memeorandum: Time for a Republican Conspiracy! (David Brooks/New York Times)

2:30 PM ET, January 19, 2016

Top Items:

Ben Schreckinger / Politico:

How Donald Trump defeats Hillary Clinton — If Donald Trump becomes the next president of the United States, there will be plenty of surprises along the way. One of the biggest will be the help he gets from black voters. — According to Republican pollsters and Trump's allies …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Mashable, Instapundit, Washington Monthly and Trail Blazers Blog

Nick Gass / Politico:

Palin tweets: 'Is THIS Why People Don't like Cruz?' — As rumors swirled on Tuesday over her possible endorsement of GOP poll-leader Donald Trump, Sarah Palin tweeted a link to a blog post by her daughter Bristol with the headline, “Is THIS Why People Don't like Cruz?”

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, ThinkProgress, Bloomberg.com, Talking Points Memo, Telegraph, The Week, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, addictinginfo.org, Washington Post, Daily Kos and Mediaite

David Brooks / New York Times:

Time for a Republican Conspiracy! — Members of the Republican governing class are like cowering freshmen at halftime of a high school football game. Some are part of the Surrender Caucus, sitting sullenly on their stools resigned to the likelihood that their team is going to get crushed.

Discussion: National Review, FiveThirtyEight, The Week, Daily Kos, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times and bradford-delong.com

Benjamin Ginsberg / Politico:

Why the GOP Primary Could Be Even Crazier Than You Think — Welcome to a 2016 Republican presidential primary unlike any other. A crowded field, angry electorate and uncharacteristically divided establishment, not to mention the wild-card role of super PACs, have already made this nominating contest …

Bristol Palin:

Is THIS Why People Don't like Cruz? — Is my Mom going to endorse Donald Trump for President of the United States? — That's the rumor, and I've been too busy with diapers to delve too much into politics these days. But the rumors were enough to cause staffers from Ted Cruz's office to slam my mom.

Discussion: Bloomberg.com, Mediaite, Washington Times, The Right Scoop and The Gateway Pundit

Leon H. Wolf / RedState:

Sarah Palin Expected to Continue Endorsing Sarah Palin Today — Donald Trump has been teasing a “major endorsement” that he is scheduled to release today in Iowa, and the rampant speculation is that it will be Sarah Palin's. I don't really know if this particular speculation is true …

Discussion: Balloon Juice and Hot Air

Guy Benson / Townhall.com:

Oh My: Palin to Endorse Trump in Iowa Today? — I'll admit it — when this speculation began mounting yesterday, I wasn't remotely sold on the idea that Palin was poised jump aboard the Trump Train when so many influential figures within the conservative talk radio constellation are at long …

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Telegraph, The Right Scoop, The Daily Caller and DailyRushbo.com

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:
Cruz aide ‘deeply disappointed’ if Palin endorses Trump

Discussion: American Spectator, Hot Air, The Slot, Washington Examiner and The Daily Caller

Eli Stokols / Politico:
In Iowa, it's down to Trump and Cruz

Discussion: The Hill, Fusion and The Week

ABC News:
The Note: Cruz Takes On Trump

Discussion: Politico, RedState, Bloomberg.com and Political Wire

Jenna Johnson / Washington Post:
Why so many evangelicals have faith in Donald Trump

Discussion: blogs.cbn.com, NBC News, Political Insider … and CNN

Amy Chozick / New York Times:
Hillary Clinton Gets Set for a Long Slog Against Bernie Sanders

Discussion: CNN, NBC News, Politico, Fox News Insider, National Review, iPolitics, Political Wire, The Week, Bloomberg Business and Washington Free Beacon

Gromer Jeffers Jr / Dallas Morning News:
Even in less evangelical New Hampshire, Ted Cruz sticking to religion

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Clayton Cramer

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

Supreme Court to rule on Obama immigration orders — The Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it will take up a case challenging the legality of President Barack Obama's executive actions aimed at granting quasi-legal status and work permits to up to five million people who entered …

Discussion: Bloomberg.com, National Review, Common Dreams, Bloomberg Business, Allen B. West and The Right Scoop

