memeorandum: Gov. Rick Scott eyeing run for U.S. Senate (Adam C. Smith/Tampa Bay Times)

1:40 PM ET, March 18, 2015

Top Items:

Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:

Go Ahead, Ruin My Day — As the saying goes, “to err is human, to forgive is divine,” to which I'd add: “to ignore” is even more human, and the results rarely divine. None of us would be human if we didn't occasionally get so wedded to our wishes that we failed to notice — or outright ignored …

Discussion: Politico, Gawker and Hullabaloo

Jodi Rudoren / New York Times:

Netanyahu Soundly Defeats Chief Rival in Israeli Elections — TEL AVIV — After a bruising campaign focused on his failings, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel won a clear victory in Tuesday's elections and seemed all but certain to form a new government and serve a fourth term …

John Podhoretz / New York Post:

Netanyahu gambles his career and scores breathtaking victory — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech to supporters at party headquarters in Tel Aviv. — When it comes to elections, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu is the political equivalent of a scrambling quarterback.

Discussion: Commentary Magazine, Power Line, Wall Street Journal, Taylor Marsh, Scared Monkeys, Betsy's Page, Washington Free Beacon and Haaretz

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:

WH Avoids Congratulating Bibi — On CNN this morning, White House aide David Simas avoided congratulating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Israeli elections. Instead, he would only congratulate the Israeli people on having an election. — “We want to congratulate the Israeli people …

Discussion: Power Line, Washington Monthly, Hot Air, neo-neocon, The PJ Tatler, American Spectator, The Gateway Pundit and The Times of Israel

New York Times:

An Israeli Election Turns Ugly — Israel's election has done a lot to reveal the challenges facing the country and the intentions of the men who seek to lead it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's outright rejection of a Palestinian state and his racist rant against Israeli Arab voters …

Discussion: RedState, Common Dreams, Slate, Al Jazeera English, Guardian, Reuters, National Review, Washington Post, The Week, Politico, The Nation, Hot Air, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Lawfare

Kyle Balluck / The Hill:
Netanyahu wins big in Israeli election

Discussion: The Times of Israel, New York Times, Washington Post, Reuters and Shift Washington

Isabel Kershner / New York Times:
Netanyahu Vows to Work Quickly to Form New Government

Discussion: The Hill, Reuters, The Week, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Hit & Run

Dan Tuohy / UnionLeader.com:

Trump drops ‘Apprentice,’ will launch presidential exploratory committee — New Hampshire Union Leader — Donald Trump will launch a presidential exploratory committee Wednesday, the eve of the business mogul's return to New Hampshire. — A senior adviser tells the New Hampshire Union Leader …

Discussion: Politico, American Spectator, Bloomberg Business, Hot Air, CNBC, Hinterland Gazette, US News, Liberal Values, WMUR, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, TalkLeft, Chicago and New York Magazine

Dylan Byers / Politico:
NBC still planning for ‘Apprentice’, despite Donald Trump's presidential claims

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Political Wire, Business Insider and Mediaite

Steve Peoples / Associated Press:
Trump launching presidential exploratory committee

Discussion: Joe. My. God.

Vox:

We don't need to keep criminals in prison to punish them — America's prison state is a disaster. One percent of the adult population is behind bars, and corrections is squeezing higher education out of state budgets. We have five times as many people in prison as we ever had before 1980 …

Discussion: Marginal REVOLUTION and Booman Tribune

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:
What Happens After Prison: The Big Challenge in Criminal Justice Reform

Discussion: The Reality-Based Community

Erick Erickson / RedState:

Dear @ScottWalker, Liz Mair Is a Friend of Mine — Liz Mair works for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. She has been hired to do communications outreach. She is very good at her job. She is also a friend of mine. I have known Liz for a number of years. In 2012, Liz worked for Governor Rick Perry.

