memeorandum: Ex-spy Valerie Plame eyes run for Congress in New Mexico (Associated Press)

1:10 AM ET, April 6, 2019

Top Items:

The Reluctance of Bernie Sanders to Release His Damn Tax Returns Is Part of a Bigger Issue — Why hasn't Bernie Sanders just released his damn tax returns already? — It's a question that's something of a Rorschach test for Democratic primary voters. For veterans of the great war of 2016 …

Discussion: CNN, TheBlaze and Washington Post

CNN:

Trump lawyers issue letter fighting tax return request — Trump on releasing his tax returns: Speak to my lawyers — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump continues to hold his ground against Democratic efforts to obtain his tax returns, with one administration official telling CNN …

Discussion: Raw Story, The Week, Trending Home, Test Feed Using Fields, Joe.My.God., Mediaite and Daily Wire, more at Mediagazer »

David French / National Review:

The Trump Era Should Make Libertarians of Us All — Democrats' quest for Trump's tax returns once again highlights the distortions in American law. — Democrats and many other Trump opponents are thrilled that House Ways and Means Committee chairman Richard Neal has “formally requested” six years of Donald Trump's tax returns.

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications

Nancy Cook / Politico:

Mnuchin losing two senior Treasury aides — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is about to lose two of his most trusted aides, just as House Democrats ramp up pressure on his department to release President Donald Trump's tax returns. — Eli Miller, chief of staff at Treasury …

Brett Samuels / The Hill:
Trump says law ‘100 percent’ on his side in tax return fight

Discussion: Breitbart, Axios and IJR

New York Times: Trump Lawyer Asserts President's Right to Keep Tax Returns Private

Richard Rubin / Wall Street Journal:
President Trump's Lawyer Urges IRS to Reject Democrats' Tax-Return Demand

Discussion: Law & Crime and Washington Times

Brian Faler / Politico:
Democrats face minefield if they get Trump's tax returns

Discussion: Raw Story

Brett Samuels / The Hill:

Biden: 'I'm not sorry for anything that I have ever done' — Former Vice President Joe Biden said Friday that he's not sorry for his past actions that some women have said made them uncomfortable, but that he's sorry he didn't understand more at the time. — “The fact of the matter …

Discussion: CNN, Breitbart, Washington Post, Daily Wire, Front Page Magazine and Politico

Lisa Lerer / New York Times:
Joe Biden Jokes About Hugging in a Speech, Then Offers a Mixed Apology

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Hill, No More Mister Nice Blog, Vanity Fair, Vox, The Root, New York Magazine, Common Dreams, Fox News, VICE News and The Daily Caller

Kevin Robillard / HuffPost:
Joe Biden Is Betting The Democratic Party Hasn't Changed

Discussion: Washington Post, ABC News and PJ Media Home

The Babylon Bee: Joe Biden Appointed As Head Of TSA

Matt Viser / Washington Post:
Joe Biden makes joking reference to controversy over touching women

Discussion: Politico, Quartz and Balloon Juice

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:
If Biden Runs, They'll Tear Him Up

Discussion: National Review and No More Mister Nice Blog

Steve Benen / MSNBC:

Trump raises eyebrows by saying, ‘We should get rid of judges’ — A reporter asked Donald Trump this morning why, after all of his rhetoric, he didn't close the border like he said he would. The president replied: … On the first point, the idea that Mexico is suddenly implementing policies …

Discussion: The Guardian

Associated Press:
‘Our country is full’: Trump says migrants straining system

Discussion: CBS San Francisco

Washington Post:
‘Our country is full. . . . So turn around,’ Trump warns migrants during border roundtable

Discussion: Breitbart

Marcy Wheeler / Washington Post:

We already knew Barr's summary was too easy on Trump. Public records prove it. — Court filings and congressional testimony show the attorney general left out a lot of Mueller's findings. — When Attorney General William P. Barr released a four-page memo two weeks ago opining that …

Discussion: Raw Story, Spectator USA, Gothamist and Daily Kos

ProPublica:

The IRS Tried to Take on the Ultrawealthy. It Didn't Go Well. — Ten years ago, the tax agency formed a special team to unravel the complex tax-lowering strategies of the nation's wealthiest people. But with big money — and Congress — arrayed against the team, it never had a chance.

Associated Press:

Ex-spy Valerie Plame eyes run for Congress in New Mexico — ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Former CIA operative, author and activist Valerie Plame said Friday she is considering a 2020 run for an open U.S. congressional seat in New Mexico. — Plame told The Associated Press she is spending time with residents and will make a decision soon.

