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Boehner backs Paul Ryan for president — BOCA RATON, Fla. — Former Speaker John Boehner said Paul Ryan should be the Republican nominee for president if the party fails to choose a candidate on the first ballot. — “If we don't have a nominee who can win on the first ballot …
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The Atlantic, RedState, Talking Points Memo, JSOnline, Daily Kos, The Gateway Pundit, The Week, Washington Times, Allen B. West and Althouse
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Trump Says He'll Skip Debate, Warns of Possible Convention Riots — Fresh off three more primary victories, Donald Trump said Wednesday he'll blow off the next Republican presidential debate and warned of “riots” if power-brokers deny him the nomination at the convention even if he's leading in the delegate count.
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, Balkinization, alan.com, ABC News and The New Civil Rights Movement


Trump: 'I won't be there' for Fox News debate in Salt Lake City — Donald Trump said Wednesday morning he will not be at the GOP presidential primary debate next week in Salt Lake City. — “I will say this. I will say this. I think we've had enough debates. We've had 11 or 12 debates.
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CNNMoney, Mediaite, Washington Post, WNEP-TV, New York Times, Q13 FOX News, Infowars, Business Insider, RedState and Fox News Insider


Trump, Cruz vow to barricade Kasich from convention — The two leading GOP campaigns intend to muscle the Ohio governor out of the race. — Advisers to Donald Trump and Ted Cruz say there's no way they'll allow John Kasich to even compete at a contested national convention — let alone prevail.
Discussion:
Yahoo Politics, FiveThirtyEight, New York Magazine and ABC News

Keep Fighting — There Is No Other Choice — Trump greets supporters after Tuesday's primary results. (Win McNamee/Getty) — There is no sugar-coating tonight's results. Even the one, small bright spot — John Kasich denying Donald Trump Ohio's delegates — may end up presenting …
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New York Times, Weekly Standard, Sabato's Crystal Ball, US News, USA Today, CNN, Washington Post, The Huffington Post and The Moderate Voice


Paul Ryan won't categorically rule out accepting GOP nom
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Washington Post, Slate, NBC News, TheStreet.com, CNN, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, Fusion, Towleroad, Western Journalism, Politico, New York Magazine, addictinginfo.org and The Week

Trump risks falling short of delegate count for nomination
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Politico, The Daily Caller, Fusion, Joe.My.God., ThinkProgressPage Array, Bloomberg Business and Washington Post

Ryan to POLITICO: ‘I am not going to be the nominee’
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Western Journalism and Mediaite

GOP debate canceled after Trump pulls out
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and The Week

Hillary Clinton had an amazing night — and not just because of her victories
Discussion:
Washington Post

Hillary slams the door on Bernie
Discussion:
New York Times, Taylor Marsh and Daily Kos

Rubio's Exit Leaves Trump With an Open Path to 1,237 Delegates
Discussion:
Political Wire

Hillary Clinton's Excellent Night, and a Peek Ahead to the Fall
Discussion:
Hullabaloo


Who Is Merrick Garland? — Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the longest serving Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, offered his own thoughts on who President Obama should nominate to fill the seat left open by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia last week.
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TheBlaze.com, Vox, The Huffington Post, Right Wing Watch, NBC News, Grist, Politico, Front Page Magazine, Guardian, AMERICAblog NewsAMERICAblog …, Common Dreams, Washington Blade, Friendly Atheist, New York Magazine, MSNBC, The Daily Caller, Political Insider blog, Daily Kos, Independent Journal Review, LawNewz, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Patterico's Pontifications, Morning Consult, Western Journalism, addictinginfo.org, Fusion, Shakesville, Mother Jones and Althouse
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Obama Chooses Merrick Garland for Supreme Court — WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday said he would nominate Merrick B. Garland as the nation's 113th Supreme Court justice, choosing a centrist appeals court judge for the lifetime appointment and daring Republican senators …
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The White House, NBC News, New Republic, Politico, USA Today, NPR, ThinkProgressPage Array, Reuters, Business Insider, Washington Monthly, The Daily Caller, Empirical SCOTUS, Guardian, Mediaite, The Week, Talking Points Memo, CNN, Refinery29, BuzzFeed, Mashable, Jewish Insider, No More Mister Nice Blog, Althouse, The New Civil Rights Movement, Western Journalism, Towleroad, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Verge, Allen B. West and New York Magazine

