memeorandum: Isil carrying out chemical experiments on its prisoners as it moves labs into residential neighbourhoods (Josie Ensor/Telegraph)

8:55 PM ET, May 22, 2016

Top Items:

Poll: Election 2016 shapes up as a contest of negatives — The coming presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump begins in a virtual dead heat, a competition between two candidates viewed unfavorably by a majority of the current electorate and with voters motivated as much by whom …

Discussion: The Mahablog, New York Times, Mediaite, Hot Air, Politico, Patterico's Pontifications and RedState

Don Surber:

For the first time, Trump now leads the average of national polls — Remember how Charles Krauthammer said if Trump won the nomination he could lose like Goldwater? National polls today confirm that once again, Krauthammer may have gotten Trump's chances wrong again.

Discussion: Washington Post

Paul Bedard / Washington Examiner:
Begrudging WaPo poll: Trump 46%, Clinton 44%

Discussion: Townhall.com, Scared Monkeys, Prntly and Althouse

Mark Murray / NBC News:
Clinton's Lead Over Trump Shrinks to 3 Points: New NBC News/WSJ Poll

Discussion: RedState, Heat Street, Washington Monthly, CNN, Hullabaloo, AOL, Washington Free Beacon, Talking Points Memo, The Gateway Pundit and Politico

Jessie Hellmann / The Hill: Sanders: Clinton can beat Trump in November

Matthew Nussbaum / Politico:
Sanders: Voters see Clinton as ‘the lesser of two evils’

Discussion: ABC News, Guardian, Outside the Beltway and New York Times

ABC News:
‘This Week’ Transcript: Sen. Bernie Sanders

Discussion: The New Civil Rights Movement, Politicus USA, Raw Story and Politico

Gary Langer / ABC News:
A Post-Primary Rally Boosts Trump, Albeit with Challenges Aplenty (POLL)

Discussion: The Daily Caller, JustOneMinute, BizPac Review, The Gateway Pundit and The Last Refuge

Henry Bodkin / Telegraph:

Elijah Wood: ‘Hollywood in the grip of child abuse scandal similar to Jimmy Savile’ — Hollywood is in the grip a child sexual abuse scandal similar to that of Jimmy Savile in Britain, Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood has claimed. — The 35-year-old former child actor said paedophiles …

Discussion: AOL, RedState, Independent Journal … and Vox Popoli

Daily Mail:

Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood says Hollywood is gripped by a powerful pedophile ring and Tinseltown is covering up a ‘seedy’ underbelly full of predatory ‘vipers’ — Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood claims that young actors in Hollywood are being sexually abused by predatory high-powered ‘vipers’ working in the industry..

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News

John Myers / Los Angeles Times:

Bernie Sanders supporters sue to have California's voter registration extended until election day — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders addresses supporters during a rally on May 21, 2016, in National City. (Sandy Huffaker / Getty Images) — A federal lawsuit alleging …

Tom Kludt / CNNMoney:

Michelle Fields to resume covering Donald Trump - for Huffington Post — Michelle Fields, the conservative reporter who had Donald Trump's campaign manager charged with battery, has a new job. — Fields is heading to the Huffington Post, where she will cover the 2016 campaign with a specific focus on Trump and the Republican Party.

Sara Jerde / Talking Points Memo:

Trump: I Don't Want Guns In Classrooms, But Some Teachers Should Have Guns — GOP presumptive nominee Donald Trump said Sunday that he doesn't want guns to be in classrooms, but that “some teachers” should have guns. — Trump was asked to respond on Fox & Friends to criticism …

David Edwards / Raw Story:
Donald Trump: 'I'm not advocating guns in classrooms' but ‘teachers should have guns in classrooms’

Discussion: NBC News

Dan Merica / CNN:
Clinton: Trump is in the pocket of the gun lobby

Discussion: Daily Mail, ThinkProgress and Clash Daily

Mike Miller / Independent Journal Review:
‘Never Trump Guy’ Locks Horns With Fox News' Eric Bolling-Let's Just Say It Doesn't End Well

Discussion: RedState

Meg Gatto / WVUE-TV:

Five-year-old shoots, kills self while playing with gun — A five-year-old in Laplace gets her hands on a gun, and accidentally shoots and kills herself. The accident happened Saturday at 9:45 a.m. at the girl's home on Country Club Drive. — Many residents on Country Club Drive …

Discussion: Raw Story

Jennifer Crockett / WDSU-TV:
St. John sheriff: 5-year-old kills self with father's gun

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo and AOL

Jeremy Diamond / CNN:

Graham privately urges Republicans to support Trump — (CNN)Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Donald Trump's fiercest critics, is now calling on Republicans to support their presumptive nominee. — Graham urged GOP donors at a private fundraiser Saturday in Florida to unite behind Trump's campaign …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Political Wire

Mark Stevenson / Associated Press:

POLICE, SOLDIERS SWARM MEXICO'S ACAPULCO, KILLINGS CONTINUE — ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Along with beach towels or sandals, there's a new popular beach accessory that says a lot about the violence gripping this once-glamorous resort: a small black leather tote hanging from the neck or shoulders of some men.

Associated Press:

CLINTON SHRUGS, SEES BENEFITS IN TRUMP'S PERSONAL ATTACKS — WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Clinton has a message for Donald Trump: keep on talking. — She's just weeks away from wrapping up the Democratic presidential nomination, and friends, aides and supporters describe a candidate …

Jim Brunner / The Seattle Times:

Washington state GOP convention backs Cruz over Trump — Donald Trump may be the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, but Washington state's GOP convention awarded 40 out of 41 elected delegate slots to Ted Cruz. However, delegates are bound by party rules to cast national-convention ballots based …

Discussion: RedState and The Daily Caller

Ruby Cramer / BuzzFeed:

Bernie World Debates What's Next — Bernie Sanders may be focused on the road to June 7. But inside and outside his presidential campaign, some supporters, former aides, and current staffers are already moving on to the next big question: What happens to his “political revolution”?

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine, Hot Air, RedState and Jewish Telegraphic Agency

NBC News:

Meet the Press - May 22, 2016 — CHUCK TODD: — This Sunday, now it's the Democrats who are fighting in public. — SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: — Before we will have the opportunity to defeat Donald Trump, we're going to have to defeat Secretary Clinton. — CHUCK TODD:

Discussion: Althouse and Balloon Juice

Eugene Scott / CNN:
Mark Cuban: I'd listen if Clinton wanted to talk about VP — but she needs ‘to go more to center’

Discussion: Booman Tribune and Washington Post

David Cay Johnston / Politico:

Just What Were Donald Trump's Ties to the Mob? — In his signature book, The Art of the Deal, Donald Trump boasted that when he wanted to build a casino in Atlantic City, he persuaded the state attorney general to limit the investigation of his background to six months.

Discussion: alan.com