memeorandum: What's behind the surging interest in Pete Buttigieg (CNN)

5:20 PM ET, April 14, 2019

Top Items:

Bernie Sanders Accuses Liberal Think Tank of Smearing Progressive Candidates — WASHINGTON — Senator Bernie Sanders, in a rare and forceful rebuke by a presidential candidate of an influential party ally, has accused a liberal think tank of undermining Democrats' chances of taking …

Discussion: CNN, Talking Points Memo, Townhall, Fox News, Mediaite, Center for American …, Axios, Burlington Free Press, The Daily Beast, Splinter, IJR, twitchy.com and Sara A. Carter

Olivia Nuzzi / New York Magazine:

Wonder Boy Pete Buttigieg is a gay Harvard alum, fluent in Gramsci, Joyce, and Norwegian. And he's the Democrats' folksiest heartland hope. Really! — By the time Pete Buttigieg arrived at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire, on the night of April 5 …

Discussion: ABC News, The Guardian, New York Times, Politico, TMZ.com and Axios

Alexander Burns / New York Times:

Pete Buttigieg's Focus: Storytelling First. Policy Details Later. — The question was simple enough, but Senator John Edwards squirmed painfully. For 49 long seconds, the North Carolina Democrat, a masterful courtroom orator, sputtered before a crowd at Harvard, unable to settle on a favorite movie.

Discussion: USA Today and Politico

CNN:

What's behind the surging interest in Pete Buttigieg — Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University and author, with Kevin Kruse, of the new book “Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974.” Follow him on Twitter at @julianzelizer.

Howard Kurtz / Fox News:

First Beto, then Pete: How the media are culling the Democratic contenders — The media's hot candidate of the moment, hands down, is Mayor Pete. — He succeeds, at least for a few news cycles, the media's previous darling, Beto. — And you just know that, if she were 35 instead of 29 …

Discussion: Politico

Chelsea Janes / Washington Post:
Sen. Kamala D. Harris releases tax returns showing nearly $1.9 million in household income in 2018

Discussion: Joe.My.God., Axios and Vox

Christopher Cadelago / Politico: Kamala Harris releases 15 years of tax returns

Maureen Groppe / USA Today:
Pete Buttigieg's campaign kickoff is a bonding moment for this father and son

Discussion: Townhall, twitchy.com and Joe.My.God.

Tommy Christopher / Mediaite:

Chris Wallace Refuses to Play More Than 5 Seconds of Trump's ‘Horrible’ Ilhan Omar Vid During Sarah Sanders Interview — Donald Trump's attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MI) was so “horrible” that Fox News' Chris Wallace did not feel “comfortable” playing more than 5 seconds of it as he interviewed …

Quinn Scanlan / ABC News:

President Trump ‘calling out’ Rep. Ilhan Omar for comments a ‘good thing’: Sarah Sanders — Sanders said President Trump wasn't wishing “ill will” on the congresswoman. — White House press secretary Sarah Sanders defended President Donald Trump's criticism of a Rep. Ilhan Omar Sunday …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Mother Jones, Politico, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, The Intercept, The Gateway Pundit, Joe.My.God., IJR and Breitbart, more at Mediagazer »

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
Congress is not ‘smart enough’ to examine Trump's tax returns, Sarah Sanders says

Discussion: Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, Slate and Political Wire

Andrew O'Reilly / Fox News:
Conway: House Democratic leaders frustrated with Ocasio-Cortez, Omar and other ‘radical freshmen’

Discussion: One America News Network

Quinn Scanlan / ABC News:
Trump's ‘sanctuary cities’ plan not first choice, but an ‘option on the table’: Sarah Sanders

Discussion: Politico, Vox, CNN, New York Post, Washington Press, One America News Network, IJR, Mother Jones and Breitbart

Aruna Viswanatha / Wall Street Journal:

