memeorandum: Senate Republicans go ‘nuclear,’ pave the way for Gorsuch confirmation to Supreme Court (Ed O'Keefe/Washington Post)

6:15 PM ET, April 6, 2017

Top Items:

Asawin Suebsaeng / The Daily Beast:

Steve Bannon Calls Jared Kushner a ‘Cuck’ and ‘Globalist’ Behind His Back — Donald Trump's chief strategist Stephen Bannon has called the president's senior advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner a “cuck” and a “globalist” during a time of high tension between the two top aides …

Axios:

Bannon to associates: “I love a gunfight” — After a series of high-level White House leaks portraying Steve Bannon as fed up with his job and ready to quit, Trump's chief strategist has told associates the stories are “100 percent nonsense” and he's playing for keeps.

Discussion: IJR and Raw Story

CNN:

Inside the White House, paranoia and unrest among top staff — (CNN)In the West Wing, Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon occupy some of the most coveted real estate. Priebus, the chief of staff, enjoys the only outdoor patio in the White House. Bannon is mere steps from the Oval Office.

Discussion: Breitbart and NPR

Josh Dawsey / Politico:
Megadonor urged Bannon not to resign

Josh Dawsey / Politico:
White House aides clash with GOP leaders over flailing Obamacare push

Discussion: Raw Story

Media Matters for America:
To Defend Bannon, Breitbart Has Opened Fire On The President's Son-In-Law

Discussion: Raw Story, Washington Post, Forbes, Breitbart, Hullabaloo, National Review, Mediaite, Axios and Talking Points Memo

Rosie Gray / The Atlantic:
Kushner and Bannon Battle for the Soul of the Trump White House

Discussion: ABC News and Axios

Matt Flegenheimer / New York Times:

Senate Republicans Deploy ‘Nuclear Option’ to Clear Path for Gorsuch — WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans changed longstanding rules on Thursday to clear the way for the confirmation of Judge Neil M. Gorsuch to serve on the Supreme Court, bypassing a precedent-breaking Democratic filibuster …

Discussion: Power Line, Outside the Beltway, IJR, Washington Free Beacon, Shakesville, Taylor Marsh, Political Wire and TheBlaze

Ari Berman / The Nation:

The GOP Has Declared War on Democracy — Going nuclear to confirm Neil Gorsuch is the latest example of how Republicans are thwarting the will of the people. — By , — Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch testifies on the second day of his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation on March 21, 2017.

Discussion: Common Dreams, BostonGlobe.com and Associated Press

Shane Goldmacher / Politico:

Trump's hidden back channel to Justice Kennedy: Their kids — After Donald Trump wrapped up his first speech to Congress and worked his way through the crowd, he lingered on his handshake with Anthony Kennedy, the 80-year-old Supreme Court justice. — The boom mics picked up their seemingly private conversation.

Discussion: ABC News, IJR, Washington Post, The Week and Axios

Bob Dole / Washington Post:
Bob Dole and Trent Lott: The Senate has changed. It's time to use the nuclear option.

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, The Daily Caller, Townhall.com, RedState and Washington Free Beacon

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
GOP triggers ‘nuclear option,’ gutting filibuster in Gorsuch fight

Discussion: Politico, The Moderate Voice, ABC News, Washington Monthly, Occupy Democrats and Common Dreams

Ed O'Keefe / Washington Post:
Senate Republicans go ‘nuclear,’ pave the way for Gorsuch confirmation to Supreme Court

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, New York Times, New York Magazine, The Root, The Mahablog and twitchy.com

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:
The United States Senate is a failed institution

Discussion: The Atlantic

CNN:

Trump considering options for Syria retaliation, source says — US intel: Syrian warplanes behind gas attack — (CNN)President Donald Trump has told some members of Congress that he is considering military action in Syria in retaliation for this week's chemical attack …

Discussion: The Hill, Reuters, Vox, New York Times, The Atlantic, Business Insider, Daily Wire, Vocativ, TheBlaze, Hot Air, Associated Press, New York Magazine, IJR, The Week and Axios

Michael R. Gordon / New York Times:

U.S. Said to Weigh Military Responses to Syrian Chemical Attack — WASHINGTON — Senior Defense Department officials are developing options for a military strike in response to the Syrian government's chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians on Tuesday, officials said on Thursday.

Discussion: The Atlantic, Common Dreams, Daily Kos, Business Insider, Political Wire, The Daily Caller and Mediaite

Matthew Cole / The Intercept:

U.S. WEIGHS “SATURATION STRIKE” AGAINST SYRIAN GOVERNMENT IN RESPONSE TO CHEMICAL ATTACK — The Pentagon has developed plans for an airstrike against Syrian government targets in response to this week's apparent chemical attack by Syrian government forces, according to two U.S. military officials.

Discussion: Axios

Washington Post:
Trump weighing military options following chemical weapons attack in Syria

Discussion: The Atlantic, Washington Free Beacon and CNN

Courtney Kube / NBC News:
Defense Sec Mattis to Brief President Trump on Military Options in Syria

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, RedState, Washington Times, Financial Times, Politico, The Daily Caller, CNBC and NBC News

Tim Mak / The Daily Beast:

Devin Nunes Steps Aside; Ethics Committee Investigating for Spilling Secrets — Rep. Devin Nunes said Thursday he is stepping aside as chairman of the House intelligence committee because he is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for allegedly disclosing intelligence without proper authorization.

