memeorandum: Trump Does It His Way — WASHINGTON — YOU could hear how hard … (Maureen Dowd/New York Times)

8:45 PM ET, April 2, 2016

Top Items:

Trump Does It His Way — WASHINGTON — YOU could hear how hard it was for Donald Trump to say the words. — “Yeah, it was a mistake,” he said, sounding a bit chastened. “If I had to do it again, I wouldn't have sent it.” — I was telling him he lost my sister's vote when he retweeted …

Discussion: Washington Post, RedState, The Right Scoop, Politico, NBC News, Raw Story, The Resurgent, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Guardian, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, Mother Jones, CNN and Page Six

Frank Bruni / New York Times:

The Republicans' Gay Freakout — OUR infrastructure is inexcusable, much of our public education is miserable and one of our leading presidential candidates is a know-nothing, say-anything egomaniac who yanks harder every day at the tattered fabric of civil discourse and fundamental decency in this country.

New York Times:
Why Should ‘Never Trump’ Mean Ted Cruz?

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog

New York Times:
North Carolina Law May Risk Federal Aid

Discussion: CBN.com, The New Civil Rights Movement, Hot Air, Advocate, RedState, Fusion, Althouse, Towleroad, Washington Examiner and Associated Press

Tennessean.com:

Trump camp accuses Tennessee GOP of stealing delegates — Donald Trump's campaign for president is accusing the Tennessee Republican Party of “doing the bidding” of the national GOP establishment in a calculated attempt to “steal” pro-Trump delegates and stop them from being a part of Tennessee's GOP delegation.

Discussion: RedState, The Hill, The Daily Caller and The Last Tradition

Ben Kamisar / The Hill: Spotlight to shine on GOP rules committee at convention

Kenneth P. Vogel / Politico:
Trump campaign shrinks Lewandowski's role

Discussion: Hot Air, New York Magazine, The Week, Fire Andrea Mitchell! and CNN

Kevin Cirilli / Bloomberg Business:
RNC Lays Groundwork for Nominee Who May Not Be Trump

Discussion: Politico and Washington Times

Shane Goldmacher / Politico:
How the North Dakota GOP is freezing out Trump

Discussion: Washington Post

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Tennessee GOP delegate fight erupts ahead of party meeting

Discussion: RedState

New York Daily News:

Hillary Clinton wears leather, talks trash and blows a stop light — Hillary Clinton showed her wild side at an LGBT event at SoHo's Capitale, where the presidential wannabe sported a leather jacket, boasted about her Democratic-leading campaign and ran a red light on her way out.

Discussion: New York Daily News

Associated Press:
Clinton's frustration grows, as primary race drags on

Discussion: Associated Press, ABC News, Common Dreams, abc7chicago.com, Washington Post and The Last Tradition

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Democrats Increasing Their Edge in U.S. Party Affiliation

Discussion: Politicus USA

Bob Woodward / Washington Post:

In a revealing interview, Trump predicts a ‘massive recession’ but intends to eliminate the national debt in 8 years — Here's what's at stake in the Wisconsin GOP primary … Donald Trump said in an interview that economic conditions are so perilous that the country is headed for a …

David Chazan / Telegraph:

Air France stewardesses mutiny over order to wear headscarves — Air France stewardesses, furious at being ordered to wear headscarves in Tehran, say they will refuse to fly to the Iranian capital when the airline resumes the service later this month. — Female members of flight crews …

New York Times:

Electoral Map Is a Reality Check to Donald Trump's Bid — Donald J. Trump's presidential candidacy has stunned the Republican Party. But if he survives a late revolt by his rivals and other leaders to become the party's standard-bearer in the general election, the electoral map now coming into view is positively forbidding.

Harper Neidig / The Hill:

Former Defense secretary: Obama ‘double-crossed’ me — Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he felt President Obama “double-crossed” him during his tenure over budget cuts to the Pentagon. — In a Fox News report Friday that explored the president's approach to the military …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Washington Free Beacon

Fox News:
Tune in to FNC for ‘Fox News Reporting: Rising Threats - Shrinking Military’

Discussion: Hot Air

Tyler Durden / Zero Hedge:

Wikileaks Reveals IMF Plan To “Cause A Credit Event In Greece And Destabilize Europe” — One of the recurring concerns involving Europe's seemingly perpetual economic, financial and social crises, is that these have been largely predetermined, “scripted” and deliberate acts.

NBC News:

Obama Nixed CIA Plan That Could Have Stopped ISIS: Officials — The CIA in 2012 proposed a detailed covert action plan designed to remove Syrian President Bashar Assad from power, but President Obama declined to approve it, current and former U.S. officials tell NBC News.

Discussion: Power Line

Naomi Jagoda / The Hill:

College endowments under scrutiny — The tax-exempt endowments of colleges and universities are coming under scrutiny in a presidential election year where the cost of higher education has become a top issue. — Leading Republican tax-writers in Congress have sent questions …

Dianne Marshall / THE MARSHALL REPORT:

CRUZ WHY IS YOUR NUMBER ON THE LIST OF D.C. MADAM? — If you don't know what this is. It is a page of Debora Pelfrey,s phone records. (The DC Madam) Ted Cruz private numbers are supposedly on it! — So now what Cruz? Who are you going to blame now? — Looks like Teddy has been a very naughty boy for a very long time.

Discussion: The Last Tradition, The Right Perspective, CANNONFIRE and Death and Taxes

Jackie Calmes / New York Times:

Obama Gets Scant Credit in Indiana Region Where Recovery Was Robust — ELKHART, Ind. — Seven years ago President Obama came to this northern Indiana city, where unemployment was heading past 20 percent, for his first trip as president. Ed Neufeldt, the jobless man picked to introduce him …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Michael Strickland / Progressives Today:

Day 1 Of “Whiteness History Month” At PCC - Speaker Defends Black Rapists — Day 1 of “whiteness history month” is in the books at Portland Community College. Before the first workshop, the Dean Of Student Instruction, Craig Kolins, tried to explain what the month long series was about …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Daily Mail:

Thumbs up: Ukraine's president Petro Poroshenko certainly looked please to have taken his place behind President Barack Obama — ... Meanwhile, in the shadows: Cameron was isolated from the power players and looked dejected as he shook hands with UAE foreign affairs minister Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

Discussion: Guardian, theGrio, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, NO QUARTER USA NET, Pamela Geller, CNN, Reuters, Instapundit and Fire Andrea Mitchell!

Julian Hattem / The Hill:
Obama: Iran not following ‘spirit’ of deal

Discussion: Pirate's Cove, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Wall Street Journal

Kristen East / Politico:

Kansas senator reverses position on Garland hearings — Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran has reversed his position on a hearing and vote for Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, just a week after straying from the position of GOP leadership. — The senator's office released a statement Friday …

Simon Maloy / Salon:
Cracks in the GOP wall: The Republicans' hardline Supreme Court obstruction is crumbling

Discussion: Slantpoint, NBC News, National Review and New York Times

Los Angeles Times:

Father accused of fatally shooting son because he was gay — Los Angeles prosecutors on Friday charged a 69-year-old man with fatally shooting his son outside the family's North Hills home because the son was gay. — The shooting occurred Tuesday when police responded to a call …