memeorandum: U.S. Offers $10 Million Bounty on Hezbollah Operatives (Adam Kredo/Washington Free Beacon)

10:30 AM ET, April 23, 2019

Top Items:

J. W. Verret / The Atlantic:

The Mueller Report Was My Tipping Point — Let's start at the end of this story. This weekend, I read Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report twice, and realized that enough was enough—I needed to do something. I've worked on every Republican presidential transition team for the past 10 years …

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight and Washington Post

Natasha Bertrand / Politico:

What you missed in the Mueller report — Robert Mueller keeps on giving. — Dozens of overlooked nuggets are buried deep inside the special counsel's 448-page report that raise yet more intriguing questions about Russia's meddling in the 2016 election and shed new light on charges Mueller considered …

Discussion: Political Wire and The Week

Steven Shepard / Politico:

Poll: Trump approval sinks 5 points after Mueller report, tying all-time low — President Donald Trump's approval rating has dropped 5 points, equaling his presidency's low-water mark, since last week's release of the special counsel report into the 2016 election, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Outside the Beltway, Washington Post and The Week

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

Mueller's findings: Too stupid to conspire. Too incompetent to obstruct. — I learned the hard way that predictions are perilous in the current age: I literally ate a column asserting that Republicans would never nominate Donald Trump for president. — So please forgive this victory lap …

Discussion: Raw Story and Rolling Stone

Evan McMullin / NBC News:
Trump welcomed the Russian attack and obstructed resulting investigations, an impeachable offense

Discussion: Wired and Raw Story

Matthew Choi / Politico:
Trump's Monday night retweeting blitz

Discussion: Breitbart, Fox News and The Gateway Pundit

Adam B. Schiff / Washington Post: Congress must ensure that Trump is working for the American people — not foreign interests

Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
As McGahn Emerges as Chief Witness in the Mueller Report, Trump and Allies Ramp Up Attacks

Discussion: Just Security, Politico, The Week, Raw Story, FactCheck.org, Slate and Washington Post

Eric Tucker / Associated Press: AP FACT CHECK: Mueller interviewed many close to president

Washington Post:
Constraints on presidency being redefined in Trump era, report fallout shows

Discussion: Raw Story, Mercury News and What The Fuck …

Shannon Pettypiece / Bloomberg:
Giuliani Puts Off Formal Rebuttal to Mueller as He Defends Trump

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

The Great Republican Abdication — A party that no longer believes in American values. — So all the “fake news” was true. A hostile foreign power intervened in the presidential election, hoping to install Donald Trump in the White House. The Trump campaign was aware of this intervention and welcomed it.

Discussion: Shareblue Media, RedState, Fox News, Hullabaloo, Raw Story, The Week, Splinter and Daily Kos

Joe Lockhart / New York Times:

There's a Bigger Prize Than Impeachment — Keeping Trump in office will destroy the Republican Party. — Mr. Lockhart served as White House press secretary from 1998 to 2000. — In the fall of 1998, Erskine Bowles, the White House chief of staff, traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with the speaker of the House.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Raw Story, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Shakesville and The Stranger

Eugene Robinson / Washington Post: Democrats must seize and define this moment. Otherwise, Trump will.

Josh Lederman / NBC News:

Rivals are scrambling to dig up dirt on Pete Buttigieg — Buttigieg was on nobody's radar as a serious presidential contender until a few weeks ago. Now his competitors are scrambling to find vulnerabilities. — SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Caught off guard by his sudden surge …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and HuffPost

Tucker Higgins / CNBC:
'I ain't ever seen the dude' - residents of South Bend's poor neighborhoods say Democratic …

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon

Chris Gardner / Hollywood Reporter: Mayor Pete Buttigieg Sets L.A. Fundraiser Hosted by Gay Hollywood A-List (Exclusive)

Russell Goldman / New York Times:

Sri Lanka Bombings Live Updates: ISIS Claims Responsibility for Attacks — • The Islamic State claimed responsibility on Tuesday for the Easter Sunday bombings at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka that killed more than 300 people. The group's Amaq news agency made the claim.

Discussion: Friendly Atheist, Daily Caller News Foundation, Political Wire, ABC, The Atlantic, The Daily Caller and Reason, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:
Sri Lanka Was Warned of Possible Attacks. Why Didn't It Stop Them?