New York Times:

Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Obama Immigration Actions — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Tuesday that it would consider a legal challenge to President Obama's overhaul of the nation's immigration rules. The court, which has twice rejected challenges to Mr. Obama's health care law …

Discussion: Power Line, Mother Jones, Weasel Zippers, PoliticusUSA, The Daily Caller and ACS Blog

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Judge rejects Obama's executive privilege claim over Fast and Furious records

Discussion: RedState

Ann Althouse / Althouse: “The Supreme Court said Tuesday that it would consider a legal challenge to President Obama's overhaul …

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:
BREAKING: President Obama's Immigration Policy In Question As Supreme Court Takes Up Case

Discussion: The Bob and Chez Show and Bloomberg View

Ariane de Vogue / CNN:
Supreme Court to take up Obama immigration actions

Discussion: Mediaite and New Jersey News …

Mark Murray / NBC News:

Trump, Clinton Still Way Ahead, Weekly Tracking Poll Shows — Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton continue to lead their respective fields nationally, according to the NBC| SurveyMonkey weekly online tracking poll. — In the GOP race, it's Trump at 38 percent among Republican and Republican-leaning voters …

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Politico, NBC News and Political Wire

Alice Ollstein / ThinkProgress:
First Republican Candidate Asked About Flint Crisis Says He Doesn't Know Much About It

Discussion: USA Today, Shakesville, Daily Kos, Detroit News, AMERICAblog NewsAMERICAblog …, addictinginfo.org and Washington Post

Nick Gass / Politico:
Poll: Clinton has a better shot at beating Trump than Sanders

Discussion: ABC News and Bloomberg.com

New York Times:

Film Shows Clinton Aide's Own Struggle With Anthony Weiner Scandal — In May 2013, Huma Abedin and Anthony D. Weiner allowed filmmakers full access to his mayoral campaign with the hopes that the end result would document a spectacular political comeback, with Mr. Weiner being sworn in as mayor …

Discussion: Yahoo Politics, Sundance Institute, Talking Points Memo, The Week, Althouse and The Slot

Jon Ward / Yahoo Politics:

At Liberty University, Donald Trump again stumbles when discussing religion — If you grew up going to an evangelical church, as I did, chances are you attended youth groups at which a leader asked everyone to name their favorite Bible verse. — When I was in middle school …

Discussion: TIME, Hullabaloo, Politico, NPR, Hot Air and The Hill

Molly Ball / The Atlantic:
The Religious Right's Donald Trump Dilemma

Discussion: Washington Monthly, New York Times, Mother Jones, No More Mister Nice Blog, rubber hose, CANNONFIRE and Mediaite

Stephen Galloway / Hollywood Reporter:

“For 20 opportunities to celebrate actors of color, actresses of color, to be missed last year is one thing; for that to happen again this year is unforgivable." — Actor David Oyelowo — who was famously overlooked for playing Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma when the Oscar nominations …

Discussion: Guardian, Telegraph, Washington Post, New York Daily News, NPR, The Week, Refinery29 and Mashable

Jeremy Gray / al.com:

On bitterly cold night, Birmingham's homeless warming station used for Sanders rally — With temperatures in Birmingham expected to dropped to 20 overnight Monday — the lowest temperature thus far in 2016 — the place where the city's homeless usually go to seek shelter from the cold was unavailable.

Discussion: The Right Scoop, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Daily Caller and The Gateway Pundit

David Folkenflik / NPR:

Area Satirical Publication The Onion Sold To Univision (Seriously) — Univision Communications Inc., the parent company to the nation's leading Spanish-language broadcast channel, has acquired a controlling stake in the satiric news site The Onion, NPR has learned.

Discussion: New York Times, Mediaite, Wall Street Journal, Mashable, The Verge and The Week, more at Mediagazer »

Dan Hodges / Telegraph:

The election polls weren't wrong because of mistakes - pollsters deliberately cheated — If pollsters want to restore their reputation they need to come clean about deliberately misleading the public — So now it's official. We know what the pollsters did, and we know how they did it.

Discussion: Vox Popoli