memeorandum: Race in Nevada, Once Clinton Firewall, Is Now Hotly Contested (Amy Chozick/New York Times)

9:10 AM ET, February 19, 2016

Top Items:

Dana Blanton / Fox News:

Fox News Poll: Clinton ‘feels the Bern,’ trails Sanders by three points nationally — Bernie Sanders now tops Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination. — The latest Fox News national poll finds 47 percent of Democratic primary voters now back the Vermont senator, up from 37 percent in January.

Discussion: Business Insider, Truth Revolt, CNN, Washington Post, Politico, Taylor Marsh, Power Line, No More Mister Nice Blog, Ian Welsh, New York Magazine, RedState, Liberal Values, Politicus USA, Political Wire and The Daily Caller

Fox News:

Fox News Poll: National presidential race February 18, 2016 — Home - Video - Politics - U.S. - Opinion - Entertainment - Tech - Science - Health - Travel - Lifestyle - World - Sports - On Air — ©2016 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Week, The Argo Journal, Politicus USA, Fox News Insider, Politico and TPNN

Mark Murray / NBC News:

Donald Trump's Lead Slashed in South Carolina: Poll — Donald Trump is now leading Saturday's South Carolina Republican primary by 5 points — down from his 16-point lead in the state a month ago, according to results from a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll.

Discussion: Washington Times, Political Wire and The Week

Bobby Blanchard / Trail Blazers Blog:
Consolidating Hispanic support, Clinton's campaign throws punches at Sanders

Discussion: Political Insider blog

Mark Murray / NBC News:
Bernie Sanders Cuts Into Hillary Clinton's National Lead: Poll

Discussion: AOL, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo and RedState

Jamie Self / The State:
U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn to endorse Hillary Clinton for president

Discussion: BuzzFeed, CNN, Here & Now, Washington Times and The Week

Daniel Nasaw / Wall Street Journal:
Bloomberg Would Lose Big to Sanders and Trump — WSJ/NBC Poll

Discussion: Washington Post

Margaret Talev / Bloomberg Business:
Clinton Strong in South Carolina But Warning Signs Ahead, Bloomberg Poll Shows

Discussion: New York Times, Politico and Talking Points Memo

Donald J Trump for President:

DONALD J. TRUMP RESPONSE TO THE POPE — If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS's ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened.

Scott Johnson / Power Line:

A canticle for Donald Trump — Donald Trump's progress toward the Republican nomination is beginning to look fated. When it comes to good luck, or divine intervention, can anything beat Pope Francis's condemnation of Donald Trump today for supporting a wall protecting the southern border of the United States?

Discussion: Catholic Philly, Associated Press and National Review

Brian Stobie / Ø:
ANALYSIS: Cable TV's $2.8 Million Donation to Donald Trump's Campaign

Discussion: Washington Post and Political Wire

Jim Yardley / New York Times:
Pope Francis Suggests Donald Trump Is ‘Not Christian’

Patrick Healy / New York Times:
Donald Trump Fires Back at Sharp Rebuke by Pope Francis

Discussion: The Week, Political Wire, Friendly Atheist, Business Insider, The Atlantic and New York Magazine

Nicole Winfield / Associated Press:
Pope suggests contraception can be condoned in Zika crisis

Discussion: The Scoop Blog, RH Reality Check, Infowars, Associated Press, Mother Jones and abc11.com

Larry McShane / New York Daily News:
Pope Francis says Trump ‘not Christian’ …

Discussion: Joe.My.God. and Raw Story

Emily Flitter / Reuters:
Pope says Trump ‘not Christian’ in a sign of global concern

Discussion: Infowars and TalkLeft

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:

In 2002, Donald Trump Said He Supported Invading Iraq — “Are you for invading Iraq?” Howard Stern asked him, and Trump answered, “Yeah, I guess so.” — w.soundcloud.com — For months, Donald Trump has claimed that he opposed the Iraq War before the invasion began — as an example of his great judgment on foreign policy issues.

