memeorandum: Le Pen's Inner Circle Fuels Doubt About Bid to ‘Un-Demonize’ Her Party (Adam Nossiter/New York Times)

7:10 PM ET, April 14, 2017

Top Items:

China Warns of ‘Storm Clouds Gathering’ in U.S.-North Korea Standoff — HONG KONG — North Korea said on Friday that nuclear war could break out on the Korean Peninsula “at any moment,” accusing the United States of escalating tensions that have set off fears of war and calls for calm by countries in the region.

Peter Baker / New York Times:

For Trump, a Steep Learning Curve Leads to Policy Reversals — WASHINGTON — For President Trump, the road to changing his mind on China included a discussion with corporate executives in the State Dining Room of the White House in February. When the conversation turned to China's currency …

Discussion: Townhall.com, Daily Kos, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Politicus USA, NPR, sandiegouniontribune.com, Talking Points Memo, No More Mister Nice Blog and Wall Street Journal

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:

Does Steve Bannon Have Something to Offer? — In 2014 the beleaguered White House aide raised important moral questions about today's capitalism. — My late friend Bill Safire, the tough and joyous New York Times columnist, once gave me good advice. I was not then a newspaper columnist, but he'd apparently decided I would be.

Ben Schreckinger / Politico:

If Trump Fired Bannon, Would He Seek Revenge? — When Steve Bannon vacated a home in Florida in 2015, his landlord complained that an entire Jacuzzi had apparently been coated in acid. After conservative media star Dana Loesch left Bannon's employ at Breitbart News in 2012 …

Discussion: The Atlantic, The Rush Limbaugh Show, Hot Air, dailyrushbo.com, No More Mister Nice Blog, Raw Story and Joe.My.God.

Fox News:
US Air Force sends message to North Korea with display of air power

Discussion: Foreign Policy, IJR, Infowars, The Daily Caller, Daily Wire and The Slot

CNN:
As North Korea brews, Trump again in Mar-a-Lago

Discussion: The Root

Bloomberg:
China Warns of War Risk as Trump Rattles Saber at North Korea

Discussion: Axios

Kathy Gilsinan / The Atlantic:
North Korea and the Risks of Miscalculation

Discussion: New York Times, New York Magazine and The Daily Caller

Annie Waldman / ProPublica:

DeVos Pick to Head Civil Rights Office Once Said She Faced Discrimination for Being White — The new acting head of the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights once complained that she experienced discrimination because she is white. — As an undergraduate studying calculus …

Discussion: New York Magazine, The FADER, Daily Kos, The Slot, Talking Points Memo and ED News

Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:

White House says it won't make visitor logs public — President Donald Trump's administration announced Friday that the White House won't release records of its visitors, raising new concerns from transparency advocates. — The decision not to voluntarily disclose White House visitor logs …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, ABC News, Mother Jones, Hit & Run, Engadget, Hot Air, The Guardian, Shareblue, twitchy.com, Axios and Joe.My.God., more at Mediagazer »

Josh Dawsey / Politico:

White House showdown on Paris deal set for next week — President Donald Trump's most senior advisers will huddle next week to resolve long-simmering tensions over whether the United States should stay in the Paris climate change agreement, a major point of dispute between the moderate …

Discussion: Washington Post, ThinkProgress, The Daily Caller and Fox News

John Wagner / Washington Post:

Trump will keep list of White House visitors secret — The Trump administration announced Friday that it would not follow former president Barack Obama's policy of voluntarily disclosing the names of most visitors to the White House complex, citing “grave national security risks and privacy concerns.”

Discussion: TheBlaze, RedState, Sunlight Foundation, Mother Jones, Raw Story, Mediaite, NBC News and Politicus USA

Sune Engel Rasmussen / The Guardian:

‘It felt like the heavens were falling’: Afghans reel from MOAB impact — Locals describe the moment the ‘mother of all bombs’ was dropped, as critics question the wisdom of deploying the weapon … After his evening prayers, Mohammad Shahzadah closed the house gates and sat down for dinner.

Discussion: New York Times, Reuters, RedState, Common Dreams, RT and BGR

CNN:
36 ISIS fighters killed by US ‘mother of all bombs’: Afghan official

Discussion: Politicus USA, The Daily Caller, Business Insider, RT, Al Jazeera English, neo-neocon, New York Magazine, The National Interest, The Guardian, Scared Monkeys, Fox News, Axios, Washington Free Beacon, Washington Times, Sputnik International, The Diplomat, twitchy.com and Foreign Policy

Ellen Mitchell / The Hill:
Why the US dropped the ‘mother of all bombs’ in Afghanistan

Discussion: Raw Story and The Daily Caller

Amanda Prestigiacomo / Daily Wire:
New Video: The Moment The ‘Mother Of All Bombs’ Killed 36 ISIS Members

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Carl Prine / sandiegouniontribune.com:

Decorated Navy SEAL moonlighting as a porn star — Joseph John Schmidt III during one of his many community outreach events for the Navy SEALs. (photo courtesy of U.S. Navy) — Navy Chief Special Warfare Officer Joseph John Schmidt III has been living dual lives.

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Media Matters for America:

Trump Ally Alex Jones: “The Word Is” President Obama's Daughters “Aren't Even His Kids” — ALEX JONES (HOST): This is out of The Hill, Obama reportedly spending a month in French Polynesia, where there is no criminal extradition to the United States and it's funny they just brought …

Jason Horowitz / New York Times:

A Trump Tower Neighbor Is the Point Man for Europe's Populists — PALM BEACH, Fla. — George Guido Lombardi spotted President Trump's young son Barron alone on a couch playing a video game in the gaping and gilded living room of Mar-a-Lago, his father's private oceanfront club in Palm Beach.

