memeorandum: The Danger of President Trump Isn't Dictatorship (Megan McArdle/Bloomberg)

11:45 AM ET, May 25, 2016

Top Items:

Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:

State Dept. inspector general report sharply criticizes Clinton's email practices — The State Department's independent watchdog has issued a highly critical analysis of Hillary Clinton's email practices while running the department, concluding that she failed to seek legal approval for her use …

Discussion: Politico, JustOneMinute and Daily Kos

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

Hillary's summer of scandal — A flurry of events set to unfold in the coming days and months could push back into the headlines the controversy over Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state, providing plenty of fodder for Donald Trump and his “Crooked Hillary” attack line.

Nick Gass / Politico:

State Dept. watchdog: Clinton violated email rules — The State Department inspector general concluded that Hillary Clinton did not comply with the agency's policies on records, according to a report released to lawmakers on Wednesday that also revealed that Clinton and her top aides chose not to cooperate with the review.

Discussion: ABC News, Mother Jones and The Atlantic

Annie Karni / Politico:
Clinton's new reality: A dogfight with Trump

Discussion: Washington Post and ABC News

Ken Dilanian / NBC News:
Clinton Broke Federal Rules With Email Server, Audit Finds

Discussion: RedState and Towleroad

Abby Phillip / Washington Post:
Clinton has a new weapon against Trump: Elizabeth Warren

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Politico, The Daily Caller, ABC News, The Week and Washington Free Beacon

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
Clinton thinks she knows how to take on Trump. Will it work?

Discussion: CNN, MLive.com, Business Insider, The Week, WREG-TV, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos and JustOneMinute

Randy Yeip / Wall Street Journal:
Polls: Clinton's Drop Has Magnified Trump's Rise

Discussion: New York Times and Washington Examiner

Michael Brendan Dougherty / The Week:
Why ‘Crooked Hillary’ is likely to stick

Discussion: Business Insider, Baltimore Sun and naked capitalism

Bloomberg:

Ryan Said to Tell Confidants He's Ready to End Trump Standoff — House speaker could end weeks-long split with nominee — Move would follow series of policy meetings with Trump aides — House Speaker Paul Ryan has begun telling confidants that he wants to end his standoff with Donald Trump …

Discussion: RedState, Politico, The Hill, Slate, Hot Air and Mediaite

Jenna Johnson / Washington Post:

Trump accuses New Mexico's Republican governor of not doing her job — ALBUQUERQUE — Despite his promise to unite the Republican Party, Donald Trump attacked New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez — the chairwoman of the Republican Governor's Association — on Tuesday night and accused her of “not doing the job.”

Discussion: Washington Monthly, KRQE-TV, Talking Points Memo, Yahoo, New York Magazine, The Resurgent, Mediaite, Daily Kos and Albuquerque Journal

Associated Press:

Anti-Trump protests turn violent outside New Mexico rally — ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — In one of the presidential campaign year's more grisly spectacles, protesters in New Mexico opposing Donald Trump's candidacy threw burning T-shirts, plastic bottles and other items at police officers …

Discussion: RedState, Power LinePower Line, Washington Post, KOAT, Politico, Orange County Register, alan.com, Conservative Tribune and New York Magazine

James Hohmann / Washington Post:
The Daily 202: Trump's attacks on the GOP's most prominent Latina, Susana Martinez, should alarm Republicans

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Politico, Hot Air and New York Magazine

CNN:
Trump protesters smash door, break through barriers

Discussion: ThinkProgress, BBC, Albuquerque Journal, Breitbart, Daily Wire, twitchy.com, Don Surber, Clash Daily, Raw Story and WTVR-TV

Brian McBride / ABC News:
Paul Ryan to Endorse Donald Trump, According to Senior Campaign Sources

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, RedState, Guardian, The American Conservative, The Week and WBAY-TV

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Dems discuss dropping Wasserman Schultz — Democrats on Capitol Hill are discussing whether Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz should step down as Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairwoman before the party's national convention in July. — Democrats backing likely presidential nominee Hillary Clinton

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, alan.com, Politico, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Foreign Policy, Jewish Insider, Mediaite, BizPac Review, Heat Street, Washington Free Beacon, Eschaton, Joe.My.God., Hot Air, Fox News and Booman Tribune

CNN:
Dems worry DNC chair ‘too toxic’ after Sanders blast

Discussion: RedState and Forbes

Jim Bourg / National Review:

Why ‘Hillary Is Even Worse’ Doesn't Cut It — I am part of the tiny fraction of the population that deals professionally in public policy from the right. In influence, we are all over the map, from talk-show hosts with audiences of millions (Limbaugh, Hannity) to politicians who directly shape policy …

Susan Svrluga / Washington Post:

‘Get off the stage!’ Crowd yells at commencement speaker after she uses Spanish, mentions Trump — Some people in the crowd at a graduation ceremony at California State University, Fullerton, shouted at the commencement speaker after she talked about presidential candidate Donald Trump …

Denise de la Cruz / OC Weekly:
Univision's María Elena Salinas Gets Booed at Cal State Fullerton Grad Speech

Discussion: Fox News, BizPac Review and Daily Mail

Jonathan Martin / New York Times:

As Donald Trump Pushes Conspiracy Theories, Right-Wing Media Gets Its Wish — WASHINGTON — Ever since talk radio, cable news and the Internet emerged in the 1990s as potent political forces on the right, Republicans have used those media to attack their opponents through a now-familiar two-step.

