memeorandum: I. A Broken Office — Donald Trump often appears to be a president … (John Dickerson/The Atlantic)

11:15 AM ET, April 22, 2018

Top Items:

Maeve Reston / CNN:

Mitt Romney fails to secure Utah GOP nomination, will face primary — West Valley, Utah (CNN)Mitt Romney did not win the Utah Republican Party's nomination on Saturday, meaning he must compete in a June primary election as he seeks to replace retiring US Sen. Orrin Hatch.

Discussion: RedState, The Week and Washington Press

Spencer Cox / Salt Lake Tribune:

Senate race — Romney blamed his second-place finish — out of a dozen Republicans seeking the seat of retiring seven-term Sen. Orrin Hatch — on delegates' dislike of candidates like him who hedge their convention bids by also gathering signatures to ensure at least a place on the primary ballot.

Discussion: Politico, Political Wire, Outside the Beltway, Washington Post and Roll Call

John Bowden / The Hill:

Romney forced into GOP primary for Utah Senate nomination — Former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney — failed to secure the Utah Republican Party's nomination for Senate on Saturday, triggering a June primary. — In the final round of voting at the party's convention …

Discussion: Politico

Maeve Reston / CNN: Mitt Romney says he'll make decision on supporting Trump in 2020 ‘down the road’

Dana Schuster / Page Six:

Ivana Trump thinks Vanessa will ‘have a problem’ finding a new man — Ivana Trump doesn't want Donald Trump to run for president again in 2020. — “I'll tell you something, I don't think it's necessary,” she told The Post during an interview Wednesday at her Upper East Side townhouse.

Discussion: Althouse

CNN:

4 killed at Tennessee Waffle House as police search for seminude suspect — (CNN)Nashville police are asking residents to lock their doors and stay alert after a seminude gunman killed four people at an area Waffle House. — “Keep your doors locked, keep your eyes open.

Discussion: Tennessean.com, 6abc.com, Washington Post, USA Today, Townhall, ABC News, Shareblue Media, IJR, NBC News, CBS Los Angeles, The Week, CBS New York, FOX31 Denver, Sputnik International, CBS Philly, The Daily Caller, New York Times, VICE News, WGN-TV, WTOP and Mediaite

John Dickerson / The Atlantic:

I. A Broken Office — Donald Trump often appears to be a president in rebellion against his office. A president, we have come to expect, hastens to the scene of a natural disaster to comfort the afflicted. After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, President Trump arrived tardily …

Washington Post:

Barbara Bush visited our facility for children with HIV/AIDS. It was unforgettable. — Debbie Tate is president of TERRIFIC, a D.C. nonprofit that provides housing and human services to families in crisis. Joan McCarley is executive director of TERRIFIC.

Rachel Siegel / Washington Post:
‘You were the reason’: Barbara and George Bush's love story remembered at her funeral

Discussion: Splinter, LGBTQ Nation and Politico

Maureen Dowd / New York Times: Barbara Bush: Fake Pearls, Real Heart

Kyle Feldscher / Washington Examiner:

Kellyanne Conway goes off on CNN's Dana Bash for asking about her husband's Trump criticisms: WATCH — White House counselor Kellyanne Conway went after CNN's Dana Bash for asking her about her husband's tweets critical of President Trump in an interview Sunday morning.

Haaretz:

Natalie Portman's Boycott of Netanyahu Borders on anti-Semitism, Israeli Minister Says — Among widespread criticism from Israeli political sector includes Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who wrote Natalie Portman a letter with references to Star Wars imploring her ‘not to let the dark side win’

John Bacon / USA Today:

World's oldest person, last survivor of 19th century, dies in southern Japan at 117 — The world's oldest known person and the last survivor of those born in the 19th century has died in Japan at age 117. — Nabi Tajima died in a hospital Saturday in Kikai, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan's Kyodo News reports.

Discussion: Associated Press and The Week

ABC:
World's oldest person, Nabi Tajima, dies in Japan at the age of 117

Discussion: AOL

David Siders / Politico:

'We've never seen a campaign start this early, ever' — COLUMBIA, S.C. — The first presidential contests of 2020 are nearly two years away, but for one Democrat the campaign is already in full swing. John Delaney — a wealthy, little-known congressman from Maryland …

Salena Zito / Washington Examiner:

Democrats try to win back labor in order to win back the House — WAYNESBURG, Pa. — When Democrat Conor Lamb stood in a sea of United Mine Workers of America here in early March, it was clear that Democrats had found a way to bring the blue-collar worker back into their camp.

Jordyn Phelps / ABC News:

Presidents Trump, Macron solidify political bromance with state visit — Their relationship began with a show of machismo — an extended, white-knuckle handshake on their first meeting last year in Belgium. — Emmanuel Macron had reportedly studied Donald Trump's style …

Discussion: Politico, One America News Network, Daily Wire and Associated Press

Larry O'Connor / Washington Times:

Conservative author Brad Thor announces 2020 challenge to Trump — ANALYSIS/OPINION: — Conservative author and commentator Brad Thor took to Twitter Saturday to announce he would challenge President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination in 2020. — America is great because it is good.

