memeorandum: We are witnessing the most massive failure of a political party in generations (Seth Masket/Vox)

8:55 PM ET, May 4, 2016

Top Items:

Seth Masket / Vox:

We are witnessing the most massive failure of a political party in generations — The recent withdrawal of Ted Cruz and John Kasich from the Republican presidential nomination race makes Donald Trump the party's assured nominee for 2016. This represents the most colossal failure of an American political party in modern history.

Discussion: Politico

Rush Limbaugh:

My Gut: Trump Beats Hillary in Landslide — RUSH: Hold your horses, Trump supporters. Hold your horses. When I say, “We'll examine what went wrong,” come on. You know exactly what I'm talking about, from the standpoint of Cruz supporters. They're the ones trying to figure out what went wrong today.

Discussion: New York Post, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Hot Air, The Daily Caller and Western Journalism

Daniel Strauss / Politico:

Kasich drops out of presidential race — John Kasich ended his presidential bid on Wednesday, one day after Donald Trump became the presumptive nominee and Ted Cruz bowed out of the race. — The Ohio governor had long ago been mathematically eliminated from clinching the GOP nomination outright …

Discussion: ABC News, Fox News, WCMH-TV, Little Green Footballs, Sky Dancing, The Gateway Pundit, Hit & Run, Outside the Beltway, Business Insider, Towleroad, Heat Street, Rewire, The Week, The Hill, Advocate, Guardian and Western Journalism

Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:

When #NeverTrump Becomes #ImWithHer — When these conservatives heard Ted Cruz had thrown in the towel and ceded the nomination to Donald Trump—#NeverTrump became #NeverEverTrump—and for some that meant #ImWithHer. — Some of the right's most prominent conservatives are getting Ready For Hillary.

Discussion: New York Times, Morning Consult, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, The Resurgent, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Right Wing Watch, Liberal Values, Fox News, MSNBC, Bloomberg, FOX News Radio, Raw Story, CANNONFIRE and Slate

New York Times:

Donald Trump Discusses How He'll Select a Running Mate — Donald J. Trump said on Wednesday that he expected to reveal his vice presidential pick sometime in July — before the Republican National Convention in Cleveland — but added that he would soon announce a committee to handle the selection process …

Discussion: ABC News, The Hill, 89.3 KPCC, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, AOL, Guardian, NBC News, Post On Politics, Talking Points Memo, NPR, The Daily Caller, BizPac Review, Heat Street and The Week

Jamelle Bouie / Slate:

Donald Trump Isn't Going to Be President — He'd have to win unprecedented shares of the very kinds of voters who hate him: blacks, Latinos, and women. — Now that Donald Trump is just a few delegates away from the Republican nomination, conversation among commentators has turned …

Discussion: Washington Post, Mother Jones, CNBC, Raw Story and Business Insider

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
Susan Collins: I'll Be Able To Back Trump If He Stops “Gratuitous Personal Insults”

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico, Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine, National Review, ABC News and Hot Air

Bloomberg:
In Reversal, Donald Trump to Seek Donations to Fund Campaign

Discussion: ABC News

CNN:
John Kasich drops out

Discussion: RedState, The Hill, Hot Air, Western Journalism, NBC News, whorunsGov, The Last Refuge, LifeNews.com, Townhall.com, neo-neocon, The Week, Politico, AOL, WWBT-TV, Trail Blazers Blog, BizPac Review, rubber hose and CBS News

Wall Street Journal:
Donald Trump Won't Self-Fund General-Election Campaign

Discussion: Political Wire

Nick Gass / Politico:
Trump camp: Clinton ‘has truly never been vetted before’

Discussion: ABC News, Washington Post, RedState and The Week

Sam Stein / The Huffington Post:
Plan C: Third-Party Run A Daunting Task For GOP Establishment

Discussion: The San Diego Union … and Daily Kos

Everett Rosenfeld / CNBC:
John Kasich suspending campaign: Source tells NBC News

John Gibson Show / FOX News Radio:
Trump Supporter Dr. Ben Carson: Donald, Do Not Pick Me As Your Running Mate!

Discussion: Politico

Fred Barnes / Weekly Standard: What Went Wrong for Ted Cruz

Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
Donald Trump's absolutely remarkable 323-day odyssey to the Republican presidential nomination

Discussion: Media Matters for America and Hullabaloo

Associated Press:
Hillicans? As Trump Wins, Clinton Explores How to Woo GOPers

Discussion: Politico and ABC News

CNN:
At the starting gate: Clinton leads Trump by double-digits

Discussion: NBC News, TIME, Washington Free Beacon, Hit & Run, Guardian, Heat Street, Taylor Marsh, Outside the Beltway, The Moderate Voice, Business Insider, New York Daily News, New York Times, The Week and The Daily Caller

CBS News:
What Donald Trump is looking for in vice presidential pick

Discussion: Western Journalism

Allegra Kirkland / Talking Points Memo:
Trump Spox Insists Clinton ‘Has Never Been Truly Vetted Before’

