memeorandum: The Many Reasons to Run for President When You Probably Don't Stand a Chance (Matt Flegenheimer/New York Times)

4:15 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: Talking Points Memo, Fox News, Townhall, Mediaite, Axios, Splinter, Burlington Free Press, The Daily Beast, Center for American …, IJR, Political Wire, 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, Axios, The Guardian, New York Times, Politico and TMZ.com

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

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

Discussion: Joe.My.God.

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

Chelsea Janes / Washington Post:

Sen. Kamala D. Harris releases tax returns showing nearly $1.9 million in household income in 2018 — Sen. Kamala D. Harris released 15 years of her tax returns Sunday, showing that she and her husband earned almost $1.9 million in 2018. — Most of the adjusted gross income of $1,884,319 …

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

Christopher Cadelago / Politico:

Kamala Harris releases 15 years of tax returns — Sen. Kamala Harris and her husband reported a total income of about $2 million in their 2018 federal tax return, according to a large release of filings on Sunday by the California Democrat that her presidential campaign is billing as the “most transparent” of the sprawling 2020 field.

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

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

Discussion: Splinter

Kyung Lah / CNN:
Kamala Harris releases 15 years of her tax returns

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

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, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, Politico, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post, Slate, Daily Wire, Joe.My.God., IJR and Breitbart

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:

Congress is not ‘smart enough’ to examine Trump's tax returns, Sarah Sanders says — White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Sunday that she doesn't believe members of Congress are “smart enough” to examine President Trump's tax returns, pushing back against Democrats' demands for information on the president's finances.

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: Vox, CNN, ThinkProgress, Washington Press, Vanity Fair, Mother Jones, One America News Network, IJR 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

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 …

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

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.

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, Washington Free Beacon and The Gateway Pundit

Ian Kullgren / Politico:

Trump has ‘no moral authority’ to talk about 9/11, Nadler says — President Donald Trump has “no moral authority” to talk about 9/11, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Sunday. — “He stole $150,000 from some small businessperson who could have used it to help rehabilitate himself.

Discussion: Breitbart

CBS News:
Presidential candidate Cory Booker calls Trump's 9/11 tweet “vicious, crass, disgusting”

Discussion: The Intercept and Front Page Magazine

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

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.

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times and Axios

Binyamin Appelbaum / New York Times:

Everyone's Income Taxes Should Be Public — Disclosure of tax payments would make it easier to hold politicians accountable. It also would help to reduce fraud and economic inequality. — Mr. Appelbaum is a member of the editorial board. — In October 1924, the federal government threw open …

Discussion: twitchy.com and Althouse

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 …

Axios:

Immigration brings out Trump's most radical self — Nothing stirs President Trump's most radical ideas like immigration. And nothing so stirs his willingness to entertain what some consider illegal or wrong. — Between the lines: People who know Trump well say his obsession is fueled …