memeorandum: Paul Ryan is abandoning the ship before it sinks (Jennifer Rubin/Washington Post)

11:00 AM ET, April 12, 2018

Top Items:

$30,000 rumor? Tabloid paid for, spiked, salacious Trump tip — NEW YORK (AP) — Eight months before the company that owns the National Enquirer paid $150,000 to a former Playboy Playmate who claimed she'd had an affair with Donald Trump, the tabloid's parent made a $30,000 payment …

Discussion: Washington Post, Splinter, The Week and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »

Ronan Farrow / New Yorker:

The National Enquirer, a Trump Rumor, and Another Secret Payment to Buy Silence — Late in 2015, a former Trump Tower doorman named Dino Sajudin met with a reporter from American Media, Inc., the publisher of the National Enquirer, at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania.

Discussion: CNBC, Raw Story, Shakesville and Mediaite

RADAR:

Prez Love Child Shocker! Ex-Trump Worker Peddling Rumor Donald Has Illegitimate Child — Fake news or an Oval Office bombshell? You be the judge. — PRESIDENT Donald Trump fathered a secret love child with a Trump Organization employee — a gorgeous 29-year-old medical graduate who is currently living in California!

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Bustle and CANNONFIRE

New York Times:

Investigators Focus on Another Trump Ally: The National Enquirer — President Trump has long had ties to the nation's major media players. But his connections with the country's largest tabloid publisher, American Media Inc., run deeper than most. — A former top executive …

Discussion: JustOneMinute and Bustle, more at Mediagazer »

Axios:

Ryan may be forced to leave speakership by summer — Paul Ryan said he plans to remain as speaker and not call an early leadership election, but well-wired Republicans tell Jonathan Swan and me that Ryan may be forced out sooner. — What we're hearing: One source close to leadership told us …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Raw Story, New York Times, Political Wire, Politico, Splinter and ABC News

Rick Wilson / The Daily Beast:

Donald Trump Takes Out Paul Ryan, and 'It's Going to Be a Civil War' … The news that Paul Ryan is retiring from Congress was received by grim-faced members of the GOP caucus finally realizing what they've done, and what's coming. Ryan pulled the ripcord today after a 19-year career in Congress …

The Daily Beast:

Trump Allies and House Republicans to Paul Ryan: Get Out Now … House Speaker Paul Ryan's retirement announcement Wednesday morning set off a round of heartburn within the White House and among its allies over the damage that may be done in what's left of his term.

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, Axios, Washington Examiner and HuffPost

Kaitlyn Burton / Politico:

Trump's push to redo $1.3T spending bill he signed sparks GOP revolt — A regretful President Donald Trump wants to roll back spending in a massive omnibus bill he signed into law, but Republicans who helped craft the legislation are in open revolt. — “My attitude is, your word is your bond …

Discussion: Political Wire

Secure Freedom Minute:

Jim Jordan for Speaker — This is Frank Gaffney with the Secure Freedom Minute. — House Speaker Paul Ryan's announcement yesterday that he will not seek reelection offers congressional Republicans an opportunity to pull out of the political death-spiral that imperils their majority and invites the impeachment of President Trump.

Daniel Lippman / Politico:

Playbook: Eight brutal months are coming up — THE PRESIDENT at 6:03 a.m.: “If I wanted to fire Robert Mueller in December, as reported by the Failing New York Times, I would have fired him. Just more Fake News from a biased newspaper!” ... at 6:14 a.m.: “Never said when an attack on Syria would take place.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, CNN, Washington Post and Bloomberg

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Paul Ryan is abandoning the ship before it sinks

Discussion: Salon, The Cook Political Report and Balloon Juice

New York Times:
Ryan Found Himself on the Margins as the G.O.P. Moved Right

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
House Speaker Paul Ryan was the biggest fraud in American politics

Discussion: Honest Graft, ThinkProgress, New York Times, Crooked Media, The Week, Washington Post, Splinter and Washington Examiner

Tory Newmyer / Washington Post:
The Finance 202: Paul Ryan's scary math legacy

Discussion: Hot Air and Politico

Tim Alberta / Politico:
The Tragedy of Paul Ryan

Discussion: The Daily Beast

John Bresnahan / Politico:
GOP faction wants Ryan gone now

Discussion: New York Times

Karen Tumulty / Washington Post: Paul Ryan implodes his party — ahead of schedule

Jamelle Bouie / Slate:
What Ryan Wrought — No one person bears singular blame …

Discussion: Politico, Lawyers, Guns & Money, New Republic, CNN, The Atlantic and Vox

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Fanatic, Fraud, Factotum: The Rise and Fall of Paul Ryan

Discussion: Washington Post, BloombergQuint, The Federalist, CNN and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Paul Ryan / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: ‘I feel content that I have done my part; I am ready to move on’

Robert Costa / Washington Post:

Bannon pitches White House on plan to cripple Mueller probe and protect Trump … Stephen K. Bannon, who was ousted as White House chief strategist last summer but has remained in touch with some members of President Trump's circle, is pitching a plan to West Wing aides and congressional allies …

Discussion: Politico, Talking Points Memo, Fox News Insider, Daily Kos, The Week, Political Wire, Conservative News Today, Breitbart, Washington Press, Raw Story, CNBC, emptywheel, Mediaite and CNN

Washington Post:
Trump chooses impulse over strategy as crises mount

Discussion: The Atlantic, New Republic, The Week and Weekly Standard

Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Scoop: Ricky Waddell is leaving the White House

Discussion: The Week

Jeff Zeleny / CNN:

Exclusive: Inside the GOP plan to discredit Comey — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's allies are preparing an extensive campaign to fight back against James Comey's publicity tour, trying to undermine the credibility of the former FBI director by reviving the blistering Democratic criticism …

Discussion: Vox, Washington Post, Daily Wire, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Week, The Daily Caller, Raw Story and Mediaite

Washington Post:

Broad attack on Syria would face risk from air defenses, escalation with Russia … President Trump's desire to prevent future chemical attacks in Syria has fueled speculation that the U.S. leader may authorize an attack that is more far-reaching than the one he launched a year ago.