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, American Greatness, Al Jazeera, The Takeaway, Rolling Stone, NPR, Media Matters for America, CNN, IJR, Washington Times and Outside the Beltway

Associated Press: Sri Lanka minister: Easter bombings a response to NZ attacks

Washington Post:
Sri Lanka Easter bombings were retaliation for Christchurch mosque shootings, official says

Discussion: New York Post, Joe.My.God., NPR and Fox News

YouTube:

(Re)Introduction | MJ For Texas — Air Force veteran, working mom, taking on entrenched incumbent John Cornyn. MJ Hegar is running for Senate. Join the team: https://www.mjfortexas.com

Discussion: Politico

CNN:

White House tells official not to comply with Democratic subpoena over security clearances — (CNN)The White House has instructed a former official who was in charge of the security clearance process to not comply with a House subpoena demanding his appearance for an interview …

Discussion: Washington Post, PJ Media Home, The Week and Political Wire

Tom Hamburger / Washington Post:
White House instructs official to ignore Democratic subpoena over security clearances

Discussion: Vox, The Week and The Daily Beast

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

What to do about Sarah Sanders? White House reporters have a few ideas. — Reporters have long approached White House press secretary Sarah Sanders with a trust-but-verify attitude, knowing full well that Sanders is tasked with spinning some of the more unspinnable statements made by her boss, President Trump.

Discussion: RedState and PJ Media Home

Katie Rogers / New York Times:
At a White House Tradition, Politics Color Everything but the Easter Eggs

Discussion: Joe.My.God., Splinter and IJR

David Nakamura / Washington Post: ‘You do great work’: Trump wages war on White House press corps but has soft spot for its photographers

Richard Sokolsky / Politico:

Trump Isn't Just Reversing Obama's Foreign Policies. He's Making it Impossible for His Successor to Go Back to Them. — Who says the Trump administration doesn't know what it's doing in the Middle East? — Sure, there's plenty of confusion, diplomatic malpractice and dysfunction in Trumpian foreign policy.

Discussion: Raw Story, Haaretz and Bloomberg

Suzanne Maloney / Brookings: As Trump moves to cut off Iran's oil revenues, what's his endgame?

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:

Unexpected Candor In The New York Times — Sen. Kamala Harris has a pen and a phone and she's not afraid to shriek into it! The NY Times explains that she won't pin her hopes for gun control on Congress and will rely on executive orders. They include this surprisingly candid assessment (my mockery):

Astead W. Herndon / New York Times:
Kamala Harris Proposes Executive Orders on Gun Control

Discussion: CNN and Fox News

Philly.com:

Joe Biden campaign launch back in flux, potentially delayed — WASHINGTON — Joe Biden's plans are in flux again. — If the former vice president does launch his presidential campaign this week, it won't involve a trip to Charlottesville, Va., and plans for potential public events …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Politico and Political Wire

Mike Allen / Axios:
Joe Biden will open his 2020 campaign by taking on Trump, not his Democratic opponents

Discussion: Joe.My.God.

Paul Kiernan / Wall Street Journal:

Herman Cain Withdraws From Federal Reserve Board Nomination Process — Executive blames salary, not Senate opposition, in a setback for Trump agenda for the central bank — WASHINGTON—Herman Cain withdrew from consideration for the Federal Reserve Board on Monday, saying he did so primarily …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Dealbreaker

Herman Cain:
The real reasons I withdrew from Fed consideration - direct from me, the only source you need

Discussion: Axios, The Hill, The Week, Vanity Fair, Vox, Roll Call, Outside the Beltway, Raw Story, Liberty Unyielding, New York Times and Politico

David Siders / Politico:

Biden, Beto falter in new progressive straw poll — Bernie Sanders has solidified his front-runner standing among members of the progressive political action committee Democracy for America, while Joe Biden and Beto O'Rourke have both fallen back sharply, according to the group's latest straw poll.

Discussion: Washington Post, Political Wire and Axios

Joseph Wulfsohn / Fox News:
Bernie Sanders says Boston Marathon bomber, sexual assaulters should be allowed to vote

Discussion: The Hill, Breitbart and CNN

Whitney Davis / Variety:

‘CBS Has a White Problem’: Executive Blasts Toxic Culture at Network in Explosive Letter — Last year, CBS hired two white-shoe law firms to conduct an independent investigation into alleged misconduct by then-CEO Leslie Moonves, as well as broader cultural issues at CBS.

more at Mediagazer »

BBC:

Donald Trump's state visit to the UK set for 3 June — US President Donald Trump will make a three-day state visit to the UK from 3 to 5 June, Buckingham Palace has announced. — The president and First Lady Melania Trump will be a guest of the Queen and attend a ceremony in Portsmouth to mark the 75th Anniversary of D-Day

Discussion: Breitbart, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Joe.My.God. and Political Wire

McClatchy Washington Bureau:

'There's still a lot of sexism': Dem leaders frustrated by double standards facing female candidates — Stephanie Schriock shudders when she remembers how critics reacted to Elizabeth Warren's 2020 campaign announcement, sharply questioning whether she was likable enough to become president.