memeorandum: Republicans undertake unexpected rescue mission in deep red Kansas (David Weigel/Washington Post)

12:00 PM ET, April 11, 2017

Top Items:

Simon Johnson / Telegraph:

Donald Trump's action in Syria proves he is not in league with Putin, says his son Eric — Donald Trump's decision to launch a cruise missile attack on Syria proved he is not in league with Russia and will not be “pushed around” by Vladimir Putin, the US President's son has told The Daily Telegraph.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ABC News, Salon, Politico, New York Magazine, The Daily Caller, CNBC, Infowars, The Gateway Pundit, Political Wire and Axios

Simon Johnson / Telegraph:

Ivanka Trump encouraged my father to launch air strikes against Assad in Syria after chemical weapons attack, says Eric Trump — Eric Trump has said he is “sure” his sister Ivanka used her influence over their father to encourage the US president to launch military action against Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress, Joe.My.God., Washington Post, New York Magazine, The Daily Caller, IJR, RT, Sputnik International and CNBC

Rich Lowry / New York Post:

Turns out Obama was the real Russian stooge — Barack Obama and Donald Trump. — AP; Getty Images — MORE FROM: … The circumstantial evidence is mounting that the Kremlin succeeded in infiltrating the US government at the highest levels. — How else to explain a newly elected president looking …

New York Times:
On Trump's Syria Strategy, One Voice Is Missing: Trump's

Discussion: Politicus USA, Vox, The Daily Caller, Washington Post, Just Security, New York Magazine and CBS News

James Hohmann / Washington Post:
The Daily 202: Reflexive partisanship drives polling lurch on Syria strikes

Discussion: al.com, FITSNews, New York Magazine and Axios

Elizabeth Preza / Raw Story:
Eric Trump is ‘sure’ Ivanka encouraged their father to strike Syria: 'I think that's a great thing'

Discussion: Telegraph

Gardiner Harris / New York Times:
Tillerson Warns Russia that Assad Era Is ‘Coming to an End’

Discussion: Fox News, Infowars and Washington Post

Justin Bachman / Bloomberg:

United Airlines Tumbles After Social-Media Storm Goes Global — Passenger's removal becomes trending item on Chinese platform — Carrier's CEO says man was ‘disruptive’ and ‘belligerent’ — United Continental Holdings Inc. tumbled early Tuesday as outrage on social media over the removal …

CNBC:

United shares slide as PR nightmare catches up with investors — The airline's stock had climbed nearly 1 percent Monday, not reacting much initially to the internet's response to an ugly video of a passenger being dragged off an overbooked flight. — Shares of United Continental slipped …

Discussion: twitchy.com, The Ring of Fire Network and The Guardian

New York Times:
Video of United Airlines Passenger Creates Furor in China, Too

Matt Rosoff / CNBC:
United CEO doubles down in email to employees, says passenger was ‘disruptive and belligerent’

Discussion: CNN, Courier-Journal, Power Line, USA Today, New York Magazine, The Guardian, Refinery29, IJR, New York Times and The Atlantic

Yaron Steinbuch / New York Post:
Officer who dragged bloodied passenger off flight placed on leave

Discussion: twitchy.com, NBC News and Scared Monkeys

Jim O’Sullivan / BostonGlobe.com:

Remember Mitt Romney's ‘binders full of women?’ They're real. And we got them. — In the world of important political documents — from the Magna Carta to the Pentagon Papers — there are also those known for more pedestrian reasons. Count Mitt Romney's “binders full of women” in that category.

Discussion: Axios, New York Magazine and The Daily Caller

David Weigel / Washington Post:

Republicans undertake unexpected rescue mission in deep red Kansas — WICHITA — As James Thompson worked his way through a coffee shop, the Democratic candidate for Congress said something that got people to look up from their laptops. — “We've got a lead right now.”

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, New York Magazine, Daily Kos, New York Times, The Cook Political Report, The Atlantic and The Huffington Post

Bryan Lowry / Kansas City Star:

Republicans sweat surprisingly close Kansas congressional race — Kansas has been reliably Republican in federal elections, but GOP operatives head into Tuesday uncertain of an easy victory when the deep-red state holds the first congressional election since President Donald Trump's inauguration.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Vox, CNN, Wichita Eagle, AOL, Shareblue, Political Wire, The Nation, Politicus USA, Balloon Juice and Associated Press

Igor Bobic / The Huffington Post:
Democratic Party Throws James Thompson A Lifeline In Kansas Special Election

Discussion: Shareblue, The Hill, Forbes, IJR, Hullabaloo and Washington Post

Roxana Hegeman / Associated Press:
Donald Trump records call for GOP hopeful Ron Estes in House race in Kansas

Discussion: Politico and The Daily Caller

Julie Hirschfeld Davis / New York Times:

The Latest Test for the White House? Pulling Off Its Easter Egg Roll — WASHINGTON — President Trump received an urgent warning in February, informing him of a crucial date he was about to miss. — “FYI manufacturing deadlines for the Easter eggs are near,” said a Twitter post directed at Mr. Trump …

Discussion: Progress Pond, The Slot, Raw Story, Washington Post and twitchy.com

Tom LoBianco / CNN:

