memeorandum: Libel law and the Rolling Stone / UVA alleged gang rape story … (Eugene Volokh/Washington Post)

5:55 PM ET, April 6, 2015

Top Items:

Alan Rappeport / New York Times:

Jeb Bush's Deep Ties to Hispanics Show Even in Voter Form — In a 2009 voter-registration application, obtained from the Miami-Dade County Elections Department, Jeb Bush said he was Hispanic.Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images — There is little doubt that Jeb Bush possesses strong credentials for appealing to Hispanic voters.

New York Times:

Jeb Bush's 2009 Voter-Registration Application — Florida state law requires signatures, social security numbers and driver's license numbers to be redacted from voter-registration applications before being released. The New York Times separately redacted Mr. Bush's telephone number and address information as a courtesy.

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:

Phi Kappa Psi to ‘pursue all available legal action’ against Rolling Stone — The Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at the University of Virginia said Monday that it is moving forward with a possible lawsuit against Rolling Stone magazine in the wake of the now-retracted “Rape on Campus” article.

Discussion: CNN, National Review, “The Lid” and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:
Statement From Writer of Rolling Stone Rape Article, Sabrina Erdely

Dylan Byers / Politico:
UVA fraternity to sue Rolling Stone

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, New York Times, BBC and Guardian, more at Mediagazer »

Eugene Volokh / Washington Post:
Libel law and the Rolling Stone / UVA alleged gang rape story …

Columbia Journalism Review:
Rolling Stone's investigation: “A failure that was avoidable”

Discussion: New York Times, Bloomberg View, Mashable, Washington Post, Hit & Run, Shakesville, BuzzFeed, The Daily Caller, Common Dreams, CNNMoney, Politico, Globe and Mail and Unfogged, more at Mediagazer »

David Weigel / Bloomberg Business:

Rand Paul Finally, Sort of, Responds to the Iran Negotiations — A history of the senator's evolving anti-hawk hawkishness. — LOUISVILLE, Ky. -The freeze is over. Throughout the last week, as Kentucky Senator Rand Paul took some vacation time in advance of Tuesday's expected presidential announcement …

Discussion: Politico, Washington Monthly, Bloomberg View, Washington Post, Power Line, Hit & Run, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Liberaland and Political Wire

Ben Domenech / The Federalist:
Ahead Of Campaign Announcement, Rand Paul Talks ISIS, Turtlenecks, And Binge-Watching ‘House Of Cards’

Discussion: Hit & Run

Tim Alberta / National Journal:
Rand Paul Taps House GOP's Troublemakers to Boost 2016 Campaign

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Daily Kos

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Paul seeks Republican revolution

Discussion: ABC News, Wall Street Journal, ThinkProgress, Politico, Business Insider and Prairie Weather

Brian Beutler / The New Republic:

Make the Confederacy's Defeat a National Holiday — 150 years ago this week, Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union. Let's celebrate it—every year. — In a speech one month ago, the first black president of the United States challenged millions of white Americans to resist the convenient allure …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, No More Mister Nice Blog, CANNONFIRE, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Booman Tribune

Civil War Trust:
10 Facts About Sailor's Creek

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and The Democratic Daily

Bucky Turco / ANIMAL:

There's a Massive, Illicit Bust of Edward Snowden Stuck to a War Monument in Brooklyn — While most people slept, a trio of artists and some helpers installed a bust of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden in Brooklyn on Monday morning. The group, which allowed ANIMAL to exclusively document …

Discussion: Mashable, CBS New York, Towleroad News #gay, Gawker, Talking Points Memo, The Verge, Raw Story, Common Dreams, Gothamist, Mediaite, The Hill, The Daily Caller and New York Magazine

Nick Gass / Politico:

‘Bees are good,’ Obama says as children scream — It might have been the White House Easter Egg Roll, but it was bees — not bunnies — that stole the show on Monday. — As President Barack Obama started reading Maurice Sendak's “Where the Wild Things Are” during the annual Easter Egg Roll event …

Discussion: Mediaite and Business Insider

Erin Dooley / ABC News: White House Easter Egg Roll's 3 Unspeakably Cute Moments

David McCabe / The Hill:

Clinton staff said to be on alert — Most staffers hired for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign have no idea when she'll announce, according to a CNN report, but have been told that they must be ready to start their campaign roles at any moment — starting Monday.

Discussion: CNN, The Right Scoop, Phantom Public and Moe Lane

CNN:
Sneak peek in Hillary Clinton 2016: No ‘I’ in campaign - CNN.com

Discussion: Associated Press, OnPolitics and Ed Driscoll

Scott Conroy / The Huffington Post:

Mitt Romney's NCAA Bracket Is Ridiculously Good — Known for his success in many facets of life, no one has ever accused Mitt Romney of being a college basketball expert. — But humbling as it may be, Romney's NCAA tournament bracket this year is almost certainly better than yours.

Discussion: USA Today, Politico, OnPolitics, Washington Post and New York Magazine

Barbara Ross / NY Daily News:

EXCLUSIVE: Judge says Brooklyn woman can use Facebook to serve divorce papers — A Brooklyn woman scored a judge's approval to legally change her relationship status to “single” via Facebook. — In a landmark ruling, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Matthew Cooper is allowing …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Fox News Insider, ANIMAL, The Verge, VentureBeat, Politico, Liberaland and NPR

Peter Beinart / The Atlantic Online:

What Are the Alternatives to Obama's Iran Deal? — Secretary of State John Kerry's aircraft flies from Tel Aviv to Geneva on November 8, 2013. ( Jason Reed/Reuters ) — Benjamin Netanyahu insists that opposing Thursday's framework nuclear deal with Iran doesn't mean he wants war.

Discussion: CNN, Bloomberg View, Reuters and The American Conservative

Samuel R. Berger / Politico:
The Fantasy of a Better Iran Deal

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Lawfare

Washington Post:

This conservative group is tired of being accused of climate denial — and is fighting back — Facing a loss of high-profile corporate sponsors, a conservative state-level policy group — the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) — threatened action in recent weeks against activist groups …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Common Cause, ThinkProgress, Political Insider blog and Climate Denial Crock …

Zack Ford / ThinkProgress:

This Baker Refused To Bake An Anti-Gay Cake. Here's Why That's Not Discrimination. — The Colorado Civil Rights Division recently ruled that Azucar Bakery in Denver did not engage in illegal discrimination when it refused to make cakes with anti-gay messages on them.

Discussion: New York Times, The Gateway Pundit and Washington Post

Dave Urbanski / TheBlaze.com:

Army Soldiers Sit Through ‘White Privilege’ Presentation — and the Backlash Isn't Pretty — The U.S. Army is investigating an unauthorized diversity training presentation on “white privilege” shown to hundreds of Georgia soldiers, USA Today reported, citing an Army spokeswoman.

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, BizPac Review, Washington Times, Washington Free Beacon and The Daily Caller

Courtney Fischer / WTAE:

Gun goes off in Altoona church during Easter Vigil mass — Police say a man accidentally shot himself in his hand at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament — Police say a gun went off at about 11 p.m. Saturday at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Altoona, Blair County.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Gawker, Mediaite and LiberalAmerica.org

James PindellGLOBE / BostonGlobe.com:

Ayotte aide resigns after arrest for allegedly soliciting a prostitute — A senior aide to New Hampshire US Senator Kelly Ayotte resigned his position after he was arrested and charged with soliciting a prostitute, Ayotte's office announced late Saturday night.

Discussion: The Hill and Talking Points Memo