Top Items:
Katie Glueck / Politico:
Insiders: Clinton would crush Trump in November — In the swing states that matter most in the presidential race, Donald Trump doesn't have a prayer against Hillary Clinton in the general election. — That's according to top operatives, strategists and activists in 10 battleground states …
RELATED:
MJ Lee / CNN:
Donald Trump's new target: Bernie Sanders supporters — (CNN)With the Republican presidential nomination within his grasp, Donald Trump is courting an unlikely group of voters: Bernie Sanders supporters. — The GOP front-runner has ratcheted up his rhetoric against presumptive Democratic …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Slot, Hot Air and Q13 FOX News
Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
GOP elites are now resigned to Donald Trump as their nominee … Throughout the Republican Party, from New Hampshire to Florida to California, many leaders, operatives, donors and activists arrived this week at the conclusion they had been hoping to thwart or at least delay: Donald Trump will be their presidential nominee.
Discussion:
Politico, Vox, Political Insider blog, CNN, Outside the Beltway, NBC News, Wall Street Journal, Political Wire, New York Magazine, OPB and Washington Times
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Trump presents himself as a scourge of the elites. That won't last.
Trump presents himself as a scourge of the elites. That won't last.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Politico and BuzzFeed
Charles Hurt / The Hill:
The problem with Ted Cruz — has run an outsider's juggernaut campaign, the likes of which nobody has seen in modern politics. — Democrats publicly say they are thrilled to face him in the general election. But, privately, they fret that the master marketer and media maestro …
Discussion:
Washington Post and Joe.My.God.
RELATED:
Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Obama makes joke at Cruz's expense — President Obama took a crack a Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz — on Thursday during an impromptu news conference with college journalists at the White House. — A student from Indiana, where Cruz is campaigning ahead of next week's primary …
Discussion:
Politico
Sean Sullivan / Washington Post:
Cruz's latest fight with fellow Republicans is a reminder: Many don't like the guy
Cruz's latest fight with fellow Republicans is a reminder: Many don't like the guy
The Huffington Post:
Is Ted Cruz ‘Lucifer In The Flesh’? We Asked A Satanist.
Is Ted Cruz ‘Lucifer In The Flesh’? We Asked A Satanist.
Discussion:
Heat Street and Marginal REVOLUTION
Sara Jerde / Talking Points Memo:
Jeb Bush Talks About His Failed White House Bid: ‘I Ran Into A Storm’
Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:
Pete King: Cruz ‘gives Lucifer a bad name’
Pete King: Cruz ‘gives Lucifer a bad name’
Discussion:
Scared Monkeys, Politico and Raw Story
Ruben Vives / Los Angeles Times:
Protests rage outside Trump rally in Orange County; 17 arrested, police car smashed — Hundreds of demonstrators filled the street outside the Orange County amphitheater where Donald Trump held a rally Thursday night, stomping on cars, hurling rocks at motorists and forcefully declaring …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Vox, Sacramento Bee, Politico, NBC News, The Daily Caller and TalkLeft
RELATED:
Sundance / The Last Refuge:
Internal Poll Numbers Show Cruz Collapsing In Indiana... From the outset, and particularly since the ridiculous “Never Trump” campaign began, we have outlined the most damaging aspect to Senator Ted Cruz's presidential bid is his continued visibility. The reasoning is simple …
Discussion:
CNN
RELATED:
Trip Gabriel / New York Times:
Ted Cruz, Attacking Donald Trump, Uses Transgender Bathroom Access as Cudgel — As Senator Ted Cruz of Texas seeks every possible edge to stop Donald J. Trump, he has seized on a once-obscure issue with a proven power to inflame conservatives: letting transgender women use women's bathrooms.
Discussion:
Political Wire and Project Veritas
Lucas Tomlinson / Fox News:
Army retains decorated Green Beret it planned to kick out over confronting Afghan child rapist — EXCLUSIVE: In a stunning reversal, the U.S. Army decided late Thursday to retain a decorated Green Beret it had planned to kick out after he physically confronted a local Afghan commander accused …
David Brooks / New York Times:
If Not Trump, What? — Donald Trump now looks set to be the Republican presidential nominee. So for those of us appalled by this prospect — what are we supposed to do? — Well, not what the leaders of the Republican Party are doing. They're going down meekly and hoping for a quiet convention.
Patti Davis:
AN OPEN LETTER TO WILL FERRELL — I saw the news bulletin — as did everyone — that you intend to portray my father in the throes of Alzheimer's for a comedy that you are also producing. Perhaps you have managed to retain some ignorance about Alzheimer's and other versions of dementia.
Mark Alesia / Indianapolis Star:
Trump touts Mike Tyson's support in city where he committed rape — 608 Shares … During one of his abrupt verbal asides on the political stump Wednesday night in Indianapolis, Donald Trump proudly noted another endorsement from the sports world. — Mike Tyson.
Discussion:
NewsBusters, Hot Air and Mediaite
Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Cruz to trounce Trump in Virginia delegate election — Ted Cruz got crushed in Virginia on primary day, but even Donald Trump's forces believe he's about to stuff the state's national convention delegation full of supporters anyway. — Virginia GOP insiders with knowledge …
Discussion:
RedState, Political Wire and The Week
Jessie Hellmann / The Hill:
Anti-Defamation League wants Trump to ditch new slogan — The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) wants GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump — to stop using the phrase “America First” because it was once used by anti-Semites who wanted to keep the U.S. out of World War II.
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Week, Media Matters for America and Israpundit, more at Mediagazer »
Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
Trump opens Calif. rally with families of people killed by illegal immigrants — Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump — underscored his hard stance on illegal immigration during a rally Thursday night by bringing several people on stage whose family members had been killed by illegal immigrants.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
John Hayes / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Hays eagles' feline meal disturbing for some viewers — It was inevitable, from the moment video cameras went up over Pittsburgh bald eagle nests, that viewers would eventually see something disturbing. — On Tuesday, eagles at the Hays nest site brought a young cat into the nest to feed their two eaglets.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Althouse, Associated Press, New York's PIX11, KXAN-TV and Fox News Insider
Sam Reisman / Mediaite:
Trump Repeats Hoax Story About Shooting Muslims With Pigs Blood to Rapturous Applause — At a rally in Costa Mesa, Calif., Donald Trump repeated the vile hoax story about U.S. General John Joseph Pershing dipping bullets in pigs blood, shooting 49 Muslims and letting the 50th off with a warning.
Don Thompson / Associated Press:
Lawmakers reject John Wayne Day over racism concerns — SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — What a California lawmaker intended as a benign resolution honoring a late, world-renowned movie icon exploded into an emotional debate over decades-old racist comments. — The state Assembly defeated …
Discussion:
alan.com
Erin Cox / Baltimore Sun:
Hogan says he's still waiting for ‘thank you’ from Rawlings-Blake for ‘saving’ Baltimore during unrest … Gov. Larry Hogan took a swipe Thursday at outgoing Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, saying the mayor had not properly thanked him for “saving the city” during rioting and unrest last spring.
Discussion:
Hot Air and CBS Baltimore
Numbers / Pew Research Center:
GOP's Favorability Rating Edges Lower — A quarter of the public views both parties unfavorably — The Republican Party's image, already quite negative, has slipped since last fall. Currently 33% of the public has a favorable impression of the Republican Party, while 62% have an unfavorable view.