memeorandum: GOP Rep. Patrick Meehan resigns from Congress amid ethics probe (Mike DeBonis/Washington Post)

10:05 PM ET, April 27, 2018

Top Items:

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:

‘Mass firing’ at conservative site RedState — Salem Media, owner of the influential conservative outlet RedState, froze the site on Friday and dismissed many of its writers. — Bloggers were locked out of their accounts — some just temporarily, while the cuts were made, and others permanently.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Vox, Balloon Juice, Mediaite, Outside the Beltway, Contemptor and Political Wire, more at Mediagazer »

Erick Erickson / The Resurgent:

RedState Is No More — RedState's owners have engaged in a mass purge of talent. … The site name will linger, but RedState is all but dead now. I have invited the fired writers here. — When RedState started in 2004, it was about collaborating between all sides of the GOP and, after I took over, had a real grassroots focus.

Rosie Gray / The Atlantic: RedState and the Dwindling Space for Anti-Trump Conservatives

Andrew Kirell / The Daily Beast:
Conservative Site RedState ‘Purges’ Anti-Trump Voices, Fired Writers Say

Discussion: Joe.My.God.

Joe Concha / The Hill:
Trump critics fired at conservative site RedState

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications and alicublog

New York Times:

Lawyer Who Was Said to Have Dirt on Clinton Had Closer Ties to Kremlin Than She Let On — MOSCOW — The Russian lawyer who met with Trump campaign officials in Trump Tower in June 2016 on the premise that she would deliver damaging information about Hillary Clinton has long insisted …

Washington Post:

The new House GOP report on Russia is revealing. But not in a good way for Trump. … Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee today released a report on Russia's involvement in the 2016 election. Although it's meant to exonerate President Trump and everyone around him …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Hullabaloo and The Week

Jeremy Herb / CNN: Russians reached out to Trump team about Magnitsky Act sanctions after election, Democrats say

Sara Murray / CNN:

Exclusive: NRA gathers documents amid scrutiny over ties to Kremlin-linked banker — Washington (CNN)The National Rifle Association is setting aside years of documents related to its interactions with a Kremlin-linked banker, as the gun-rights group appears to be bracing for a possible investigation …

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Shareblue Media and Raw Story

The Daily Beast:
Michael Flynn and Son Met With Russia Ambassador Before RT Gala

Discussion: Breitbart

Mark Mazzetti / New York Times:
Manafort's Lawsuit Taking Aim at Mueller Is Tossed Out of Court

Discussion: Raw Story, Washington Examiner, Mother Jones and Politico

Jeremy Herb / CNN:
House Republicans release redacted Russia report

Discussion: Raw Story, Balloon Juice and Power Line

New York Times:
Republicans on House Intelligence Panel Absolve Trump Campaign in Russian Meddling

Discussion: Breitbart, 21st Century Wire, Washington Post, CBS Los Angeles, ThinkProgress, IJR, Hit & Run, Political Wire and Althouse

Washington Post:

White House: No evidence that Ronny Jackson ‘wrecked’ a vehicle as president's physician … The White House on Friday said officials had conducted a thorough review of presidential physician Ronny L. Jackson's vehicle records and found three minor incidents but no evidence that he “wrecked” …

Discussion: Politico and Mediaite

Associated Press:

White House: Records dispute allegations against Jackson — WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Friday that internal records raise doubt about some of the most serious allegations leveled against White House doctor Ronny Jackson in his failed bid to become the next secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Discussion: twitchy.com

Gabriel Sherman / Vanity Fair:
“They're Looking for a Place for Kelly to Land That Won't Be Embarrassing for Him” …

Discussion: Hot Air, CNN and TheBlaze

Washington Post:
Investigation found no evidence that former VA nominee Ronny L. Jackson ‘wrecked’ car after party, White House says

Discussion: twitchy.com

CNN:
Several White House medical unit staffers describe pressure to hand out meds

Discussion: Washington Post, TheBlaze, CNBC, Hullabaloo, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, National Review and USA Today

Rachel Dicker / Mediaite:
Secret Service Disputes Allegation That Ronny Jackson Banged on Female Colleague's Door

Discussion: Townhall and ABC News

Anne Gearan / Washington Post:

Trump rebrands diplomatic norms as events in Asia, Europe and elsewhere spin on his axis — President Trump on Friday placed himself at the center of the remarkable summit between the leaders of North and South Korea, taking credit for bold and innovative diplomacy that may open a path to peace where other leaders failed.

