memeorandum: Gardaí launch blasphemy probe into Stephen Fry comments on ‘The Meaning of Life’ (Independent.ie)

6:00 PM ET, May 7, 2017

Top Items:

Nicholas Vinocur / Politico:

National Front will change its name after Le Pen's defeat — Leader announces transformation after heavy loss to Emmanuel Macron in presidential election. — PARIS — French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said Sunday that her National Front party would undergo a “profound transformation” …

Discussion: Business Insider and The Daily Caller

Susan Page / USA Today:

Condoleezza Rice: Don't be reassured by Marine Le Pen's expected defeat in France — WASHINGTON — Former secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warns against feeling reassured by the expected defeat of far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election Sunday.

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: ThinkProgress, France 24, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Sputnik International, Balloon Juice and The Intercept, more at Mediagazer »

Rory Mulholland / Telegraph:

Live French election results: Emmanuel Macron beats Marine Le Pen with 65 per cent of vote - exit polls — Live: French election coverage — Far-Right's Marine Le Pen takes on pro-business Emmanuel Macron — Jean-Marie Le Pen: ‘My daughter not fit for the presidency’

Discussion: BBC, France 24, KFOR-TV, TheBlaze, The Gateway Pundit and IJR

Dave Lawler / Axios:

Macron defeats Le Pen for French presidency — live updates — Center-left frontrunner Emmanuel Macron has defeated right-wing nationalist Marine Le Pen for the French presidency by an estimate margin of 65% to 35%. — Macron speaks: “Tonight I want to salute my adversary Mrs Le Pen.

Discussion: ABC News and Politico

Alissa J. Rubin / New York Times:
Macron, Well Ahead of Le Pen, Is Poised to Be President of France

Discussion: Mediaite and Political Wire

Washington Post:
With Europe on the line, polarized French voters choose between Macron and Le Pen

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Political Wire

Emmanuel Macron / New York Times:
Results of the French Presidential Election

Discussion: Washington Post and The FADER

Sudip Kar-Gupta / Reuters:
Macron wins French presidency by emphatic margin: projections

Discussion: Hot Air and New York Times

Alissa J. Rubin / New York Times: France Chooses a Leader, and Takes a Step Into the Unknown

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.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Business Insider, Hullabaloo, The Guardian and Talking Points Memo

Paulina Firozi / The Hill:

Eric Trump in 2014: ‘We have all the funding we need out of Russia’ — President Trump's son, Eric, once told a golf writer that funding for Trump golf courses come from Russia, that writer recounted in a new interview. — James Dodson during an interview Friday with Boston's WBUR described meeting Donald Trump

Discussion: RedState

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 …

Benjamin Siegel / ABC News:
Ryan says it's ‘a bogus attack from the left’ to claim health care bill was rushed

Discussion: Raw Story, Washington Times and Mediaite

Taylor Gee / Politico:
Collins: Senate won't be tied down by House health care bill

Discussion: RedState and Axios

ABC News:
‘This Week’ Transcript 5-7-2017: Speaker Paul Ryan and Sen. Susan Collins

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, AOL and Politicus USA

Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
Ryan on Republicans not reading the bill: ‘Bogus attack’ from the left

Discussion: Breitbart, TheBlaze, Business Insider, ThinkProgress, Politico, Talking Points Memo, ABC News and Joe.My.God.

Peter Suderman / New York Times:
The House Health Care Disaster Is Really About Taxes

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Outside the Beltway, Washington Monthly, No More Mister Nice Blog and CNN

Ross Douthat / New York Times:
House Republicans Go Off the Cliff

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Matthew Wright / Daily Mail:

Real Time host Bill Maher is accused of crossing the line with tasteless incest joke about Ivanka Trump — The political satirist made the joke on his HBO program Real Time while talking with New York magazine reporter Gabriel Sherman on Friday night — Political satirist Bill Maher …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, TheBlaze and Mediaite

New York Times:

Trump Looms as Kushner Companies Courts Investors in China — SHANGHAI — Like many American firms that come to China looking for money, Kushner Companies tried to woo a Shanghai audience with promises of big returns and a path toward living in the United States.

Discussion: New York Daily News, Reuters, Hot Air, New York Magazine, Washington Post, The Mahablog, The Guardian, Washington Monthly and ImmigrationProf Blog

Olivia Beavers / The Hill:

Martha Stewart appears to flip off Trump photo — Martha Stewart posed between portraits of President Trump and Snoop Dogg on Saturday, apparently flashing the middle finger at the president while giving the “V” sign to the rapper. — A tweet of the photo at the New York-based Frieze Art Fair went viral …

Discussion: Raw Story

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 …

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: BizPac Review, New York Times, Outside the Beltway and Sputnik International