memeorandum: Pope Francis Refers To ‘Arab Invasion’ as a Social Reality (Kevin Costelloe/Bloomberg Business)

10:10 PM ET, March 4, 2016

Top Items:

The debilitating economic disaster Louisiana's governor left behind — BATON ROUGE, La. — Already, the state of Louisiana had gutted university spending and depleted its rainy day funds. It had cut 30,000 employees and furloughed others. It had slashed the number of child services staffers …

Discussion: New York Magazine, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, addictinginfo.org and Prairie Weather

Damian Paletta / Wall Street Journal:

Trump Reverses His Stance on Torture — Leading GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump said he wouldn't order the U.S. military to break international laws, addressing criticism from military and legal experts that his policies regarding torture and killing the family members of terrorists would violate the Geneva Convention.

Ryan Browne / CNN:
Donald Trump reverses position on torture, killing terrorists' families

Discussion: TIME, Althouse, Right Wing Watch and Washington Times

Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:
Bobby Jindal Blames President Obama For Donald Trump's Rise

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and The Bob and Chez Show

TMZ.com:

O.J. Simpson — Buried Knife Found at O.J.'s Estate — A construction worker found a knife buried on the perimeter of the former O.J. Simpson estate ... and it's currently being tested by the LAPD in a top secret investigation ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ. — The story is incredible.

Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times:

Knife found on O.J. Simpson property being tested by LAPD — O.J. Simpson reacts as he is found not guilty of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. With him are members of his defense team, F. Lee Bailey, left, and Johnnie Cochran Jr.

Discussion: CNN, CBS Los Angeles, Infowars, Western Journalism, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, KQED News, The Moderate Voice, Washington Free Beacon, USA Today, Fusion, NPR, The Atlantic, KLFY-TV, Refinery29 and TMZ.com

Kenneth P. Vogel / Politico:

Behind Trump's CPAC deal gone bad — NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland Donald Trump spent five years building a mutually beneficial relationship with the organization that hosts the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, filling its coffers with at least $150,000 in cash …

Discussion: Oliver Willis, Political Insider blog, National Review, Western Journalism, Yahoo Politics, NPR and Fox News Insider

Nick Gass / Politico:
Trump pulls out of CPAC

Guy Benson / Townhall.com: Vanity, Fear: Why Trump Dropped Out of CPAC

Kira Lerner / ThinkProgressPage Array:
CPAC Reacts To Trump's Decision To Back Out Of Convention: 'He's A Pansy'

Discussion: Political Insider blog, The Right Scoop, New York Magazine, Washington Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and TheBlaze.com

Eliza Collins / Politico:

Jim Webb: I won't vote for Clinton, but I may for Trump — Former Democratic presidential candidate Jim Webb won't be voting for Hillary Clinton, but he hasn't ruled out casting his ballot for Donald Trump. — Webb, who briefly flirted with an independent bid before deciding against it …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Washington Post, RedState, Shakesville, The Last Tradition and The Gateway Pundit

Kendall Breitman / Bloomberg Business:
Romney Would Support Play to Stop Trump at Convention

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Post, Politico, New York Times, New York Magazine and CNN

David Brooks / New York Times:
Donald Trump, the Great Betrayer

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog

Sahil Kapur / Bloomberg Business:

Cruz Serves Up Spoilers on Contested Convention and Rubio's Florida Hopes — The Texas senator flatly rejected the idea of a contested convention on Friday at CPAC, warning that it would lead to a “manifest revolt.” — Ted Cruz flatly rejected the idea of a contested convention on Friday …

Discussion: Althouse

Nate Cohn / New York Times:
If Super Tuesday Voting Pattern Continues, Donald Trump Will Reach Delegate Target

Discussion: Politico, Yahoo Politics and Outside the Beltway

Jennifer Bendery / The Huffington Post:
Marco Rubio Not Sorry For Bringing Dick Jokes Into Presidential Race

Discussion: NBC News, Daily Kos and Fusion

Gawker:

Voicemails Appear to Reveal Donald Trump's Cozy Relationship With the Liberal Media — Early Thursday morning, Gawker received an anonymous email with an attachment that purported to contain recordings from Donald Trump's voicemail inbox. Among the recordings were messages that appear …

Discussion: Mediaite, Raw Story, U.S. Uncut and Death and TaxesDeath and Taxes, more at Mediagazer »

Mark Hensch / The Hill:

Brother of murdered civil rights leader endorses Trump — for president. — “I believe in him first of all because he's a businessman,” Charles Evers said, according to The Clarion-Ledger. “I think jobs are badly needed in Mississippi.” — Evers's brother, Medgar Evers, was assassinated in Jackson, Miss., in 1963.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

The Clarion Ledger:
Brother of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers endorses Trump

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller

Christian Datoc / The Daily Caller:

During a monologue Friday about Donald Trump's Thursday night debate performance, radio host Glenn Beck said that if he “had a knife, the stabbing just wouldn't stop.” — Beck's co-host, Stu Burguiere, told The Daily Caller Friday — after this article's publication — that …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Politico

J.D. Durkin / Mediaite:
No, Glenn Beck Did Not Say He Would Have Stabbed Trump at Last Night's GOP Debate

Discussion: Infowars and Joe.My.God.

