memeorandum: Syria's Assad in a ‘good mood,’ scorns U.S. weaponry after airstrikes (Liz Sly/Washington Post)

2:45 PM ET, April 15, 2018

Top Items:

Syria's Assad in a ‘good mood,’ scorns U.S. weaponry after airstrikes … BEIRUT — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad praised Russian weaponry on Sunday as his government celebrated victory over rebels in the town where an alleged chemical attack took place, triggering U.S. airstrikes over the weekend.

Discussion: Axios and TheBlaze

Kelsey Hayes / Politico:
New Russia sanctions coming Monday, Haley says

Discussion: One America News Network

Joseph Weber / Fox News:
Haley warns Assad: Trump ‘watching,’ US work in Syria ‘not done’

Discussion: The Hill, The Daily Caller and The Week

Caleb Howe / RedState: How Much Are Chris Matthews and the Rest of MSNBC Talking About “Wag the Dog”? [WATCH]

Carol Morello / Washington Post: Nikki Haley says new sanctions coming on Russia

Greg Jaffe / Washington Post:
Trump tries to appear strong in Syria even as he plans to withdraw

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon

Herb Keinon / Jerusalem Post: Netanyahu: The West should treat Iran the same way it treated Syria

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
‘Big price to pay’: Inside Trump's decision to bomb Syria

Discussion: New York Times, Conservative News Today and The Daily Caller

Sune Engel Rasmussen / Wall Street Journal: A Day After U.S. Airstrikes in Syria, Assad Launches New Onslaught Against Rebels

Neil MacFarquhar / New York Times:
In Moscow, a Sense of Relief After a Limited Syria Attack

Discussion: RT, Washington Post, The Mahablog, Mother Jones, IJR, Jamie Dupree - AJC, New York Magazine, President of Russia and Slate

Mike Allen / Axios:

The FBI's revenge — Back in December, President Trump tweeted: “After years of Comey, with the phony and dishonest Clinton investigation (and more), running the FBI, its reputation is in Tatters - worst in History! But fear not, we will bring it back to greatness.”

Meghan Keneally / ABC News:

James Comey gives first interview since President Trump fired him — James Comey is breaking his long silence and describing his interactions with President Donald Trump before he was abruptly fired last year. — The former FBI director is sharing his story with ABC News ahead …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Hot Air, HuffPost, Splinter, Bloomberg, New York Times, abc7ny.com, Conservative News Today, BloombergQuint, Daily Wire and The Right Scoop

Erica Pandey / Axios:

Trump doubles down on his attacks against “Slimeball” Comey's book — President Trump tweeted that former FBI director James Comey reopened the bureau's investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails because she led polling in October 2016, reiterating prior statements from the White House and the RNC.

Discussion: Politico, Mother Jones, ThinkProgress and Breitbart

ABC News:
‘This Week’ Transcript 4-15-18: James Comey interview clips, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders …

Discussion: Axios, Townhall, Breitbart and The Daily Caller

Josh Dawsey / Washington Post: Trump assails Comey in tweetstorm, suggests ex-FBI director deserves ‘jail’

Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
Trump rips ‘slimeball’ Comey: He made decisions based on the fact he thought Clinton would win

Discussion: Reuters, ABC News, Fox News and RedState

Gary Langer / ABC News:

Trump hits highest approval in a year, but 68 percent of women dislike him personally — The thriving economy looks to be bolstering Donald Trump's approval rating — but his personal unpopularity, especially among women, may be putting a ceiling on it. — The president remains poorly rated overall …

Discussion: CNN, Axios, Hullabaloo, Bloomberg and BloombergQuint

Mark Murray / NBC News:

Poll shows Democrats have midterm intensity advantage, but no ‘knockout’ yet — WASHINGTON — An advantage in intensity — against President Donald Trump and for voting in November — is fueling Democrats ahead of the midterm elections that take place more than six months from now …

Discussion: Axios, AOL, Political Wire and CNN

Janet Hook / Wall Street Journal:
Democrats Maintaining Advantage Over GOP in Voter Sentiment Poll

Discussion: BostonGlobe.com

Emily Guskin / Washington Post:
Trump's approval rating is back near first-100-day levels

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Betsy Woodruff / amp.thedailybeast.com:

Will This Man Save the Justice Department? — Noel Francisco, the U.S. solicitor general, loves cigars. So one day a few weeks into his time on the job—in the 80-year-old Justice Department headquarters in Washington—he stepped out onto the balcony outside his office, to smoke one.

