memeorandum: Apple: Congress, not courts, must decide (Tami Abdollah/Associated Press)

1:15 PM ET, February 24, 2016

Top Items:

Jerry Zremski / Buffalo News:

Chris Collins becomes first sitting member of Congress to endorse Trump — WASHINGTON - Rep. Chris Collins, a mainstream Republican from Clarence, on Wednesday became the first sitting member of Congress to endorse bombastic billionaire Donald Trump for president.

Discussion: Guardian, New York Magazine, Washington Times, Politico and Independent Journal Review

Jim Tankersley / Washington Post:

There's a very good reason for Rubio and Cruz not to destroy Trump — It has long been tempting to look at the rise of Donald Trump as a textbook case of what economists call a “collective action problem.” It's what happens when a group of people fail to work together, for selfish individual reasons …

Discussion: American Power and National Review

Maeve Reston / CNN:

Trump scores big win in Nevada — Las Vegas (CNN)Donald Trump notched a resounding win in the Nevada caucuses Tuesday, channeling the roiling anger of Republican voters against the establishment and sweeping almost every category of the electorate to build his dominance in the delegate count.

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, The Hill, Slate, NBC News, WLS-AM 890, New York's PIX11, Fox News, The Federalist, Hot Topics, NPR, Washington Free Beacon, Downtrend, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Jezebel and The Week

Nick Gass / Politico:

Trump lands his first congressional endorsements — Donald Trump finally has official supporters in Congress. — Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) told POLITICO on Wednesday that he will support Trump for the Republican nomination, making him one of the first members of Congress …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Yahoo Politics, New York Magazine and Business Insider

Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:

Rubio: 'You Don't Win The Nomination By How Many States You Win' (VIDEO) — Following another second-place finish in the Nevada GOP caucus, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) argued Wednesday that candidates don't win presidential primaries simply by winning individual states.

Discussion: AMERICAblog NewsAMERICAblog … and Political Wire

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: The Moderate Voice, The Texas Tribune, Political Insider blog, Politicus USA, Politico, CNN, Conservative Review, American Power, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times and Townhall.com

Ben Schreckinger / Politico:
Trump taunts rivals and predicts quick end to GOP race

Discussion: Guardian, Common Dreams and Washington Post

Sahil Kapur / Bloomberg Business:
How Marco Rubio Blunted Ted Cruz—and Boosted Donald Trump

Discussion: Washington Post, Hit & Run, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Independent Journal Review, New York Magazine, Political Wire, Politico and Instapundit

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Trump rides momentum into winner-take-all states

Discussion: Washington Post, The Week and Politico

Lynn Vavreck / New York Times:
Measuring Donald Trump's Supporters for Intolerance

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Agonist

President Barack Obama / SCOTUSblog:

A Responsibility I Take Seriously — The Constitution vests in the President the power to appoint judges to the Supreme Court. It's a duty that I take seriously, and one that I will fulfill in the weeks ahead. — It's also one of the most important decisions that a President will make.

Discussion: Yahoo Politics, Politico, Washington Monthly, New York Times, The Atlantic, Wall Street Journal, Balloon Juice, LawNewz, Althouse, Talking Points Memo, Jezebel, Business Insider, Mashable, The Week, Princeton Election Consortium and CNN

Burgess Everett / Politico:
Reid: Grassley an inept chairman

Discussion: Daily Kos and Des Moines Register

Jason Noble / Des Moines Register:
Grassley hasn't heeded White House invite on SCOTUS vacancy

Discussion: RedState, Talking Points Memo and Washington Post

Alexander Mallin / ABC News:
President Obama Outlines What He's Looking for in a Supreme Court Nominee

Discussion: Politico, Talking Points Memo and Associated Press

John Bresnahan / Politico:
McConnell: Not a 'snowball's chance in hell' I'll relent on SCOTUS

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Daily Kos, Hot Air, Yahoo Politics, RedState, Infowars, The Hill and Washington Post

David M. Herszenhorn / New York Times:
G.O.P. Senators Say Obama Supreme Court Pick Will Be Rejected

Discussion: Washington Post, NBC News, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Truthout Stories, Politico, Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine, Mother Jones, Prairie Weather and Balloon Juice

Ben Smith / BuzzFeed:

The Only Strategy For Hillary Clinton Is To Scorch The Earth — If Hillary Clinton manages to beat Bernie Sanders, the early primaries have already revealed that there's only one strategy for the general election against a Republican, be it Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, or Ted Cruz: Scorch the earth.

