memeorandum: Sean Spicer's completely avoidable mistake at Friday's briefing (Peter W. Stevenson/Washington Post)

7:25 PM ET, April 7, 2017

Top Items:

Haider Newmani / ABC News:

Eyewitness says Syrian military anticipated U.S. raid — Syrian military officials appeared to anticipate Thursday's night raid on Syria's Shayrat airbase, evacuating personnel and moving equipment ahead of the strike, according to an eyewitness to the strike.

Discussion: Washington Post, Salon, The Hill, Occupy Democrats, The Root, The Guardian, Balloon Juice and Business Insider

New York Times:

Syria Strike Puts U.S. Relationship With Russia at Risk — WASHINGTON — The American military strike against Syria threatened Russian-American relations on Friday as the Kremlin denounced President Trump's use of force and the Russian military indicated it would suspend an agreement …

Discussion: Associated Press, ABC News, NewsHounds blog and Infowars

Lucas Tomlinson / Fox News:

Russian warship steams toward US destroyers that launched Syria strikes — A Russian warship entered the eastern Mediterranean Friday and was heading toward the area where two U.S. Navy destroyers launched missile strikes into Syria, Fox News has learned. — The Russian frigate …

Discussion: Sputnik International, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Daily Caller, Reuters and BizPac Review

David Frum / The Atlantic:

Seven Lessons From Trump's Syria Strike — When the Electoral College elevated Donald Trump to the presidency, it conferred on him the awesome life-and-death powers that attend the office. It was inevitable that President Trump would use those powers sooner or later. Now he has.

Discussion: Politico, BBC, New York Times, Fox News, Washington Post, Opinio Juris, Townhall.com, vice, Mediaite, Daily Wire, The Federalist and Canadian Press

Jeffrey Goldberg / The Atlantic:

The Obama Doctrine, R.I.P. — President Obama's foreign policy doctrine, like many foreign policy doctrines, was contradictory at times, and it sometimes lacked coherence. Obama himself resisted the desire of others (including yours truly) to corral his various foreign policy …

Discussion: CNN, Axios, Washington Post, Politicus USA, vice, RedState and FOX News Radio

Neil MacFarquhar / New York Times:

Russia Suspends Cooperation With U.S. in Syria After Missile Strikes — MOSCOW — Russia on Friday froze a critical agreement on military cooperation with the United States in Syria after an American military strike, warning that the operation would further corrode already dismal relations between Moscow and Washington.

mid.ru:
Foreign Ministry statement on US military action in Syria on April 7, 2017

Discussion: The Hill, Mother Jones, USNI News, NBC News, Business Insider, CNBC, New York Times and Talking Points Memo

Fox News:
Syria missile attack: Satellite photos show major damage to airfields

Discussion: Breitbart, Associated Press, CNBC, Washington Post, twitchy.com, Common Dreams, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hot Air, Faithwire and Fox News Insider

Mark Landler / New York Times:
On Syria Attack, Trump's Heart Came First

Discussion: Mother Jones, Washington Post, Politico, BuzzFeed, Slate, AOL, Talking Points Memo, The Nation, Common Dreams, Media Matters for America, The Daily Caller, The Guardian, NBC News, Sputnik International, Vox, Washington Monthly and CNN

Elliott Abrams / Weekly Standard:
The Strike At Syria — The Trump administration has had a rocky start.

Discussion: New York Post, Talking Points Memo and Hit & Run

JGoldsmith / Lawfare:
The Constitutionality of the Syria Strike Through the Eyes of OLC (and the Obama Administration)

Discussion: USA Today, National Review, Just Security, Opinio Juris, Vox, Washington Post, New York Daily News, New York Times, AOL, The Daily Caller and Patterico's Pontifications

CNN:
Top Republicans who opposed Syria attack under Obama are now praising Trump's strike

Discussion: IJR, Vox, Politico, Talking Points Memo and RedState

Matthew Haag / New York Times:
Trump's Far-Right Supporters Turn on Him Over Syria Strike

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications, Politico, The Daily Signal, Washington Post, Vox, France 24, Common Dreams, American Greatness, The Atlantic, Daily Wire, NewsHounds blog, Talking Points Memo, The Week and IJR

Susan B. Glasser / Politico:
President Not-Obama — Is this the week Donald Trump found a foreign policy?

Discussion: IJR

Ellen Mitchell / The Hill:
US investigating possible Russian involvement in Syrian gas attack

Discussion: The Daily Caller

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE:
Statement from Pentagon Spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis on U.S. strike in Syria

Discussion: RedState, The Intercept, ThinkProgress, Lawfire, BBC, WTKR-TV, Lawfare, FOX6Now.com, CNN, The Diplomat, Vocativ and Just Security

Axios:

Exclusive: Trump eyes new chief of staff; House Leader on short list — President Trump is considering a broad shakeup of his White House that could include the replacement of White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and the departure of chief strategist Steve Bannon, aides and advisers tell us.

Discussion: New York Magazine, Washington Monthly, KTLA, Daily Wire, Talking Points Memo, CNBC, Vox, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, No More Mister Nice Blog, Heat Street and Mediaite

Wall Street Journal:

Donald Trump Considering Major Shake-up of Senior White House Team — The president is said to be unhappy with the infighting among his top aides — WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump is considering a major shake-up of his senior White House team, a senior administration official said Friday.

Discussion: Mother Jones, CNBC, The Week and Politicus USA

New York Times:

In Battle for Trump's Heart and Mind, It's Bannon vs. Kushner — WASHINGTON — Thick with tension, the conversation this week between Stephen K. Bannon, the chief White House strategist, and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, had deteriorated to the point of breakdown.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Guardian, Business Insider, Naked Politics, Gizmodo, Daily Kos and Mediaite

Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:

Trump's Syria Strike Is Latest Sign of Steve Bannon's Waning Influence — Donald Trump's surprise decision to launch missile strikes against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's forces in response to Tuesday's horrific chemical attack represented a reversal from Trump's noninterventionist campaign message.

