memeorandum: Cruz backs deportation for 12 million illegal immigrants (Jesse Byrnes/The Hill)

1:35 PM ET, February 23, 2016

Top Items:

UT/TT Poll: Cruz Leads Trump in Texas; Rubio Lags Behind … UT/TT Poll, February 2016 - Methodology UT/TT Poll, February 2016 - Summary — With a week remaining before the Texas Republican primary, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has an 8-percentage-point lead over Donald Trump, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.

Discussion: NBC News, Washington Post, Hot Air, Trail Blazers Blog, Political Insider blog, The Right Scoop, The Argo Journal and Dallas Morning News

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

GOP wakes up to Trump nightmare — Establishment Republicans are reckoning with something they thought would never happen: That it might soon be too late to stop Donald Trump. — With the controversial businessman the clear front-runner heading into Nevada and next week's Super Tuesday contests …

Discussion: Daily Kos, New York Times and The Hill

Todd J. Gillman / Trail Blazers Blog:

Ted Cruz tells O'Reilly he would round up and deport all 12 million who are in U.S. illegally — Updated at 10:30 p.m. Monday with comment from Cruz spokeswoman and Tuesday morning with Trump comment. — WASHINGTON -Ted Cruz said Monday night that he would use federal immigration officers …

Discussion: Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Politico, WSB-TV, New York Times, The Right Scoop, Fusion, Associated Press, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Daily Caller, The Week, Washington Times and Guardian

Sahil Kapur / Bloomberg Business:

Four Problems With the ‘Winnowing’ Theory of Trump's Downfall — For months, establishment Republicans have envisioned the billionaire losing support as the presidential field narrows. — Jeb Bush's decision to drop out of the presidential race after a dismal fourth-place finish …

Discussion: Washington Post and Raw Story

Ben Domenech / The Daily Beast:

Why Evangelicals Are Born Again for Donald Trump — Why are conservative Christians embracing a vulgar New York secularist? Because the battlefield of the culture war has suddenly and irrevocably changed. — Southern evangelicals are the types of voters that Donald Trump was supposed to find problematic.

Discussion: alicublog, Washington Times and The Federalist

Rasmussen Reports:

Trump's Lead Grows with Jeb Out of the Race — With Jeb Bush out, Donald Trump has widened his lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. — The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Republican Voters finds Trump with 36% support …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Times and Infowars

Mike Allen / Politico:
Koch brothers' D.C. guru joins Marco Rubio team

Discussion: New York Times and The Week

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:
Cruz backs deportation for 12 million illegal immigrants

Discussion: American Spectator

James Nash / Bloomberg Business:
Trump Eyes Nevada for Third Consecutive Victory

Discussion: Yahoo Politics

Daniel W. Drezner / Washington Post:
My very peculiar and speculative theory of why the GOP has not stopped Donald Trump

Discussion: Vox

Ben Schreckinger / Politico:
Trump on protester: 'I'd like to punch him in the face'

Discussion: New York Magazine, Raw Story and The Week

Hanna Trudo / Politico:
Cruz lurches right on immigration

Discussion: ThinkProgress, NBC News, Salon, Hullabaloo, Associated Press, Washington Post, Shakesville and Little Green Footballs

Matthew Jaffe / CNN:
Jon Huntsman: I could get behind Donald Trump

Discussion: RedState, TheStreet.com, The Daily Caller and The Daily Beast

Spencer Ackerman / Guardian:

Guantánamo Bay: Obama reiterates call to close prison in final plan to Congress — President expresses frustration at seven-year battle to close ‘counterproductive’ facility in imploring Congress to shut down detention center — A final plan by Barack Obama to fulfill his pledge …

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Monthly, RedState and Taylor Marsh

New York Times:

WASHINGTON — The White House on Tuesday sent Congress a long-awaited plan for closing American prison in Guantánamo Bay, beginning a final push to fulfill one of President Obama's earliest and most troubled national security policy goals in the face of deep skepticism from many Republican lawmakers.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Washington Post, US News, The Daily Caller and ACS Blog

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE:
Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook on Submission of Guantanamo Closure Plan

Discussion: Business Insider and Raw Story

Halimah Abdullah / NBC News:
Obama: I'm ‘Absolutely Committed to Closing’ Gitmo

Discussion: Business Insider and Mediaite

New York Times:
The Plan to Shut Down Gitmo

Discussion: NPR and New York Magazine

Missy Ryan / Washington Post:
Obama asks lawmakers to lift obstacles to closing prison at Guantanamo Bay

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, CNN, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and The Week

Adan / Infowars:

VIDEO: OBAMA CRACKS JOKE ABOUT SCALIA'S DEATH — President grins after making joke at late Supreme Court justice's expense — During his National Governors Association speech Monday, President Obama joked there was a lot to get done during his final days in office, including “appointing judges.”