Grassley Statement on the President's Nomination of Merrick Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court — Senator Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made the following statement after President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland, the Chief Judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals …
Discussion:
Slate, Talking Points Memo, TIME, BuzzFeed, Associated Press, addictinginfo.org, LawNewz and The New Civil Rights Movement

GOP Supreme Court blockade showing early cracks — Majority Leader Mitch McConnell may be holding the line, but a handful of Senate Republicans say they would meet with Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland — a sign of emerging cracks in the brick wall the GOP has presented thus far.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, ABC News and Bloomberg Business

McConnell: Senate won't consider Garland nomination
Discussion:
Political Wire, Washington Post and AMERICAblog NewsAMERICAblog …

President Obama nominates Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court
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Vox, Power Line, Salon, SCOTUSblog, New York Magazine, Guardian, electionlawblog.org, RH Reality Check and Business Insider

Merrick Garland as Obama Compromise #SCOTUS Nominee, But Not (Only) Because of His Moderate Politics
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Townhall.com, Vox, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, The People's View, Raw Story, Washington Post and The New Civil Rights Movement

Liberals flirt with lowering bar on Supreme Court confirmation
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ABC News

The Supreme Court Confirmation Battle Begins
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Talking Points Memo, Vox, Independent Journal Review, National Review, The Bob and Chez Show and Guardian

CONGRESSIONAL SOURCES: OBAMA TO NOMINATE MERRICK GARLAND
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New Yorker, Washington Post, Bloomberg Business, BloombergView.com, Los Angeles Times, CNN, Washington Times, Raw Story and American Spectator

Obama Nominates Merrick Garland to Replace Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court
Discussion:
Yahoo Politics, Politico, Mother Jones and Hot Air


Jared Fogle — Beaten and Bloodied in Prison Yard Ambush — BEATEN AND BLOODIED — in Prison Yard Ambush … Jared Fogle got a surprise beatdown in federal prison from an inmate who has major issues with child molesters ... TMZ has learned. — According to docs, Fogle got jumped …
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New York Post, KFOR-TV, Independent Journal Review, The Daily Caller, KWQC-TV and WNEP-TV
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Ex-Subway pitchman Jared Fogle attacked in bloody Colorado prison brawl — Convicted pedophile and ex-Subway pitchman Jared Fogle was pummeled in a vicious prison yard attack, according to a new report. — The disgraced Indiana sex offender suffered a swollen face, scratched neck …
Discussion:
New York Magazine and Weasel Zippers


GOP presidential debate in SLC canceled — SALT LAKE CITY — Monday's GOP presidential debate scheduled here in Utah has been canceled, FOX 13 News has confirmed. — The decision to cancel the debate followed Donald Trump's announcement on “FOX & Friends” that he would not be appearing.
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Fox News GOP Debate In Salt Lake City Cancelled
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Little Green Footballs, Trail Blazers Blog, Infowars, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and TVNewser

Kasich Camp Says He Won't Attend Fox News Debate Without Trump
Discussion:
Politicus USA, ABC News, The Week, The Right Scoop, fox13now.com and fox8.com


Waukegan man calls 911 claiming to have killed 19 children — Share Update: … WAUKEGAN, Ill. — Authorities arrested a man after he called them claiming to have killed 19 children in Lake County, Illinois. — According to a statement by the Lake County Sheriff's Office …


We choose the nominee, not the voters: Senior GOP official — Headed towards a contested convention: Unbound delegate — Curly Haugland, RNC Rules Committee, and Gary Emineth, former chairman of the North Dakota Republican Party, talk about Republican convention rules and why it could lead to a contested convention.
Discussion:
Western Journalism and The Gateway Pundit

RNC spokesman: Trump ‘speaking figuratively’ about convention riots — If the Republican National Committee is worried about the possibility of a contentious contested convention, one of its top officials showed no signs of concern Wednesday, even after the party's front-runner warned …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Shakesville and The Right Scoop
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Trump: If I Lose At The Convention, 'I Think You'd Have Riots' (AUDIO)
Discussion:
The Bob and Chez Show and addictinginfo.org


Polar bear ‘contained’ after escaping area at Cincinnati Zoo … CINCINNATI, Ohio — A polar bear has been contained after breaching its enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. — No animals or people were harmed. … The incident happened Wednesday at around 11:30 a.m.
Discussion:
WGN-TV

GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT CALLS ON REPUBLICANS TO COME TOGETHER — I'm asking all Republicans today to come together and begin preparing to win the general election in November. — With his victories yesterday, I believe it is now time for Republicans to accept and respect the will of the voters and coalesce behind Donald Trump.