Washington Waits in Suspense for Mueller Report — Officials were hashing out logistics for the delivery of the 400-page document, expected this week — WASHINGTON—When is the Mueller report coming? — Thousands of Congressional staffers, reporters, White House officials …

Discussion: Raw Story

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Behind the scenes: The White House prepares for Mueller week — Much of Washington has spent the weekend on pins and needles preparing for this week's release of the Mueller report. But in one particular quarter, people seem quite relaxed. — Behind the scenes: Two of the president's top advisers …

Discussion: Political Wire and Raw Story

New York Times:

Emboldened by His Attorney General, Trump Confronts Mueller Report Head-On — WASHINGTON — The case was closed for President Trump on March 24, the day Attorney General William P. Barr delivered to Congress his four-page summary of the special counsel's 300-plus page report.

Discussion: NPR

Katie Bernard / CNN:

Kirsten Gillibrand trails the pack with $3 million in first quarter fundraising — Why Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand loves ‘Wonder Woman’ — (CNN)Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand raised $3 million in the first quarter of this year, her campaign communications director said Sunday.

New York Times:

Kirsten Gillibrand Raised $3 Million in First Quarter of 2020 Run, Campaign Says — WASHINGTON — Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's presidential campaign raised $3 million in the first quarter of the year, a spokeswoman said on Sunday, a disappointing sum that ranked her last among the six senators currently running for president.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Washington Post and Axios

Peter Nicholas / The Atlantic:

A Survival Guide for the Trump White House — All the White House comings and goings raise a question: What does it take to remain in President Donald Trump's favor and keep your job? If the show were called Survivor: White House Edition (and with the former Apprentice host as president …

Discussion: Raw Story

Devan Cole / CNN:

Republican senator: Trump may be trying to make ‘everybody crazy’ by threatening to place immigrants in sanctuary cities — Washington (CNN)Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott said Sunday that President Donald Trump's threat to place immigrants into so-called sanctuary cities might just be the President trying to “make everybody crazy.”

Discussion: twitchy.com

Gregg Re / Fox News:
Sanders: Plan to send illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities under ‘thorough’ review

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Post and The Hill

Kyung Lah / CNN:

Kamala Harris releases 15 years of her tax returns — Kamala Harris: America, we are better than this — (CNN)Throwing down the tax return gauntlet against both Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders and President Donald Trump, Sen. Kamala Harris of California released 15 years of her tax returns …

Discussion: New York Times, Reuters, IJR, Vox, Breitbart and The Root

Los Angeles Times:
Kamala Harris releases 15 years of tax returns

Discussion: Splinter

Associated Press:
Kamala Harris is latest 2020 Dem contender to release taxes

Discussion: Mother Jones, The Root, The Week, New York Post and Politico

Perry Stein / Washington Post:

They believe more students should attend neighborhood schools. But what happens when it's their child? — Joe Weedon plans to prolong the decision as long as he can. He wants to attend just one more school open house. Talk to just a few more parents and teachers.

Associated Press:

Biden to campaign as extension of Obama's political movement — BLUFFTON, S.C. (AP) — Joe Biden is finalizing the framework for a White House campaign that would cast him as an extension of Barack Obama's presidency and political movement. He's betting that the majority of Democratic voters …

Paul Mozur / New York Times:

One Month, 500,000 Face Scans: How China Is Using A.I. to Profile a Minority — In a major ethical leap for the tech world, Chinese start-ups have built algorithms that the government uses to track members of a largely Muslim minority group. — The Chinese government has drawn wide …

Simon Kennedy / Bloomberg:

Goldman Economists Say Trump Re-Election More Likely Than Not — Incumbency and state of economy help Trump's chances — Trump ‘more likely to win’ than lose second term, says Goldman — President Donald Trump enjoys a “narrow advantage” over rival candidates heading …

Discussion: Political Wire

Conor Finnegan / ABC News:

New concerns Trump administration may be laying legal groundwork for military action against Iran — Congress is making clear Trump does not have the authority for military action. — When Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the Trump administration would designate a branch …