memeorandum: Republicans vow no hearings and no votes for Obama's Supreme Court pick (Mike DeBonis/Washington Post)

12:20 AM ET, February 24, 2016

Top Items:

Michael Isikoff / Yahoo:

With GOP nomination looming, Trump slated to take witness stand in fraud trial — Here's a part of the political calendar that nobody in the Republican Party seems to have noticed: This spring, just as the GOP nomination battle enters its final phase, frontrunner Donald Trump could be forced …

Discussion: RedState, Politico and The Lonely Conservative

Eliza Collins / Politico:

Trump crashes Glenn Beck's caucus speech — Donald Trump crashed the Nevada caucus location at which conservative talk show host Glenn Beck was speaking Tuesday night on behalf of Ted Cruz. — MSNBC was broadcasting a live look at the caucus site, Palo Verde High School in Summerlin …

Discussion: Raw Story

Daniel W. Drezner / Washington Post:

My very peculiar and speculative theory of why the GOP has not stopped Donald Trump — What if political scientists are to blame for his rise? — GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's victory in South Carolina, his expected victory Tuesday in Nevada, his poll dominance in the upcoming states …

Discussion: Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Instapundit, New York Magazine, Politico, Althouse, Bloomberg Business, Daily Kos and Vox

Maeve Reston / CNN:

Nevada caucus results: Trump poised for big night — Elko, Nevada (CNN)This state that has long embraced its reputation as the Wild West of politics is expected to embrace anti-establishment candidate Donald Trump in a blowout in the Nevada Republican caucuses on Tuesday night.

Discussion: Salon, Business Insider, The Last Refuge, The Atlantic, New York Magazine and Vox Popoli

Katie Zezima / Washington Post:

Shouts of ‘liar’ are taking their toll on Ted Cruz's campaign — Ted Cruz's presidential bid is in turmoil after repeated allegations of unsavory campaign tactics by his Republican rivals, leading some key supporters to call for a shake-up in the candidate's message and strategy a week ahead of the crucial Super Tuesday primaries.

Discussion: Conservative Review, CNN, The Texas Tribune, American Power, Townhall.com and New York Magazine

BostonGlobe.com:

Massachusetts voters must stop Donald Trump — STOPPING DONALD J. TRUMP is imperative — and not just for his fellow Republicans. In Massachusetts, which votes next Tuesday, unenrolled voters may also vote in the GOP presidential primary. The Globe has endorsed John Kasich …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog

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: Washington Times, Infowars, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire and The Gateway Pundit

Jeremy Diamond / CNN:
Donald Trump on protester: 'I'd like to punch him in the face'

Discussion: Washington Post, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, New York Times, Raw Story, AMERICAblog NewsAMERICAblog …, Breitbart and Daily Kos

Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:
Kasich: 'I don't know if my purpose is to be president'

Discussion: Hot Air, National Review and The Daily Caller

Ross Ramsey / The Texas Tribune:
UT/TT Poll: Cruz Leads Trump in Texas; Rubio Lags Behind

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

Talking Points Memo:

Key GOP Senators Emerge From Meeting: No Hearing For Obama SCOTUS Nom — Key Republican senators on the Judiciary Committee emerged from a closed door meeting in Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office Tuesday united in their determination not to consider any nominee to replace Antonin Scalia until the next president takes office.

Discussion: Slate, The BRAD BLOG, Hullabaloo, Balloon Juice, Mediaite, Washington Post, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Daily Kos and The Week

David M. Herszenhorn / New York Times:

G.O.P. Senators Say Obama Supreme Court Pick Will Be Shunned — WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leaders said Tuesday that there would be no confirmation hearings, no vote, not even a courtesy meeting with President Obama's nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, all but slamming shut …

Discussion: New York Magazine, Politico, Talking Points Memo, Mother Jones, Prairie Weather, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Balloon Juice and Pew Research Center …

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Nightmare builds for Senate GOP

Discussion: Washington Post, Hot Air, Yahoo Politics, Daily Kos, Washington Monthly, Althouse and Chicago

Bernie Sanders / Yahoo Politics:
Sanders calls Senate obstruction a ‘racist effort to delegitimize’ Obama

Discussion: Politico

Mike DeBonis / Washington Post:
Republicans vow no hearings and no votes for Obama's Supreme Court pick

Discussion: New York Magazine, Slate, New York Times, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, Common Dreams and Washington Free Beacon

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:
Mitch McConnell Is Already Threatening To Block The Next President's Supreme Court Nominee Too

