The Commentariat -- May 15, 2016

Matthew Nussbaum of Politico: "Elon Musks SpaceX had to sue before it got access to the Pentagon -- but now, as it promises to deliver cargo into space at less than half the cost of the military's favored contractor, it has pulled back the curtain on tens of billions in potentially unnecessary military spending. The entrenched contractor, a joint operation of Boeing and Lockheed Martin called the United Launch Alliance, has conducted 106 space launches all but flawlessly, but the cost for each is more than $350 million, according to the Government Accountability Office. SpaceX promises launches for less than $100 million.... Meanwhile, ULA is under investigation by the Pentagon for possible corrupt bidding practices and is preparing to lay off 25 percent of its workforce." -- CW

Paul Kane of the Washington Post: "Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.) on Saturday defended his use of a derogatory term toward Japanese in a cable-news appearance, saying that he was trying to critique the 'uninformed' views that presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump espouses. King, who supports Trump nominally but is refusing to campaign for him, said that his use of the word 'Japs' was meant to criticize the presidential candidate's policy positions as out of line with the 'nuance' required to be the leader of the free world and more in line with a working-class man at the end of a bar espousing his worldview. 'It was basically sarcasm, satire,' King said in a telephone interview Saturday. 'Is this what [Trump] seriously thinks, or is this the guy at the end of the bar?'... King characterized Trump's views like this: 'Oh, screw them, bomb them, kill them, pull out, bring them home. You know, why pay for the Japs, why pay for the Koreans?'" -- CW

American "Justice," Ctd. Dahlia Lithwick: "On Aug. 19, 2015, 24-year-old Jamycheal Mitchell was found dead in his cell at Hampton Roads Regional Jail in Virginia.... Multiple official investigations later -- and with the videotape of his last days in prison conveniently erased forever -- the official line appears to be that 'the system' was to blame.... Mitchell's story is both horrifying and somehow unremarkable. It exposes this country's grotesque tendency to warehouse the severely mentally ill in jails -- 10 times more of them are in jails and prisons than are in state psychiatric hospitals. But it also proves the horrendous abuse and neglect these people will suffer there." -- CW

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Tom Boggioni of the Raw Story: "Surprising as it may seem for such a 'hot take' or scoop or whatever you might call it, MSNBC's Mark Halperin, who is all over your TV as a 'senior political analyst,' waited until the Friday night to make the most stunning -- and dumb -- prediction of the 2016 election season." The prediction? That Hillary Clinton will chose "a prominent Republican woman" as her running mate. -- CW

Presidential Race

Jessie Hellmann of the Hill: "Tensions were high at the Democratic convention in Nevada Saturday, with Bernie Sanders supporters demanding delegate recounts, booing Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and causing other disruptions, according to local media reports. Sanders supporters were angry over a voice vote that adopted a set of temporary convention rules as the permanent rules, according to the Las Vegas Sun. And supporters also reacted angrily to the count of delegates attending the convention, which put Hillary Clinton at an advantage. Final numbers announced later in the day showed 1,695 Clinton supporters in attendance to Sanders's 1,662." -- CW

Evelyn Rupert of the Hill: "Hillary Clinton stretched her delegate lead over Bernie Sanders by two at Nevada's rowdy Democratic convention Saturday.... Clinton now has 20 Nevada delegates to Sanders's 15 when their new delegates are combined with those awarded after the caucuses. But there was immediate backlash as the results were announced, with many Sanders supporters calling foul over the reported exclusion of Sanders supporters from the process." -- CW

Los Angeles Times Editors: "... Clinton, for all her faults -- and they range from a penchant for secrecy to a willingness to modify her positions to suit the popular mood to a less-restrained view of the use of military force than we are entirely comfortable with -- is vastly better prepared than Sanders for the presidency. She has The Times' endorsement in the June 7 California Democratic primary." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

** Michael Cohen of the Boston Globe: "... in the thickets of Trump's statements..., there are the occasional views that should terrify every American -- and which speak openly to the threat that Trump represents to Americans' political freedoms. He's basically giving us a preview of how he will abuse his power as president.... What he's hinting at [in his attacks on Washington Post publisher Jeff Bezos] is that he would use the anti-trust division of the Justice Department to go after a newspaper publisher who writes stories that he doesn't like.This is a direct threat. And even if Trump has no intention of following through, he is clearly trying to intimidate Bezos and in turn The Washington Post from running negative stories about him. Indeed, Trump is trying to get Bezos to use his position as owner of the paper to influence the Post's coverage."

