memeorandum: N.Y. college students accused of fabricating racially motivated attack (CNN)

2:50 PM ET, May 3, 2016

Top Items:

Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:

Trump accuses Cruz's father of helping JFK's assassin — Donald Trump on Tuesday alleged that Ted Cruz's father was with John F. Kennedy's assassin shortly before he murdered the president, parroting a National Enquirer story claiming that Rafael Cruz was pictured with Lee Harvey Oswald handing …

Frank Newport / Gallup:

Cruz's Image Plummets, Trump's Improves Among Republicans — Ted Cruz — attempting to hold on to the narrowing possibility that he can wrest the GOP nomination away from front-runner Donald Trump — faces a crucial Indiana primary on Tuesday. Meanwhile, and perhaps ominously for Cruz …

Discussion: Vox, Scared Monkeys, Washington Times, Lawyers, Guns & Money, YouGov US Opinion Center News and NBC News

The Hill:

Cruz: Trump is an ‘utterly amoral’ bully, narcissist, pathological liar … with his most personal and toughest criticism since the GOP presidential campaign began, calling him a “pathological liar” on Tuesday who doesn't understand the difference between the truth and lies.

Discussion: CNN and CNNMoney

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:

Donald Trump is really going to be the nominee. This is actually happening. — Donald Trump is going to be the Republican nominee. — The only way he won't is if something unthinkable happens. He could be struck by lightning. He could pull off his Trump mask and reveal that he's actually …

Discussion: Mother Jones

Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:

Ted Cruz Seeks Divine Intervention in Indiana—and if That Doesn't Work, Louie Gohmert Is There to Help — The Texas senator needs a win in Indiana to stay relevant in the 2016 race, so he has enlisted the help of the three G's: God, Glenn, and Gohmert. — Hoosiers are Ted Cruz's last hope.

Discussion: NBC News, Breitbart, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Real Clear Politics, Right Wing Watch, Trail Blazers Blog and The Daily Caller

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:

Trump sees a decisive Indiana victory, demise of Cruz, Kasich candidacies — INDIANAPOLIS — As voting was underway Tuesday in Indiana's critical primary, the state appeared poised to move Donald Trump closer to locking up the Republican presidential nomination rather than denying him crucial delegates.

Discussion: Politico, FiveThirtyEight, Vox, New York Times, whorunsGov, NPR, ABC News and The Daily Caller

Katherine Krueger / Talking Points Memo:
Trump Floats Conspiracy Theory That Ted Cruz's Dad Linked To Lee Harvey Oswald (VIDEO)

Discussion: Right Wing Watch and Pirate's Cove

Daily Mail:
EXCLUSIVE: Time to quit, Ted!: …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, AOL and The Hill

Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:
Rafael Cruz: “I Implore Every Member of the Body of Christ to Vote According to the Word of God” (VIDEO)

Discussion: Fox News, Salon, Washington Monthly, Washington Examiner and Hot Air

Maggie Haberman / New York Times:
Donald Trump Accuses Ted Cruz's Father of Associating With Kennedy Assassin

Discussion: Complex, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and whorunsGov

Jenna Johnson / Washington Post:
Donald Trump associates Ted Cruz's father with JFK's assassin

Discussion: Politico and The San Diego Union …

Alexander Burns / New York Times:
Donald Trump's Foes Fear Indiana Primary Could Be Decisive Blow

Discussion: The Atlantic, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Indianapolis Star, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Politico and American Power

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:

There Is A Hole In Bernie Sanders' Strategy For Winning The Nomination — Just how democratic should the Democratic primary be? — Sen. Bernie Sanders' revamped plan for winning the Democratic presidential nomination suffers from an inconsistency that could complicate the case he makes to party insiders and allied groups.