Hot Air:

Cruz tries to take out Rubio in Florida, opens 10 campaign offices across the state — The Texas senator has opened 10 campaign offices in the Sunshine State ahead of the March 15 primary, volunteers told the Miami Herald. The campaign confirmed the new offices Friday …

Patricia Mazzei / Naked Politics:
Ted Cruz makes play for Florida

Discussion: RedState, Hot Air, The Week and The Right Scoop

Lynnley Browning / Bloomberg Business:

Sanders Tax Plans Seen Raising $15.3 Trillion Over 10 Years — Broad tax increases would hit top earners hardest, report says — Proposals could reduce incentives to invest, study finds — Senator Bernie Sanders's proposals for sweeping tax hikes on businesses and individuals …

Discussion: The Agonist

Tax Policy Center home:
An Analysis of Senator Bernie Sanders's Tax Proposals

Discussion: CNNMoney, Washington Post, Vox and TaxVox

Greg Margason / Fox 59:

Joey Feek from Joey + Rory passes away after battle with cancer — ALEXANDRIA, Ind. (March 4, 2016) - Hoosier native Joey Feek of the country music duo Joey + Rory passed away Friday, her husband Rory wrote. — “My wife's greatest dream came true today,” Rory wrote. “She is in Heaven.”

Discussion: WISH-TV, Associated Press, WNEP-TV, The Scoop Blog, KTLA, WANE-TV, fox8.com and Full Feed

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:

Clinton has most retweeted tweet of GOP debate — 's campaign mocking the shouting matches between Republican candidates became the most retweeted moment of the Thursday GOP debate. — The tweet showed a clip of Donald Trump — jawing at each other with subtitles stating " …

Discussion: Chicagoist, Death and TaxesDeath and Taxes, Hollywood Life, Washington Post, Infowars and The Right Scoop

Jamie Feldman / The Huffington Post:

Whole Foods Sells Peeled Oranges In Plastic Containers, World Revolts — This is pretty bad, any way you peel it. — Whole Foods encourages shoppers to bring their own shopping bags and prides itself on an ability to provide healthy options to shoppers in the best possible way.

Discussion: Eater, The Atlantic, Gizmodo, Fox News Insider, FOX 61, fox8.com, Mashable, FOX31 Denver, KTLA, LAist and Althouse

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

One clear loser in Thursday's debate: the Grand Old Party — It's highly questionable whether anyone emerged as the winner in Thursday's Republican presidential debate in Detroit, though the candidates' spinmeisters would all quibble with that. There was one clear loser: the Grand Old Party.

Discussion: ABC News, Politico, USA Today, Political Insider blog, Daily Kos, Outside the Beltway, New York Times and The Moderate Voice

Tarini Parti / BuzzFeed: Major GOP Donors Are Turning Their Hopes Toward A Contested Convention

Paul Schwartzman / Washington Post:

Psychologists and massage therapists are reporting ‘Trump anxiety’ among clients — To the catalogue of anxieties her patients explore during therapy — marriage, children, and careers — psychologist Alison Howard is now listening to a new source of stress: the political rise of Donald Trump.

Discussion: Raw Story, Mediaite, Fusion, The Daily Caller, The Week, CNBC and Independent Journal Review

Tal Kopan / CNN:

Ben Carson to lead Christian voter group — Ben Carson: ‘I do not see a political path forward’ — The retired neurosurgeon effectively ended his presidential bid earlier this week, citing no “political path forward” — Washington (CNN)Ben Carson on Friday announced his next move …

Discussion: The Atlantic and KLFY-TV

Eliza Collins / Politico:
Carson lands new job as national chairman of My Faith Votes

Discussion: Jezebel, The Week and Independent Journal Review

Daily Mail:

Hillary Clinton promises to ‘get to the bottom of UFO mystery’ if elected, and ‘maybe send a task force’ to alleged alien prison Area 51 — Podesta pressured Bill Clinton and Barack Obama to declassify files while working for their administrations — While Donald Trump continues to promise …

Discussion: New York Magazine and The American Mirror

Joe Schoffstall / Washington Free Beacon:
Hillary Paid Herself $250,000 From Campaign Funds

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News and The Daily Caller

Dan Snierson / EW.com:

PRESIDENT OBAMA THANKS MYTHBUSTERS FOR PROVING THAT AMERICA DID ACTUALLY LAND ON THE MOON — Exclusive video: The President pays tribute to the Discovery series in its post-finale reunion speical — Discovery will unleashes the final episode on Saturday at 8 p.m., but the show will not go gently into the night.

Discussion: Comicbook.com and Raw Story

Karoli Kuns / Latest from Crooks and Liars:

Michele Fiore Loses It, Challenges Opponent To Fight — It's fight time in Nevada! In one corner, Republican candidate for Congress, certifiable wingnut and Bundy family enabler Michele Fiore. — In the other, Annette Teijeiro, another challenger, who posted the video to Facebook.

Discussion: Raw Story

Kevin Costelloe / Bloomberg Business:

Pope Francis Refers To ‘Arab Invasion’ as a Social Reality — Pontiff says Europe has successfully handled influxes in past — Roman Catholic leader says Europe enhanced by newcomers — Pope Francis referred to an “Arab invasion” during a speech to a French Christian group this week …

Jeremy B. Merrill / New York Times:

Michael Bloomberg Moved His Website as Speculation About Intentions Grew — In a technical move that could be viewed as a prerequisite to announcing an independent bid for the presidency, former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's personal website was recently transferred to an independent web server — away from servers run by his company.