memeorandum: How could everybody get it so wrong? (Wesley Pruden/Washington Times)

12:40 AM ET, March 5, 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, Prairie Weather, addictinginfo.org and Balloon Juice

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 and Washington Times

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

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

Andrew Blankstein / NBC News:

Knife Found on O.J. Simpson Property Inconsistent With Killings: Sources — A knife found over a dozen years ago on land where O.J. Simpson once lived appears to be inconsistent with the 1994 murders of the former football star's wife and her friend, multiple law enforcement sources told NBC News.

Discussion: Hot Air, NBC News and ProFootballTalk

New York Times:

Rank and File Republicans Tell Party Elites: We're Sticking With Donald Trump — From Michigan to Louisiana to California on Friday, rank-and-file Republicans expressed mystification, dismissal and contempt for the instructions that their party's most high-profile leaders are urgently handing down to them …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and Telegraph

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: International Business Times, Liberal Values, Hullabaloo, Washington Post, Shakesville, RedState, 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 and New York Magazine

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

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog

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: addictinginfo.org, Mediaite, U.S. Uncut, Death and TaxesDeath and Taxes, Raw Story and Taylor Marsh, more at Mediagazer »

Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:

Trump throws the GOP into an identity crisis … Only a year ago, Republicans were congratulating themselves on having the strongest field of presidential candidates in a generation — diverse, highly credentialed conservatives who might be the salvation of a party that lost the popular vote in five of the last six elections.

Discussion: Prairie Weather and ABC News

Dan Balz / Washington Post:
One clear loser in Thursday's debate: the Grand Old Party

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

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

Nick Gass / Politico:

Ben Carson announces campaign is over — Ben Carson is suspending his bid for the presidency, the retired neurosurgeon announced Friday, speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. — “Even though I might be leaving the campaign trail …

Discussion: RedState and NY State of Politics

Tal Kopan / CNN:
Ben Carson to lead Christian voter group

Discussion: KLFY-TV and The Atlantic

Associated Press: Carson Spent Heavily On Consultants, Lightly On Campaigning

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.

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: The Hill, Political Insider blog, Oliver Willis, National Review, Western Journalism, Yahoo Politics, Post On Politics, Allen B. West, Raw Story, NPR, The Other McCain and Fox News Insider

Tim Mak / The Daily Beast:

Can Newt Gingrich Save GOP? — Newt Gingrich—yes, you read that right—is trying to play peacemaker between Republicans in Washington and the Trump campaign. — The Republican Party's establishment is slowly coming to terms with a tough reality: Donald Trump will be the nominee, and resistance is futile.

Discussion: Political Wire

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

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

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgressPage Array:

BREAKING: Supreme Court Reopens Clinics Closed By Anti-Abortion Law — The Supreme Court handed down a brief order Monday allowing four Louisiana abortion clinics to reopen after they were closed due to a recent decision by a conservative federal appeals court.

Discussion: addictinginfo.org, Slantpoint and FiveThirtyEight

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, The Week, Hot Air and The Right Scoop

Niall Stanage / The Hill:

Debate fatigue sets in for GOP — There are two more Republican presidential debates left on the schedule — and that is more than enough for party insiders, who fear that the insult-rich clashes are becoming deeply damaging to the GOP's image. — In their minds, Thursday's debate in Detroit was a nadir.

Discussion: Political Wire

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

Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:

VIDEO=> Trump Supporters Walk Out on Ted Cruz at CPAC — So this happened. — Trump supporters today walked out on Senator Ted Cruz during his CPAC speech. — This happened during Cruz's lecture at CPAC. … The post VIDEO=> Trump Supporters Walk Out on Ted Cruz at CPAC appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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: Mediaite, Fusion, Raw Story, The Daily Caller and The Week

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, Infowars, Washington Post and The Right Scoop

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: CANNONFIRE, New York Magazine and The American Mirror

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.

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: Raw Story and Comicbook.com