Ryan Struyk / ABC News:
Donald Trump on Whether Pope Dust-up Will Hurt: ‘You Never Know’

Discussion: Politico

Alex Griswold / Mediaite:

Cruz Campaign Pushes Photoshopped Image of Rubio Shaking Hands with Obama — The Marco Rubio campaign is livid Thursday after the Ted Cruz campaign released a website that includes a photoshopped image of their candidate shaking hands with President Barack Obama.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Fox News, The Gateway Pundit, Trail Blazers Blog, Mother Jones, CNN, National Review and The Resurgent

Eli Stokols / Politico:
Bush machine running on fumes

Discussion: Yahoo Politics, The Hill, Instapundit and Vanity Fair

Sean Sullivan / Washington Post:
In S.C., the GOP contest looks more and more like a three-man race

Discussion: Politico, Post and Courier, The Week, Independent Journal Review and NBC News

Amy Walter / The Cook Political Report:
What to Watch In Nevada and South Carolina This Weekend

Discussion: Hot Air, Campaign for America's Future and The Atlantic

USA Today: Trump speaks for those Bush betrayed: Column

Edward Morrissey / The Fiscal Times: Yes, Trump Can Win in November - And Here's How

Amy Chozick / New York Times:

Race in Nevada, Once Clinton Firewall, Is Now Hotly Contested — LAS VEGAS — In a storefront on this city's heavily Latino east side, the civil rights leader Dolores Huerta rallied a dozen volunteers for Hillary Clinton on Wednesday night, relating, in Spanish, a Mexican saying about people …

Discussion: Politico and Prairie Weather

CBS News:

Hillary Clinton: “I've always tried” to tell the truth — LAS VEGAS — For Hillary Clinton, these are high roller stakes in Nevada after losing New Hampshire in a landslide and essentially tying in Iowa. — She has decided to stay in Nevada through the caucus on Saturday.

New York Times:

U.S. Strikes ISIS Camp in Libya, Killing More Than 30 — WASHINGTON — American warplanes struck an Islamic State camp in Libya early Friday, targeting a senior Tunisian operative linked to two major terrorist attacks in Tunisia last year, according to a Western official.

Discussion: The Week, NPR, RT and The Daily Beast

CBS News:

U.S. warplanes hit ISIS targets in Libya, official says — WASHINGTON — American warplanes struck multiple targets in Libya overnight, hitting what was apparently an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) training camp and a senior extremist leader, a senior U.S. military official confirmed to CBS News Friday.

Discussion: The Week

Charles G. Koch / Washington Post:

Charles Koch: This is the one issue where Bernie Sanders is right — Charles G. Koch is chairman and chief executive of Koch Industries. — As he campaigns for the Democratic nomination for president, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) often sounds like he's running as much against me as he is the other candidates.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine and Scripting News

New York Daily News:

Republicans, let's win this one for Nino — Let's understand something about the fight to fill the Supreme Court seat of Antonin ("Nino") Scalia. This is about nothing but raw power. Any appeal you hear to high principle is phony — brazenly, embarrassingly so.

Discussion: Washington Post

Associated Press:
Mourners to Pay Respects Friday to Late Justice Scalia

Discussion: ABC News, Politico and abc11.com

Hugh Hewitt / CNN:
Antonin Scalia vacancy: Letter to GOP senator who waffled

Discussion: Washington Post

Melanie Eversley / USA Today:

Reports: Chicago court to hear case to knock Cruz off White House ballot — A judge in Cook County Circuit Court will hear testimony Friday in a lawsuit filed by an Illinois voter that alleges Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz should not be allowed to run for president, CNN and ABC are reporting.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Political Wire and ballot-access.org

Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
Why aren't we talking about how big a frontrunner Donald Trump is for the Republican nomination?

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Julia Hahn / Breitbart:

EXCLUSIVE — Mom Whose Son Was Tortured to Death by Illegal Endorses Trump, Says 'Pope Doesn't Care About Me' — In an exclusive telephone interview with Breitbart News, Laura Wilkerson, whose son was tortured to death by an illegal alien, explained why she cast her early ballot today for GOP frontrunner, Donald Trump.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Julia Hahn / Breitbart:

EXCLUSIVE- Pat Buchanan: Donald Trump's Rise Is Rejection of a Quarter Century of Bush Republicanism — In an exclusive statement to Breitbart News, Pat Buchanan declared that Trump's rise represents a rejection of 25 years of Bush Republicanism— an ideology which Buchanan …

Ethan Sacks / New York Daily News:

Caitlyn Jenner: I get more ‘flak’ for being a Republican than being a transgender woman — There's an elephant in the room, and as far as Caitlyn Jenner is concerned, it has more to do with her Republican politics than her gender identity. — “I have gotten more flak for being a conservative Republican …

Discussion: The Hill

Billy Penn:
Caitlyn Jenner draws laughs, tears up during Penn speech: 'I'm not a role model'

Discussion: New York Magazine

Rafael Romo / CNN:

At least 100 bodies found in sewer system under Colombian prison — (CNN)Colombian authorities are investigating the disappearance and dismemberment of at least 100 people whose bodies were allegedly thrown into a sewer system underneath a notorious prison in Bogota.

Discussion: AOL