WCVB Boston: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren was the keynote speaker at Bridgewater State University's commencement Saturday.... After her address, Warren [said]..., 'I think that Donald Trump is a truly dangerous man.... There is some risk that he could be president of the United States." -- CW

Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "The casino magnate Sheldon G. Adelson told Donald J. Trump in a private meeting last week that he was willing to contribute more to help elect him than he has to any previous campaign, a sum that could exceed $100 million, according to two Republicans with direct knowledge of Mr. Adelson's commitment." -- CW

"The Mogul & the Babe." Maureen Dowd interviews Donald Trump. He is as gracious, humble & honest as ever. (And no, the headline does not refer to Dowd.)

Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Republican activists chose party unity over 'never Trump' resistance Saturday, with party leaders in one state after another pressuring their members [to] fall in line behind the presumptive nominee -- and even punishing those who refused.... In Nebraska, this meant overwhelming passage of a resolution that indirectly scolded conservative Sen. Ben Sasse for leading the #NeverTrump movement and scuttling a countermeasure to condemn 'degrading remarks toward women, minorities and other individuals' by presidential candidates. In Maryland, it meant the ouster of a veteran Republican committeeman -- Louis Pope -- by Citizens United chief David Bossie, a conservative activist who's close to Trump...." -- CW

Kyle Balluck of the Hill: "Donald Trump early Sunday blasted a report in The New York Times [linked here yesterday] about how he has treated women in private.... [Trump] called it a 'lame hit piece' on Twitter, adding that he provided 'many names' of women he helped that were not used in the article." -- CW

Nick Gass of Politico: Donald Trump "said he has spoken with Rudy Giuliani about heading a commission looking at immigration problems in the U.S." CW: Excellent. I feel reassured now. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

What American toddlers already have learned from Donald Trump:

Philip Rucker & Robert Costa of the Washington Post: "A band of exasperated Republicans -- including 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney, a handful of veteran consultants and members of the conservative intelligentsia -- is actively plotting to draft an independent presidential candidate who could keep Donald Trump from the White House. These GOP figures are commissioning private polling, lining up major funding sources and courting potential contenders.... The effort has been sporadic all spring but has intensified significantly in the 10 days since Trump effectively locked up the Republican nomination."

Dana Milbank eats his words. Literally, as they say. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jeff Greenfield in Politico Magazine: "Whether Trump or Clinton is elected, the new veep will be a weakling, eclipsed either by a massive ego or a super-powerful First Husband." -- CW

Beyond the Beltway

Alan Blinder of the New York Times: Charlotte, North Carolina, is not so fond of its former & once-popular mayor, Pat McCrory, now that he has become governor & a champion of gender discrimination. -- CW

News Ledes

New York Times: "Julius La Rosa, the celebrated 1950s singer who reinvented himself as a television, stage and nightclub performer after his young career was thrown into turmoil by a bizarre and humiliating on-the-air firing by Arthur Godfrey before a national audience, died on Thursday at his home in Crivitz, Wis. He was 86."

Washington Post: "Madeleine LeBeau, a French actress who fled Nazi-occupied Europe for Hollywood, where she made the best of a small role as the scorned girlfriend of Humphrey Bogart's Rick Blaine in 'Casablanca,' died May 1 in Estepona, Spain. She was widely reported to be 92." -- CW

The Commentariat -- May 14, 2016

Afternoon Update (Some things I didn't get to the morning!):

Los Angeles Times Editors: "... Clinton, for all her faults -- and they range from a penchant for secrecy to a willingness to modify her positions to suit the popular mood to a less-restrained view of the use of military force than we are entirely comfortable with -- is vastly better prepared than Sanders for the presidency. She has The Times' endorsement in the June 7 California Democratic primary." -- CW

Dana Milbank eats his words. Literally, as they say.

Nick Gass of Politico: Donald Trump "said he has spoken with Rudy Giuliani about heading a commission looking at immigration problems in the U.S." CW: Excellent. I feel reassured now.

