memeorandum: Why Cruz is SC's Biggest Loser (Jonathan S. Tobin/Commentary Magazine)

9:45 AM ET, February 22, 2016

Top Items:

Chris Perez / New York Post:

Donald Trump leads polls in 10 of next 14 voting states — Donald Trump is leading in 10 of the 14 states set to vote in Republican primaries or caucuses over the next two weeks. — Recent polls show that Trump is ahead in Nevada, Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Virginia, Oklahoma, Minnesota and Louisiana.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, The Week, Political Wire and New York Times

Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:

Trump has a stranglehold on the GOP nomination. So why isn't he getting credit? — Donald Trump cruised to a double-digit win over the Republican field on Saturday in South Carolina. It was his second straight easy win — coming 11 days after he swept the New Hampshire primary by nearly 17 points.

Discussion: Politico

New York Times:

Donald Trump's Victory Spurs Renewed Scrambling Among Republicans — Mainstream Republicans arose on Sunday reeling from Donald J. Trump's sweeping victory in South Carolina, with some refusing to accept that he could be the eventual nominee and others acknowledging that his insurgent candidacy might soon be unstoppable.

Discussion: Washington Post, BuzzFeed, Political Wire, Breitbart, The Week, Downtrend and Guardian

Maggie Haberman / New York Times:
Donald Trump Hopes to Follow Hillary Clinton's Lead in Nevada

Discussion: Los Angeles Times and Washington Examiner

J. D. Vance / National Review:
Did Ted Cruz Miscalculate His Support among Evangelicals?

Discussion: The Resurgent and The Daily Caller

Ed O'Keefe / Washington Post:

Fall of the House of Bush: How last name and Donald Trump doomed Jeb — For Jeb Bush's campaign, August was a cruel month. Donald Trump's attacks on the former Florida governor as a "low-energy" politician were beginning to stick, and the two were bickering over immigration.

Discussion: Downtrend, Yahoo Politics and Politico

Maeve Reston / CNN:

Jeb's 2016 departure draws out Mike Murphy critics — Las Vegas (CNN)In the unsparing judgment of the Twittersphere, there was one clear loser after Jeb's Bush's graceful exit from the Republican presidential race Saturday night: political strategist Mike Murphy and the Bush-allied super PAC Right to Rise USA, which he directed.

Zachary Mider / Bloomberg Business: Rubio Seeks Cash Infusion From Donors Who Backed Bush

Leigh Ann Caldwell / NBC News:
Rubio Campaign Is Ready to Milk Jeb Bush's Cash Cows

Discussion: whorunsGov and Washington Free Beacon

Anna Palmer / Politico:
Rubio super PAC compares him to Harry Potter

Discussion: Washington Post, Raw Story, Mediaite, The Week, ABC News and Politicus USA

Derek Hunter / Townhall.com:

Demeaning The Office — When President Bill Clinton's affair with intern Monica Lewinsky was exposed, it was a new low for the office of president. It wasn't the first affair by a president (or Clinton), not by a long shot. But the fact it was with an intern and he committed perjury behind …

Lydia Wheeler / The Hill: Scalia's legacy: A court transformed

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine: Its power is derived from custom and deference. How old-fashioned.

Patrick Healy / New York Times:

Delegate Count Leaving Bernie Sanders With Steep Climb — Senator Bernie Sanders vowed on Sunday to fight on after losing the Nevada caucuses, predicting that he would pull off a historic political upset by this summer's party convention. — But the often overlooked delegate count …

Discussion: USA Today, Guardian, Slate, Prairie Weather and CNN

Jon Ralston / Reno Gazette-Journal:
Ralston Reports: ‘Reid-Culinary bond’ won Nevada for Clinton

Discussion: USA Today, Scared Monkeys and New York Magazine

Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:
Sanders has the resources and a plan to go the distance. Will it matter?

Discussion: ABC News and Politico

Associated Press:
Clinton Heads South, Aims for Delegate Edge Over Sanders

Discussion: Politico and ABC News

James Comey / Lawfare:

We Could Not Look the Survivors in the Eye if We Did Not Follow this Lead — The San Bernardino litigation isn't about trying to set a precedent or send any kind of message. It is about the victims and justice. Fourteen people were slaughtered and many more had their lives and bodies ruined.

Discussion: The Atlantic, Washington Post, New York Times, Business Insider, MacRumors, The Verge and The Week

Erick Erickson / The Resurgent:

I Will Not Vote For Donald Trump. Ever. — When I wrote in National Review that I was against Donald Trump, I said and have maintained since his entry into the race that if Donald Trump is the Republican nominee, I would support him. No longer. — Donald Trump believes the federal government should fund Planned Parenthood.

Discussion: Politico

Rick Tyler / Facebook:

I want to apologize to Senator Marco Rubio for posting an inaccurate story about him here earlier today. The story showed a video of the Senator walking past a Ted Cruz staffer seated in the lobby of a hotel reading his Bible. The story misquoted a remark the Senator made to the staffer.

Discussion: Breitbart, RedState, CNN, Mediaite and The Right Scoop

Betsy McCaughey / New York Post:

Obama is looting the Treasury to pay off insurers — The Obama administration will tell any lie and break any law to prevent the president's signature health-care program from collapsing. — Insurance companies such as UnitedHealthcare and Aetna are losing billions trying to sell ObamaCare plans …

Discussion: Power Line

Juan Williams / The Hill:

Black divisions matter in Dem race — In all of Congress, only two Democrats have endorsed Bernie Sanders — , the independent senator and democratic socialist from Vermont. — How can that be? — Already, close to half of Iowa Democrats and nearly two-thirds of Democrats in New Hampshire …

Wall Street Journal:
Young and Black in South Carolina: How Will They Vote?

Discussion: Washington Post

Walter Smith-Randolph / WWMT-TV:

Alleged gunman worked as Uber driver during deadly shooting spree; passenger shares story — KALAMAZOO COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - In an exclusive interview with Newschannel 3, a passenger of Jason Dalton's details his Uber experience before Dalton allegedly shot eight people across Kalamazoo County.

Discussion: WOOD-TV, Slantpoint, The Verge, Washington Post, New York Times and Refinery29

Robert Costa / Washington Post:

Donald Trump consults with Rudy Giuliani as he builds political kitchen cabinet — Fresh off back-to-back victories in the Republican presidential race, Donald Trump is moving to expand his tight-knit campaign by building a political kitchen cabinet that includes former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and The Week

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:

Trump brags about winning with ‘short people, fat people, skinny people’ — GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump — took a victory lap on Sunday evening after winning the South Carolina primary, bragging about his ability to win across multiple voting blocs. — “We won with everything.

Discussion: Political Insider blog and The Week

Matt Bruce / Daytona Beach News-Journal:

Cheesy garlic knots spat sparks brawl at Palm Coast pizza shop — PALM COAST — A disagreement over cheesy garlic knots sparked a melee inside a Palm Coast pizzeria and led to four arrests late Friday night, according to deputy reports. — Jessica Conti, 25, Vincent Conti, 23, Hareem Jones …

Discussion: Associated Press

Taylor Millard / Hot Air:

Why Charles Koch's awesome Bernie Sanders op-ed matters in future elections — Charles Koch has written an awesome op-ed in The Washington Post where he explains how he and Bernie Sanders actually agree on an issue. It's one of the very few issues where the Tea party and Occupy Wall Street seemed …

Discussion: Christian Science Monitor