memeorandum: Pope Francis Steps Up Campaign on Climate Change, to Conservatives' Alarm (New York Times)

10:45 AM ET, April 28, 2015

Top Items:

Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic:

Nonviolence as Compliance — Rioting broke out on Monday in Baltimore—an angry response to the death of Freddie Gray, a death my native city seems powerless to explain. Gray did not die mysteriously in some back alley but in the custody of the city's publicly appointed guardians of order.

Discussion: Vox, Salon, Hit & Run, Taylor Marsh, Washington Post, CANNONFIRE, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Agonist, Hot Air, Horizons, Bloomberg View, Outside the Beltway, The Week, Common Dreams, ThinkProgress, Hullabaloo and Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times

David Simon:

Baltimore — First things first. — Yes, there is a lot to be argued, debated, addressed. And this moment, as inevitable as it has sometimes seemed, can still, in the end, prove transformational, if not redemptive for our city. Changes are necessary and voices need to be heard.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Poynter., Daily Kos, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Politico and CNN

Scott Dance / Baltimore Sun:

Riots erupt across West Baltimore, downtown — Violence and looting overtook much of West Baltimore on Monday, injuring more than a dozen police officers and leaving buildings and vehicles in flames. — As night fell, looters took to Mondawmin Mall and a Save-A-Lot and Rite Aid in Bolton Hill, loading up cars with stolen goods.

Ted Berg / USA Today:

Orioles COO John Angelos offers eye-opening perspective on Baltimore protests — Demonstrators destroy the windshield of a Baltimore Police car as they protest the death Freddie Gray. (Photo via Jim Watson/Getty Images) — After protests in Baltimore over the death of Freddie Gray turned violent …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, CNN, Corrente, Mediaite, Taylor Marsh, Fox News, The Nation, Business Insider, ThinkProgress and CANNONFIRE

Jelani Cobb / New Yorker:

Baltimore and the State of American Cities — Six weeks ago, before Baltimore had become the latest venue for outrage over the killing of black men by the police, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake delivered her annual State of the City address. Rawlings-Blake, who served previously as the chair …

Tom Cleary / Heavy.com:
Freddie Gray Arrest Record, Criminal History & Rap Sheet

Discussion: Vox, Hit & Run, Featured Articles, NBC News, The Atlantic, Right and The Verge

David McCabe / The Hill:
Lynch: Justice Dept. officials will go to Baltimore

Discussion: Instapundit

ABC News:
Obama Pledges Help for Baltimore Riots After Gray Funeral

Discussion: Associated Press, The Hill, Bloomberg Business, Politico and Patterico's Pontifications

Nate Cohn / New York Times:

Why a Ruling for Same-Sex Marriage Would Help Republicans — Many Republicans believe that their party needs to improve its image among the new generation of young and nonwhite voters who have helped President Obama win two terms. Yet there is a reason most Republican politicians …

Discussion: The Atlantic and Booman Tribune

Jeffrey Toobin / CNN:

The lawyers arguing the same-sex marriage case before SCOTUS 4 photos — Mary Bonauto, GLAD's civil rights project director, will argue that states shouldn't be able to ban same-sex marriages. — Hide Caption 3 of 4 — John Bursch, Michigan's former solicitor general …

Discussion: Washington Post and Althouse

Joseph Landau / New York Times:
Why Chief Justice John Roberts Might Support Gay Marriage

Discussion: Bloomberg View, Los Angeles Times, ACS Blog and ThinkProgress

Adam Liptak / New York Times: Justices to Hear Arguments on Constitutionality of Same-Sex Marriage

Washington Post:
The Supreme Court must finish the job on same-sex equality

Discussion: Common Dreams and Daily Kos

Lydia Wheeler / The Hill:
Faith leaders demand that liberal justices sit out gay marriage case

Discussion: Politico, PoliticusUSA, ABC News and Daily Kos

Nina Totenberg / NPR:
Legal Battle Over Gay Marriage Hits The Supreme Court Tuesday

Discussion: Washington Monthly, USA Today, Instapundit, The Daily Beast, Public Discourse, SCOTUSblog, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Bloomberg Business, ACS Blog and Politico

