memeorandum: ‘President Trump?’ Here's How He Says It Would Look (Patrick Healy/New York Times)

3:25 PM ET, May 4, 2016

Top Items:

Ian Hanchett / Breitbart:

Bernstein: There Will Be ‘Very Damaging’ Leaks From Hillary Email Investigation, Her Actions Reckless and Entitled — On Wednesday's “CNN Tonight,” Journalist and author Carl Bernstein stated that there would be “very damaging” leaks from the investigation into Democratic presidential candidate …

CNN:

At the starting gate: Clinton leads Trump by double-digits — Indianapolis (CNN)As Donald Trump captures the mantle of presumptive Republican nominee, a new poll finds he begins his general election campaign well behind Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

Discussion: NBC News, TIME, Guardian, Washington Free Beacon, The Moderate Voice, The Week and The Daily Caller

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:

Susan Collins: I'll Be Able To Back Trump If He Stops “Gratuitous Personal Insults” — “I have always supported the Republican nominee for president and I suspect I would do so this year, but I do want see what Donald Trump does from here on out.” — Brian Snyder / Reuters — w.soundcloud.com

Discussion: Politico and Political Wire

Mike Huckabee:

The Voters Have Spoken — “It's all over but the shouting.” ( It's an old expression that means that the decision has been reached and all that is left is for the public shouting to affirm what has been done.) — The official shouting will be done in Cleveland when the delegates shout …

Discussion: Right Wing Watch, Guardian, Politico, Mediaite, Washington Times and Fox News

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

Discussion: Media Matters for America and Hullabaloo

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

Discussion: RedState

Nate Cohn / New York Times:
Yes, It's Early, but Donald Trump Would Have Uphill Battle Against Hillary Clinton

Discussion: Washington Post, Vox, Hit & Run, Prairie Weather, The Resurgent, Business Insider and CNBC

New York Daily News:
Lupica: Donald Trump's victory in Indiana is the final KO for Republican Party

Discussion: Joe.My.God.

Mark Cunningham / New York Post:
With Trump's win, it's time for GOP to unite against Hillary

Discussion: The Atlantic, Washington Post, Guardian, ABC News, New York Daily News, The New Civil Rights Movement and The Gateway Pundit

New York Times:
It's Donald Trump's Party Now

Discussion: AOL, Business Insider, Los Angeles Times, Vox Popoli, The Huffington Post, The Hill, Politico and The Moderate Voice

David M. Drucker / Washington Examiner: GOP donors: Not a dime for Trump

Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:
When #NeverTrump Becomes #ImWithHer

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Bloomberg, The Atlantic, New York Times, Guardian, Raw Story, Right Wing Watch and Slate

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

Discussion: Politico and ABC News

Neil King Jr / Wall Street Journal:
Six Months Out, the General Election Map Looks Tough for Donald Trump

Discussion: The Week

Lauren Fox / Talking Points Memo:
Portman Won't Say ‘Yes’ To Donald Trump: He's Sticking With Kasich!

Discussion: WMUR and Daily Kos

Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:
Trump promises to obliterate Clinton's record

Discussion: Politico and The Week

Morning Consult:
Poll: Cruz Backers Won't Flock to Trump

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Right Wing Watch, Hot Air, Politicus USA, FiveThirtyEight and New York Times

Daniel Strauss / Politico:

Kasich dropping out of presidential race — John Kasich is dropping his presidential bid, according to a senior campaign adviser, 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 …

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

Everett Rosenfeld / CNBC:

John Kasich suspending campaign: Source tells NBC News — Ohio Gov. John Kasich plans to suspend his run to be the GOP presidential nominee, a senior campaign advisor told NBC News on Wednesday. — He had previously cancelled a planned event in order to make a Wednesday night statement in Ohio.

