memeorandum: Rabbi warns Obama against appeasing Iran (Jordan Fabian/The Hill)

7:50 AM ET, March 31, 2015

Top Items:

Gov. Pence, fix ‘religious freedom’ law now — We are at a critical moment in Indiana's history. — And much is at stake. — Our image. Our reputation as a state that embraces people of diverse backgrounds and makes them feel welcome. And our efforts over many years to retool our economy …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Huffington Post, New York Times, Daily Kos, CBS Detroit, Politico, Raw Story, Advocate, Chicago, Towleroad News #gay and American Spectator

Mike Pence / Wall Street Journal:

Ensuring Religious Freedom in Indiana — Our new law has been grossly misconstrued as a ‘license to discriminate.’ That isn't true, and here's why. — By — Last week I signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, known as RFRA, which ensures that Indiana law will respect religious freedom …

Discussion: New York Magazine, Fox News, Washington Post, Advocate, Daily Kos, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, The Federalist, NBC News and ThinkProgress

Hugh Hewitt / The Hugh Hewitt Show:

Jeb Bush On The Indiana Law, Iran, and Hillary — Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is making a California swing this week, and came by the studio today: — Audio: — 03-30hhs-bush-1 — 03-30hhs-bush-2 — Transcript: — HH: I begin with a great drop-in guest, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush joins me in the studio.

Discussion: BREITBART.COM, McClatchy Washington Bureau, Business Insider, Washington Blade, Washington Post, New York Times and Bloomberg Business

Erik Eckholm / New York Times:

Eroding Freedom in the Name of Freedom — When the federal government adopted a religious protection act in 1993, same-sex marriage was not on the horizon. — An informal coalition of liberals and conservatives endorsed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act because it seemed to protect members …

Discussion: Washington Post and Josh Blackman's Blog

Tom Davies / Associated Press:

Indiana Lawmakers Try to Quiet Firestorm Surrounding New Law — Gov. Mike Pence called off public appearances Monday and sports officials planned an “Indy Welcomes All” campaign ahead of this weekend's Final Four as lawmakers scrambled to quiet the firestorm over a new law …

Discussion: Common Dreams

Ben Kamisar / The Hill:

Rubio backs religious freedom law — Likely presidential contender Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) backed Indiana's controversial religious freedom law, painting it as a necessary way to stop the government from forcing business owners to violate their religion. — “No one here is saying …

Discussion: The Right Scoop

Matt Wilstein / Mediaite:

Ben Carson Has a Hot Take on Indiana's ‘Religious Freedom’ Law — Remember when Ben Carson said he wasn't going to talk about gay rights issues anymore? — Well, apparently that does not apply to Indiana's controversial “religious freedom” law that would allow businesses to discriminate against LGBT customers.

Discussion: Washington Post and LGBT Georgia

ABC News:

GOP Presidential Hopefuls Back Indiana ‘Religious Freedom’ Law — Key Republican presidential hopefuls are backing Indiana's new Religious Freedom Restoration Act amid growing concern over possible discrimation against gays and lesbians when the law takes effect.

Discussion: New York Times, OnPolitics, Re/code, Raw Story and Slate

Emily Zanotti / American Spectator:
Wilco Cancels IN Show But Not Shows In 9 Other RFRA States

Discussion: WGN-TV

Alex Swoyer / BREITBART.COM:
EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Ben Carson: ‘Absolutely Vital’ Americans Stand Up For Indiana's Religious Freedom Law

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Charlotte Observer, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, USA Today, Washington Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Mediaite, Political Insider blog, Talking Points Memo and Bloomberg Business

Brian Eason / Indianapolis Star:
Ballard to legislature: Add sexual orientation as protected class

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Politico and Towleroad News #gay

Garrett Epps / The Atlantic Online:
What Makes Indiana's Religious-Freedom Law Different?

William C. Rhoden / New York Times: Off the Dribble and Into a Firestorm in Indiana

Sean Davis / The Federalist:
Connecticut's Governor Doesn't Understand His Own State's RFRA

Discussion: Washington Post, Boston Globe, WOOD-TV, Outsports, Daily Kos, The Lonely Conservative, The Daily Caller, “The Lid”, The Huffington Post, Towleroad News #gay, Mediaite, Hit & Run, IN Advance and Hot Air

Jonathan H. Adler / Washington Post:
What will the Indiana religious freedom law really do?

