memeorandum: Texas AG expected announce legal challenge to Obama's transgender directive to schools (WOAI)

5:10 PM ET, May 25, 2016

Top Items:

Nick Gass / Politico:

State Dept. watchdog: Clinton violated email rules — A State Department watchdog concluded that Hillary Clinton failed to comply with the agency's policies on records while using a personal email server that was not — and, officials say, would never have been — approved by agency officials …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Reuters, ABC News, Newsweek, The National Interest, Washington Blade, National Review, The Federalist, Liberal Values, The Slot, Mother Jones, Clash Daily, The New Civil Rights Movement, Washington Free Beacon and Slantpoint

Steven Lee Myers / New York Times:

Hillary Clinton Is Criticized for Private Emails in State Dept. Review — WASHINGTON — The State Department's inspector general sharply criticized Hillary Clinton's exclusive use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, saying she had not sought permission to use it and would not have received it if she had.

Discussion: Associated Press, Townhall.com, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, Engadget, Heat Street, Washington Post, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times and Althouse

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: Washington Monthly, Politico, Daily Kos, JustOneMinute, Guardian, The Verge and The Atlantic

Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:

Hillary Clinton's email problems just got much worse — One of the two big dominoes in the Hillary Clinton email controversy toppled today: The State Department's Inspector General released its report on the email practices of Clinton and a number of other past secretaries of state.

Discussion: Politico

Ken Dilanian / NBC News:

Clinton Broke Federal Rules With Email Server, Audit Finds — State Dept. report criticizes Clinton's email practices 1:51 — Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton violated federal records rules through her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, a State Department audit has concluded.

Discussion: CNN, RedState, Towleroad, Independent Journal … and The Resurgent

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Clinton expressed worries about exposure of personal emails at State Dept.

Discussion: Shadowproof and Daily Wire

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Hillary's summer of scandal

Discussion: Washington Post

Nick Gass / Politico:
The 9 biggest revelations in the State IG report on Clinton's emails

Discussion: The American Spectator and Washington Post

Katie Pavlich / Townhall.com:
Inspector General Finds Hillary Clinton Violated Federal Records Act By Deleting Emails

Discussion: ABC News

Julian Hattem / The Hill:
Watchdog: Clinton, top aides did not comply on records policy

Discussion: The Week and National Review

New York Times:
State Dept. Report on Clinton's Emails

Discussion: Vox and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Elizabeth Warren just absolutely shredded Donald Trump. There's a lot more like this to come. — THE MORNING PLUM: — Early in the 2012 campaign, when top Democratic strategists were debating how to target Mitt Romney, they worked to hone their message about him down to a single, tight, pithy phrase.

Discussion: Daily Kos, New York Times, The Last Tradition, Politico, New York Magazine, Shakesville, The Daily Caller, The Week and ABC News

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

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, National Review and Media Matters for America

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

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

Bloomberg:
Ryan Said to Tell Confidants He's Ready to End Trump Standoff

Discussion: Politico, New York Magazine, Associated Press, Hot Air, RedState, The Hill, AOL, Slate, Mediaite and The Resurgent

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

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Daily Wire, NPR, The American Conservative, Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, RedState, The Week, Prntly, Guardian and Washington Post

Lauren Fox / Talking Points Memo:
The Trump Bump: Early Gamble On The Donald Pays Off For Backbenchers

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Marc Caputo / Politico:

Trump plans to target Clinton over Whitewater — Donald Trump, who in recent days has accused Bill Clinton of rape and suggested he and Hillary Clinton may have had a role in the death of one of their close friends, plans to focus next on the Whitewater real estate scandal, POLITICO has learned.

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Washington Post, The Slot, Daily Kos, CNN, Mediaite, Blue Nation Review, The Week, Political Wire, Media Matters for America, Shakesville, AOL and WNEP-TV

Allegra Kirkland / Talking Points Memo:

Trump Camp Accidentally Emails Politico Its Plan To Hit Clinton On Whitewater — A Trump campaign plan to target Hillary Clinton over the decades-old Whitewater real estate scandal was made public on Wednesday afternoon when a Trump spokeswoman accidentally included a Politico reporter on the email thread.

Discussion: Blue Nation Review and The Week

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
Vince Foster's death and subsequent conspiracy theories, explained

Discussion: Salon, Media Matters for America, Hullabaloo, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Infowars, The Week, Washington Post, The Bob and Chez Show and Liberal Values

Niall Stanage / The Hill:

Green Party could be election spoiler — The Green Party suddenly has a chance to make an impact in the presidential election, with polls showing that Donald Trump — are set to be the most unpopular nominees in modern times. — The possibility of disaffected liberals …

Discussion: alan.com and Washington Post

Seung Min Kim / Politico:
Big-name Democrats won't defend Wasserman Schultz

Discussion: Foreign Policy, Washington Free Beacon and Washington Times

David Weigel / Washington Post: Why so many Sanders supporters don't want to be Democrats

Jim Brunner / The Seattle Times:
Trump, Clinton win Washington state primary

Discussion: The Atlantic

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Dems discuss dropping Wasserman Schultz

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: The Scoop Blog, Washington Post, Sputnik International, Mediaite, Raw Story and The Resurgent

Nick Gass / Politico:

Where the Obamas are living in D.C. after the White House — President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will lease the 8,200-square-foot mansion owned by Joe Lockhart and Giovanna Gray after the first family leaves the White House in January, sources told POLITICO Playbook on Wednesday.

Discussion: Washingtonian, The Daily Caller and The Week

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Obamas to live in home of former Clinton press secretary: report

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Eliana Dockterman / TIME:

A Marvel Editor Explains How Captain America Was a Hydra Agent All Along — In a shocking twist, Steve Rogers always has been and will continue to be a member of the evil group — Sure, he wears red white and blue on the outside, but on the inside? It turns out Steve Rogers …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, AOL, The American Spectator, The Verge and Gizmodo

Mark Berman / Washington Post:

Eleven states sue Obama administration over bathroom directive — Eleven states and state officials filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging he Obama administration over federal guidance directing schools to provide transgender students with facilities that match their gender identities.

Discussion: Vox, WWBT-TV, The New Civil Rights Movement, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times and The Week

Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo: 11 States File Lawsuit Over Obama Admin Trans Bathroom Guidance

John Hinderaker / Power LinePower Line:

Electing Trump, One Riot at a Time — Last night in Albuquerque, rioters attacked a Donald Trump rally. Several tried to disrupt the event and had to be removed from the crowd. Most remained outside, throwing rocks at the hall and burning objects at policemen.

Discussion: Hot Air, No More Mister Nice Blog, Instapundit and Orange County Register

Associated Press:
Anti-Trump protests turn violent outside New Mexico rally

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, KOAT, Politico, RedState, Don Surber, No More Mister Nice Blog, Conservative Tribune and New York Magazine

Stephen Gutowski / Washington Free Beacon:

Audio Shows Katie Couric Documentary Deceptively Edited Interview with Pro-Gun Activists — The makers of a new Katie Couric documentary on gun violence deceptively edited an interview between Couric and a group of gun rights activists in an apparent attempt to embarrass the activists, an audio recording of the full interview shows.

Discussion: Bearing Arms, RedState, National Review, Hot Air, The Week, The Daily Caller and Instapundit

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 …