*****

Kathleen Hennessey & Bradley Klapper of the AP: "Democrats may argue over whether places like Denmark and Norway are model societies. President Barack Obama is sure. Apparently well beyond concerns about being branded a socialist, Obama on Friday celebrated the five Nordic nations as examples of reliability, equality, generosity, responsibility, even personal happiness. As he welcomed the Nordic leaders to the White House, he owned up to thinking perhaps the small havens of social liberalism should take the reins every now and then":

This is on the official White House Website, a far cry from the days when President Obama was unwilling to ascribe Republican obstructionism to, um, Republicans:

Matters of Life and Death:

... Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post: "The Obama administration finalized a new rule Friday mandating that health insurers provide transgender patients with coverage for services and access to facilities even if those services were not traditionally covered or required by their expressed gender, as well as separate guidance calling on public schools to let transgender students access the bathrooms and facilities of their choice. The two moves, both of which have been in the works for more than a year, reflect the Obama administration's push to affirm transgender rights as a central civil-rights question for the current era. And they sparked an immediate backlash from conservatives on the state and federal level, who described the new measures as government overreach." CW ...

... Erik Eckholm of the New York Times: "The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced on Friday that it has imposed sweeping controls on the distribution of its products to ensure that none are used in lethal injections, a step that closes off the last remaining open-market source of drugs used in executions. More than 20 American and European drug companies have already adopted such restrictions, citing either moral or business reasons. Nonetheless, the decision from one of the world's leading pharmaceutical manufacturers is seen as a milestone." -- CW

... And Taxes. Rachel Bade of Politico: "House Republicans will start considering whether to impeach IRS Commissioner John Koskinen over accusations that he failed to comply with a subpoena and lied to Congress.... The House Judiciary Committee on Friday announced plans for two hearings over the next several weeks to examine the 'misconduct' of Koskinen. Republicans on the House Oversight Committee say the commissioner misled Congress about the status of sensitive emails regarding the IRS tea party scandal. Those documents were deleted during their probe of the scandal." CW: I don't think this has anything whatsoever to do with campaign season. Because Republicans are always sensible & everybody loves the IRS.

Presidential Race

Not Helpful. Nolan McCaskill of Politico: "Bill Clinton on Friday was forced -- once again -- to defend the 1994 crime bill he signed into law that has stoked the ire of protesters and dogged him and Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail. The former president, out stumping for his wife in Paterson, New Jersey, launched into a combative back-and-forth with an audience member, who pointedly asked Clinton, "Why did you put more people in prison?'" -- CW

Michael Barbaro & Megan Twohey of the New York Times: "The New York Times interviewed dozens of women who had worked with or for Mr. Trump over the past four decades.... Their accounts -- many relayed here in their own words -- reveal unwelcome romantic advances, unending commentary on the female form, a shrewd reliance on ambitious women, and unsettling workplace conduct, according to the interviews, as well as court records and written recollections." -- CW

Drumpf's Excellent Oppo Research Team. Olivia Nuzzi of the Daily Beast: "Roger Stone and his co-author Robert Morrow, along with Edward Klein, have produced books that amount to a treasure trove of opposition research for Trump. In hundreds and hundreds of pages they have revealed dark, personal secrets and transcripts of private conversations [Hillary] Clinton has had in the intimacy of her own home -- with family and friends and even with Steven Spielberg. Is anything they've written factual? Doesn't matter, really, when you've already accused Ted Cruz's dad of playing hacky sack with Lee Harvey Oswald and imagined a parade of Muslims celebrating the fall of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001." CW: Read on.

Callum Borchers of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump on Friday denied that the voice of 'John Miller' on a 25-year-old recording obtained by The Washington Post is, in fact, his own. Appearing on NBC's 'Today' show, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee disputed a Post report that he posed as his own spokesman under a fake name during a 1991 telephone interview with a reporter -- something he did habitually for years, often going as 'John Barron' as well.... During testimony in a [1990] lawsuit..., the real estate mogul was asked if he had ever used the name 'John Barron.' 'I believe on occasion I used that name,' Trump replied.... The liberal super PAC American Bridge posted a partial transcript of Trump's testimony Friday afternoon." A copy of the partial transcript is included in the story. -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

When was this, 25 years ago? Wow, you mean you're going so low as to talk about something that took place 25 years ago about whether or not I made a phone call I guess you'd say under a presumed name ... let's get on to more current subjects. -- Donald Trump, on the "Today" show, Friday

... Laura Clawson of Daily Kos: "Why are you asking me about stuff from 25 years ago, says the man who's made clear that one of his major lines of attack against Hillary Clinton will be over stuff her husband did in the 1990s. Her husband was the one who cheated, but hey, she was, says Trump, a 'nasty, mean enabler.' But while Clinton's response to her husband's actions is fair game as a campaign centerpiece, reporters asking Trump about his tawdry habit of pretending to be his own publicist is 'so low.'" -- CW ...