Discussion: liberalamerica.org, Outside the Beltway and CNN

Michael A. Cohen / BostonGlobe.com:

Bernie Sanders declares war on reality — Instead of coming to grips with the overwhelming evidence that Democratic primary voters prefer Hillary Clinton be the party's 2016 presidential nominee, Bernie Sanders continues to create his own political reality — devising new and creative excuses …

Discussion: USA Today

Rebecca Ballhaus / Wall Street Journal: Hillary Clinton's Growing Problem With Independents

Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:
Poll: Trump up to 56 percent nationally

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, The Week and The Gateway Pundit

Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:
NEWT GINGRICH: ALL 50 STATES IN PLAY If Trump Runs General Like Primary (VIDEO)

Discussion: BizPac Review

Rich Noyes / NewsBusters:
TV News Touts Trump, Crushes Cruz and Gives Bernie a Shot at Hillary

Discussion: RedState and Washington Times

Bill / The Hill:

Press: It's time to end Nerd Prom — OK, everybody — breathe a sigh of relief. We survived another White House Correspondents' Association dinner. But before we rush on to the next one, can't we all agree that this event is out of control and in desperate need of a big shake-up?

Jordyn Phelps / ABC News:
President Obama Says Donald Trump Is Not Equipped to Be President

Discussion: AOL and Talking Points Memo

Gregory Korte / USA Today:
Obama has no problem with Larry Wilmore's use of racial slur, aide says

Discussion: Salon, The Atlantic, Raw Story, New York Magazine, Liberty Unyielding and Independent Journal …

Leon H. Wolf / RedState:

CNN Destroys Fox News in April Prime Time Ratings — While you weren't looking, CNN has been busy demolishing the once-invincible ratings gap between themselves and Fox News. CNN beat Fox News decisively for their prime time lineup in April, and especially in the coveted age gap of 25-54.

Discussion: Hot Air, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Louder With Crowder

CBS 5 AZ KPHO:

Mesa, AZ student arrested for indecent exposure in yearbook picture — A student at Red Mountain High School in Mesa is facing dozens of criminal charges for indecent exposure after a prank got published in the yearbook, according to the Mesa Police Department.

Discussion: Vox, Complex, LawNewz and NBC News

Associated Press:

Defense Secretary Carter: American killed in combat in Iraq — BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Tuesday that an American serviceman has been killed in Iraq, describing it as a “combat death.” — The defense secretary, who spoke to reporters in Stuttgart, Germany …

Discussion: Politico, The Daily Caller, Washington Free Beacon and CNN

CBS News:
“Enemy fire” kills U.S. troop in northern Iraq

Discussion: Navy Times, Fox News, CBS New York, Western Journalism, The Atlantic, The Week and Hot Air

Mark Plotkin / The Hill:

Cruz's slip of the tongue will doom him in Indiana — There are times when a politician firmly and unmistakably puts a foot in his mouth and pays for it dearly. — Last week in Indiana, Sen. Ted Cruz — (R-Texas) won the prize for a verbal infraction that was so huge, it will be cited for years to come.

Discussion: Washington Post and The Week

Lisa Hagen / The Hill:

DNC chairwoman: If up to me, I'd exclude independents from Dem primaries — Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said if it was her decision, she would scrap open primaries and only allow voters registered as Democrats to participate in primaries.

Discussion: Politico, Washington Examiner and Hot Air

Mark Molloy / Telegraph:

Loyal dogs refuse to leave side of dying baby girl at hospital — A family's loyal basset hounds have refused to leave the side of a dying baby girl who suffered a major stroke. — Nora Hall's parents have taken the heartbreaking decision to turn off their five-month-old daughter's life support …

Discussion: AOL

Monica Alba / NBC News:

Hillary Clinton Apologizes to Coal Country Over ‘Out of Business’ Comments — WILLIAMSON, W.Va.— Hillary Clinton, in a rare candid moment on the trail, apologized to a man who confronted her over comments made earlier this year about putting coal miners “out of business.”

Discussion: Shakesville, The Daily Caller, Hot Air and Western Journalism

Amy Chozick / New York Times:
Hillary Clinton Hears Wrath of Coal Supporters in West Virginia

Discussion: Mother Jones, Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed, Talking Points Memo, The Atlantic, New York Magazine, Politico, Core News, Washington Free Beacon, Reuters and rubber hose

New York Times:

Carbon's Casualties: Resettling the First American ‘Climate Refugees’ — Resettling the First American ‘Climate Refugees’ — By CORAL DAVENPORT and CAMPBELL ROBERTSON — A $48 million grant for Isle de Jean Charles, La., is the first allocation of federal tax dollars to move …