Discussion: Axios and twitchy.com

Colby Itkowitz / Washington Post: Ex-spy Valerie Plame eyeing return to Washington — as a member of Congress

Associated Press:

Ex-US Congressman's Russian bank stripped of license — MOSCOW (AP) — A small Russian bank owned by former U.S. congressman Charles Taylor was stripped of its license Friday after allegedly breaking anti-money laundering rules. — Russia's central bank said that Commercial Bank of Ivanovo committed …

Charles Duncan / The Charlotte Observer:
Accused of money laundering in Russia, former NC congressman's bank loses license

Discussion: Daily Kos, Joe.My.God., BloombergQuint and Raw Story

Hell World:

I hate what they've done to almost everyone in my family — Progress is made one funeral at a time — Mom don't read this one. I love you very much and I will call soon I promise but don't read this one ok because it's about me jacking off just kidding it's about a sore spot …

Liz Mair / USA Today:

Free speech means I don't have to be nice to Devin Nunes on Twitter. So why's he suing me? — I didn't act like Miss Congeniality toward a member of Congress. He's upset that I did my job, so now he's trying to stifle my free speech and yours. — CONNECT

Discussion: Liberty Unyielding and Talking Points Memo

Katelyn Polantz / CNN:

Ruling on grand jury records could affect release of Mueller report details — Mystery grand jury in Mueller probe explained — (CNN)The federal appeals court in Washington, DC, sided with grand jury secrecy on Friday, ruling that federal district judges don't have the power …

Discussion: Raw Story

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Appeals court narrows path for disclosure of grand jury info in Mueller report

Discussion: Law & Crime and Raw Story

Corky Siemaszko / NBC News:

Revolutionary War hero Casimir Pulaski might have been a woman or intersex — Researchers noticed the Polish officer's delicate bone structure after the skeleton was extracted from the Pulaski monument in Savannah, Georgia. — Casimir Pulaski, hero of the Revolutionary War and the pride …

Andrew Sullivan / New York Magazine:

Is Pete Buttigieg a Transformational Candidate? — One of the reasons I thought Donald Trump would win in 2016 was not just that he was focusing on the core issues roiling the middle classes (immigration and globalization). It was because he had the perfect foil for his persona in Hillary Clinton.

Discussion: Front Page Magazine, The Atlantic and Slate

Wall Street Journal:

U.S. to Designate Iranian Guard Corps a Foreign Terror Group — The Trump administration is preparing to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization, U.S. officials said, a step that would vastly escalate the American pressure campaign against Tehran but which has divided U.S. officials.

Discussion: The Guardian, The American Conservative and CNN

Washington Post:

Trump ditches his nominee to lead ICE, says he wants someone ‘tougher’ for top immigration enforcement role — President Trump said Friday he is looking for someone “tougher” to lead the country's top immigration enforcement agency, hours after the White House unexpectedly withdrew its nomination …

Discussion: Mediaite, Splinter, Raw Story and Associated Press

David Jackson / USA Today:

Donald Trump says he will again skip the White House correspondents dinner — At the 2018 White House Correspondents' dinner, comedian Michelle Wolf delivered a number of racy jokes. Her main target seemed to be Press Secretary Sarah Sanders. — CONNECT

Discussion: Washington Post and The Root, more at Mediagazer »

Stephanie Baker / Bloomberg:

Where Rudy Giuliani's Money Comes From — When Rudy Giuliani traveled to Ukraine's second-biggest city, Kharkiv, in November 2017 to advise the mayor, an unconventional scene awaited him. In an anteroom outside the mayor's office, his pet parrot, Johnny, perched in a large metal cage.

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Associated Press:

The Latest: Jury rejects Harry Reid therapy band injury case — LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Latest on former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid's injury lawsuit against the maker of an exercise band (all times local): — A jury in Las Vegas rejected former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid's lawsuit against an exercise band maker …

Discussion: twitchy.com

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

That Fox-y feeling? The nation's largest TV station owner hires some familiar Fox News names — Sinclair Broadcast Group, the nation's largest TV station owner, rolled out its latest news and public affairs program this week, a one-hour broadcast called “America This Week” hosted by Eric Bolling.

Sonia Nazario / New York Times:

‘Someone Is Always Trying to Kill You’ — THE MURDER OF SHERILL YUBISSA HERNÁNDEZ MANCÍA explains why Central American women are fleeing north. — Ms. Hernández was a 28-year-old agent for the Agencia Técnica de Investigación Criminal, or ATIC …