House Freedom Caucus member Justin Amash suggests time for Ryan ouster, blasts Trump — Rep. Amash: Trump's travel ban was ‘sloppy’ — Cedar Springs, Michigan (CNN)Rep. Justin Amash said Monday the solution for dysfunction in Washington likely boils down to removing House Speaker Paul Ryan …

Discussion: RedState, Talking Points Memo, Infowars and rubber hose

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
Donald Trump and Paul Ryan are the problem — a staff shake-up won't fix anything

Discussion: Balloon Juice, ABC News and Hot Air, more at Mediagazer »

Lauren Gibbons / MLive.com:
50-80 Republicans would have voted no on health care proposal, Justin Amash says

Discussion: Political Wire and Axios

Ashe Schow / Watchdog.org:

Texas student commits suicide after Title IX kangaroo court — If every other egregious example of a male student denied due process after being accused of sexual misconduct gets ignored - this one should not be. — A male student who was accused of sexual harassment committed suicide …

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Other McCain, Hot Air and Instapundit

Brendan Cole / International Business Times:

Migrants are being sold at open slave markets in Libya — Vulnerable refugees from West Africa often arrive in the country with no money and no papers. — Migrants from West Africa are being openly traded in “public slave markets” across Libya. — As a departure point for refugees trying …

Discussion: Shot in the Dark

Emma Graham-Harrison / The Guardian:
Migrants from west Africa being ‘sold in Libyan slave markets’

Discussion: Althouse

Rick Perlstein / New York Times:

I Thought I Understood the American Right. Trump Proved Me Wrong. — A historian of conservatism looks back at how he and his peers failed to anticipate the rise of the president. — Until Nov. 8, 2016, historians of American politics shared a rough consensus about the rise of modern American conservatism.

Samuel Osborne / The Independent:

US election ‘hacking’: Russian man arrested in Spain at request of American authorities — Arrested man reportedly told wife he had created a computer virus 'linked to Trump's election win' — An alleged Russian hacker has been arrested in Spain at the request of American authorities.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Israpundit and Shareblue

Dan Merica / CNN:

Trump on pace to surpass 8 years of Obama's travel spending in 1 year — Washington (CNN)Donald Trump's travel to his private club in Florida has cost over an estimated $20 million in his first 80 days as president, putting the president on pace in his first year of office …

Discussion: RedState, The Hill, The Daily Beast, Refinery29 and Politicus USA

Carl Campanile / New York Post:

Cuomo's free tuition program comes with a major catch — Gov. Andrew Cuomo's much-heralded new program for free tuition at state colleges comes with a huge catch: You have to sign years of your life away to get it. — Under a provision that was added to the tuition bill at the last moment …

Discussion: NPR, CNNMoney, WIVB-TV, Washington Free Beacon and Kelchen on Education

Mary Emily O'Hara / NBC News:
New York Becomes Only State to Offer Free Four-Year College

Discussion: IJR, Gothamist, WIVB-TV, KFOR-TV, AOL and CNNMoney

Reuters:

Exclusive: North Korean ships head home after China orders coal returned — A fleet of North Korean cargo ships is heading home to the port of Nampo, the majority of it fully laden, after China ordered its trading companies to return coal from the isolated country, shipping data shows.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, FITSNews and Hot Air

Eric Levitz / New York Magazine:

The Airline Industry Is a Starving Giant That's Gnawing At Our Economy — By now, you've probably seen this video of United Airlines refusing to let one of its passengers “fly the friendly skies.” — The airline had overbooked a Sunday night flight from Chicago to Louisville, Kentucky.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Mashable, WCNC-TV, RT, CBS Philly, CBS Denver and BGR

Eli Lake / Bloomberg:

What Reset? White House to Call Out Russia's Fake News on Syria — President Donald Trump's Russian reset is in big trouble. — That's one message of a four-page dossier on the Syrian government's April 4 chemical weapons attack that killed up to 100 people and injured many more.

Heidi M Przybyla / USA Today:

Republicans avoid town halls after health care votes — WASHINGTON — Reps. Leonard Lance of New Jersey and Ryan Costello of Pennsylvania appear to be the only swing-district Republicans who voted for their party's bill to replace Obamacare who will directly face constituents over the April recess …

Discussion: The Nation

Kelsey Sutton / Politico:

Obama heading to Germany in May to talk democracy with Merkel — Former President Barack Obama plans to reemerge on the international stage in late May, sitting down with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in her home country for a panel discussion about democracy.

Discussion: RedState, Washington Free Beacon and The Hill

Jonathan Lemire / Associated Press:

Donald Trump Jr nixes 2018 NY bid, but maybe later — NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump Jr., rumored to be eyeing a move to follow his father's footsteps into politics, will not be a candidate for governor of New York next year but is not ruling out a possible run for office in the future.

Discussion: Political Wire

Maya T. Prabhu / Post and Courier:

Attendees chant ‘you lie’ at U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson during Graniteville town hall … GRANITEVILLE — U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson received some protests Monday like other Republican congressmen nationwide during town halls this year, getting drowned out at times with loud boos and receiving 30 seconds of “You Lie” chants.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and Balloon Juice