lael Norsworthy. (AP Photo/California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.) — SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A federal judge …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and protein wisdom

Fars News Agency:

Rouhani Stresses Removal of All Sanctions on 1st Day of Final Deal Implementation — TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran's President Hassan Rouhani underlined on Friday that all the UN and economic, financial and banking sanctions against Iran will be annuled the moment a final nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers goes into effect.

Discussion: Power Line and Lawfare

Max Fisher / Vox:
This is an astonishingly good Iran deal

Discussion: Slate, The Daily Banter, Tommy Xtra, Washington Post, Hot Air, Hullabaloo and Politico

Wall Street Journal:
Concessions Fueled Iran Nuclear Talks

Discussion: Fox News Insider and Fox News

Washington Post:

These are the racially charged e-mails that got 3 Ferguson police and court officials fired — City officials in Ferguson, Mo., on Thursday evening released the full, unredacted content of racially charged and religiously insensitive e-mails sent by the city's former court clerk …

Discussion: The New Republic, Daily Kos, Guardian, New York Magazine, Talking Points Memo and PoliticusUSA

Ron Ben-Yishai / Ynetnews:

A better deal than we expected — Analysis: Despite glaring shortcomings of ‘framework’ deal with Iran - which allow Tehran ability to resume its nuclear pursuit with haste - Obama now offering Netanyahu an olive branch; the Israeli leader should embrace it and help seal loopholes in final agreement.

Discussion: Politico, New York Times and Al Jazeera English

Abby Phillip / Washington Post:

Alabama inmate free after 30 years on death row. How the case against him unraveled. — Anthony Ray Hinton was one of Alabama's longest-serving death row inmates, having spent more than half his life incarcerated. Now, after three decades of insisting that he is innocent in the 1985 murders of two men …

Discussion: al.com, CNN and Firedoglake

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:

Misplaying America's Hand With Iran — The president's desperation for a foreign-policy legacy is leading toward a bad nuclear deal—and a dangerous one. — Barack Obama, six years into his presidency, does not have a foreign-policy legacy—or, rather, he does and it's bad.

Discussion: The American Conservative

Ali Meyer / CNSNews:

Americans Not in Labor Force Exceed 93 Million for First Time; 62.7% Labor Force Participation Matches 37-Year Low — (CNSNews.com) - The number of Americans 16 years and older who did not participate in the labor force—meaning they neither had a job nor actively sought one in the last four weeks …

Tyler Durden / Zero Hedge:
Americans Not In The Labor Force Soar To Record 93.2 Million As Participation Rate Drops To February 1978 Levels

Discussion: BREITBART.COM, The Gateway Pundit and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Greg Bluestein / Political Insider blog:

Nathan Deal's advice for ‘religious liberty’ supporters next year — Georgia's “religious liberty” legislation succumbed to a quiet death on Thursday, but it will surely return in January just in time for election-year politicking. — Gov. Nathan Deal offered some timely advice for lawmakers …

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Gayly, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Right Wing Watch and THV11.com

New York Post:

'I'm about to be raped': Ex-staffer suing CBS for sex harassment — Kenneth Lombardi has filed a sexual harassment suit against CBS, comparing his former employer to “the Catholic Church or Penn State” for allegedly sweeping his complaints under the rug. — A handsome former video producer …

Discussion: BizPac Review, Mediaite and TVNewser

Katie Glueck / Politico:

Insiders view Paul as strong early state contender — His father's legacy is a source of strength for the Kentucky senator — and a cause for worry. — On the eve of his expected presidential announcement, Republican insiders in Iowa and New Hampshire say Rand Paul is a top contender …

Discussion: The Reaction