Discussion: WGN-TV, TheBlaze, The Daily Caller and RedState

Carole Cadwalladr / The Guardian:

Arron Banks, the insurers and my strange data trail — Carole Cadwalladr just wanted to insure her car. Six months later, she found a mass of personal details held by a firm she had never contacted that is run by Leave.EU's biggest donor, Arron Banks. How did it get there?

Brett Samuels / The Hill:

Trump considering pardon for boxing legend after call from Sylvester Stallone — said Saturday he's considering a posthumous pardon for boxer Jack Johnson at the urging of actor Sylvester Stallone. — “Sylvester Stallone called me with the story of heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson.

Discussion: Townhall, Newsday, Slate, CNN, HuffPost, No More Mister Nice Blog, New York Times and Instapundit

A Fine Theorem:

The 2018 John Bates Clark: Parag Pathak — The most prestigious award a young researcher can receive in economics, the John Bates Clark medal, has been awarded to the incredibly productive Parag Pathak. His CV is one that could only belong a true rocket of a career: he was a full professor …

Discussion: bradford-delong.com

Kaylee Remington / Plain Dealer:

2-year-old girl accidentally shot and killed at Wickliffe hotel, police say — WICKLIFFE, Ohio — A 2-year-old girl was accidentally shot and killed by her mother at a hotel Friday night, police say. — The shooting happened just before 11 p.m. at a hotel on Euclid Avenue …

Discussion: Raw Story

New York Times:

‘Overwhelmed’ Postal Carrier Hoarded 17,000 Pieces of Mail, Officials Say — A mail carrier in Brooklyn stashed about 17,000 pieces of undelivered mail for more than a decade because he was “overwhelmed” by the amount he had to deliver, the authorities said.

Eric Talmadge / Associated Press:

AP Analysis: Kim Jong Un tests Trump with latest nuke offer — TOKYO (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has finally broken his silence on what he plans to bring to the table during his summits with the South Korean and U.S. presidents, and it doesn't have a whole lot to do with tossing out his hard-won nuclear arsenal.

Washington Post:
White House privately skeptical of North Korea's plans to freeze nuclear testing

Discussion: New York Times, One America News Network, NK News and The Week

Rick Montgomery / Kansas City Star:

New poll puts Missouri Gov. Greitens' approval rating at 37 percent — Fifty-one percent of Missourians disapprove of embattled Gov. Eric Greitens' job performance, according to a new poll, and he maintains a 37 percent approval rating. — The survey released Saturday …

Discussion: Political Wire and Splinter

Avery Anapol / The Hill:

Michael Moore brings ‘Flint Water’ to Michigan capitol, tells governor to drink it — Liberal filmmaker and activist Michael Moore on Friday visited the Michigan Capitol to spray “Flint water” at GOP Gov. Rick Snyder's office. — Moore, who is from a suburb of Flint, Mich. …

Discussion: Breitbart, Detroit News and Washington Press

miamiherald:

Watch this judge brutally berate a woman in a wheelchair. The woman died. The judge has quit. — A Broward County circuit judge delivered a blistering, arm-waving, face-palming, tongue-lashing to a frail, out-of-breath woman — pushed into court in a wheelchair — who was facing misdemeanor charges following a family feud.

Marlow Stern / The Daily Beast:

Stormy Daniels' Lawyer Warns Trump: Evidence DVD Is ‘Locked and Loaded’ … Daniels, of course, is a renowned porn star who was paid $130,000 by President Donald Trump's longtime attorney/fixer Michael Cohen to stay silent about an alleged affair she had with Trump in 2011 …

Discussion: ABC News

Litigation & Trial Lawyer Blog:

The Who, What, Where, When, & Why of the DNC Lawsuit — Earlier today, the Democratic National Committee filed a massive lawsuit against almost everyone arguably associated with the hack on the DNC's servers, including the Russian Federation, Russia's foreign military intelligence agency …

Discussion: Letters Blogatory

Alfred Ng / CNET:

Kaspersky calls out Twitter's Jack Dorsey over ad ban — In an open letter, Eugene Kaspersky criticizes Twitter's CEO and reveals that his Russia-based cybersecurity firm has been banned from advertising on the social network. — Twitter vowed to stop Russian disinformation on its social network …

more at Techmeme »

Sydney Greene / The Texas Tribune:

Texas students walk out of classes, continuing momentum of gun violence protests — Thousands of Texas students walked out of their classes Friday morning to protest ongoing gun violence in America. — For one minute and 13 seconds on Friday, students across Texas stood in silence outside of their schools after walking out of class.

Discussion: Off the Kuff