memeorandum: Ted Cruz to name Carly Fiorina as his VP pick in desperate bid to shake up campaign (Andrew Prokop/Vox)

3:10 PM ET, April 27, 2016

Top Items:

WMUR:

WMUR first: Cruz to announce intention to name Fiorina as his running mate — Former business executive viewed as a potential asset to Cruz's attempt to wrest nomination from Trump — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz will announce on Wednesday afternoon that former presidential rival Carly Fiorina …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, RedState, Politico, Mediaite, Business Insider, BizPac Review, Red Alert Politics, Washington Free Beacon, Trail Blazers Blog and CNN

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

It's Trump's Nomination To Lose* — Tuesday night went about as well as possible for Donald Trump. — Two weeks ago, after a rough stretch of states for Trump, we issued a series of delegate projections that included something called a “path-to-1,237” projection, a set of targets …

Discussion: Hot Air, JustOneMinute, WPRI-TV, Power Line, ABC News and Business Insider

Andrew Prokop / Vox:

Ted Cruz to name Carly Fiorina as his VP pick in desperate bid to shake up campaign — With his campaign for the Republican nomination seemingly at death's door, Ted Cruz is trying one last time to make a comeback — by naming Carly Fiorina as his vice presidential pick.

Discussion: National Review, Talking Points Memo, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Mediaite

John Podhoretz / New York Post:

Ted Cruz is crumbling before our very eyes — MORE FROM: — For the past few weeks, Republican campaign professionals and conservatives who are seeing the GOP nomination heading into Donald Trump's hands have been counseling anti-Trump voters not to panic and consoling themselves …

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Cruz to name Fiorina as VP running mate — Ted Cruz will announce Wednesday that Carly Fiorina will be his vice presidential nominee if he's the Republican Party's pick for president, according to three sources with knowledge of the announcement. — Fiorina, a former Hewlett-Packard CEO …

Discussion: Right Wing Watch, Business Insider and The Week

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Cruz to make “major announcement” at 4 p.m.; Update: Fiorina as VP? — Hopefully he's planning to announce he's now learned that a “basketball ring” is commonly referred to as a hoop. Good lord, man. — Only two possibilities for what the announcement might be. One is that he's finally landed Mike Pence's endorsement.

Discussion: Power Line, RedState, Political Insider blog, TPNN, Heat Street, Indianapolis Star, The Right Scoop, Politico, The Week, The Daily Caller, BuzzFeed and Associated Press

New York Times:

Ted Cruz to Name Carly Fiorina as His Running Mate — INDIANAPOLIS — Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, desperate to alter the course of a presidential primary fight in which Donald J. Trump is closing in on victory, will announce Wednesday afternoon that Carly Fiorina will be his running mate …

Discussion: Mother Jones and Political Wire

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:

Trump wins every county in ‘Acela primaries’ — won every county on Tuesday night in the five Northeastern states that held primaries, sweeping up more delegates in his quest to lock up the GOP nomination. — Trump won each county in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Connecticut and Rhode Island …

Discussion: Independent Journal …, Raw Story, The Week, Washington Post, Guardian and Politicus USA

Aaron Rupar / ThinkProgress:
Here Are All The Sexist Things Donald Trump Said About Hillary Clinton Wednesday Morning

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and The Slot

Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:
IT'S OFFICIAL=> Ted Cruz Is Mathematically ELIMINATED from GOP Race - With Chart

Discussion: Politico, Freedom's Lighthouse, Joe Hoft, DailySurge, Walid Shoebat, The Last Tradition and JustOneMinute

CNN:
Ted Cruz to name Carly Fiorina as VP

Discussion: Vox, USA Today, Associated Press, Washington Post, Independent Journal …, The Right Scoop, The San Diego Union … and Mediaite

James Oliphant / Reuters:
Republican Cruz to name Fiorina as his No. 2: media report

Discussion: LifeNews.com

Tom LoBianco / CNN:
Mary Pat Christie throws some shade during Trump's speech

Discussion: Business Insider, Washington Post and AOL

Ashley Feinberg / Gawker:
Ted Cruz Desecrates Classic Movie Scene By Calling Hoop a “Basketball Ring”

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Indianapolis Star, The Atlantic, Talking Points Memo, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Mother Jones, Raw Story and Prntly

Nate Cohn / New York Times:
Why Donald Trump Is Probably Two States From Victory

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, New York Magazine, Vox, Outside the Beltway, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Real Clear Politics

Nate Cohn / New York Times:
Donald Trump Beat Expectations Everywhere, Suggesting a Broad Shift

Discussion: Independent Journal … and Althouse

Shane Goldmacher / Politico:
Trump starts spending to end Cruz in Indiana

Discussion: The Atlantic

Associated Press:

Trump's big speech tests his foreign policy and style — WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump's highly anticipated foreign policy speech Wednesday will test whether the Republican presidential front-runner, known for his raucous rallies and eyebrow-raising statements, can present a more presidential persona …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and The Week

Joe Scarborough / Washington Post: Trump's sweep is another humiliating defeat for media and political elites

Reuters:
Trump vows U.S. allies would pay more for their defense if he wins the White House

Discussion: Guardian and Balloon Juice

Associated Press:
TRUMP VOWS TO PUT “AMERICA FIRST” IN FOREIGN POLICY

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News

CNN:
Donald Trump's foreign policy: ‘America first’

Discussion: twitchy.com

Natasha Korecki / Politico:

Hastert sentenced to 15 months in prison — CHICAGO — U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin on Wednesday sentenced former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert to 15 months in prison, calling him a “serial child molester,” and ignoring the defense's request for no prison time.

