memeorandum: Freddie Gray protests sweep US from Baltimore to New York

12:50 PM ET, April 30, 2015

Top Items:

Prisoner in van said Freddie Gray was ‘trying to injure himself,’ document says … BALTIMORE — A prisoner sharing a police transport van with Freddie Gray told investigators that he could hear Gray “banging against the walls” of the vehicle and believed that he “was intentionally trying to injure himself …

Baltimore Sun:

The truth about Freddie Gray's ‘pre-existing injury from car accident’ — Online reports are swirling that Freddie Gray had spinal surgery shortly before he died in police custody, and had collected a payout in a settlement from a car accident. Those reports — which raise questions …

Discussion: TheBlaze.com, Talking Points Memo, The American Conservative, Daily Kos, The Intercept and Fox News Insider

David Von Drehle / TIME:
The Roots of Baltimore's Riot

Discussion: The Huffington Post

TIME:
Go Behind TIME's Baltimore Cover With Aspiring Photographer Devin Allen

Discussion: Washington Post, Balloon Juice and Mediaite

Freddie Gray / Guardian:
Freddie Gray protests sweep US from Baltimore to New York - live updates

Discussion: Washington Post, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and RT

Melinda Henneberger / Bloomberg Politics:

What Brought Carly Fiorina Down at HP Is Her Greatest 2016 Asset — More than 30 years ago, on Carly Sneed's third date with her co-worker, Frank Fiorina, he told his not-yet-30-year-old dinner companion that one day she would run AT&T, the company where he was at that point a rung ahead of her on the corporate ladder.

Discussion: US News

Kevin Cirilli / The Hill:

Fiorina defends rocky tenure as HP CEO — Carly Fiorina's political future depends on whether she can defend her record as CEO of Hewlett-Packard. — The likely GOP presidential candidate is aiming to do just that in her new book Rising to the Challenge, set to be released May 5, a day after the expected launch of her 2016 campaign.

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Greg Abbott / Salon:

Right-wing lunatics think the military is planning to invade Texas. Here's why. — You have probably heard the selyrics at least a thousand times at televised Republican rallies: … Those of course are the words to “Proud to be an American” by Lee Greenwood, a song that could almost …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Mahablog, Bloomberg Business, Dallas Morning News and Washington Monthly

Dylan Baddour / Houston Chronicle:
Texas governor orders troops to ‘monitor’ Jade Helm

Discussion: Political Wire, Instapundit and Mediaite

Paul J. Weber / Associated Press:
TX Gov Orders State Guard to Monitor Possible Military Takeover of Texas

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Daily Banter and Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times

Dave Gram / Associated Press:

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders: ‘I am running for president’ — 1 photo — MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Promising to fight what he deems “obscene levels” of income disparity and a campaign finance system that is a “real disgrace,” independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said Wednesday he will run for president as a Democrat.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Washington Monthly, New York Times, Raw Story, LifeNews.com, FiveThirtyEight, Common Dreams, Taylor Marsh, Politico, USA Today, Daily Kos, Washington Post, PoliticusUSA, BuzzFeed, Bloomberg Business and Rolling Stone

Washington Post:
How Hillary Clinton is running against parts of her husband's legacy

Discussion: Daily Kos, BizPac Review, Instapundit, Fox News, Vox and New York Times

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Sanders: ‘I am running for president’

Discussion: Instapundit

James Risen / New York Times:

American Psychological Association Bolstered C.I.A. Torture Program, Report Says — WASHINGTON — The American Psychological Association secretly collaborated with the administration of President George W. Bush to bolster a legal and ethical justification for the torture of prisoners swept …

Discussion: Business Insider, The Verge, The Moderate Voice, The Intercept, The Week and Prairie Weather

Ashley Killough / CNN:

