memeorandum: The Republican Identity Crisis (McKay Coppins/The Atlantic)

3:35 PM ET, April 2, 2017

Top Items:

A judge rules Trump may have incited violence ... and Trump again has his own mouth to blame — The courts keep taking Donald Trump both seriously and literally. And the president's word choices are proving to be a real headache. — A federal judge in Kentucky is the latest …

Discussion: Lawfare, The Daily Caller and The Last Tradition

Mallory Shelbourne / The Hill:

Judge: Trump incited violence at rally in 2016 — A federal judge ruled that President Trump during his campaign incited violence at a rally in Louisville, Ky., allowing the case against him and three supporters to proceed, the Courier-Journal reported. — Judge David J. Hale on Friday rejected …

Discussion: RedState

Grace Schneider / Courier-Journal:
Judge: Lawsuit against Trump, supporters can proceed

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Boing Boing, The Guardian, Daily Kos, The Week, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Talking Points Memo

Los Angeles Times:

Editorial Donald Trump's train-wreck presidency — The Times Editorial Board — It was no secret during the campaign that Donald Trump was a narcissist and a demagogue who used fear and dishonesty to appeal to the worst in American voters. The Times called him unprepared and unsuited …

Discussion: The Hill, Business Insider and Political Wire

Donald Trump / Financial Times:

Donald Trump in his own words — The US president speaks to Lionel Barber, Gillian Tett and Demetri Sevastopulo — Read next … You are the master of ‘the art of the deal’ . . . can you cut a deal with Xi Jinping when you see him in Mar-a-Lago? — I have great respect for him.

Discussion: Politico and Raw Story

Mark Landler / New York Times:

China Learns How to Get Trump's Ear: Through Jared Kushner — WASHINGTON — When President Trump welcomes President Xi Jinping of China to his palm-fringed Florida club for two days of meetings on Thursday, the studied informality of the gathering will bear the handiwork of two people …

Discussion: Axios

Stan Collender / Forbes:

This Is The Clown Show That Could Lead To A Government Shutdown This Month — Try to read this without groaning, cursing or weeping...or seeing clowns. — Funding for the federal government will run out at midnight on April 28. If some type of new appropriation isn't enacted by then …

Discussion: Politico, Axios, NPR, The Guardian, The Hill, ABC News and NBC News

Kelsey Snell / Washington Post:
Democrats have a new and surprising weapon on Capitol Hill: Power

Discussion: Hot Air

Rebecca Morin / Politico:
Trump aide accused of Hatch Act violation after urging Amash primary challenge

Discussion: ABC News, Washington Post, CNN, BizPac Review, NBC News, Washington Examiner, Talking Points Memo, The Week, TheBlaze, The Guardian, Fox News Insider, Townhall.com, Raw Story, CNBC, ThinkProgress, RedState, Business Insider, IJR, Hot Air and Axios

David Edwards / Raw Story:

'That's an absurd question': Mitch McConnell melts down as Chuck Todd grills him for blocking Merrick Garland — DON'T MISS STORIES. FOLLOW RAW STORY! — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Sunday blamed the American people for the decision of Senate Republicans …

Discussion: TheBlaze

Elana Schor / Politico:

Donnelly becomes third Democrat to back Gorsuch — Neil Gorsuch on Sunday picked up a third red-state Democratic backer, Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly, but remains short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. — Donnelly declared his support for Gorsuch as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell …

Discussion: Axios

Associated Press:
Political fights over Supreme Court seats nothing new

Discussion: Politico

Salena Zito / New York Post:

This is the next Democratic stronghold to crack like the Rust Belt — MORE FROM: … WASHINGTON — Nigel works three jobs to make ends meet. — He is black, single, progressive politically and determined to live the American dream — “as long, of course, that it does not kill me first …

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Senate committee targets FBI No. 2 in Trump dossier probe — Sen. Charles Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has sent a letter to FBI Director James Comey demanding the story behind the FBI's reported plan to pay the author of a lurid and unsubstantiated dossier on candidate Donald Trump.

Donald Trump / ABC News:

‘This Week’ Transcript 4-2-17: Ambassador Nikki Haley, Ash Carter, Sen. John McCain, and Dmitry Peskov — THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT FOR ‘THIS WEEK’ on April 2, 2017 and it will be updated. — MARTHA RADDATZ: But we begin with the first Sunday morning interview with a member …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and AOL

Ryan Struyk / ABC News:
UN envoy Nikki Haley says 'there's no love' in US relationship with Russia

Discussion: Washington Post, Associated Press and The Week

Ross Mcdonagh / Daily Mail:

Tina Fey blasts white, college-educated women who voted for Donald Trump and now want to ‘forget about it and watch HGTV’ — She also claimed those same women would like to forget about what happened at the election and go back to watching Home & Garden Television

Discussion: Fox News, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, CNN, twitchy.com, The Last Tradition, AOL, The Huffington Post and Raw Story

Nicole Bitette / New York Daily News:
Tina Fey blasts white women who voted for Trump for wanting to ‘go back to watching HGTV’

Discussion: IJR and New York Magazine

Michael Crowley / Politico:

Trump to welcome Egypt's dictator — Egypt's military ruler Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was never invited to the Obama White House, where he was viewed as a brutal tyrant with little regard for human rights and democracy. — On Monday, President Donald Trump will roll out the red carpet for him.

Mallory Shelbourne / The Hill:

DNC chairman: Republicans 'don't give a s— about people' — Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez told a crowd of attendees at a conference Friday that Republicans “don't give a s— about people” when discussing healthcare reform. — Speaking at the New Jersey Working Families Alliance …

Discussion: Political Wire

Jennifer Medina / New York Times:

U.S. Officials Chastise Judge Who Complained of Agents ‘Stalking’ — LOS ANGELES — Top law enforcement officials from the Trump administration chastised California's chief judge this week, saying that it was “troubling” that she described federal immigration agents as “stalking” …

Discussion: ImmigrationProf Blog

Matthew Rosenberg / New York Times:

Michael Flynn Failed to Disclose Income From Russia-Linked Entities — Michael T. Flynn, the national security adviser who was forced out of the job in February, failed to list payments from Russia-linked entities on the first of two financial disclosure forms released Saturday by the Trump administration.