memeorandum: Trump Pick For Army Secretary Says He Opposes Transgender Equality Because He Must ‘Crush Evil’ (Amanda Terkel/The Huffington Post)

5:45 PM ET, April 20, 2017

Top Items:

Some Republicans Think They May Have A Health Care Deal — The reality is they may be even further away from an Obamacare replacement than before. — WASHINGTON GOP moderates and conservatives are nearing a deal on health care that in theory could get the Republican alternative …

Discussion: The Atlantic, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Hit & Run, CNBC, IJR, Business Insider, New York Magazine, Vox, News, Indy Week, Shareblue, Daily Kos, Common Dreams, The Week, Balloon Juice and Axios

Adam Cancryn / Politico:

White House pressures GOP leaders on Obamacare showdown next week — A frantic and impatient White House is pressuring House GOP leaders for another showdown vote on repealing Obamacare next week so it can notch a legislative win before President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office.

Discussion: ABC News, Vox, Talking Points Memo, The Hill, New York Times, The Daily Caller, Business Insider, LifeNews.com, Hot Air, The Resurgent, NPR and CNN

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
The GOP has a new plan to destroy Obamacare. It's even crueler than the last one.

Discussion: Political Insider blog, Political Insider, Health Affairs Blog, CNN, Shakesville and Daily Kos

Ezra Klein / Vox:
The GOP's biggest health care achievement has been making Obamacare more popular

Discussion: Politicus USA

Center for American ProgressCenter …:
Latest ACA Repeal Plan Would Explode Premiums for People with Pre-Existing Conditions

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Politicus USA and Business Insider

Brooke Seipel / The Hill:

Sarah Palin visits White House with Kid Rock, Ted Nugent — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) visited President Trump at the White House late Wednesday, bringing along musicians Ted Nugent and Kid Rock. — Palin has been an outspoken supporter of Trump since his campaign …

Discussion: Breitbart, Little Green Footballs, Politico, USA Today, Washington Post, Occupy Democrats, Raw Story, Daily Wire, Hot Air, ABC News, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, Mother Jones, CBS San Francisco, Joe.My.God., IJR and Fox News

Glenn Thrush / New York Times: Sarah Palin Dines With Trump at White House

Ted Nugent / Deer & Deer Hunting:
Deer & Deer Hunting Blogger Has Dinner with President Trump at the White House

Discussion: CNN, Talking Points Memo, Media Matters for America, twitchy.com and New York Magazine

Caitlin Yilek / Washington Examiner:
Sarah Palin: I had a ‘great night’ at the White House

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon and The Week

Andrew Kaczynski / CNN:

AG Jeff Sessions: Judges shouldn't ‘psychoanalyze’ Trump to see if executive orders are lawful — (CNN)Attorney General Jeff Sessions said this week that judges shouldn't “psychoanalyze” President Donald Trump when determining whether his executive orders are lawful.

Discussion: Washington Post, ABC News, Washington Monthly, Politico, Talking Points Memo, Mother Jones, Axios, Occupy Democrats, Political Wire, Business Insider, Daily Kos, Hullabaloo, Raw Story, Booman Tribune, Joe.My.God. and The Week

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:

Sources: Fox News payout to Bill O'Reilly will be tens of millions of dollars — Ex-Fox analyst: Bill O'Reilly was untouchable — Bill O'Reilly will be paid tens of millions of dollars on his way out of Fox News. — “It is a staggering amount,” said a source personally involved in the exit maneuverings.

New York Times:
Bill O'Reilly Payout Could Be as High as $25 Million

Discussion: The Hill, RedState, Power Line, LGBTQ Nation, IJR, The Root, Scared Monkeys, Axios, Right Wing Watch, Refinery29, Washington Free Beacon, Media Matters for America, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Joe.My.God. and National Review, more at Mediagazer »

Brian Beutler / New Republic:

The Democrats' Existential Crisis Won't Resolve Itself — The party will have to fix it—and here's how they might do so. — Jon Ossoff, a documentary filmmaker and political neophyte, has already accomplished far more than anyone expected in his bid for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Discussion: Washington Post and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Bernie Sanders's strange behavior — Bernie Sanders has embarked on a “Come Together and Fight Back” tour with with Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez. But he's not really helping on that first part. — Over the last few days, Sanders's has at times offered some odd comments for a guy pushing for Democratic unity.

Discussion: American Greatness, Hot Air, New York Times, naked capitalism, twitchy.com, The Resurgent, Mediaite, Zpolitics, Common Dreams, Washington Free Beacon, Breitbart and Wall Street Journal

CNN:
Sanders, Perez unity tour is off to a bumpy start

Discussion: Politico, LifeNews.com, NBC News, Rewire and Mediaite

CNN:

French police officer killed, Champs-Elysees in Paris closed, CNN affiliate says — Paris (CNN)One police officer and an attacker have been killed in a shooting in Paris on Thursday, the French Interior Ministry said. — A car stopped at 102 Champs-Elysees, in front of a police van, ministry spokesman Pierre Henry Brandet said.