... Josh Marshall of TPM: "Muslim-smashin', Mexican-bashin' tough guy Donald Trump seems to have been caught red-handed denying that he impersonated a non-existent spokesman to tell reporters how awesome he is.... Trump denied this notwithstanding the fact that he admitted to doing this in a legal deposition years ago. The story was bubbling all day. But when The Washington Post (attack organ run by Trump Arch-Nemesis Jeff Bezos) confronted him with the deception on the phone, he first went silent on the reporters and then hung up. When the reporters called back they were told Trump wasn't available." -- CW

Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump said Friday that he doesn't believe voters have a right to see his tax returns, and insisted it's 'none of your business' when pressed on what tax rate he himself pays -- a question that tripped up Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential race. Mr. Trump made the comments in an interview on ABC's 'Good Morning America,' as he continued to try to answer questions about his change in explanations over the last year about why he won't release the taxes." -- CW (Also linked yesterday.) ...

... Gail Collins: "There's a great way for Donald Trump to grab the high road in this presidential race. All he has to do is announce he's going to pay for the campaign himself.... If Donald Trump announced he was going to keep special interests out of his campaign by paying for the whole damn thing himself, we would be so impressed that the tax return issue would completely disappear." -- CW ...

... Not Going to Happen. Julie Bykowicz of the AP: "The billionaire presidential candidate who prides himself on paying his own way and bashed his competition for relying on political donors now wants their money -- and lots of it. Donald Trump ... recently hired a national finance chairman, scheduled his first fundraiser and is on the cusp of signing a deal with the Republican Party that would enable him to solicit donations of more than $300,000 apiece from supporters. His money-raising begins right away." -- CW ...

... Ari Melber of NBC News: "... the new money Trump raises ... can also go directly into Trump's pocket, reimbursing him for his personal spending in the primaries.... That is because Trump almost never directly donates funds to his campaign. He has only spent about $317,000 of his own money outright. The rest of his personal spending is structured as a loan to the campaign, which now owes Trump $35.9 million.... After this article was published Friday, Trump said... 'I have absolutely no intention of paying myself back for the nearly $50 million dollars I have loaned to the campaign.'" CW: If you believe that, I've got a bridge to Queens I'll sell you for less than $50 million dollars.

CW: Steve M. agrees with me: Trump's flip-flops, or whatever they are, represent a strategy, not a flaw. And they work. "[Thurs]day we had this headline from CNN: 'Trump: Muslim Ban "Just a Suggestion."' At the same time, Trump was telling Fox's Greta Van Susteren that the Muslim ban isn't a suggestion -- he intends to impose it, if only temporarily. But lots of people heard what they wanted to hear -- fans still expect the ban, while centrist journalists and GOP Establishment figures got to say that that was all a lot of overheated rhetoric we shouldn't think about anymore." -- CW

Marie's Guide to Making Billions (out in paperback soon) -- Buy Trump for what he's worth & sell him for what he says he's worth.

There's that guy who'll walk into the bar and say anything to get laid. That's Donald Trump right now to a T. But it's all of us who are going to get fucked. Mark Cuban, Dallas Mavericks owner, Thursday ...

... Steve M.: "Judging from his latest column at CNN.com, [David] Gergen's almost ready for some hot Trump action.... He's definitely going to go to bed with Trump, as will much of the rest of the mainstream punditocracy." -- CW ...

... Gene Robinson: We are witnessing "a shameful parade of quislings. The most galling surrender may have been that of Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), who says he will support the nominee even though Trump cruelly ridiculed him for being shot down and captured during the Vietnam War. McCain's military service was a profile in courage; what he's doing now is not." -- CW

CW: Sheldon Adelson has an op-ed in the WashPo endorsing Donald Trump. I accidentally forgot to link it, & I'm sure I won't remember.

