memeorandum: Why Donald Trump scrapped this morning's live TV hits (Brian Stelter/CNNMoney)

7:15 PM ET, March 8, 2016

Top Items:

Trump Hits a Wall Within the GOP; His Critics Back a Convention Fight (POLL)

Discussion: Common Dreams, The Moderate Voice, U.S. Uncut, Balloon Juice, Hot Air, Washington Free Beacon, The Resurgent, Guardian, The Week, Political Wire and Washington Post

Peter Moore / YouGov US Opinion Center News:

Most Americans agree Trump is a ‘fraud’ and a ‘phony’ — Just over half of Americans agree with Mitt Romney that Trump is a ‘fraud’ and a ‘phony’, but Republicans disagree … As the Trump campaign maintained its strong momentum Republican heavyhitters Mitt Romney and John McCain blasted the frontrunner in unusually blunt language.

Discussion: Independent Journal Review, Slantpoint, New York Times and Washington Post

Fallon Silcox / mynews13.com:

Exclusive Florida Decides Poll: Trump, Clinton lead Florida's presidential primaries — If Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were the candidates in November, Clinton would lose a close contest to Trump, according to our exclusive poll. — What will the outcome of the presidential primary elections be?

Discussion: Guardian, The Gateway Pundit, EveryJoe and Florida Politics

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

Poll: Trump leads GOP race nationally but with weaker hold on the party … The state of the 2016 race — Donald Trump continues to lead his rivals nationally in the contest for the Republican presidential nomination, but his hold on the GOP electorate has weakened since the primary season began …

Discussion: Townhall.com, Hot Air, NBC News, The Hill, New York Post, Talking Points Memo, Politicus USA, Weasel Zippers, Florida Politics, Politico, The Week, Washington Times and BloombergView.com

Patrick O'Connor / Wall Street Journal:

Donald Trump Holds Three-Point Lead Over Ted Cruz in GOP Race, WSJ/NBC News Poll Finds — Primary voters say they would prefer any of businessman's rivals in a one-on-one contest — Donald Trump holds a narrow, three-point lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination …

Discussion: Trail Blazers Blog, Florida Politics, The Week and The Resurgent

Mark Murray / NBC News:

Trump and Cruz Locked in Tight Race Nationally in New Poll — Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are locked in a tight Republican race - separated by just three points - according to results from a new national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. Trump is the first choice of 30 percent of Republican primary voters …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Guardian, Political Wire and Washington Post

Associated Press:
Voices From Voters as They Cast Primary Ballots in 4 States

Discussion: Politico and ABC News

Ron Fournier / The Atlantic:
Why Michigan Voters Are Hungry for Change

Discussion: theGrio, NBC News and MSNBC

Patrick Reis / Politico:
Is Trump peaking? We'll find out today

Discussion: idahopoliticsweekly.com, New York Times, Washington Post, Political Insider blog and Washington Times

Stuart Rothenberg / Roll Call:
Dem Senate Takeover Probable, If Cruz or Trump Nominee

Discussion: Politicus USA

David Brooks / New York Times:
It's Not Too Late! — It's 2 a.m. The bar is closing.

Discussion: Washington Post, No More Mister Nice Blog, Balloon Juice and NBC News

Chicago Tribune:
Trump leads splintered Republican primary field in Illinois

Discussion: Power Line, Washington Post, NBC News, Politico and Washington Times

Alex Swoyer / Breitbart:
Poll: Mitt Romney Helped Donald Trump, More Voters Now More Likely to Support the Billionaire

Discussion: Western Journalism

Jennifer Steinhauer / New York Times:
Ted Cruz's Prospects Ascendant, Though Perhaps Not With Senate Peers

Discussion: Raw Story, Washington Post, The Week, Politico and National Review

Plain Dealer:
Mitt Romney tapes Michigan robocall for John Kasich

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, Daily Kos, The Week, Western Journalism, New York Times, Business Insider and Talking Points Memo

Raoul Wootliff / The Times of Israel:

Stabbing victim pulls knife out of own neck, kills terrorist — Israeli man hospitalized in moderate condition after Petah Tikva attack — An Israeli man who was stabbed multiple times Tuesday afternoon in a terror attack in Petah Tikva managed to remove the knife fromn his neck and use …

Discussion: Fox News, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, EveryJoe, The Daily Caller, Pamela Geller and The Week

Judah Ari Gross / The Times of Israel:
2 cops seriously hurt in East Jerusalem drive-by shooting

Discussion: Liberty Unyielding and Washington Free Beacon

Nick Corasaniti / New York Times:

Fox News Forum May Signal Thaw Between Democrats and Network — DETROIT — Rebuffed yet again in coaxing Hillary Clinton onto Fox News, executives at the network had an outside-the-box idea last month that would have made primary debate history: a face-off between Senator Bernie Sanders …

Discussion: Mediaite, Hot Air, Liberty Unyielding, AMERICAblog NewsAMERICAblog …, Talking Points Memo and The Week

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:

Why Donald Trump scrapped this morning's live TV hits — Donald Trump was scheduled to go on a satellite TV tour Tuesday morning, but it was scrapped at the last minute. He called into several morning TV shows by phone instead. — So what happened? He says there were technical glitches.