Discussion: Daily Kos

Mike Huckabee:
The Voters Have Spoken

Discussion: Right Wing Watch, Raw Story, Mediaite, Guardian, New York Post, Independent Journal …, Washington Times, Politico and Fox News

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:
Hillary Calls on Press to Toughen Up on Trump

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Media Matters for America:
Trump Campaign Hires Ben Carson, Fox's Former Favorite Candidate, To Head VP Selection Committee

Discussion: The Pulse 2016 and The Week

Jim Morrill / The Charlotte Observer:

US Justice Department: HB2 violates federal Civil Rights Act — Ruling could ultimately lead to the loss of millions in federal education money — RALEIGH — U.S. Justice Department officials Wednesday notified Gov. Pat McCrory that House Bill 2 violates the U.S. Civil Rights Act.

Leon H. Wolf / RedState:

Republicans Should Confirm Merrick Garland ASAP. — Now that Donald Trump is the presumptive nominee, this is not even a close call. There is absolutely no reason to drag this out any longer. Garland is not a great choice, but he is not a terrible one, either.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Hot Air, The Atlantic, New York Magazine, Vox, Washington Post, Althouse, NBC News, Talking Points Memo, The Week and Media Matters for America

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:
RedState: ‘Confirm Merrick Garland Before It Is Too Late’

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Brianna Gurciullo / Politico:
Conservative blog calls for GOP to confirm Merrick Garland

Discussion: The Resurgent, Washington Post and The Week

Fox News:

Romanian hacker Guccifer: I breached Clinton server, ‘it was easy’ — Marcel Lazar Lehel, 40, is escorted by masked policemen in Bucharest, after being arrested in Arad, 337 miles west of Bucharest. (Reuters) (REUTERS/Mediafax/Silviu Matei) — EXCLUSIVE: The infamous Romanian hacker known as …

Discussion: Power Line, NBC News, Hot Air, The Lid, National Review, Washington Free Beacon, LawNewz, Fox News Insider and The Gateway Pundit

Jordan Rudner / The Texas Tribune:

Bush 41, 43 Have No Plans to Endorse Trump … For the first time since his own presidency, George H.W. Bush is planning to stay silent in the race for the Oval Office — and the younger former president Bush plans to stay silent as well. — Bush 41, who enthusiastically endorsed every Republican nominee …

Discussion: Washington Post, Trail Blazers Blog and The Week

Ross Douthat / New York Times:
The Defeat of True Conservatism

Discussion: Dean's World, No More Mister Nice Blog, Vox and National Review

In Touch Weekly:

Married ‘Fox News’ White House Correspondent Ed Henry's Affair Exposed — Mistress Tells All (WORLD EXCLUSIVE) — MARRIED ‘FOX NEWS’ — WHITE HOUSE — CORRESPONDENT ED — HENRY'S AFFAIR EXPOSED — MISTRESS TELLS ALL — (WORLD EXCLUSIVE) — In a world exclusive, In Touch …

Discussion: Mediaite, Independent Journal …, BizPac Review, Washington Post, Western Journalism and Politicus USA

Alex Weprin / Politico:
Ed Henry off the air at Fox News after alleged infidelity reported

Discussion: Mediaite and Talking Points Memo

Dana Rose Falcone / Us Weekly:

Caitlyn Jenner to Pose Naked With Gold Medal for ‘Sports Illustrated’ — Now that's a patriotic streak! — Caitlyn Jenner will appear on a summer cover of Sports Illustrated wearing “nothing but an American flag and her Olympic medal,” a source reveals in the latest issue of Us Weekly.

Discussion: Independent Journal …, AOL, CBS New York and The Daily Caller

Breitbart:

Exclusive: President Fox Apologizes, Invites Trump to Mexico — SANTA MONICA, California — During an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, former Mexican President Vicente Fox apologized Wednesday for the vulgar language he has used regarding GOP frontrunner Donald Trump's proposal …

Ben Mathis-Lilley / Slate:

Trump's Defense of His Abortion Gaffe Is the Worst Defense Anyone Has Ever Given of Anything — In March, Donald Trump (who claims he is now solidly pro-life despite his pro-choice history) was being interviewed by Chris Matthews when Matthews pressed him on whether women who obtain abortions …

Discussion: New York Magazine, Mother Jones, Raw Story and National Review

Julian Hattem / The Hill:

Federal judge opens the door to Clinton deposition in email case — A federal judge on Wednesday opened the door to interviewing Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton — as part of a review into her use of a private email server as secretary of State.

Discussion: Washington Post, ABC News and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Ana Marie Cox / New York Times:

Milo Yiannopoulos Doesn't Have Feelings — You're one of the loudest, most provocative voices at Breitbart News, and you're currently on a speaking tour of college campuses, railing against “P.C. culture.” You once admitted in a profile that your public persona started out as a comedy character …