Discussion: National Review, Bloomberg Business, The Hill, Hot Air, Hit & Run, Radio Iowa, The Daily Caller, Mediaite and Twitchy

Associated Press:
Walker Aide Quits After Questioning Iowa's Role in Campaign

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, OnPolitics, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire and Bloomberg Business

newscenter.kraftfoodsgroup.com:

KRAFT FOODS GROUP VOLUNTARILY RECALLS SELECT CODE DATES AND MANUFACTURING CODES OF KRAFT MACARONI & CHEESE BOXED DINNERS DUE TO POSSIBLE METAL PIECES — Approx. 242,000 cases of the Original flavor with “Best When Used By” dates of September 18, 2015 through October 11, 2015 with “C2” directly below the date

Discussion: Tech Times, KFOR-TV, FOX2now.com, Food Safety News, CBS Miami, KTLA, Gothamist and CBS Boston

Tarek Amara / Reuters:

Gunmen attack Tunisian parliament, may have taken hostages: local radio — (Reuters) - Gunmen attacked Tunisia's parliament building on Wednesday, and security forces were surrounding two militants who may have taken hostages in a nearby museum, media and a government official said.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, Guardian, BarbWire.com and The Long War Journal

David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:
Tunisia Museum Attack Leaves 19 Dead; 2 Gunmen Killed in Firefight

Discussion: New York Magazine, Guardian and NPR

Frank Turek / Townhall.com:

Why the 14th Amendment Can't Possibly Require Same-Sex Marriage — The Supreme Court is about to decide if the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution requires the states to redefine marriage to include same sex relationships. There are several reasons why the answer is no.

Discussion: BarbWire.com

Laurie Goodstein / New York Times:
Largest Presbyterian Denomination Gives Final Approval for Same-Sex Marriage

Discussion: Advocate, BarbWire.com, The Huffington Post, Towleroad News #gay, Washington Post, Raw Story, Shakesville, The Week and Joe. My. God.

Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:
Marriage Equality Advocates Stall On Decision About Who Will Argue At Supreme Court

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Slate, Associated Press and Towleroad News #gay

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Mickey Kaus quits Daily Caller after Tucker Carlson pulls critical Fox News column — The blogger Mickey Kaus has quit his job at The Daily Caller after the conservative site's editor-in-chief, Tucker Carlson, pulled a critical column about Fox News from the site, Kaus told the On Media blog on Tuesday.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Moderate Voice, Talking Points Memo, Hit & Run, Poynter, The Huffington Post, Vox Popoli, The Other McCain, Mediaite, Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality, Roger Ailes, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Little Green Footballs, more at Mediagazer »

Ted Bridis / Associated Press:

US sets new record for denying, censoring government files — 1 photo — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration set a new record again for more often than ever censoring government files or outright denying access to them last year under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act …

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Washington Post, The Verge, Hit & Run, “The Lid” and The Week, more at Mediagazer »

Alice Ollstein / ThinkProgress:

Schools Plan Massive Layoffs After Scott Walker Guts Funding — This week, Wisconsin kicked off a series of hearings on Governor Scott Walker's proposed budget, which would slash about $300 million from the University of Wisconsin system over two years, funnel hundreds of millions to build …

Discussion: JSOnline

Burgess Everett / Politico:

Dem senator: Loretta Lynch forced to ‘back of the bus’ — The Senate's second-ranking Democrat accused Republicans of putting African-American attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch at “the back of the bus” when it comes to a Senate confirmation vote. — Dick Durbin of Illinois called it …

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Civilrights.org Latest Posts, The Week and Washington Free Beacon

Dylan Byers / Politico:

Glenn Beck ‘done’ with Republican Party — Glenn Beck, the conservative/libertarian radio host and media entrepreneur, said Wednesday that he is officially done with the Republican Party. — “I've made my decision - I'm out. I'm out of the Republican Party,” Beck said on his radio show.

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Mediaite and The Week

Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Ben Carson? — His chances of victory are minuscule, but he and other hard-right candidates will still be a headache for the G.O.P. in the 2016 primaries. Can mainstream Republicans stop him? Should they try? — Late in February, Dr. Ben Carson …

Discussion: The Huffington Post

CNN:

Poll: Hillary Clinton still tops in 2016 - CNN.com — Hillary Clinton continues to be a dominant force heading into the 2016 presidential election, according to a new CNN/ORC poll. The former secretary of state maintains a broad lead over the field of potential Democratic challengers …

Discussion: US News, Hinterland Gazette, TalkLeft, Bloomberg Business, Mediaite and Chicago