Discussion: Mediaite, addictinginfo.org and The Week

KTVU-TV:

Video: Car nearly crashes into KTVU reporter, everyone ok — ALAMEDA COUNTY (KTVU) - As KTVU reporter Alex Savidge was covering the train derailment in Alameda County on Tuesday morning, a car crashed and careened toward him and his photographer. — Alex was live on Mornings on 2 at that moment.

Discussion: CBS Detroit, WHTM-TV, Mediaite, Fox News Insider, FOX 61 and KTLA

Aaron Elstein / Crain's New York Business:

How did Trump qualify for a middle-class tax break? — The GOP front-runner received a tax break available only to couples deemed by the state to have made $500,000 or less — One of the enduring mysteries of Donald Trump is just how much wealth he has. Forbes pegs his net worth at $4.5 billion …

Discussion: RedState, Forbes, Washington Free Beacon and Politicus USA

Thomas Frank / Guardian:

Millions of ordinary Americans support Donald Trump. Here's why — When he isn't spewing insults, the Republican frontrunner is hammering home a powerful message about free trade and its victims — et us now address the greatest American mystery at the moment: what motivates the supporters …

Discussion: Shakesville

Tom Wheeler / fcc.gov:

Federal Communications Commission — Welcome to the new FCC.gov. Help us improve by providing feedback & reporting bugs. — Consumer - Enforcement - International - Media - Public Safety - Wireless - Wireline - Offices — Broadband: A Lifeline for the 21st Century — Commissioner

Discussion: Computerworld, CBS Philly, Washington Post, Consumerist, Engadget and Common Dreams

Travis Gettys / Raw Story:

Conservative lawyer says Scalia might never be replaced: 'There's nothing magical' about nine justices — DON'T MISS STORIES. FOLLOW RAW STORY! — A conservative legal activist is promoting the idea that the U.S. Senate can hold off indefinitely in naming a replacement for the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Discussion: Right Wing Watch, liberalamerica.org and addictinginfo.org

Ted Barrett / CNN:
Supreme Court nominee would be a ‘piñata,’ Cornyn says

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Star Tribune, Talking Points Memo, Trail Blazers Blog, Washington Post and Daily Kos

Ian Tuttle / National Review:

Add Another Yuuge Failure to Trump's Pile: The Trump Network — In 2009, lots of people were feeling vulnerable. The housing bubble had burst, taking with it millions of jobs. Pensions had vanished. Stocks were slumping. For a shrewd businessman, it was the perfect time for a get-rich-quick scheme.

Discussion: Mother Jones and Hot Air

Joan E. Solsman / The Wrap:

GOP and Tech Leaders Hold Secret Meeting to Stop Trump — Gathering took place at a private island resort over the weekend — Silicon Valley may be a bastion of liberals, but the threat of a Donald Trump presidency had some of technology's biggest names meeting behind closed doors with members of the Republican elite.

Discussion: Telegraph, AppleInsider, Mashable, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Business Insider and Western Journalism

Keith Olbermann / Washington Post:

I can't stand to live in a Trump building anymore — Keith Olbermann is a news and sports commentator and reporter. — Okay, Donnie, you win. — I'm moving out. — Not moving out of the country — not yet anyway. I'm merely moving out of one of New York's many buildings slathered …

Jon / Common Dreams:

Washington Post Ran 16 Negative Stories on Bernie Sanders in 16 Hours — In what has to be some kind of record, the Washington Post ran 16 negative stories on Bernie Sanders in 16 hours, between roughly 10:20 PM EST Sunday, March 6, to 3:54 PM EST Monday, March 7—a window that includes …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Daily Caller, U.S. Uncut, Washington Post, The Moderate Voice and Associated Press

Katie Glueck / Politico:

Bush family member endorses Cruz — Ted Cruz on Tuesday nabbed an unlikely endorsement: the backing of a Bush. — Neil Bush, a brother of George W. Bush and Jeb Bush, was listed (along with his wife) as one of 13 new additions to Cruz's national finance team.

Discussion: Independent Journal Review and The Week

Bryce Covert / ThinkProgressPage Array:

Senator Holds Up Aid For Flint Because Residents ‘Have All The Government Resources They Need’ — A bipartisan aid package to send $100 million to help the residents of Flint, Michigan deal with the widespread contamination that is still plaguing their drinking water, as well as funds …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Daily Signal and Michigan Radio

Les Zaitz / Oregonian:

Bullet hole on LaVoy Finicum's truck traced to elite FBI team — BEND - Something didn't seem right about the bullet hole in the top of Robert “LaVoy” Finicum's white Dodge pickup. — Investigators from the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office could account for bullet holes in the left front hood …

Discussion: Raw Story, Statesman Journal, Balloon Juice and Talking Points Memo