Discussion: One America News Network and Axios

Choe Sang-Hun / New York Times:
North and South Korea Set Bold Goals: A Final Peace and No Nuclear Arms

David E. Sanger / New York Times:
Koreans Set the Table for a Deal That Trump Will Try to Close

Discussion: Breitbart and National Review

Conor Finnegan / ABC News:
Pompeo says Kim Jong Un ‘serious’ about nuclear talks

Discussion: Politico and One America News Network

Shannon Vavra / Axios:
Photos: Angela Merkel's visit to the White House

Discussion: One America News Network and ABC News

Congressman Patrick Meehan:

Congressman Meehan Announces Resignation — Representative Patrick Meehan (R-PA) today transmitted a letter of resignation to Governor Tom Wolf and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan effective Friday, April 27, 2018. Representative Meehan had previously announced he would not seek re-election …

Discussion: New York Times, The Guardian, HuffPost, Philly.com, The Hill, Roll Call, MSNBC, Raw Story, TheBlaze, IJR, The Daily Beast, Shareblue Media, Political Wire, Joe.My.God. and Talking Points Memo

Mike DeBonis / Washington Post:
GOP Rep. Patrick Meehan resigns from Congress amid ethics probe

Discussion: Roll Call

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

Court grants 90-day delay in Stormy Daniels' suit against Trump — A lawsuit filed by an adult-film actress over an alleged “hush money” deal with President Donald Trump and his attorney Michael Cohen will be put on hold for three months because of a criminal investigation Cohen is facing, a federal judge ruled on Friday.

Discussion: Associated Press, Washington Press, Law & Crime, Political Wire, The Daily Caller and Axios

Sean Davis / The Federalist:

Declassified Congressional Report: James Clapper Lied About Dossier Leaks To CNN — Buried within a newly declassified congressional report on Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections is a shocking revelation: former Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper not only leaked information …

Discussion: Sara A. Carter, Townhall, Conservative Review, Sean Hannity, Daily Wire and Power Line

John Sexton / Hot Air:
Clapper Leaked The Dossier To CNN After Ordering Comey To Brief Trump (Update: Clapper Hired By CNN)

Discussion: Power Line

Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
James Clapper Discussed Dossier With CNN, According To House Intel Report

Discussion: The Last Refuge

Jon Swaine / The Guardian:

Sean Hannity: 400% rise in eviction orders since host bought Georgia apartment complex — Records show 61 different residents have received notice to vacate their homes in Perry complex since Hannity took over in 2014 — The number of eviction orders obtained against tenants …

Discussion: Raw Story

Los Angeles Times: In Georgia, Sean Hannity is just another landlord hiking the rent

Jim Dwyer / New York Times:

Scenes Unseen: The Summer of '78 — Six months ago, a parks official cleaning out an office came across two cardboard boxes that had been sitting around for decades. — Inside were 2,924 color slides, pictures made in parks across New York City's five boroughs late in the summer of 1978.

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Marisa Guthrie / Hollywood Reporter:

Tom Brokaw Rips “Sensational” Accuser Claims: I Was “Ambushed and Then Perp Walked” — The revered NBC News anchor accused of unwanted advances pens a strenuous denial and defense of his legacy. — Tom Brokaw, the NBC News anchor who has served as a distinguished anchor emeritus since stepping …

Alex Kantrowitz / BuzzFeed:

Real People Are Turning Their Accounts Into Bots On Instagram — And Cashing In — In late February, an Instagram account called Viral Hippo posted a photo of a black square. There was nothing special about the photo, or the square, and certainly not the account that posted it.

Ben Schreckinger / Politico:

Yiannopoulos' business implodes after death of crypto-billionaire — Running out of money and down on his luck, right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos laid off the small staff of Milo Entertainment Inc. earlier this month, according to three people familiar with the situation.

Discussion: Joe.My.God., Contemptor, Washington Press, AOL, The Daily Caller, The Mahablog and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Jon Henley / The Guardian:

Brigitte Macron lauds ‘really fun’ Melania Trump - but says 'she can't go outside' — French first lady tells Le Monde her US counterpart is ‘kind, charming’ and excellent company, but is constrained by her role in Washington — Far from the stern, even glum image she presents to the public …

Discussion: Raw Story and The Daily Caller

Los Angeles Times:

ICE held an American man in custody for 1,273 days. He's not the only one who had to prove his citizenship — Immigration officers in the United States operate under a cardinal rule: Keep your hands off Americans. — But Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents repeatedly target U.S. citizens …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Daily Kos and Splinter

Jeffrey Adam Sachs / Niskanen Center:

There Is No Campus Free Speech Crisis: A Close Look at the Evidence — The campus free speech debate is heating up. Last month I made the case (first in a Twitter thread and then again at the Washington Post's The Monkey Cage) that there is no campus free speech crisis.

Discussion: The Daily Signal

Eric Garcia / Roll Call:

Brooks Suggests Republicans Are Retiring Because of Assassination Fears — Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks suggested in a radio interview that Republicans are retiring en masse because of assassination fears. — Brooks was speaking on “The Dale Jackson Show” about the first Republican practice …

Discussion: Shareblue Media, The Daily Caller and Political Wire

Jacqulyn Powell / KXAN-TV:

After using rare ‘gay panic’ legal defense, Austin man avoids prison time — AUSTIN (KXAN) - James Miller will serve 10 years probation after being sentenced for criminally negligent homicide for killing his neighbor in east Austin in 2015. — The jury recommended Miller serve 10 years probation …

Discussion: LGBTQ Nation and thenewcivilrightsmovement.com

Nicole Bitette / New York Daily News:

Rob Schneider thinks ‘Saturday Night Live’ is ruining the joke — “Saturday Night Live,” you can do it — better. — Comedian Rob Schneider burst out on the scene on “Saturday Night Live” in the 1990s, but nearly three decades later, he thinks the hit NBC comedy series is bursting …