memeorandum: Vice President Calls the Show to Defend the Budget Deal (George Prayias/The Rush Limbaugh Show)

10:50 PM ET, May 2, 2017

Top Items:

Shane Goldmacher / Politico:

White House aims for Thursday signing of religious liberty executive order — President Donald Trump has invited conservative leaders to the White House on Thursday for what they expect will be the ceremonial signing of a long-awaited—and highly controversial—executive order on religious liberty …

Discussion: Towleroad, LifeNews.com, Politicus USA, CNBC, Political Wire, Joe.My.God. and Political Insider blog

New York Times:

Ivanka Trump Has the President's Ear. Here's Her Agenda. — A month before Donald J. Trump was elected president, he and his aides watched his daughter's coolly composed surface crack open. — Inside Trump Tower, the candidate was preparing for a debate when an aide rushed in with news …

Discussion: Shareblue, The Atlantic, Daily Kos, Politicus USA, Business Insider, Racked, ThinkProgress, New York Magazine, Talking Points Memo, National Review, Althouse, The Week, Raw Story, Axios, AOL and Eschaton

Nikita Vladimirov / The Hill:
Trump set to sign religious liberty order: report

Discussion: RedState

Robert Bluey / Heritage Foundation:

Statement From the Chairman of Heritage's Board of Trustees — Vice President, Publishing & Editor in Chief, Daily Signal … The Heritage Foundation's Board of Trustees, by a unanimous vote, has asked for and received the resignation of Jim DeMint as president and CEO of the organization.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, NPR, Mediaite, Shareblue, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post, The Week, Talking Points Memo, TheBlaze and RedState

Nancy Cook / Politico:

The real reason Jim DeMint got the boot — Jim DeMint's ouster from The Heritage Foundation came as a shock to the hundreds of scholars and staffers who've seen the organization's political influence grow thanks to DeMint's controversial decision to align the leading conservative think tank closely with Donald Trump.

Discussion: twitchy.com and Political Wire

Associated Press:
Heritage, key Trump White House ally, overthrows leader

Discussion: Politico

Mollie Hemingway / The Federalist:
Coup Against Jim DeMint Threatens To Tear Apart Heritage Foundation

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Washington Examiner, RedState and The Atlantic

CNN:

Sources: Former Acting AG Yates to contradict administration about Flynn at hearing — Washington (CNN)Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates is prepared to testify before a Senate panel next week that she gave a forceful warning to the White House regarding then-National Security Advisor …

Discussion: Raw Story, Business Insider, Politicus USA, Shareblue and Political Wire

Tommy Christopher / Shareblue: Rep. Cummings busts Pence: “I warned the vice president directly” about Michael Flynn

Mark Graham / Decider:

Stephen Colbert's Shocking Attack On Trump Concludes With A Homophobic Slur … Once the clock struck midnight on Donald Trump's 100 days in office, Stephen Colbert's claws came out. He delivered his most vicious attack on the President to date during the monologue of Monday night's …

Discussion: Power Line and The Gateway Pundit

Matt Wilstein / The Daily Beast:

Stephen Colbert Demolishes Trump for Insulting ‘Face The Nation’ Host John Dickerson … President Donald Trump insulted Face The Nation host John Dickerson and Stephen Colbert is pissed. — As the Late Show host explained in his monologue on Monday, during his CBS colleague's Sunday morning interview …

Discussion: Hot Air, twitchy.com, TheBlaze, AOL, The Daily Caller, BizPac Review, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Gateway Pundit, Instapundit, RedState, Washington Free Beacon and Patterico's Pontifications

Matt Zapotosky / Washington Post:

Justice Department will not charge Baton Rouge officers in fatal shooting of Alton Sterling — The Justice Department has decided not to bring charges against the officers involved in the death of Alton Sterling, whose videotaped shooting by police in Baton Rouge last summer prompted unrest across the city …

Discussion: The Atlantic, Mother Jones, RedState, New Orleans Times-Picayune, New York Magazine, Business Insider, The Root and The FADER

Rebecca R. Ruiz / New York Times:
U.S. Won't Charge Officers in Black Man's Shooting Death in Louisiana

Discussion: Hot Air, Business Insider and theGrio

Philip Klein / Washington Examiner:

Fred Upton's cynical reversal on repealing Obamacare shows why people distrust Republicans — If you want to gain an understanding of why it's so difficult for many people to trust Republicans on healthcare, look no further than the cynical decision of Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich. …

Discussion: Bloomberg, Townhall.com, National Review, Vox, Washington Post and Hot Air

John Bresnahan / Politico:
House Republicans floundering on Obamacare repeal

Discussion: ABC News, Speaker.gov, Vox, Daily Kos and Hit & Run

Scott Wong / The Hill:
Former GOP chairman ‘cannot support’ new healthcare bill

Discussion: Politico, New York Times, Axios, The Atlantic, The Guardian, CNBC, Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, Shareblue, Daily Kos, Mother Jones and Vox

Charles Hurt / Washington Times:

Shut up, Jimmy Kimmel, you elitist creep — ANALYSIS/OPINION: — This is why America hates Hollywood. — Late night “funny” man Jimmy Kimmel delivered a heart-wrenching monologue Monday night that every mother and every father could relate to. — In the emotion-drunk moments last month …

Discussion: NPR, Media Matters for America, Media Matters for America and The Daily Caller

YouTube:
Jimmy Kimmel Reveals Details of His Son's Birth & Heart Disease

Jesse Singal / New York Magazine:

This Is What a Modern-Day Witch Hunt Looks Like — In late March, Hypatia, a feminist-philosophy journal, published an article titled “In Defense of Transracialism” by Rebecca Tuvel, an assistant professor of philosophy at Rhodes College in Memphis, as part of its spring 2017 issue.