Discussion: Raw Story

Kailani Koenig / NBC News:
Paul Ryan: Not ‘necessary’ to bring up bill to protect Mueller

Discussion: HuffPost and Washington Times

Alessia Grunberger / CNN:
Sally Yates cautions against firing Rod Rosenstein

Discussion: twitchy.com, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Press and Mediaite

Jeffery C. Mays / New York Times:

Prominent Lawyer in Fight for Gay Rights Dies After Setting Himself on Fire in Prospect Park — Grace Notes: A Plan for New York City's Forests. Yes, Forests. — Sports » — Brewers 5, Mets 1: Mets' Winning Streak Hits a Wall Against the Brewers

Discussion: The Hill, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Breitbart, TheBlaze, The Week, New York Post and RedState

New York Daily News:

Famed gay rights lawyer sets himself on fire at Prospect Park in protest suicide against fossil fuels — A nationally known advocate for gay rights and the environment died Saturday in a fiery Prospect Park suicide, with his self-immolation meant as a wake-up call to save the planet.

Discussion: Sputnik International, Associated Press, The Daily Caller, Townhall and The Right Scoop

Julia Reinstein / BuzzFeed: A Famous LGBT Rights Lawyer Set Himself On Fire In New York As A “Protest Suicide”

Starbucks Newsroom:

Starbucks ceo: Reprehensible outcome in Philadelphia incident — Dear Starbucks Partners and Customers: — By now, you may be aware of a disheartening situation in one of our Philadelphia-area stores this past Thursday, that led to a reprehensible outcome. — I'm writing this evening to convey three things:

Discussion: twitchy.com, New York Times, HeraldScotland, WHYY, TheBlaze, The Root, Bustle, BuzzFeed, abc7ny.com, Philly.com, CBS Philly, Splinter, Vox and Snopes.com

David G. Savage / Los Angeles Times:

Without mentioning Mueller, Trump lawyers urge high court to bolster his power to fire executive officials … The Supreme Court is set to hear a seemingly minor case later this month on the status of administrative judges at the Securities and Exchange Commission, an issue that normally might …

Discussion: Political Wire

Bill Manny / Idaho Statesman:

Luke Mayville and his Medicaid for Idaho campaign are proving us political ‘experts’ wrong — Luke Mayville is reminding me that the conventional wisdom isn't always so wise. — The founders of Reclaim Idaho didn't accept the conventional wisdom that citizen initiatives in Idaho can't succeed.

Jim Carlton / Wall Street Journal: Boise, Idaho, Feels the Growing Pains of a Surging Population

NBC News:

One tiny corner of the U.S. government pushes back against Russian disinformation — WASHINGTON — When reports began to emerge last month that Russian mercenaries had attacked a U.S. base in Syria, Russia issued a flat denial, and the U.S. was silent. — Then, leaked recordings surfaced on the internet.

Stan Collender / Forbes:

On The Deficit, GOP Has Been Playing Us All For Suckers — To say we're all being played by House and Senate Republicans and the Trump administration when it comes to the deficit is my polite way of saying that the GOP is operating the federal equivalent of a huge budget bunco game.

Nathaniel Weixel / The Hill:

Trump order targets wide swath of public assistance programs — The Trump administration is seeking to completely revamp the country's social safety net, targeting recipients of Medicaid, food stamps and housing assistance. — Trump is doing so through a sweeping executive order …

Discussion: Political Wire