Discussion: New York Times, Hot Air and The Daily Caller

Marc Caputo / Politico:
GOP Congresswoman: Trump should oust Bannon

Discussion: Fox News Insider

Travis Gettys / Raw Story:
Alex Jones brands Jared and Ivanka ‘enemies of the republic’ after Trump ally blames them for Syria strike

Discussion: Joe.My.God.

Allegra Kirkland / Talking Points Memo:
Reports: Trump Weighing Major Shakeup That Could Ax Priebus, Bannon

Discussion: East Bay Times, Axios and CNBC

New York Times:

Senate Confirms Gorsuch as Supreme Court Justice — WASHINGTON — Judge Neil M. Gorsuch was confirmed by the Senate on Friday to become the 113th justice of the Supreme Court, capping a political brawl that lasted for more than a year and tested constitutional norms inside the Capitol's fraying upper chamber.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Moderate Voice, electionlawblog.org, Fox News, NPR, US News, Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed, Above the Law, National Review, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Signal, Friendly Atheist, Outside the Beltway, SCOTUSblog, Daily Wire and Little Green Footballs

Elana Schor / Politico:

Bipartisan pitch to save filibuster gets 61 senators' endorsement — Sixty-one senators urged their party leaders to preserve the filibuster for legislation on Friday, backing the procedural tool after Republicans scrapped the minority's power to block Supreme Court nominees.

Discussion: Political Wire

Elana Schor / Politico:
Senate confirms Gorsuch to Supreme Court

Discussion: Reuters, Breitbart, SCOTUSblog, The Atlantic and Washington Post

Laura Litvan / Bloomberg:
Senate GOP Gives Trump a Much-Needed Win With Supreme Court Vote

Discussion: Politico and ThinkProgress

Abbe R. Gluck / Los Angeles Times: Op-Ed Goodbye, U.S. Senate

Naomi Martin / Dallas Morning News:

Tomi Lahren sues Glenn Beck, The Blaze for wrongful termination — Tomi Lahren, the young incendiary conservative commentator, is suing her former boss, Glenn Beck and his media firm, The Blaze, for wrongful termination involving her pro-choice comments. — According to Lahren's suit …

Discussion: RedState, Business Insider, Mashable, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Slot, The Root, The Daily Caller, New York Magazine, Hot Air, Raw Story, Mediaite, IJR and TVNewser, more at Mediagazer »

Dylan Byers / CNNMoney:

Maggie Haberman: The New York Times reporter Trump can't quit — Several days before Donald Trump announced his bid for the presidency in June 2015, he invited New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman to lunch at Trump Grill. — Haberman was late. Trump waited, as did his soon-to-be campaign aides …

Ben Schreckinger / Politico:

Trump's Troll Army Isn't Ready for War in Syria — The fractured elements of what was once called the alt-right were unified once more on Thursday night in condemning Donald Trump's airstrike in Syria as a mistake. Or as Milo Yiannopoulos put it, “FAKE and GAY.”

Discussion: The Atlantic, Mother Jones, Daily Wire, Washington Post, Raw Story, The Slot and Washington Times, more at Mediagazer »

Helena Horton / Telegraph:
Nigel Farage and other right-wing populists turn on Donald Trump after missile strikes

Discussion: Breitbart, twitchy.com, Gizmodo, New York Magazine, The Guardian, Business Insider, Mashable, Infowars and Vox Popoli

Fox News:
Sen. Rand Paul: Syria, Trump and another unconstitutional rush to war

Discussion: Washington Post, RedState and Fox News Insider

Facebook:

To see more from on Facebook, log in or create an account. — . . - (« ») , . , . , , . . — That's it. The last remaining election fog has lifted. Instead of an overworked statement about a joint fight against the biggest enemy, ISIS (the Islamic State) …

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, ABC News, Towleroad and Hot Air

Mark Hensch / The Hill:
Russian PM: Moscow, US on ‘the verge of a military clash’

Discussion: Politico and RedState

Nelson D. Schwartz / New York Times:

Job Growth Loses Steam as U.S. Adds 98,000 in March — The Labor Department released hiring and unemployment figures for March. It is the latest official snapshot of the state of the American economy. — The Numbers — • 98,000 jobs were added last month.

Discussion: Raw Story, Media Matters for America, Wall Street Journal, Hot Air, New York Magazine, Outside the Beltway, The Atlantic, FiveThirtyEight and Shakesville

Jeff Cox / CNBC:
US created only 98,000 jobs in March, vs 180,000 expected

Discussion: Politico, IJR and Occupy Democrats

Emma Brown / Washington Post:

The cost of Betsy DeVos's security detail — nearly $8 million over nearly 8 months — Federal marshals are protecting Education Secretary Betsy DeVos at a cost to her agency of nearly $8 million over nearly eight months, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Discussion: Occupy Democrats

Jennifer Kabbany / The College Fix:

Angry mob shuts down Blue Lives Matter speech at Claremont McKenna College — A throng of angry protesters converged at Claremont McKenna College on Thursday and effectively shut down a pro-police speech as they surrounded the building, forcing the speaker to give the talk via livestream …

Discussion: Power Line, Washington Post, BizPac Review, The Daily Caller and TheBlaze

Karen Mizoguchi / People.com:

Olivia Munn and Aaron Rodgers Break Up — Olivia Munn and Aaron Rodgers have split. — “They have amicably ended their relationship of three years,” a source close to the situation confirms to PEOPLE exclusively. The source says the couple “remains close friends and wish nothing but the best for each other moving forward.”