Mike Huckabee: The Supreme Court can't overrule God — Houston (CNN)Mike Huckabee rallied a crowd of Hispanic evangelicals on Wednesday night, pushing back in the debate over religious freedom just one day after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments to determine whether states have the right to ban same-sex marriage.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, The Week, Booman Tribune and Mediaite

A.B. Stoddard / The Hill:

Jeb no longer in front — Four months into the 2016 presidential campaign, Jeb Bush has all the money and none of the mojo. — Despite the financial juggernaut the former Florida governor has built — Bush said this week he had raised more than anyone else has at this point …

Katie Glueck / Politico:
Cruz accuses Obama of inflaming racial tensions

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Hinterland Gazette, Talking Points Memo and Mediaite

Kenneth P. Vogel / Politico:

Clinton Foundation in campaign tailspin — Donors are having second thoughts about big giving as accusations fly about Hillary Clinton's role. — Getty — A handful of deep-pocketed donors are reconsidering their gifts to the $2 billion Clinton Foundation amid mounting questions …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, The Daily Beast, Fox News, Hot Air, Greek News, Clinton Foundation, New York Times, Capital New York, Power Line, Washington Post, Business Insider and Outside the Beltway

Nick Loeb / New York Times:

Sofía Vergara's Ex-Fiancé: Our Frozen Embryos Have a Right to Live — DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — LAST August, I filed a complaint in Santa Monica, Calif., using pseudonyms, to protect two frozen embryos I created with my former fiancée. I wanted to keep this private, but recently the story broke to the world.

Discussion: The Daily Caller and TMZ.com

Miles Weiss / Bloomberg Business:

George Soros's Tax Bill — Deferring income helped the billionaire hedge fund manager build his fortune — George Soros likes to say the rich should pay more taxes. A substantial part of his wealth, though, comes from delaying them. While building a record as one of the world's greatest investors …

Discussion: Hot Air and Washington Free Beacon

Molly Ball / The Atlantic:

The Strange Charisma of John Kasich — The last time John Kasich went to New Hampshire, the visit did not go well. It was 16 years ago, and Kasich, a 47-year-old Republican congressman who had made his name in D.C. as the budget-balancing enfant terrible of the Gingrich revolution, was running for president.

Niall Stanage / The Hill:

Crowded primary field creates dilemma for GOP leaders — The rapid growth of the GOP presidential field is causing major headaches for party bosses ahead of a primary debate season that begins this summer. — The dilemma for Reince Priebus, Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Shakesville

Lee Fang / The Intercept:

Maryland Legislator Discusses Taking Food Stamps From Parents of Protesting Youth — (This post is from our new blog: Unofficial Sources.) — Maryland State legislator Patrick McDonough, the guest host of a drive-time radio program on Wednesday morning, discussed the possibility …

Discussion: Raw Story and Daily Kos

The Huffington Post:

Hillary Clinton Opposes Major Obama Trade Policy — Hillary Clinton is opposed to a critical piece of the Obama administration's Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would give corporations the right to sue sovereign nations over laws or regulations that could potentially curb their profits.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, PoliticusUSA and Weekly Standard

Annie Linskey / BostonGlobe.com:

Clinton charity never provided foreign donor data — WASHINGTON — An unprecedented ethics promise that played a pivotal role in helping Hillary Rodham Clinton win confirmation as secretary of state, soothing senators' concerns about conflicts of interests with Clinton family charities …

Discussion: The Federalist, @politifact and Fox News

Josh Feldman / Mediaite:

Elijah Cummings Yells at Fox Reporter on Bullhorn: ‘People Are Going Home!’ — Maryland Democrat Elijah Cummings is in Baltimore tonight, and he started using a bullhorn at around 10 pm to tell people to clear out after the police-imposed curfew for protesters.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Raw Story

Mike Lillis / The Hill:

Democrats march to budget war — Democrats in the White House and Congress are ramping up their attacks on the Republican budget, setting the stage for a months-long spending fight that could leave GOP leaders scrambling to avoid another government shutdown.

Discussion: RedState