memeorandum: The Note: And Then There Were Five (Michael Falcone/ABC News)

9:10 AM ET, May 4, 2015

Top Items:

Ben Carson announces his run for President — UNDATED (WKRC) — The Republican field of candidates continues to widen. Retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson is expected to make a major announcement at an event tomorrow in his hometown of Detroit. But in an exclusive interview tonight …

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, CNN, USA Today, Fox News, Politico, The Atlantic, Raw Story, Scared Monkeys and The Week

Nick Gass / Politico:

Carly Fiorina: ‘Yes, I am running for president’ — Carly Fiorina announced Monday that she will seek the Republican nomination for 2016, becoming the latest entrant in an increasingly crowded field of candidates. — “Yes, I am running for president,” she said on ABC's “Good Morning America …

Discussion: Business Insider, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and The Week

Mark Halperin / Bloomberg Business:

The Definitive H&H Carly Fiorina Scouting Report — What she's got: High-level executive and management experience from her tenure as head honcho of Hewlett-Packard; private-sector bona fides bolstering her economic message; compelling secretary-to-CEO professional biography …

Discussion: ABC News, BuzzFeed, New York Times and Taylor Marsh

Michael Falcone / ABC News:

The Note: And Then There Were Five … NOTABLES —FIORINA, CARSON JOIN INCREASINGLY-CROWDED GOP FIELD: In an exclusive interview with ABC's GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS on “Good Morning America” today, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina said she is running for president in 2016 …

Discussion: Politico

Alan Rappeport / New York Times:

Fiorina and Huckabee Joining G.O.P. Race on Heels of Carson — WASHINGTON — For the Republican Party, the presidential candidates keep coming. — The next wave arrives this week, with Carly Fiorina and former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas set to announce what most political analysts …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Outside the Beltway, The Week, Politico and NPR

Yahoo Politics:

A look back at Carly Fiorina: 2016 Republican presidential candidate — Two things make Carly Fiorina unique amongst the pack of wannabe Republican nominees for president. Fiorina, who?s expected to announce her candidacy on May 4, points out that she ?doubled revenues? …

Discussion: Bloomberg Business

Kyle Balluck / The Hill: Carson: 'I'm announcing my candidacy for president'

Matt K Lewis / Telegraph:
American Way: Why a diverse range of candidates could help Republicans against Hillary

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Washington Post

WFAA-TV:

Two shot near Garland events center — Two men were shot in a parking lot outside the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland Sunday afternoon, SWAT officials told News 8. — Those men possibly had explosives on them, SWAT officials said. Everyone at the center, which was hosting a Muhammad Art exhibit …

Discussion: TPNN, Moe Lane, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and The Jawa Report

Brandon Darby / BREITBART.COM:

Officer and Two Suspects Down in Gunfight at Islamic Cartoon Contest in Texas, Possible Explosives Found — UPDATE, 9:06 PM: A local NBC reporter says the two suspects are dead. … UPDATE, 8:59 PM: Police have the area blocked off and have removed reporters for up to half a mile away.

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News and American Spectator

Dallas Morning News:

Gunmen open fire outside ‘Muhammad Art Exhibit’ at Garland ISD facility, police say — Bruce Joiner, a Garland ISD security officer, was treated at a local hospital and released. — Two gunmen opened fire Sunday evening outside a contest for cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad …

Discussion: Daily Mail, Washington Post, No More Mister Nice Blog, Fox News, CBS Dallas, Booman Tribune, Talking Points Memo, CNN, The Gateway Pundit and Scared Monkeys

Facebook:
City of Garland, Texas Government

Discussion: New York Times and NPR

Cynthia McFadden / NBC News:

Bill Clinton Defends His Foundation's Foreign Money — Bill Clinton says he has no regrets about taking millions in foreign cash for his foundation — even though the donations have caused a political headache for Hillary Clinton as she tries to follow him into the Oval Office.

Discussion: Business Insider, Political Wire, The Daily Caller and The Week

Washington Post:

The Clintons, a luxury jet and their $100 million donor from Canada — Bill Clinton was planning a charity trip to Latin America and needed a big plane. — For Frank Giustra, who had never met the former president, this was an opportunity. The Canadian mining magnate …

Discussion: Althouse

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:

G.O.P. Hopefuls Now Aiming to Woo the Middle Class — WASHINGTON — The last three men to win the Republican nomination have been the prosperous son of a president (George W. Bush), a senator who could not recall how many homes his family owned (John McCain of Arizona; it was seven) …

Discussion: Political Wire and Democratic Strategist

Mark Hensch / The Hill:
Jeb Bush: Our enemies must ‘fear’ US again

Discussion: Associated Press, CANNONFIRE and Booman Tribune

Edward-Isaac Dovere / Politico:

Extreme secrecy eroding support for Obama's trade pact — Classified briefings and bill-readings in basement rooms are making members queasy. — Getty — If you want to hear the details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal the Obama administration is hoping to pass …

Susan Edelman / New York Post:

Woman to become NY firefighter despite failing crucial fitness test — The FDNY for the first time in its history will allow someone who failed its crucial physical-fitness test to join the Bravest, The Post has learned. — Rebecca Wax, 33, is set to graduate Tuesday from the Fire Academy without passing …

Discussion: The PJ Tatler and BizPac Review

ABC News:

Official: One of Texas Shooting Suspects ID's … One of the suspects in the shooting in Garland, Texas, late Sunday has been identified as Elton Simpson, an Arizona man who was previously the subject of a terror investigation, according to a senior FBI official.

Discussion: Common Dreams, Twitchy, Associated Press, The PJ Tatler, The Gateway Pundit and Hot Air

Arian Campo-Flores / Wall Street Journal:

Rubio's Departure to Put Florida Senate Seat in Play — His decision to run for president sets off scramble to recruit GOP candidates for a costly race in 2016 — Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's decision to run for president rather than seek re-election has put his Republican seat at risk …

Discussion: Political Wire and BizPac Review