Top Items:


First on CNN: Team Romney explores blocking Trump at RNC — Washington (CNN)Mitt Romney has instructed his closest advisers to explore the possibility of stopping Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention, a source close to Romney's inner circle says.
Discussion:
Bloomberg Business, Business Insider, Political Wire, Hot Air, The Right Scoop and The Daily Caller
RELATED:

Rubio's path to an outright win has vanished — Marco Rubio's path to the Republican nomination short of a contested convention has narrowed to nearly nothing as his campaign and allies reboot their strategy to prepare for months of guerrilla warfare to deny Donald Trump a clean, pre-convention victory.

Full transcript: Mitt Romney's remarks on Donald Trump and the 2016 race — Below are Mitt Romney's full remarks on Donald Trump and the 2016 presidential race, as prepared for delivery. Romney delivered his remarks at the University of Utah. — I am not here to announce my candidacy for office.

STATEMENT BY SASC CHAIRMAN JOHN McCAIN ON STATE OF THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY CAMPAIGN — Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today on the state of the Republican presidential primary campaign:
Discussion:
Star Tribune, Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, New York's PIX11, Yahoo Politics and BostonGlobe.com


Read Mitt Romney's Speech About Donald Trump — Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney made the case against Donald Trump in Utah Thursday. — Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney made the case against Donald Trump in Utah Thursday.

Graham: A brokered convention wouldn't be fair to Trump — Lindsey Graham has had some harsh words for Donald Trump, but that doesn't mean he thinks a brokered convention would be fair to the Republican frontrunner. — In an interview with former Obama adviser David Axelrod on his podcast …
Discussion:
Political Wire and Talking Points Memo

The Trump platform that Mitt Romney just attacked looks a lot like Mitt Romney's — On Thursday, Mitt Romney dramatically opened fire on the frontrunner of his own party, calling Donald Trump a “con man” and a “fraud” and explaining why Trump's policy platform would be bad for the country.

Mitt Romney is doing Donald Trump a BIG favor by attacking him — How Trump threw out the GOP playbook on Planned Parenthood — Mitt Romney will savage Donald Trump as deeply dishonest and fundamentally unelectable in a much-touted speech in Utah today, an attempt by the 2012 Republican …


Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money, 2016 Election Central and New York Magazine


Trump Hits Back At Romney: He Would've Dropped To His Knees For Me In '12
Discussion:
Balloon Juice and The Bob and Chez Show

Mitt Romney tells Donald Trump voters they're ‘suckers’
Discussion:
Politico, Hinckley Institute and Hot Air

My remarks on the state of the 2016 presidential race
Discussion:
The Last Refuge, Washington Post, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Guardian, The Atlantic, Mondoweiss, The Daily Caller, Vox, Hullabaloo and Politico

Romney speech shows why Trump is winning
Discussion:
ABC News, Washington Post and New York Magazine

Exclusive: Koch brothers will not use funds to try to block Trump nomination

Donald Trump: Mitt Romney ‘would have dropped to his knees’ for my endorsement
Discussion:
Guardian, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, Vox, fox13now.com, ABC News, Fox 59, Mashable, KFOR-TV, Q13 FOX News, KTLA, FOX31 Denver, Infowars, Politico, Little Green Footballs, Western Journalism and Washington Post

Trump again threatens independent bid
Discussion:
RedState, New York Magazine and Daily Kos

Trump punches back at ‘choke artist’ Romney
Discussion:
ABC News, Washington Post and The Daily Caller

Mitt Romney: ‘Trump is a phony, a fraud’ who is ‘playing the American public for suckers’

Romney to Republicans: Never Trump
Discussion:
NBC News, Breitbart, Vox, US News, Mashable, RealClearPolitics, Hit & Run, New York Times, Hot Air, Scared Monkeys, The Hayride, Townhall.com, Yahoo, The Daily Caller, The Week, ABC News, Independent Journal Review, The Hill, Florida Politics, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Examiner and Washington Post

Man accidentally kills himself while taking photos with gun — A 43-year-old Concrete man died Sunday after accidentally shooting himself in the face with what he thought was an unloaded gun. — The man and his girlfriend were at a residence in the 46000 block of Baker Loop Road taking photos …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Death and TaxesDeath and Taxes, Raw Story, CBS New York, WGN-TV, Fox 59 and Q13 FOX News


DeLemus supporters sing ‘God Bless America’ at court appearance — New Hampshire Union Leader — Federal agents have arrested Jerry DeLemus, a local Tea Party leader who stood with Cliven Bundy's armed resistance at his ranch in Nevada in 2014, in connection with the standoff and alleged assault.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Infowars
RELATED:


Tea Party Activist, Trump Supporter Jerry DeLemus Arrested
Discussion:
Raw Story, U.S. Uncut, addictinginfo.org and Hit & Run


She Is Cait, and I Am Not: Face to Face with Jenner — Winding my way 'round deadman's curves at unsafe speeds all the way up a Malibu mountaintop to meet Caitlyn Jenner, I asked myself: who would live here except a recluse? Cut off from the rest of the world, high above it all …
Discussion:
ThinkProgressPage Array, Trail Blazers Blog, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, LAist, NBC News, Towleroad, Mashable and CBS New York


Chief justice rejects plea to block air pollution rule — Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts rejected a plea Thursday to block a contentious air pollution rule for power plants, in a big victory for the Obama administration. — Roberts's order came despite his court's 5-4 decision …
Discussion:
New York Times, Western Journalism, Hot Air, The Daily Caller and The Bob and Chez Show
RELATED:


Activists plan Flint water crisis protest at Republican debate — DETROIT, MI — While Republican presidential candidates armed with conservative values philosophically spar inside Detroit's Fox Theatre Thursday, activists say they'll be out front with a more important message.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, FOX2now.com, Jezebel, Vox, Gizmodo and Mediaite
RELATED:

The Violence to Come — What will happen to American politics if, as now appears likely, the Republican Party nominates Donald Trump? Here's one bet: It will get more violent. — The United States is headed toward a confrontation, the likes of which it has not seen since 1968 …
Discussion:
National Review, Mother Jones, alicublog, Booman Tribune and Vox


The State of American Retirement: How 401(k)s have failed most American workers — Overview — Today, many Americans rely on savings in 401(k)-type accounts to supplement Social Security in retirement. This is a pronounced shift from a few decades ago, when many retirees could count on predictable …
Discussion:
American Prospect, Campaign for America's Future and ThinkProgressPage Array


Chris Christie: 'I wasn't being held hostage' by Donald Trump — Chris Christie wants the world to know that he was not being held hostage this week. — Under fire from fellow establishment Republicans for endorsing Donald Trump for president, the New Jersey governor held a press conference Thursday …
Discussion:
NorthJersey.com and The Atlantic