memeorandum: Hillary's election loss excuse means one thing — she's running in 2020 (Michael Goodwin/New York Post)

10:45 AM ET, May 7, 2017

Top Items:

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

House Republicans Go Off the Cliff — OVER the last seven years, the Republican Party has engaged in increasingly elaborate political suicide attempts. The G.O.P. has nominated cranks and erstwhile witches and Todd Akin in winnable Senate races. It has engaged in Somme-esque trench warfare within …

Peter Suderman / New York Times:

The House Health Care Disaster Is Really About Taxes — I have been a critic of Obamacare since it became law, but the Republican alternative is worse in nearly every way. — The American Health Care Act, which was narrowly passed in the House last week, would worsen Obamacare's problems rather than fix them.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, No More Mister Nice Blog, CNN and Washington Post

Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:

Ryan on Republicans not reading the bill: ‘Bogus attack’ from the left … (R-Wis.) on Sunday dismissed “bogus” criticism that Republicans in the House rushed their healthcare bill to a vote before some of its members read the bill. — “I think this is kind of a bogus attack from the left …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Joe.My.God.

Michelle Cottle / The Atlantic:

There's something about Mitch. Maybe it's the protruberant, pink-rimmed eyes. Or the phlegmatic drawl. Or the vaguely dyspeptic demeanor. Hard to say, really. But something about the Senate majority leader manages not to drive certain people wild. — Or, to be more precise …

Morgan Winsor / ABC News:
House Republicans face voters in home districts angry over health care bill

Discussion: Axios

New York Times:
‘No District Is Off the Table’: Health Vote Could Put House in Play

Discussion: Hullabaloo and The Atlantic

Guy Benson / Townhall.com:
Fact Check: It's a Lie That the GOP Healthcare Bill Abandons People With Pre-Existing Conditions

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, RedState and BizPac Review

Michelle Ye Hee Lee / Washington Post:
Despite critics' claims, the GOP health bill doesn't classify rape or sexual assault as a preexisting condition

Discussion: IJR, BizPac Review, twitchy.com, Common Dreams, skippy the bush kangaroo and BuzzFeed

Only A Game:

A Day (And A Cheeseburger) With President Trump — Three years ago, golf writer James Dodson was invited to play golf with Donald Trump. Rain cut short the outing, but Dodson came away with stories ... and a cheeseburger.

Christopher Dickey / The Daily Beast:

Did Macron Outsmart Campaign Hackers? … PARIS—It was the dog that didn't bark in the night, and its bite may be less impressive still. As a tale of hacking and political subversion unfolded in France on Friday and Saturday, it looked like a re-run of the American experience.

Discussion: Sputnik International, Joe.My.God. and Althouse, more at Techmeme »

Zeynep Tufekci / BuzzFeed:
Dear France: You Just Got Hacked. Don't Make The Same Mistakes We Did.

Discussion: Politico, CANNONFIRE, The Gateway Pundit, Lawyers, Guns & Money, New York Times and Balloon Juice, more at Mediagazer »

BBC:
French election: Hollande vows ‘response’ to Macron hack attack

Discussion: Observer

Reuters:
France fights to keep Macron email hack from distorting election

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, ITV and New York Times

Michael Goodwin / New York Post:

Hillary's election loss excuse means one thing — she's running in 2020 — MORE FROM: … Even in politics, the rich get richer. Take President Trump. — Fresh off a big victory with the House passage of an ObamaCare repeal, Trump is also getting lucky again in his enemies.

Discussion: New York Times, BizPac Review and Sputnik International

Tom Boggioni / Raw Story:

‘This is not the story we want’: Reporters chased out of meeting with Kushner family pitching Chinese investors — DON'T MISS STORIES. FOLLOW RAW STORY! — Reporters attempting to cover a pitch to wealthy Chinese investors at a seminar on visas from members of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner's family …

Discussion: Washington Post, Washington Monthly, Business Insider, Common Dreams and RedState

Ai Weiwei / New York Times:

How Censorship Works — BEIJING — In the space of a month in 2014, at separate art exhibitions in Beijing and Shanghai that included my work, my name was blotted out — in one case by government officials and by exhibitors themselves in the other case. Some people might take such treatment in stride, as nothing to get huffy about.

Discussion: Althouse

Richard Fausset / New York Times:

Tempers Flare Over Removal of Confederate Statues in New Orleans — NEW ORLEANS — For Malcolm Suber, the Confederate monuments that dot this Deep South city stand for white supremacy, pure and simple. Instead of just taking them down, Mr. Suber, an African-American activist and organizer …

Seth Stephens-Davidowitz / New York Times:

Don't Let Facebook Make You Miserable — IT is now official. Scholars have analyzed the data and confirmed what we already knew in our hearts. Social media is making us miserable. — We are all dimly aware that everybody else can't possibly be as successful, rich, attractive, relaxed …

Discussion: Althouse

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Religious liberty order disappoints some conservatives — Some conservatives are frustrated by President Trump's new religious liberty order, saying it's dramatically scaled back from what they were expecting and doesn't enact the protections he promised during the campaign.

Discussion: RedState

Fox News:

Trump's triumph: ObamaCare repealed by the House — What happened Thursday in the House of Representatives was an extraordinary victory for President Donald J. Trump. — The Art of the Deal has clearly come to Washington. — The effort to repeal ObamaCare seemed to have foundered on a handful of votes.

John Sexton / Hot Air:

Gov. Scott Walker confronted by Democrat over Obamacare repeal — Friday, Governor Scott Walker visited Appleton, Wisconsin at the request of the city's mayor to help promote tourism. While there, he was confronted by a former Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly (and current county executive) Tom Nelson.

Discussion: The Hill and Althouse