Beyond the Beltway

Megan Cassidy of the Arizona Republic: "A federal judge ruled& that ... Maricopa County[, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio] and three of his top aides violated a federal court order meant to curtail racial profiling in his agency, according to a ruling issued Friday. The civil contempt-of-court ruling from U.S. District Judge Murray Snow ... held Arpaio in contempt on three counts.... Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan was found in contempt on two counts, and retired Chief Brian Sands and Lt. Joe Sousa each were found in contempt of one." -- CW

Wesley Lowery, et al., of the Washington Post: "George Zimmerman wanted to sell the gun he says he used to kill Trayvon Martin. He finally found a website where he could do it, and the gun has gotten a lot of bids. Two were for $65 million.​ It seems likely that the bidding on UnitedGunGroup.com has been taken over by bogus buyers. ​The first $65 million bid was made by 'Racist McShootFace,' according to the Associated Press. It has since been taken down. Zimmerman ... listed the Kel-Tec PF-9 on UnitedGunGroup.com on Thursday after another website, GunBroker.com, pulled out, saying it wanted 'no part' in the sale of a firearm whose use in the fatal 2012 shooting sparked a nationwide debate over race relations and 'stand your ground' laws.... Todd Underwood, owner of UnitedGunGroup.com, confirmed that the gun was listed on his site, which Underwood called a 'pro-Second Amendment community' that was created this year after Facebook banned private gun sales." -- CW

Way Beyond

Jonathan Gilbert of the New York Times: "A judge in Argentina on Friday indicted former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and other officials on charges of manipulating the nation's Central Bank during the final months of her administration. Mrs. Kirchner and the officials are accused of entering into contracts to sell the Central Bank's dollars at below-market rates during her presidency in order to shore up the Argentine peso." -- CW

The Commentariat -- May 13, 2016

Afternoon Update:

Callum Borchers of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump on Friday denied that the voice of 'John Miller' on a 25-year-old recording obtained by The Washington Post is, in fact, his own. Appearing on NBC's 'Today' show, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee disputed a Post report that he posed as his own spokesman under a fake name during a 1991 telephone interview with a reporter -- something he did habitually for years, often going as 'John Barron' as well.... During testimony in a [1990] lawsuit..., the real estate mogul was asked if he had ever used the name 'John Barron.' 'I believe on occasion I used that name,' Trump replied.... The liberal super PAC American Bridge posted a partial transcript of Trump's testimony Friday afternoon." A copy of the partial transcript is included in the story. -- CW

Marie's Guide to Making Billions (out in paperback soon) -- Buy Trump for what he's worth & sell him for what he says he's worth.

Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump said Friday that he doesn't believe voters have a right to see his tax returns, and insisted it's 'none of your business' when pressed on what tax rate he himself pays -- a question that tripped up Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential race. Mr. Trump made the comments in an interview on ABC's 'Good Morning America,' as he continued to try to answer questions about his change in explanations over the last year about why he won't release the taxes." -- CW

*****

Getty image, via MAG.... Julie Davis & Matt Apuzzo of the New York Times: "The Obama administration is planning to issue a sweeping directive telling every public school district in the country to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms that match their gender identity. A letter to school districts will go out Friday, fueling a highly charged debate over transgender rights in the middle of the administration's legal fight with North Carolina over the issue. The declaration -- signed by Justice and Education Department officials -- will describe what schools should do to ensure that none of their students are discriminated against." -- CW

** David Corn of Mother Jones: "Anthony Senecal, who worked as Donald Trump's butler for 17 years before being named the in-house historian at the tycoon's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, has repeatedly published posts on his Facebook page that express profound hatred for President Barack Obama and declare he should be killed.... Senecal regularly posts screeds on his Facebook page from a far-right perspective in which he decries Obama and his wife -- along with Hillary Clinton, other Democrats, and Republican leaders.... Several times he has called for the president's execution. He confirms that he has written all the posts on the page that have appeared under his name. 'It's all me,' he says." -- CW ...

... Elahe Izadi of the Washington Post: "The longtime former butler to ... Donald Trump called for President Obama to be killed, and now the Secret Service said it will conduct an investigation.... 'The U.S. Secret Service is aware of this matter and will conduct the appropriate investigation,' agency spokesman Robert Hoback said in an email Thursday. The Trump campaign denounced Senecal's messages and distanced itself from the former butler at ... Mar-a-Lago...." -- CW ...