Discussion: Associated Press and No More Mister Nice Blog

David M. Herszenhorn / New York Times:
Senate Republican Leaders Say They Won't Meet With an Obama Supreme Court Nominee

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, LifeNews.com, Washington Post, LawNewz, Talking Points Memo and Althouse

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
GOP Judiciary: No hearing on Obama court nominee

Discussion: Politico, RedState, Infowars and RealClearPolitics

Melissa Pamer / KTLA:

Car Salesman Killed in Crash During Corvette Test Drive at Ontario CarMax; Driver Arrested — A used car salesman was killed when a red Corvette crashed during a test drive in Ontario, and the prospective car buyer was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter Tuesday afternoon, police said.

Discussion: fox8.com and fox13now.com

Eliza Collins / Politico:

Clinton: ‘Why is there one standard for me and not for everybody else?’ — Hillary Clinton pushed back on questions over the transcripts of her paid speeches during a televised Democratic town hall Tuesday, asking, “Why is there one standard for me and not for everybody else?”

Discussion: ABC News

Eric Bradner / CNN:
Clinton's Wall Street wobbles

Discussion: Washington Post and Balloon Juice

New York Times:
Donald Trump in New York: Deep Roots, but Little Influence

Discussion: Washington Post, Jezebel, Washington Monthly, Mother Jones and The Week

Spencer S. Hsu / Washington Post:

U.S. judge orders discovery to go forward over Clinton's private email system — A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that State Department officials and top aides to Hillary Clinton should be questioned under oath about whether they intentionally thwarted federal open records laws by using …

Discussion: Hot Air, TheBlaze.com, The Gateway Pundit, MichelleMalkin.com, The Daily Caller, Guardian, Power Line, Patterico's Pontifications, Political Wire, Washington Free Beacon, Althouse and CNN

Judicial Watch:
Federal Court Grants Judicial Watch Discovery on Clinton Email Issue

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Washington Free Beacon and LawNewz

Mark Murray / NBC News:

Clinton Outspends Sanders in Super Tuesday States — Hillary Clinton and her allies are spending $4.1 million on ads in 11Super Tuesday states, while Bernie Sanders is advertising in just five states at $3.3 million, according to ad-spending data from SMG Delta through Feb. 28.

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Isaac Arnsdorf / Politico:
Mega-donors shy away from fight with Trump

Discussion: New York Times, Vox, Mother Jones, Bloomberg Business, Washington Post and The Week

Alana Abramson / ABC News:

First Reports From GOP Nevada Caucuses Indicate Chaos, Confusion — The Nevada GOP caucuses were off to an apparent rocky start, with social media full of reports of ballot shortages, long waits and chaos at precinct sites. — At Spring Valley High School in Las Vegas …

Discussion: Yahoo Politics

Callum Borchers / Washington Post:
Why aren't the Nevada Republican caucuses a bigger deal?

Discussion: The Atlantic

Jon Meyer / WNEP-TV:

Nurse Accused of Helping with Surgery While Drunk … PLAINS TOWNSHIP — A nurse is charged with being drunk while assisting on an emergency surgery at the VA Medical Center near Wilkes-Barre. — He admits he was at a casino drinking when he was called into work.

Discussion: WTVR-TV

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.

Sara Jerde / Talking Points Memo:
Carson: We Could Use ‘Truth Serum’ Instead Of Torture To Get Information (VIDEO)

Discussion: Hullabaloo

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 Hill, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Re/code, Fox News, New York Times, Mashable, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Hot Air, Techdirt, NBC News, Fox News Insider, CNNMoney, LawNewz, The Week, Taylor Marsh, Mediaite, MacRumors, NPR, Engadget, The Verge and Politico

Timothy B. Lee / Vox:

Study: lottery winners' neighbors tend to spend themselves into bankruptcy — When someone wins the lottery, it can be bad news for his neighbor's finances. A new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia examines the relationship between lottery winners in a particular Canadian province …

Discussion: Daily Mail and Mother Jones

Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:

ANOTHER GLITCH... RUBIO ROBOT Short Circuits - Repeats Itself 8 Times on O'Reilly (VIDEO) — Oh my... Oh my... Oh my... Oh my... Oh my... Oh my... Oh my... Oh my... Man or Robot? — Marco ‘Robot’ Rubio suffered a glitch Monday on The O'Reilly Factor. — The computer chip repeated himself 8 times

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News

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: LifeNews.com, Jezebel, fox8.com and KTLA