memeorandum: Noam Chomsky: We Owe the Rise of Trump to Fear and the ‘Breakdown of Society’ (Aaron Williams/Alternet)

1:50 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, Fox News, New York's PIX11, The Federalist, Hot Topics, NPR, Washington Free Beacon, Downtrend, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Week and Jezebel

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, NPR 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: The Gateway Pundit, AMERICAblog NewsAMERICAblog … and Political Wire

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

Katie Zezima / Washington Post:
Shouts of ‘liar’ are taking their toll on Ted Cruz's campaign

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

Michelle Hackman / Vox:
The broad support behind Trump's Nevada win should terrify the Republican establishment

Discussion: Mother Jones, Talking Points Memo, ABC News and The Week

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

Discussion: Guardian and Common Dreams

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

Discussion: Washington Post, U.S. News, Vox, U.S. News, Politico, Real Clear Politics, Hit & Run, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Independent Journal Review, New York Magazine and Instapundit

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

Discussion: Latino USA and Patterico's Pontifications

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

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

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

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico and The Week

Shane Goldmacher / Politico:
Trump wins Nevada caucuses

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

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

Discussion: Vox, Politico, Outside the Beltway, The National Interest, The Right Scoop, Guardian, National Review, Washington Post, Yahoo Politics, Talking Points Memo and The Daily Caller

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

Discussion: The Week, Political Wire and Talking Points Memo

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.

Burgess Everett / Politico:
Ayotte, Portman won't meet with an Obama SCOTUS nominee

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

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

Discussion: RedState, Talking Points Memo and Washington Post

Burgess Everett / Politico:
Reid: Grassley an inept chairman

Discussion: Daily Kos and Des Moines Register

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

Discussion: Politico and Associated Press

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

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

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.

Manu Raju / CNN:

CNN exclusive: Harry Reid endorses Hillary Clinton — Washington (CNN)Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid announced Wednesday in an exclusive interview with CNN that he is endorsing Hillary Clinton for president, a sign that Democratic leaders are eager to put the party's contentious primary fight behind them.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Politico, National Review 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

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

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Fox News, The Hill, CNN, Raw Story, American Spectator, Politico, USA Today, New York Times, Outside the Beltway, Shakesville, Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, Refinery29, The Week, New York Magazine and ABC News

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

Matt Taibbi / Rolling Stone:
Morning Blow: How Joe and Mika Became Trump's Lapdogs

Discussion: Mediaite and Slate

Mark Finkelstein / NewsBusters:
Mika Rips Rubio: ‘Sucking Up’ to Trump to be His VP Pick

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
Rivals No More, Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush Talk and Agree to Meet

Discussion: New Jersey Online, Politico and Rasmussen Reports

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, American Spectator, The Federalist, Washington Free Beacon and The Daily Caller

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

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.