Discussion: New York Times, Bloomberg View, bizjournals, Hit & Run, American Spectator, The Last Tradition, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Rush Limbaugh, neo-neocon, Unicorn Booty, RedState, Hot Air, Althouse and protein wisdom

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

Rabbi warns Obama against appeasing Iran — Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a television host, author and political aspirant, will publish a full-page advertisement in The Washington Post on Tuesday urging President Obama not to “appease” Iran by signing a nuclear agreement.

Washington Post:

Poll: Clear majority supports nuclear deal with Iran — By a nearly 2 to 1 margin, Americans support the notion of striking a deal with Iran that restricts the nation's nuclear program in exchange for loosening sanctions, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Politico, The Hill, Political Wire, Power Line, The Times of Israel and Prairie Weather

Numbers / Pew Research Center for the People …:
More Approve Than Disapprove of Iran Talks, But Most Think Iranians Are ‘Not Serious’

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, ABC News and Hot Air

Lawrence Hurley / Reuters:

Supreme Court rejects free speech appeal over Cinco de Mayo school dispute — CBS Local - Officials in Morgan Hill are concerned about protesters converging at Live Oak High School on Cinco de Mayo, after a court upheld the school's decision to discipline students wearing American flag ...more t-shirts.

Discussion: Scared Monkeys

Lawrence Hurley / Reuters:
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Obamacare ‘death panel’ challenge

Discussion: Daily Kos and LifeNews.com

Tom Kludt / CNNMoney:

Andrew Sullivan: Blogging nearly killed me — For years, Andrew Sullivan blogged at a prolific rate. — His prodigious output was supplemented by dispatches from readers, public debates with fellow bloggers and ruminations on everything from the Geneva Conventions to “South Park.”

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Althouse, Politico, Washington Monthly, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Roger Ailes, more at Mediagazer »

Tina Nguyen / Mediaite:
Andrew Sullivan: I Stopped Blogging Because ‘It Was Killing Me’

Discussion: Liberaland

Washpostpr / Washington Post:

Publisher Frederick J. Ryan Jr. sends note to Washington Post staff about 2015 — Washington Post Publisher Frederick J. Ryan, Jr. sent the following note to staff today: — Dear Washington Post Colleagues, — This week will mark six months since you welcomed me to this extraordinary publication.

Discussion: Politico and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »

Jake Malooley / Chicago Reader:

Rahm Emanuel hates Illinois Nazis! — Like Jake Blues, Rahm Emanuel hates Illinois Nazis. — On July 9, 1978, a shirtless and sun-browned 18-year-old Rahm was among a group of Jewish people and other activists who gathered in Marquette Park on the city's southwest side to demonstrate …

Discussion: Chicago and Washington Post

National Journal:
If there is a viable alternative to Emanuel's approach, Garcia is not airing it.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Yahoo Politics

Gabriel Debenedetti / Politico:

Hillary Clinton advisers take early state tour — Hillary Clinton's campaign manager-in-waiting Robby Mook and Democratic operative Marlon Marshall are spending time in Iowa and New Hampshire this week, meeting with political influencers in the first two voting states in the presidential nominating process …

Steve Kornacki / msnbc.com:
The man who thinks he can beat Hillary

Discussion: Moe Lane, Liberal Values, RedState, Washington Post and Common Dreams

Spectrum:

Owner alters Barista's infamous bull — HURRICANE - Barista's bull, which has garnered heated complaints from residents in the Hurricane Valley area, suddenly changed — the genitalia has been removed. — Stephen Ward, owner of the restaurant, said he woke up Friday and realized the sculpture …

Discussion: Consumerist and BizPac Review

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:

The conspiracy theory around Harry Reid's exercise accident, explained — Byron York, chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner and Fox News contributor, has some questions about Harry Reid: … Behind this somewhat enigmatic tweet lies a rather elaborate conspiracy theory. @jhinderaker …

Discussion: The Lonely Conservative, Bloomberg View, Daily Kos, Hullabaloo, Balloon Juice, msnbc.com and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Annie Lowrey / New York Magazine:

Ellen Pao and the Sexism You Can't Quite Prove — A covert culture of discrimination is often the one that hurts women the most. — 10.5k — Shares — 9.3k — 1.1k — It happens all the time when my husband and I are at work events together. Cocktail Party Guy asks my husband …

CNN:

Man shot dead at Fort Meade after ramming main gate near NSA — Police investigating incident at NSA 02:53 — Story highlights — (CNN)Two men tried to ram the main gate to enter the headquarters of the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Maryland on Monday, according …