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News

CNN:
McConnell: Senate won't act on Obama Supreme Court nominee

Discussion: RedState, Washington Post, Shakesville, Washington Free Beacon, Hot Air, twitchy.com, Politico and Chicago

Numbers / Pew Research Center for the People …:
Majority of Public Wants Senate to Act on Obama's Court Nominee

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Daily Caller and Talking Points Memo

Joel Gehrke / Washington Examiner: Biden walks back 1992 blockade of Supreme Court nominees

Mike DeBonis / Washington Post:
Joe Biden in 1992: No nominations to the Supreme Court in an election year

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Monthly, Hot Air, New York Times, CNN, ThinkProgress, Althouse and Chicago

Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Collins backs hearing for Obama SCOTUS nominee

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ABC News, Daily Kos and Politico

Financial Times:

Bill Gates backs FBI iPhone hack request — Bill Gates has broken ranks with Silicon Valley in the stand-off between Apple and the US government, saying technology companies should be forced to co-operate with law enforcement in terrorism investigations. — The Microsoft founder took issue …

Discussion: The Atlantic, Re/code, NBC News, New York Times, Politico, Taylor Marsh, NPR, The Verge and Mashable

Claire Cain Miller / New York Times:
How Society Pays When Women's Work Is Unpaid

Discussion: Althouse, Slantpoint and Gates Notes

Charles Riley / CNNMoney:
Bill Gates breaks with tech industry over FBI's iPhone hack request

Discussion: Washington Post, Fox News, NBC News, Mediaite, New York Times, MacRumors, Engadget and LawNewz

Glenn Thrush / Politico:

Ben Carson: Obama was ‘raised white’ — GREENVILLE, S.C. - Ben Carson is the only person in the 2016 presidential field who is vying to become the country's second African-American president. — If truth be told, however, he's not entirely sure he wouldn't actually be the first.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Moderate Voice, NBC News, Guardian, New York Times, Mediaite, The Atlantic, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, The Hinterland Gazette, The Daily Caller, The Week, Independent Journal Review and Washington Post

Politico:
Full transcript: POLITICO's Glenn Thrush interviews Ben Carson

Discussion: Yahoo Politics, Business Insider and Mashable

Gallup:

“Dishonest” and “Socialist” Lead U.S. Reactions to Dems — PRINCETON, N.J. — Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have multifaceted images among the American public. But the most common responses Americans give when asked to say what comes to mind when they think of each are “dishonest” …

Discussion: Politico, The Daily Caller, Independent Journal Review, The Gateway Pundit, Common Dreams, New York Times, Associated Press and Washington Free Beacon

Ross Ramsey / The Texas Tribune:
UT/TT Poll: Clinton Still Leads in Texas, But Margin Has Narrowed

Discussion: Washington Post and KXAN-TV

Tatiana Schlossberg / New York Times:

Death Valley Is Experiencing a Colorful ‘Superbloom’ — Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, is currently a riot of color: More than 20 different kinds of desert wildflowers are in bloom there after record-breaking rains last October. — It's the best bloom there since 2005 …

Discussion: Mashable

Eugene Scott / CNN:

Spike Lee endorses Sanders, tells voters to ‘wake up’ — “And you know that I know that you know that the system is rigged! For too long we've given our votes to corporate puppets,” Lee said — Washington (CNN)Director Spike Lee endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders …

Discussion: Independent Journal Review

David McCabe / The Hill:
Clinton-Sanders battle stirs passionate Facebook debate

Discussion: ABC News, Fusion, Politico, Jezebel, The Week, Guardian and The Mahablog

Chuck Hickey / FOX31 Denver:

Dynel Lane, accused of cutting baby from womb, found guilty of attempted murder … BOULDER, Colo. — Dynel Lane, the Longmont woman accused of attacking another woman and cutting the unborn baby from her womb, was found guilty of six felony counts, including attempted first-degree murder …

Discussion: KTLA

Julia Hahn / Breitbart:

EXCLUSIVE: ICE Officer to Rubio: ‘You Lied to American Public on FOX News,’ Challenges Him to Meet — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Council President Chris Crane is issuing a challenge to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) following Rubio's attack on the officer.