Mark Hodge / The Sun:
DON BACKS DOWN Donald Trump back-pedals on Syria saying he ‘never said WHEN an attack would take place’

Discussion: Townhall, Mother Jones and ABC News

Luis Martinez / ABC News:
US ‘still assessing the intelligence’ on alleged Syrian chemical attack, defense secretary says

Associated Press: Trump: Syria attack ‘very soon or not so soon at all!’

Cristina Maza / Newsweek:
RUSSIA PREPARES FOR WAR WITH U.S., INSTRUCTING CITIZENS TO BUY WATER AND GAS MASKS

Discussion: Washington Post, Task & Purpose, Breitbart, Washington Free Beacon, RT and ABC News

McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Pompeo failed to disclose Chinese business connection — WASHINGTON — CIA Director Mike Pompeo failed to disclose last year that he owned a Kansas business that imported oilfield equipment from a company owned by the Chinese government. — That omission, on the questionnaire Pompeo …

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, Defense One, The Intercept, The Week, AOL, New York Times, The American Conservative, VICE News, Washington Press and Common Dreams

Ishaan Tharoor / Washington Post:
Trump's would-be secretary of state has an Islamophobia problem

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, Politico, Bustle, Common Dreams and Balloon Juice

Luis Sanchez / The Hill:
Pompeo failed to disclose ownership of business connected to China

Discussion: The Week

Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:

Trump Court Pick Thinks Planned Parenthood ‘Kills Over 150,000 Females A Year’ — Wendy Vitter refused to tell senators if she still agrees with a speech she gave at a 2013 anti-abortion rally. — WASHINGTON One of President Donald Trump's judicial nominees, Wendy Vitter …

Discussion: Raw Story, NPR, Splinter, Mother Jones, Jezebel and Refinery29

Ariane de Vogue / CNN:
Trump judicial nominee refuses to say if landmark civil rights opinion was correctly decided

Discussion: Political Wire, Bustle, Washington Press and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Madeleine Marr / miamiherald:

This Parkland teacher left his gun in a public bathroom. It was loaded, BSO says. — Not the most normal sight: a gun left in the bathroom stall. — But that's exactly what went down on Sunday in a men's room at the Deerfield Beach Pier. — The circumstances of how the Glock 9mm got there are unusual.

Discussion: Bustle, The Week, Raw Story, twitchy.com, ABC News and CBS Miami

Bob Norman / WPLG-TV:
Parkland teacher faces charge after his gun is fired in public bathroom

Discussion: Law & Crime

Jessica Bakeman / miamiherald:
Broward Schools rejects plan to arm staff after Parkland shootings

Discussion: National Review and New York Times

New York Times:

Scott Pruitt's Idea to Update an E.P.A. Keepsake: Less E.P.A., More Pruitt — When Scott Pruitt wanted to refashion the Environmental Protection Agency's “challenge coin” — a type of souvenir medallion with military origins that has become a status symbol among civilians …

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine, The Daily Caller, CNN, Mashable, BloombergQuint, Earther, Axios, Splinter, Bloomberg and Mediaite

Jacqueline Alemany / CBS News:
Here are some of the threats made against EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt

Discussion: Conservative News Today and New York Magazine

Maggie Astor / New York Times:

Holocaust Is Fading From Memory, Survey Finds — For seven decades, “never forget” has been a rallying cry of the Holocaust remembrance movement. — But a survey released Thursday, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, found that many adults lack basic knowledge of what happened …

Discussion: Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:

Gingrich compares FBI raid of Trump lawyer to Nazi secret police — Former Speaker Newt Gingrich tore into the FBI after its raid of President Trump — ‘s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, likening agents’ actions to those of the secret police during the Nazi regime.

Discussion: Political Wire

New York Times:
Raid on Trump's Lawyer Sought Records on ‘Access Hollywood’ Tape

Cindy Adams / Page Six:

Women are lining up to date Rudy Giuliani — The about-to-be-consciously uncoupled Rudy Giuliani is coming off to Upper East Side sex kittens like catnip. They're purring at him. Sidling — if not actually front-ling — in his direction. — It seems power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

Discussion: Splinter

Kansas City Star:

Woman: Sexual encounter with Greitens was not consensual. Lawmakers find her credible — When she tried to leave, sobbing after a non-consensual sexual encounter, she says the man who would be governor physically stopped her. — What happened next, she testified under oath …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, RedState, Shareblue Media, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MSNBC, CNBC, RRH Elections, Hot Air and ThinkProgress

Brian X. Chen / New York Times:

I Downloaded the Information That Facebook Has on Me. Yikes. — Ask our reporter, Cecilia Kang, questions about the Facebook hearings now on The New York Times Politics Facebook page. — When I downloaded a copy of my Facebook data last week, I didn't expect to see much.

Discussion: 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

Justice Dept. turns over document that launched Russia probe — A day after Rep. Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, threatened the impeachment of FBI Director Christopher Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the Justice Department on Wednesday turned …

Discussion: The Hill, Townhall and Daily Kos