Discussion: Althouse and Media Matters for America

The Daily Beast:

Trump Vitamins Were Fortified With B.S. — You give the Donald your urine and a stack of money? That's what he wanted, in exchange for a customized vitamin regimen that a Harvard doctor deems a ‘scam.’ — Call it “Vitamin T.” For several years in the late 2000s and early 2010s …

Discussion: Raw Story

Ben Kamisar / The Hill:

Sanders aide questions Boxer's story about fearing for her safety … ' campaign manager is casting doubt on Sen. Barbara Boxer — 's (D-Calif.) claim that she feared for her safety during the chaotic protests at the Nevada Democratic Convention earlier this month.

Discussion: CNN, Talking Points Memo and Associated Press

Andrew Theen / Oregonian:

University of Oregon investigating ‘disgraceful’ trashing of Lake Shasta campsite — Lake Shasta behind Shasta Dam in Lake Shasta, Calif., is seen Sunday, March 13, 2016. The lake is a popular recreation spot for an annual fraternity and sorority trip (Nathan Solis/The Record Searchlight via AP)

Discussion: Washington Post, KTLA and FOX6Now.com

Robin Holmes / Around the O:
UO issues statement on national forest incident in California

Discussion: Willamette Week, KCBY-TV, Slantpoint, AOL and KOIN-TV

Forbes:

This Silicon Valley Billionaire Has Been Secretly Funding Hulk Hogan's Lawsuits Against Gawker — One of Silicon Valley's best-known investors has been footing a former wrestler's legal bills in lawsuits against a shared enemy. — Peter Thiel, a PayPal cofounder and one of the earliest backers …

Ashley Feinberg / Gawker:

Is Donald Trump's Hair a $60,000 Weave? A Gawker Investigation — Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has generated an unceasing torrent of press attention that some estimate to be worth roughly $2 billion. Yet the central mystery at the very core of his persona …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News

New York Daily News:

A right-wing revolt against Trump? Dream on. Conservatives never truly spoke for the Republican Party rank-and-file — Despite firing every weapon in their arsenal, the conservative pundit class failed to thwart Donald Trump's conquest of the Republican Party.

Lukas Mikelionis / Heat Street:

Exclusive: DePaul SJW Ringleader Says Milo ‘Threatens My Safety’, Could Cause Massacres — Yiannopoulos event was shut down last night — Heat Street interviewed unrepentant ringleader — Listen to audio of Edward Ward's justification — The student who dramatically shut …

Discussion: TheBlaze.com, Breitbart, Red Alert Politics, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Mediaite and BizPac Review

Blake Neff / The Daily Caller:
VIDEO: DePaul University Descends Into Chaos Over Milo Yiannopoulos Visit

Discussion: Vox Popoli and The Gateway Pundit

David A. Fahrenthold / Washington Post:

Four months later, Donald Trump says he gave $1 million to veterans group — Almost four months after saying he would give $1 million of his own money to veterans' causes, Republican candidate Donald Trump moved to fulfill that pledge on Monday evening — promising the entire sum to a single charity.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Week, The Moderate Voice, Raw Story, alan.com, Talking Points Memo, Little Green Footballs, Mediaite, Patterico's Pontifications, RedState, Mother Jones, Politicus USA, The Resurgent and The New Civil Rights Movement

Josh Zeitz / Politico:

Why Bernie's Bros Might Go for Trump — One of the great unknowns of the current presidential election cycle—a cycle without recent precedent in its unusual twists and turns—is whether the fall campaign will see a convergence of the populist Left and the populist Right.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and The Week

The Intercept:

“AMERICAN SNIPER” CHRIS KYLE DISTORTED HIS MILITARY RECORD, DOCUMENTS SHOW … No American has been more associated with the Navy SEAL mystique than Chris Kyle, known as the deadliest sniper in military history. His bestselling autobiography, American Sniper — a story of honor, glory …

Discussion: Raw Story

Paul H. Jossey / New York Post:

Taxpayer-funded campaigns have been a disaster in New York — The feds and city prosecutors are circling Mayor de Blasio like a forlorn Roman emperor. His downfall may come via shady businessmen and slush nonprofits. But its roots lie in the city's taxpayer-funded campaign system, which stifles politics and encourages graft.

Discussion: Center for Competitive …

Literary Hub:

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE — Because, as writers, we are particularly aware of the many ways that language can be abused in the name of power; — Because we believe that any democracy worthy of the name rests on pluralism, welcomes principled disagreement, and achieves consensus through reasoned debate;

Discussion: iPetitions, The Daily Caller, New York Times, Guardian, The Slot, Mediaite, The Week and Mashable, more at Mediagazer »

Michael E. Miller / Washington Post:

White high school football players in Idaho charged with raping black, disabled teammate with a coat hanger — When a teammate held out his arms after football practice in their high school locker-room, the boy thought he was about to get a hug. — Instead, he got viciously raped, authorities say.

Discussion: Raw Story