Discussion: Business Insider and New York Magazine

Adam Nossiter / New York Times:
Le Pen's Inner Circle Fuels Doubt About Bid to ‘Un-Demonize’ Her Party

Discussion: The Atlantic

Zaid Jilani / The Intercept:

New York Times Promises Truth and Diversity, Then Hires Climate-Denying Anti-Arab White Guy — Following Donald Trump's election, The New York Times promised its readers that it would aggressively pursue truth and challenge power in the days and months ahead.

Discussion: IJR, The New York Times Company, Daily Wire and ThinkProgress

Ezra Klein / Vox:

How to fix the Supreme Court — The way we choose Supreme Court nominees is broken. Here's how to fix it. — It's worth taking a step back to realize just how broken the process for selecting Supreme Court justices now is. — In 2016, Senate Republicans responded to Antonin Scalia's death …

Rafael Mangual / City Journal:
The Supreme Court Was “Politicized” Long Ago

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, SCOTUSblog and New York Times

Dan Nowicki / Arizona Republic:

Sen. Jeff Flake weathers brutal, 2 1/2-hour Mesa town hall — The Arizona senator was battered with questions about Trump's proposed border wall; internet privacy; taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood; and his opposition to ‘Obamacare.’ — U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake endured a brutal face …

Discussion: New York Magazine, Business Insider, Associated Press, Refinery29, Washington Examiner, Fox News Insider, AOL, naked capitalism, Common Dreams, Washington Times and Talking Points Memo

Jee Lee / The Wellesley News:

Free speech is not violated at Wellesley — Many members of our community, including students, alumnae and faculty, have criticized the Wellesley community for becoming an environment where free speech is not allowed or is a violated right. Many outside sources have painted us as a bunch …

Discussion: IJR, RedState, The Daily Caller, The Federalist, Hot Air and Maggie's Farm

Andrew Sullivan / New York Magazine:

Why Do Democrats Feel Sorry for Hillary Clinton? — Every day, the incoherence deepens: He's going to cover “everyone,” but he's going to push 24 million people off their health insurance. He's going to wipe out the debt, but his tax cuts and spending spree will add trillions to it.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Rush Limbaugh Show, The Gateway Pundit and Liberal Values

Alex Pfeiffer / The Daily Caller:

Facebook Discovers ‘Major Spam Operation,’ USA Today Likes Plummet — Clinton Communications Director On Obama: ‘He Looked Kind Of Like A Jackass’ — Watch The ‘Mother Of All Bombs’ Explode All Over ISIS In Afghanistan — VIDEO: Maine Dems Caught On Cam Laughing About Rising Suicide Rates Among White Males

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Donald Trump Is Just George W. Bush But Racist — Donald Trump ran an ethnonationalist cult-of-personality presidential campaign, in which his status as a (real) nonpolitician and (imaginary) business genius would allow him to transcend and solve every policy problem.

Discussion: Raw Story and The Atlantic

Brian Ross / ABC News:

Analysts identify #SyriaHoax as Russian-fueled propaganda — As Syrian president Bashar al-Assad called videos of last week's chemical attack a “fabrication,” a piece of propaganda promoted by a Russian cyber operation and bearing the hashtag #SyriaHoax has gained traction in the United States, analysts tell ABC News.

MA Towery / Opinion Savvy:

Poll: Ossoff Increases Lead in GA6; Runoff Likely — In our final poll of the GA6 jungle primary-style special election, some slight movement indicates that Ossoff's well-funded machine is gradually increasing his support, while Handel has maintained her status as the leading Republican. — Toplines:

Discussion: Political Insider blog and Political Wire

Michael Tomasky / The Daily Beast:

Expecting Donald Trump To Grow on the Job? Imagine If Jerry Jones Had Hired Him To Coach the Cowboys. — Honestly. Donald Trump is “growing”? That's what they're saying on my teevee. The truth is more brutal. — Everyone, including the Beast, took note of the President's six flip-flop Wednesday.

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Matthew Balan / Mediaite:

Shark Jumped: Priest on MSNBC Compares United Passenger to Jesus — The commentary reacting to the United Airlines passenger controversy achieved a new level of ridiculousness, Friday, when Fr. James Martin, a Jesuit priest, likened the issue to Jesus's crucifixion.

Discussion: TheBlaze

Bloomberg:

Russia Says Evidence Growing Syria Chemical Attack Was Staged — U.S. actions in Syria seek regime change, Lavrov says — Foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, Syria meet in Moscow — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a chemical-weapons attack in Syria that provoked U.S. missile strikes …

Discussion: RedState, AOL, Fox News Insider and Forbes

Eric Newcomer / Bloomberg:

Uber, Lifting Financial Veil, Says Sales Growth Outpaces Losses — The ride-hailing giant opens up about its financials for the first time in an interview with Bloomberg. — by — Uber Technologies Inc. isn't required to report its finances publicly, but the privately held company …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, New York Times, BGR and Mashable, more at Techmeme »

Anthony Breznican / EW.com:

Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer makes its long-awaited debut — “It's time for the Jedi to end.” — The trailer for The Last Jedi just dropped at Star Wars Celebration, sending chills across the fandom and providing our first glimpse into the galaxy after civil war was reignited in The Force Awakens.

Tim Wu / Wired:

The Crisis of Attention Theft—Ads That Steal Your Time for Nothing in Return — By now, it is pretty well understood that we regularly pay for things in ways other than using money. Sometimes we pay still with cash. But we also pay for things with data, and more often, with our time and attention.