... Asewin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast: "Donald Trump's longtime butler wants President Obama killed -- thinks Hillary Clinton is a 'LYING DECEIVING C**T !!!!!!!' and that Ferguson, Missouri, should be 'carpet bombed.'" Also, too, he hates "negroes." "In March, Senecal was profiled by The New York Times, which noted that 'few people here can anticipate Mr. Trump's demands and desires better than Mr. Senecal,' and that he 'seems to reflect his boss's worldview [in that he] worries about attacks by Islamic terrorists and is critical of Mr. Trump's ex-wives.' As Mother Jones notes, the lengthy profile does not mention his social-media rants." CW: Nice work, Jason Horowitz of the NYT! P.S. It isn't a "profile" if you wrap the guy in sugar & omit little facts like, "wants to kill the president" & and all the "negroes." It's a hagiography. Or a cover-up. ...

... Steve M.: A "doctored photo of Michelle Obama in a teal dress [with a penis bump] also shows up on the Facebook page of Robert Morrow, the half-insane Obama- and Clinton-hater (and current chair of the Republican Party in Travis County, Texas) who co-authored a book with Trump pal Roger Stone called The Clintons' War on Women." CW: This is Trump's "brain trust," but you're not going to read that in the New York Times, either.

Matthew Daly of the AP: "The Obama administration issued a final rule Thursday to sharply cut methane emissions from U.S. oil and gas production, a key part of a push by President Barack Obama to reduce methane emissions by nearly half over the next decade. The rule by the Environmental Protection Agency is the major element of an administration goal to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas drilling by up to 45 percent by 2025, compared to 2012 levels." -- CW

Sarah Kliff of Vox: "Former House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) filed a lawsuit last July contending that the White House had broken the law by giving insurance companies money that Congress hadn't authorized. DC District Court Judge Rosemary Collyer ruled Thursday that the House Republicans were right: The Obama administration does not have legal authority to provide low-income Obamacare enrollees with subsidies to help pay their deductibles and co-payments. The ruling is not final; the Obama administration will near certainly appeal this ruling to an appellate court. But if other courts were to find in the Republicans' favor, and the decision to hold, it would have sweeping implications, significantly reshaping the relationship between the executive and legislative branches and striking a significant blow against the people Obamacare was designed to help." CW: Collyer is a Bush II appointee & is the chief judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Spencer Hsu, et al., of the Washington Post: "The judge's logic drew a quick rebuke from White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, who called the lawsuit a new low in the battle over the controversial health care law and predicted the ruling would be overturned by the courts because it charted new ground in the separation of powers between presidents and Congress. 'This suit represents the first time in our nation's history that Congress has been permitted to sue the executive branch over a disagreement about how to interpret a statute,' Earnest said." -- CW

Mike Isaac of the New York Times: "Facebook ... published internal editorial guidelines on Thursday, the company's latest attempt to rebut accusations that it is politically biased in the news content it shows on the pages of its 1.6 billion users. The 28-page document details how both editors and computer algorithms play roles in the process of picking what should appear in the 'Trending Topics' section of users' Facebook pages." CW ...

... Sam Thielman of the Guardian: "Leaked documents show how Facebook ... relies on old-fashioned news values on top of its algorithms to determine what the hottest stories will be for the 1 billion people who visit the social network every day.... This week the company was accused of an editorial bias against conservative news organizations, prompting calls for a congressional inquiry from the US Senate commerce committee chair, John Thune [R-S.D]. -- CW ...

... Hanna Trudo of Politico: "Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants to meet with influential conservatives to discuss concerns about the alleged suppression of right-leaning stories on the social media website." -- CW

Missy Ryan of the Washington Post: "American Special Operations troops have been stationed at two outposts in eastern and western Libya since late 2015, tasked with lining up local partners in advance of a possible offensive against the Islamic State, U.S. officials said. Two teams totaling fewer than 25 troops are operating from around the cities of Misurata and Benghazi to identify potential allies among local armed factions and gather intelligence on threats, according to the officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive mission overseas." -- CW