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: Talking Points Memo, ABC News, NBC News, AOL, Guardian, Post On Politics, The Daily Caller, alan.com, Heat Street, The Week and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Fred Barnes / Weekly Standard:

What Went Wrong for Ted Cruz — What happened to Ted Cruz? A month ago, he won the Wisconsin primary in a landslide and was poised to combat Donald Trump with a fresh burst of enthusiasm. Now he's out of the race and Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

CNN:

John Kasich drops out — (CNN)John Kasich is dropping out of the Republican presidential race, two sources familiar with the plan confirmed to CNN. — Kasich's decision came after he improbably became the last challenger to Donald Trump, who emerged as the presumptive GOP nominee Tuesday night when Ted Cruz dropped out.

Ben Kamisar / The Hill:
Kasich quitting presidential race: report

Discussion: Hot Air, Political Wire and Raw Story

Andrew J. Tobias / Plain Dealer:
Donald Trump campaign to take central role planning Republican National Convention in Cleveland

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

David A. Fahrenthold / Washington Post:
John Kasich exiting the presidential race, leaving Trump as presumptive nominee

Discussion: Politico, American Spectator, Common Dreams, Obsidian Wings, No More Mister Nice Blog, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Slantpoint, The Last Tradition, Vox Popoli, Independent Journal … and Hit & Run

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, Washington Post, Independent Journal … and Politicus USA

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

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Mediaite

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: Vox, Washington Post, Politico, Talking Points Memo, The Resurgent, New York Magazine, Hot Air, ThinkProgress, The Atlantic, NBC News, The Week and Media Matters for America

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

The Defeat of True Conservatism — When Donald Trump knocked first Jeb Bush and then Marco Rubio out of the Republican primary campaign, he defeated not only the candidates themselves but their common theory of what the G.O.P. should be — the idea that the party could essentially recreate …

Discussion: Vox and No More Mister Nice Blog

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Clinton still on track for nomination despite Indiana setback — is still on track to win the Democratic presidential nomination even after falling short to Bernie Sanders — in Indiana on Tuesday. — With 95 percent of precincts reporting, Sanders led Clinton 52 percent to 48 percent …

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Ed O'Keefe / Washington Post:
Sanders faces tough sell in persuading superdelegates to switch allegiances

Discussion: The Week

Keith Humphreys / Washington Post:

So, something interesting happens to weed after it's legal — Two years ago, the Washington state began an unprecedented policy experiment by allowing large-scale production and sale of recreational marijuana to the public. The effects on public health and safety and on the relationship …

Discussion: Mother Jones and The Week

Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:

Trump again links Rafael Cruz to JFK's killer — Donald Trump began Tuesday morning floating a conspiracy theory about Ted Cruz's father, but he ended the day with magnanimous praise for the Texas senator, hailing him as “one hell of a competitor” with “an amazing future” as he called for the party to unite behind his campaign.

Associated Press:
Trump shifts to new campaign phase, dismisses GOP critics

Discussion: Washington Post

David Chanen / Star Tribune:

Prince died amid frantic plans for drug addiction treatment — California doctor specializing in opioid addiction had been called to help with a ‘grave medical emergency.’ — Prince was found dead one day before he was scheduled to meet with a California doctor in an attempt to kick …

Discussion: 6, Associated Press, WCCO | CBS Minnesota, The Daily Caller, Consequence of Sound, Complex, CBS San Francisco, KFOR-TV, Independent Journal …, The Week and AOL

Stephen Galloway / Hollywood Reporter:

The Woody Allen Interview (Which He Won't Read) — With ‘Cafe Society’ set to open the French festival, the director reflects on his unreflective stance on aging ("If you focus on mortality, the house always wins"), his movies ("I would erase all but a few"), saving wife Soon-Yi …

Discussion: Refinery29, Mashable, Althouse and AOL

Patrick Healy / New York Times:

‘President Trump?’ Here's How He Says It Would Look — Donald J. Trump is now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, but he is also keenly aware that many in his own party — and many Americans, frankly — are scared and anxious about the idea of him in the Oval Office.

Discussion: Political Wire