Discussion: Raw Story, Fox News, ThinkProgress, BizPac Review, Daily Kos, Politicus USA, Occupy Democrats, New York Magazine and IJR

Josh Dawsey / Politico:
Nunes steps aside from Russia probe

Discussion: House Committee on Ethics, Speaker.gov, Fox News, Dallas Morning News, ABC News, The Nation, Daily Wire, Gizmodo, vice, Shareblue, Hot Air, The Week, Vocativ, Towleroad and Common Dreams

Karoun Demirjian / Washington Post:
House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes recuses himself from Russia probe

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Lawfare and Raw Story

The Hill:
Ethics panel opens investigation into Nunes

Discussion: Politico and Mother Jones

Richard Natale / Variety:

Don Rickles, Legendary Insult Comic, Dies at 90 — Abrasive comic Don Rickles, the honorary Rat Pack member and celebrity roast guest whose career spanned six decades, has died. He was 90. — Rickles died Thursday morning at his home in Los Angeles from kidney failure, his longtime publicist Paul Shefrin confirmed.

Discussion: New York Times, Towleroad, Outside the Beltway and Daily Wire

Dennis McLellan / Los Angeles Times:
Don Rickles, aggressively caustic comedian dubbed ‘Mr. Warmth,’ dies at 90

Discussion: vice, Washington Post and Boing Boing

TMZ.com:
Don Rickles — Dead at 90

Discussion: Instapundit

Hollywood Reporter:
Don Rickles, Legendary Comic With a Gift for the Insult, Dies at 90

Discussion: New York's PIX11, Snopes.com and Washington Post

Annie Karni / Politico:

Ivanka's secret Planned Parenthood outreach — In the weeks following her father's inauguration, Ivanka Trump quietly reached out to the president of Planned Parenthood seeking common ground on the contentious issue of abortion. — The first daughter requested a sit-down with Cecile Richards …

Mattie Kahn / ELLE:
Shonda Rhimes Has Never Been Afraid to Tell Abortion Stories. Now She's Joining the Board of Planned Parenthood

Discussion: Washington Post, The Daily Caller, Refinery29, New York Magazine and TheBlaze

Sam Biddle / The Intercept:

The U.S. Government Is Trying to Unmask an Anonymous Anti-Trump Twitter Account — Photo illustration: The Intercept. Getty Images. — Soon after Donald Trump's inauguration, persons critical of the president and his administration began creating anonymous Twitter accounts claiming …

Discussion: Liberal Values and Gizmodo, more at Mediagazer »

Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed: Twitter Sues Feds Over Attempt To Reveal Identity Behind @ALT_USCIS Account

David Ingram / Reuters:
Twitter refuses U.S. order to disclose user behind anti-Trump account

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and The Atlantic

Elena Schneider / Politico:

House Republicans pump last-minute money into Kansas special election — The NRCC is pouring money into a last-minute TV ad buy in Kansas ahead of a Tuesday special election, seeking to pump up Republican enthusiasm and turnout in a district that President Donald Trump carried by 27 percentage points just a few months ago.

Discussion: New York Magazine, Politicus USA, Occupy Democrats and Daily Kos

Dion Lefler / Wichita Eagle: National Republicans pour last-minute money into Estes-Thompson race

McKay Coppins / The Atlantic:

Senator Mitt Romney? — Republican leaders and high-powered donors in Utah are waging a quiet but concerted campaign to convince 83-year-old incumbent Senator Orrin Hatch not to seek reelection next year—and now, they may have found a successor. Mitt Romney, the one-time presidential nominee …

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Axios and Politicus USA

New York Times:

Preet Bharara Links Firing to Trump Team's ‘Helter-Skelter Incompetence’ — Nearly a month after he was fired by the Trump administration, Preet Bharara, the former United States attorney in Manhattan, remains mystified by the circumstances of his ouster, saying he had never been told …

Discussion: Raw Story and Business Insider

Emily Smith / Page Six:

Donald Trump Jr. talks about running for governor of New York — MORE FROM: … Donald Trump Jr. wants to run for political office, telling members of an elite gun club that he could set his sights on becoming governor of New York. — Don Jr. spoke to members of the F6 Labs gun club in Hicksville …

Discussion: Mediaite, IJR, New York Magazine, Axios, The Daily Caller, The Week, vice and TheBlaze

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Trump's completely bizarre claim that a Democrat said he would rank among the greatest presidents — In an interview with the New York Times on Wednesday, President Trump claimed former national security adviser Susan E. Rice broke the law — without saying which law or providing any evidence.

Discussion: The Root, Daily Kos, Business Insider and Talking Points Memo

New York Times:
Partial Transcript: Trump's Interview With The Times

Bloomberg:

Trump Spurs GOP to Tweak Health Bill Before Leaving Town — House Rules Committee to consider adding amendment to bill — Move to show momentum toward deal as lawmakers return home — The White House prodded House Republican leaders to make last-minute tweaks to their Obamacare replacement …

Discussion: Washington Post, Axios, Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine, The Daily Caller, Business Insider and Politico

Axios:
GOP leaders under pressure to bring House back to vote on Trumpcare

Discussion: Bloomberg, Daily Kos, Vox and Talking Points Memo

Joseph Curl / Daily Wire:

Ben Carson Finds $500 Billion (Billion!) In Errors During Audit Of Obama HUD — Ben Carson was the first neurosurgeon to successfully separate conjoined twins, so, he's kind of a super hero. — But apparently, he's also not a bad accountant. — President Trump picked Carson to head …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit