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

3:20 PM ET, May 7, 2017

Top Items:

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, Lawyers, Guns & Money, France 24, Sputnik International, Balloon Juice, The Intercept and Joe.My.God., more at Mediagazer »

Alissa J. Rubin / New York Times:

Macron, Well Ahead of Le Pen, Is Poised to Be President of France — PARIS — Emmanuel Macron, a youthful former investment banker with little political experience, was well ahead in France's presidential election on Sunday, suggesting that his call for a new centrist approach to politics …

Discussion: Mediaite, The FADER and Political Wire

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, KFOR-TV and IJR

Dave Lawler / Axios:

Exit polls from France show Macron landslide — live updates — Voting in the French presidential runoff will end at 2pm ET, and we'll know who won almost immediately. — Centre-left frontrunner Emmanuel Macron appears on course for a comfortable victory — exit polls showed him with 60-66% of the vote …

Discussion: ABC News

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

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

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

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

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

Discussion: RedState

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

Discussion: Breitbart, ThinkProgress, Politico, Talking Points Memo and Joe.My.God.

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

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

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

Discussion: RedState and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

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

Discussion: Politico, Business Insider and Axios

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, Talking Points Memo and The Guardian

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

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: TheBlaze, The Gateway Pundit and Mediaite

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

New York Times:

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

Discussion: New York Magazine and Reuters

Tom Boggioni / Raw Story:
‘This is not the story we want’: Reporters chased out of meeting with Kushner family pitching Chinese investors

Discussion: New York Daily News, The Daily Caller, Washington Post, Balloon Juice, The Mahablog, The Guardian, Washington Monthly, CNNMoney, Business Insider, Common Dreams, Joe.My.God. and ThinkProgress

Reuters:

Exclusive: Sinclair Broadcast nears deal for Tribune Media - sources — Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc (SBGI.O) is nearing a deal to acquire Tribune Media Co (TRCO.N) for close to $4 billion after prevailing in an auction for one of the largest U.S. television station operators, according to people familiar with the matter.

Discussion: New York Times, more at Mediagazer »