Philip Shenon of the Guardian: "A former Republican member of the 9/11 commission ... said Wednesday he believes there was clear evidence that Saudi government employees were part of a support network for the 9/11 hijackers and that the Obama administration should move quickly to declassify a long-secret congressional report on Saudi ties to the 2001 terrorist attack. The comments by John F Lehman, an investment banker in New York who was Navy secretary in the Reagan administration, signal the first serious public split among the 10 commissioners since they issued a 2004 final report that was largely read as an exoneration of Saudi Arabia, which was home to 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11." -- CW

The Incremental Pope. Elisabetta Povoledo & Laurie Goodstein of the New York Times: "Pope Francis suggested on Thursday that he was open to studying whether women can serve as deacons in the Roman Catholic Church, revealing an openness -- if nothing else -- to re-examining the church's long-held insistence on an all-male clergy. The pope's comments were made during an assembly of leaders of female Catholic religious congregations, and were consistent with his off-the-cuff style: a seemingly impromptu remark that opened a broad horizon of possibilities...." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Presidential Race

This Week in Liberal Hillary, Part 1. Ylan Mui of the Washington Post: "Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton said she would support changes to the top ranks of the Federal Reserve, an issue recently championed by progressive groups amid debate over how long the central bank should keep supporting the American economy.... In a statement to The Washington Post, Clinton's campaign said she supports removing bankers from the boards of directors and increasing diversity within the Fed." -- CW

This Week in Liberal Hillary, Part 2. Danielle Paquette of the Washington Post: "Hillary Clinton this week unveiled her vision for more quality child care in the United States, a lofty plan that includes raising pay for the industry's workers. But the boldest idea targets parents, who now face day-care costs that rival college tuition. Clinton wants to cap that expense at 10 percent of a household's income." -- CW

Jose DelReal & Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan struck a conciliatory tone after meeting in Washington Thursday, seeking to ease tensions that flared last week when Ryan said he is not ready to endorse [Trump].... 'While we were honest about our few differences, we recognize that there are also many important areas of common ground,' Trump and Ryan (R-Wis.) said in a joint statement...." -- CW (Also linked yesterday.) ...

... Jennifer Steinhauer & Alexander Burns of the New York Times: "Significant fissures remain between Mr. Trump and Republican congressional leaders: Mr. Ryan reminded him privately that many voters opposed him in the primaries, and in a separate meeting with senators, several lawmakers urged Mr. Trump to moderate his tone on immigration.... Mr. Ryan gave no public signal that he was poised to back Mr. Trump, and two people briefed on their private meeting said they did not discuss a possible endorsement." -- CW ...

... Rachel Bade of Politico: "One of Donald Trump's top allies in Congress slammed the presumptive GOP nominee after he failed to meet with rank-and-file lawmakers backing his campaign during his ballyhooed trip to Capitol Hill on Thursday. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) told Politico that Trump refused multiple requests to meet with members of Congress working to round up support for him in Washington. 'There is no reason not to have as many people on your side as you can ... and he missed a real opportunity here.'" -- CW ...

     ... digby: "Poor Duncan. The first endorser always does the heavy lifting in the beginning and then gets dumped for a sexier leader once his candidate makes it to the top.... But come on, Dunc had to know Trump was that kind of guy. Just ask Ivana." -- CW ...

... "Weasel Words." Ed Kilgore: "As political theater, the 'summit' between Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan was first-rate.... The 'joint statement' the two men issued after a meeting in the presence of RNC chairman Reince Priebus was a quick espresso shot of nothingness topped with pious hopes for 'unity.' It left everyone free to interpret it as they wish. Like a truce between Roman generals and a barbarian chieftain in late antiquity, the 'summit' will probably be regarded by each side as representing the first stage in the other's surrender." -- CW

Paul Krugman on "Trump & Taxes" -- Trump's own & his "plan." CW: Krugman is an opinion writer, of course, but the things he reveals about Trump are the sorts of things that should appear in straight news pieces. All the time. Everywhere. But, as Krugman points out, the media will hide Trump's ignorance & lies. ...

... Jackie Calmes of the New York Times: "After days of confusion over Donald J. Trump's hints that he would change his tax plan to reduce its budget-busting cost and make it less generous to the rich, his spokeswoman on Thursday sought to clear things up: He plans no changes, Hope Hicks said, and advisers who say otherwise do not speak for him. One of those advisers, Stephen Moore of the Heritage Foundation, had his own response: 'I'm a little bummed out if his spokeswoman says they're not going to make any changes to the plan.'" ...