Discussion: Daily Nous

George Prayias / The Rush Limbaugh Show:

Vice President Calls the Show to Defend the Budget Deal — RUSH: We welcome back to the program the vice president of the United States, Mike Pence. Welcome back, sir. Great to have you here with us today. — THE VICE PRESIDENT: Rush Limbaugh, it is an honor to be with you always.

Discussion: Hot Air, Breitbart and Business Insider

Dr. Susan Berry / Breitbart:
Paul Ryan: ‘Planned Parenthood Is Not Funded’ in Budget Reconciliation Bill

Discussion: Speaker.gov

Dan Merica / CNN:

Clinton: ‘If the election had been on October 27, I would be your president’ — New York (CNN)Hillary Clinton said Tuesday she takes personal responsibility for her 2016 loss, but also pointed to the timing of a letter from FBI Director James Comey and Russian interference as factors.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, TheBlaze, Hot Air and Balloon Juice

Associated Press:
Full public FBI reveal is rare for Trump-Russia type probes

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico and ABC News

Carlos Lozada / Washington Post:

Before Michelle, Barack Obama asked another woman to marry him. Then politics got in the way. — A massive new biography sheds light on the relationships, sacrifices and calculations that enabled the Obama presidency. — RISING STAR: The Making of Barack Obama — William Morrow. 1,460 pp.

Michiko Kakutani / New York Times: A Long, Long Look at Obama's Life, Mostly Before the White House

Josh Dawsey / Politico:

White House scrambles to rebrand spending bill as Trump ‘win’ — The Trump administration is doing damage control as Congress inches toward passage of a massive spending deal that ducks the president's most contentious demands. — Less than 48 hours after the funding bill's release …

Discussion: Hot Air, New York Times, Real Clear Politics, Vox, Deadline, Daily Kos and Power Line

Louis Nelson / Politico:
Trump tries to claim border wall win in budget deal

Discussion: Common Dreams, The Atlantic and The Root

Art Tavana / Playboy:

Tomi Lahren Exclusively Talks To Playboy After Her Blaze Fallout — Tomi Lahren came of age at the altar of Fox News, a product of the YouTube generation who's been endowed with a Facebook platform and Instagram looks. She was born at the start of the Clinton years—around …

Discussion: The Hill, Red Alert Politics, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, twitchy.com, CNNMoney and IJR, more at Mediagazer »

Japan Today:

American passenger arrested for assaulting ANA employee — A 44-year-old American male passenger has been charged with assault after he choked an All Nippon Airways (ANA) employee at Narita International Airport on Monday night. — According to police and an ANA spokesperson …

Discussion: Washington Post, Daily Mail, IJR, Fox News, The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, Boing Boing, TheBlaze and Fox News Insider

Donie O'Sullivan / CNN:
Video captures fistfight between passengers on flight to Los Angeles

Discussion: The Root, AOL, CBS Los Angeles and CBS Denver

Ryan J. Reilly / HuffPost:

A Woman Is On Trial For Laughing During A Congressional Hearing — Activist was arrested by a rookie cop after laughing at a claim that Jeff Sessions treated “all Americans equally.” … WASHINGTON The U.S. Capitol Police officer who decided to arrest an activist because she briefly laughed …

Discussion: Vox, The FADER, Hit & Run, Raw Story and The Week

Jennifer Emily / Dallas Morning News:

Balch Springs police fire Officer Roy Oliver, who fatally shot Jordan Edwards with rifle — Balch Springs police Tuesday fired the officer who fatally shot a 15-year-old as he was leaving a party. — Roy Oliver fired his rifle into a car of unarmed teens Saturday night as they drove away, fatally striking Jordan Edwards in the head.

Discussion: The Atlantic, Mother Jones, CNN, The Root and WFAA-TV

Jeremy Herb / CNN:

Trump's Army secretary nominee in jeopardy — Washington (CNN)The nomination of President Donald Trump's Army secretary is in serious jeopardy, and he could be withdrawing as soon as this week, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN. — Mark Green, Trump's second pick to be Army secretary …

Discussion: Business Insider

The Fund for American Studies:

NEW NATIONAL SURVEY: VAST, SILENT MAJORITY OF MILLENNIALS OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORT RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL FREEDOMS — THE FUND FOR AMERICAN STUDIES (TFAS) RELEASES FREEDOM INDEX MEASURING AMERICANS' ATTITUDE TOWARD FREEDOM — Contrary to what is often depicted in the news or social media …

Discussion: RedState and TheBlaze

Jordain Carney / The Hill:

McConnell shoots down Trump's call to end the filibuster — (R-Ky.) is shooting down President Trump's push for Republicans to change the Senate's rules for blocking legislation. — Asked if Republicans would nix the 60-vote filibuster to allow legislation to pass by a simple majority …

Discussion: Politico, Hot Air, Washington Post, New York Magazine, TheBlaze, The Week and Joe.My.God.

Allen St. John / Consumer Reports:

How the Affordable Care Act Drove Down Personal Bankruptcy — Expanded health insurance helped cut the number of filings by half — As legislators and the executive branch renew their efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act this week, they might want to keep in mind …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

James Ball / BuzzFeed:

UK Defence Ministry Casts Doubt On Trump Aide's Military Service Claims — Sebastian Gorka, an aide to President Donald Trump, has claimed roles relating to counter-terror, Northern Ireland, and in investigating war crimes in the former Yugoslavia — but the UK Ministry of Defence can't find evidence for any of it.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Sarah Jones / New Republic:

Bret Stephens Isn't the Only Problem at the New York Times Op-Ed Page — From Friedman to Bruni, the paper of record's columnists are abysmal. — At this point the case against the New York Times's decision to give Bret Stephens an op-ed column is well-known.