Discussion: CNN and Guardian

Shane Goldmacher / Politico:

Trump shatters the Republican Party — After winning three of the first four nominating contests, Donald Trump hasn't just hijacked the Republican Party but fractured it newly into three. — The populist billionaire's rise to the pinnacle of Republican politics has upended what had been decades …

Discussion: Washington Post, Common Dreams and The Week

Jacob Weisberg / New York Times:
What Today's Republicans Don't Get About Reagan

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and No More Mister Nice Blog

Adrian Carrasquillo / BuzzFeed:
Let's Not Get Carried Away With That “Trump Won Latinos” Entrance Poll

Discussion: Latino USA, Patterico's Pontifications and CNN

CNN:
Nevada Republican caucuses: Campaigns fear ballot shortages

Discussion: Refinery29, The Daily Caller and ABC News

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
In Nevada caucuses, Trump gets a third straight win

Discussion: Fox News, The Hill, American Spectator, Politico, CNN, New York Times, Shakesville, Outside the Beltway, Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, Refinery29, The Week, New York Magazine, The Huffington Post and The Texas Tribune

Wall Street Journal:
Adelsons Cast Their Ballots in Las Vegas, but Keep Cards Close

Discussion: The Week, Political Wire and Talking Points Memo

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: Washington Post, Breitbart, Independent Journal Review, Downtrend, Hullabaloo and Raw Story

Lisa Hagen / The Hill:
Reports surface of irregularities at Nevada caucuses

Discussion: Vox, U.S. News, Politico, Outside the Beltway, The National Interest, The Right Scoop, Guardian, National Review, Washington Post and Yahoo Politics

Shane Goldmacher / Politico:
Trump wins Nevada caucuses

Discussion: Heavy.com, Power Line, Scared Monkeys, Vox Popoli and The Atlantic

Eleanor Ainge Roy / Guardian:

The $400,000-a-year New Zealand job with three months' holiday that no one wants — GP surgery in Tokoroa has been looking for a junior doctor for two years, with no takers so far despite generous package — A rural GP in New Zealand is offering a $400,000 (£190,000) …

Discussion: New York's PIX11 and FOX31 Denver

New Zealand Herald: The $400,000 smalltown job that no one wants

Associated Press:

Texas Court Clears Ex-Gov. Rick Perry of 2nd Felony Charge — Texas' highest criminal court tossed the second and final felony charge against former Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday, likely ending a case the Republican says helped sink his short-lived 2016 presidential bid.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, RedState, The Federalist and The Daily Caller

Tami Abdollah / Associated Press:

Apple: Congress, not courts, must decide — WASHINGTON (AP) — Apple Inc. will tell a federal judge this week in legal papers that its fight with the FBI over accessing a locked and encrypted iPhone should be kicked to Congress, rather than decided by courts, The Associated Press has learned.

Discussion: ABC News, NPR, The Week and Washington Post

Jim Finkle / Reuters:
Solid support for Apple in iPhone encryption fight: poll

Discussion: The Atlantic, Yahoo Politics, Los Angeles Times, Infowars, US News and Washington Post

Bloomberg Business:

Abortion Clinics Are Closing at a Record Pace — At least 162 providers have closed since 2011. — Esmé E Deprez — Abortion access in the U.S. has been vanishing at the fastest annual pace on record, propelled by Republican state lawmakers' push to legislate the industry out of existence.

Discussion: Jezebel, Independent Journal Review, Common Dreams, Shakesville and LifeNews.com

Aaron Williams / Alternet:

Noam Chomsky: We Owe the Rise of Trump to Fear and the ‘Breakdown of Society’ — Leading GOP candidate is taking advantage of America's fears. — Noam Chomsky. — Noam Chomsky, 87, is without a doubt the most significant academic figure to cast a highly critical eye on U.S. foreign policies.

Discussion: Politico, Raw Story and The Daily Caller

Nick Gass / Politico:

Melania Trump: ‘I followed the law’ as immigrant — Melania Trump is defending her husband's campaign, particularly his outspoken rhetoric on immigration and what critics have perceived as a harsh tone directed toward women. — “I followed the law,” Trump said in an interview …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and The Week