Discussion: The Guardian, ITV, Reuters, Daily Express, RedState, France 24, Business Insider, Infowars, RT and IJR

Julien Pretot / Reuters:
One police officer killed, two wounded in Paris shooting

Discussion: Politico and The Week

Daily Mail:
Paris terror attack: Police officer killed in ambush

Discussion: Daily Wire

Charlie Warzel / BuzzFeed:

Here's A Rundown Of Alex Jones' Surreal Testimony In Court Today — “I just want to be with the kids, swim in the pool, and eat hamburgers.” — Reporting From — AUSTIN — Alex Jones' cross-examination in his 10-day custody trial began today with an unusual question:

Discussion: Mother Jones, more at Mediagazer »

Kanga Kong / Bloomberg:

South Korea Tells Trump It's Actually Never Been a Part of China — Trump reportedly said China's Xi told him of history at summit — Korean ministry seeks verification as candidates weigh in — South Korea's government wants to know whether Chinese President Xi Jinping gave alternative facts …

Discussion: Politico, CNN, Telegraph, Hot Air and Raw Story

Yonhap News Agency:
U.S. sends nuclear sniffer plane to Korea: source

Discussion: Daily Mail and The National Interest

Ryan Browne / CNN:
US official: With eye on North Korea, China puts bombers on ‘high alert’

Discussion: Reuters and The Daily Caller

Emily Smith / Page Six:

Hillary camp scrambling to find out who leaked embarrassing info — MORE FROM: … The knives are out in Hillary Clinton's camp about who leaked embarrassing information to the authors of a bombshell new book about her “doomed presidential campaign.” — There is a witch hunt underway …

Discussion: The Rush Limbaugh Show, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Betsy's Page, MichelleMalkin.com, The Daily Caller, twitchy.com and Washington Free Beacon

Hugh Hewitt / The Hugh Hewitt Show:
“Shattererd”: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign"

Discussion: Medium, Business Insider and Politico

Washington Post:

Trump's treasury secretary: The tax cut ‘will pay for itself’ — The Trump administration plans to rely on controversial assumptions about economic growth to offset steep cuts to business and individual tax rates, a chief architect of the plan said Thursday.

Wall Street Journal: Do You Want Reagan's Economy or Obama's?

Emily Wenger / muscatinejournal.com:

Grassley says he expects Supreme Court Justice resignation within the year … Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, accepts a National Association of Manufacturers Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence from Gage Kent, chairman of the board and CEO of Kent Corporation and a NAM board member …

Discussion: RedState, Hot Air, IJR, ABC News, Outside the Beltway, Daily Wire, Talking Points Memo, LifeNews.com, Business Insider, Political Wire, Washington Free Beacon, AOL and New York Magazine

Steven Shepard / Politico:

Donald Trump gets his 100-day report card — As Donald Trump nears the 100-day mark in the White House, voters are grading his performance on a partisan curve. — Republicans are inclined to give him good grades on his performance in office so far — mostly A's and B's.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, RedState, Occupy Democrats, Townhall.com and The Week

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Democrats Have Big Enthusiasm Edge for 2018

Discussion: Daily Kos

Edward-Isaac Dovere / Politico:

Obama wades into French election fight — Former President Barack Obama gently waded back into international politics on Thursday, talking by phone with French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron. — Macron is the center-left candidate, and the leading contender to stop far-right Marine Le Pen …

Discussion: ABC News, NY1 News, The Daily Caller and Axios

Michel Rose / Reuters:
France's Macron has call with Obama ahead of election

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

CBS News:

Support for marijuana legalization at all-time high — Sixty-one percent of Americans think marijuana use should be legal, a five-point increase from last year and the highest percentage ever recorded in this poll. Eighty-eight percent favor medical marijuana use.

Discussion: TheBlaze, Business Insider, Daily Kos, Washington Post, The Week and Political Wire

Bill Dentzer / Idaho Statesman:

Marathon in Meridian: Rep. Labrador tells town hall, 'We're going to disagree' — Nearly 800 people turned out Wednesday night for a town hall meeting with 1st District Congressman Raul Labrador that went more than three hours, dominated by people with critical questions about the Trump administration …

Discussion: Spokesman.com, Idaho Press Tribune and Talking Points Memo

Alexander Smith / NBC News:

General Motors Quits Venezuela After Officials Seize Plant — General Motors said Wednesday it has been forced to stop operating in Venezuela after one of its plants was illegally seized by local authorities. — The seizure, in the country's industrial hub of Valencia …

Discussion: CNNMoney, Reuters, IJR, KFOR-TV, Washington Free Beacon, NPR and Bearing Arms

The Intercept:

Republicans Sell Access to Congressional Staffers, Flouting Cardinal Ethics Rule — Congressional Republicans are baldly enticing donors with the promise of meetings with senior legislative staff, effectively placing access to congressional employees up for sale to professional influence peddlers and other well-heeled interests.

Discussion: Occupy Democrats and Raw Story

Alex Kantrowitz / BuzzFeed:

Twitter Locks Trump Associate Roger Stone's Account, Again — Stone lands in Twitter's penalty box after tweeting “I'm watching you and know what you're up to. Better watch your ass” to Media Matters communications director Laura Allison Keiter. — Roger Stone is back in Twitter's penalty box.

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story and Occupy Democrats