... CW: I'll admit that many of the Trump campaign's flipflops are a function of his & his staff's remarkable ignorance, but it's also fair to say that "confusion" isn't a flaw in Trump's candidacy; it's a strategy. Unlike Paul Ryan, for instance, Trump isn't very good at doublespeak, so his feints are comparatively crude, but his purpose is always to pretend he's on your side, whatever side that may be. ...

... Jonah Shepp of New York agrees: "Like everything else in Trump's world, tax policy is whatever you want it to be, baby. Just as long as he doesn't have to show anyone the taxes he himself has been paying." CW: Or not paying.

Jenna Johnson of the Washington Post: "As headlines popped up this week declaring that Donald Trump had softened his position on banning most foreign Muslims from entering the United States, some Republicans celebrated the news. Except that Trump has not actually walked anything back.... [He] still wants to ban nearly all ...[Muslims] from entering the United States in an effort to prevent terrorist attacks." ... CW

Marc Fisher & Will Hobson of the Washington Post: "A recording obtained by The Washington Post captures what New York reporters and editors who covered Trump's early career experienced in the 1970s, '80s and '90s: calls from Trump's Manhattan office that resulted in conversations with 'John Miller' or 'John Barron' -- public-relations men who sound precisely like Trump himself -- who indeed are Trump, masquerading as an unusually helpful and boastful advocate for himself, according to the journalists and several of Trump's top aides." -- CW

A Man, a Plan, Panama, and Oops...Telesur, the Latin American television network" "... Donald Trump has been linked to anonymous companies created by the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, according to documents released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists known as the ICIJ.... The leaked documents show that the Trump empire is linked to 32 offshore companies, including the real estate project Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower in Panama. His name appears 3,540 times in the database, but according to media reports that doesn't mean he is directly involved since Trump has sold his name to other investors in different countries." -- Akhilleus (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

** Nancy LeTourneau of the Washington Monthly: "Back in 2013, Steve Benen came up with the perfect way to describe the current iteration of Republicanism: post-policy nihilism. After the disastrous Bush administration, it was demonstrated that Republican policies - both foreign and domestic - were complete and utter failures. In response, rather than re-think those policies, conservative leaders drafted a plan of total obstruction to anything President Obama and the Democrats attempted to do. In order to get their base on board with that plan, they fanned the flames of fear and racism ... that is what took the place of actual policies. It should therefore come as no surprise to anyone that ... [Donald Trump] is running a post-policy campaign based on fear and racism. It is why none of the other contenders for the Republican nomination could ever lay a hand on him. Their choice was to either defend the failed policies of the Bush administration or challenge the fear and racism that animated his supporters - either option was doomed to fail." -- CW

Tim Egan: "The ascendancy of Trump is part of a great debate on the best route to achievement, pitting talented know-nothings against less-flashy long-sloggers. Malcolm Gladwell refined much of this conversation with his book 'Outliers,' popularizing the idea that 10,000 hours of deliberate practice are needed before you can become really good at some things. Achievement 'is talent plus preparation,' Gladwell wrote." CW: Trump has neither talent for governing nor preparation.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Todd Gittlin in the Washington Post: Donald Trump has "cracked campaign reporters' code. And if they don't want to get rolled again in the general election, journalists have to change tactics.... Trump regularly runs circles around interviewers because they pare their follow-up questions down to a minimum, or none at all. After 30-plus years in the media spotlight, he knows how to wait out an interviewer, offering noncommittal soundbites and incoherent rejoinders until he hears the phrase, 'let's move on.' He takes advantage of the slipshod, shallow techniques journalism has made routine, particularly on TV...." CW: Meant to link this yesterday.

Beyond the Beltway

Freida Frisaro of the AP: "An online auction was halted without explanation Thursday for the pistol that former Florida neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman used to kill unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. The weapon was removed from the GunBroker.com website, minutes after the auction was to begin. It was not immediately clear why the website took down the listing." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Benjamin Weiser & Vivian Yee of the New York Times: "Dean G. Skelos, the once powerful Republican majority leader of the New York State Senate who was convicted with his son in December on federal corruption charges, was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday." -- CW