Niall Stanage / The Hill:

GOP's open season on Clinton — Democrats are quickly learning the perils of having a de facto presidential nominee in Hillary Clinton. — With the controversy around donations to her family's charitable foundation growing, Democrats are bracing for more attacks on the former secretary of State …

Zach C. Cohen / National Journal:
Here Are All Seven Media Questions Hillary Clinton Has Answered During Her Campaign

Discussion: Hot Air, Politico and Mediaite

Karyn Polewaczyk / Jezebel:

Woman Uncovers Two-Way Mirror in a Bar Bathroom; Owner Says It'll Stay — Tonight a reader tipped us off to a video posted by comic Tamale Rocks, who uncovered a two-way mirror in the women's bathroom at Chicago bar Cigars and Stripes. — Here's the video, which shows the stall …

Discussion: Raw Story, Chicagoist, WGN-TV, now.snopes.com, New York's PIX11, The Daily Caller and BarbWire.com

Joe Pinsker / The Atlantic:

To the Media, ‘Black’ Is Too Often Shorthand for ‘Poor’ — What does poverty look like in America? — Judging by how it's portrayed in the media, it looks black. — That's the conclusion of a new study by Bas W. van Doorn, a professor of political science at the College of Wooster …

Discussion: FishbowlDC

New York Times:

Pope Francis Steps Up Campaign on Climate Change, to Conservatives' Alarm — Washington — Since his first homily in 2013, Pope Francis has preached about the need to protect the earth and all of creation as part of a broad message on the environment. It has caused little controversy so far.

Discussion: Political Wire

Edward-Isaac Dovere / Politico:

White House awakes to ‘national crisis’ — Baltimore riots show the limits of President Obama's hands-off approach. — For President Barack Obama and Congress, one thing was clear amid the smoke in Baltimore: A task force didn't solve the problem. — There weren't a lot of firm recommendations …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal

Maddie Hanna / Philly.com:

Christie blames ‘negative coverage’ for poll declines — Gov. Christie, whose approval ratings in New Jersey have hit new lows as he eyes a run for president, said Monday a media battering was partly responsible for the declines. — Appearing on NJ101.5 radio's Ask the Governor program …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Political Wire

Brent Budowsky / The Hill:

If Carly Fiorina were male — If Carly Fiorina were male, she would be regarded in national politics as an anti-Clinton crony capitalist who mismanaged a company when she was its CEO, was terminated by the company's board of directors, was criticized for flying around in multiple corporate jets …

Discussion: Instapundit

Baltimore Sun:

Three-alarm fire engulfs senior center under construction — A community center and apartments being built across the street from the Southern Baptist Church in East Baltimore were ablaze Monday night — a huge, raging fire visible from blocks away. — Firefighters were called at 8:49 p.m …

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Walid Shoebat, The Week and KTLA

Binyamin Appelbaum / New York Times:

2% Inflation Rate Target Is Questioned as Fed Policy Panel Prepares to Meet — WASHINGTON — The cardinal rule of central banking, in the United States and in most other advanced industrial nations, is that annual inflation should run around 2 percent. — But as the Federal Reserve prepares …

Hmarr / The Office of Governor Lawrence J. Hogan, Jr.:

Governor Larry Hogan Signs Executive Order Declaring State Of Emergency, Activating National Guard — ANNAPOLIS, MD - Governor Larry Hogan today, at the request of Baltimore City, has signed an Executive Order declaring a state of emergency and activating the National Guard to address the growing violence and unrest in Baltimore City.

Discussion: New York Times, Scared Monkeys, Bleacher Report, Hit & Run, Common Dreams and The Atlantic

Freddie Gray / WBAL-TV:
Gov. declares state of emergency; activates National Guard

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, WREG-TV and The Week

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:

As Baltimore Burns, O'Malley Speaks Out, Hillary Tweets About Bumper Stickers — Martin O'Malley, the former governor of Maryland and possible Democratic presidential candidate, is speaking out on the violence in Baltimore. O'Malley's rival, Hillary Clinton, is not.

Discussion: Althouse