Discussion: The Week

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

Dennis Hastert's stunningly hypocritical 1998 speech about impeaching Bill Clinton — These 10 states will decide whether Trump is the GOP nominee … There's an enormous amount of tragedy surrounding revelations that former House speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) sexually abused a number …

Discussion: Raw Story

Matt Zapotosky / Washington Post:
Judge sentences former U.S. House speaker Dennis Hastert to 15 months in federal prison

Discussion: Mother Jones, Associated Press, Outside the Beltway and The Slot

New York Times:
Dennis Hastert Sentenced to 15 Months, and Apologizes for Sex Abuse

Discussion: The Atlantic, Chicago Tribune, NBC News, New York Magazine, Mediaite, Towleroad and The Week

Chris Kahn / Reuters:

Exclusive: Half of Americans think presidential nominating system ‘rigged’ - poll — More than half of American voters believe that the system U.S. political parties use to pick their candidates for the White House is “rigged” and more than two-thirds want to see the process changed, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Discussion: Shadowproof, naked capitalism, Shakesville, Washington Post, The Daily Caller and The Week

Bernie Sanders:
Sanders Statement on Primary Elections

Discussion: USA Today, Common Dreams, liberalamerica.org, Washington Monthly, Raw Story, Daily Kos, The Week, Taylor Marsh, New York Times and Talking Points Memo

William A. Galston / Wall Street Journal:
How Trump Killed Reaganism

Discussion: Points and Figures

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Bernie Sanders is no fool. He'll back Clinton when he drops out.

Discussion: delawareonline, New Yorker, New York Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, NBC News and Daily Kos

Pat Peterson / WKRG-TV:

Foley Plane Crash Caught on Camera — FOLEY, AL- — Surveillance video from a Foley business captured incredible images of a plane crash near the city's airport. — The crash happened south of the airport off Hickory Street Tuesday afternoon. A Cessna 421 Twin Engine clipped a few trees over business

Discussion: WIAT-TV

Julia Ioffe / GQ:

Melania Trump on Her Rise, Her Family Secrets, and Her True Political Views: “Nobody Will Ever Know” — How does a shy ex-model make her way from Slovenia to, just maybe, the White House? To Melania Trump—and to the people who know her back home—her journey to marrying The Donald is like a fairy tale …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Mediaite, AOL, The Slot, The Daily Caller and The Week

The White House / Medium:

Asked and Answered: President Obama Responds to an Eight-Year-Old Girl from Flint — At eight years old, Mari Copeny—known around town as “Little Miss Flint”—wrote to President Obama last month from her home in Flint, Michigan to share how she is working to bring attention to the public health crisis in her community.

Discussion: Vox, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Politico, Politicus USA, WOOD-TV and The Week

Zack Ford / ThinkProgress:

This Alabama City Will Now Put Transgender People In Jail For Peeing At Target — On Tuesday night, the City Council of Oxford, Alabama unanimously approved a new ordinance that will punish individuals for using restrooms that do not match their biological sex as stated on their birth certificate.

Discussion: The Bob and Chez Show and CNN

William Thornton / al.com:
Oxford passes transgender bathroom ordinance with threat of $500 fine, 6 months in jail

Discussion: Vox, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Towleroad and Joe.My.God.

Baltimore Sun:

Van Hollen wins testy race for Mikulski's seat … Rep. Chris Van Hollen, a seven-term congressman who has risen rapidly through the ranks of the Democratic leadership in Washington, won the party's nomination for Maryland's open Senate seat Tuesday. — The son of a Baltimore family …

Discussion: Morning Consult and Washington Free Beacon

James Hohmann / Washington Post:
The Daily 202: The Democratic Establishment strikes back in the Acela Primary

Discussion: PennLive.com, Common Dreams, Outside the Beltway and National Review

Daniel Bethencourt / Detroit Free Press:

Saying ‘vagina’ got me fired, Battle Creek middle school teacher says — Vagina. It's a noun describing female anatomy that caused such outrage in the Michigan Legislature in 2012 that a legislator was blocked from speaking after using it. — Now, a substitute teacher says using it got …

Discussion: WWMT-TV, ThinkProgress, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Althouse and EAGnews.org