memeorandum: Madison first in nation to pass ordinance protecting atheists (Matthew Simon/WISC-TV)

8:20 PM ET, April 1, 2015

Top Items:

Alyssa Marino / ABC57 News:

RFRA: First Michiana business to publicly deny same-sex service — A small-town pizza shop is saying they agree with Governor Pence and the signing of the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act. — The O'Connor family, who owns Memories Pizza, says they have a right to believe in their religion and protect those ideals.

Indianapolis Star:

Exclusive: ‘Religious freedom’ proposal with limited LGBT protections taken to Pence — Indiana Republican leaders are vetting the language with business leaders. — Indiana Republican leaders are vetting a deal with key business leaders that grants protection for gay and lesbian residents …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Politico, Hit & Run, Fox 59, Weekly Standard and Towleroad News #gay

TMZ.com:

Indiana Pizza Place — Forced to Close Doors After Refusing to Cater Gay Weddings — INDIANA PIZZA PLACE — Forced to Close Doors — AFTER REFUSING TO CATER GAY WEDDING — EXCLUSIVE — Memories Pizza — the first Indiana business to declare it would refuse LGBT business …

Discussion: National Review, Business Insider and San Diego Gay and Lesbian

Rich Juzwiak / Gawker:

Indiana Pizzeria Takes Brave Stand of Denying Gays Pizza for Weddings — Crystal O'Connor of Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana, has her finger on the pulse of what gays want at their weddings: pizza. But thanks to her home state's new Religious Freedom Restoration Act …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Right Wing Watch, Mediaite, The Daily Banter, Hit & Run, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, Liberaland, Raw Story, National Review and ABC News

New York Times:

Arkansas Governor Asks Lawmakers to Recall Religious Freedom Bill — LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Facing a backlash from businesses and gay rights advocates, Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas on Wednesday called on state lawmakers to either recall or amend legislation billed as a religious freedom measure …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Washington Post, New York Magazine, Washington Monthly, The American Conservative, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Outside the Beltway, Althouse and San Diego Gay and Lesbian

Eric Bradner / CNN:

Arkansas governor sends religious freedom bill back to legislators — Washington (CNN)Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says he does not plan to sign the religious freedom bill that sits on his desk right now, instead asking state lawmakers to make changes so the bill mirrors federal law.

Adam Wren / Politico:

The week Mike Pence's 2016 dreams crumbled — The Indiana governor, a potential GOP presidential candidate, is caught in a surprise culture war. — Lead image by AP Photo. — With the black marble of the Indiana House of Representatives behind him, Gov. Mike Pence in January trumpeted …

Discussion: ABC News, Washington Post, The Hill and Bloomberg Business

Tracy Walsh / Talking Points Memo:
David Letterman: ‘This Is Not The Indiana I Remember As A Kid’ (VIDEO)

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and Mediaite

Michael Warren / Weekly Standard:
February Poll: Majority Support Religious Right to Refuse Gay-Wedding Services

Discussion: Washington Post, Bloomberg Business and National Review

Michael Falcone / ABC News:
The Note: Obama's Latest Numbers

Discussion: abc7news.com, San Diego Gay and Lesbian, Booman Tribune and Associated Press

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:
Want Some Cheese With That Whine, Conservatives?

Discussion: The Federalist, Washington Post, alicublog and Booman Tribune

Ben Kamisar / The Hill:
Indiana governor backs down, calls for fix to religious law

Discussion: Firedoglake

Mark Berman / Washington Post:
Arkansas governor says he won't sign religious liberty bill, asks lawmakers to change it

Discussion: USA Today, Balkinization, NPR, The Atlantic Online and Mediaite

Matt Apuzzo / New York Times:

Senator Robert Menendez Indicted on Corruption Charges — WASHINGTON — Senator Robert Menendez was indicted on federal corruption charges on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press, setting the stage for a bitter court fight and putting his political future in doubt.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, National Journal, BuzzFeed, Gothamist, Outside the Beltway, Political Wire and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Wall Street Journal:

Justice Department Indicts Sen. Robert Menendez on Corruption Charges — New Jersey Democrat charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, honest services fraud — WASHINGTON—The Justice Department indicted Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey on corruption charges Wednesday …

Discussion: Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine, NPR, Mediaite and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Washington Post:

Sen. Robert Menendez indicted — Federal prosecutors unveiled a 13-count indictment Wednesday of Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), one of his party's leading voices on foreign affairs, charging him for official work that tried to benefit an eye doctor who gave the senators many gifts over their decades of friendship.

Discussion: Liberaland, CNN, Hot Air and Daily Kos

David Knowles / Bloomberg Business:
Take Heart, Robert Menendez: These 6 Senators Were Indicted But Later Acquitted

Discussion: Politico and TIME

Associated Press:
New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez indicted on corruption charges

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and The Week

Politico:

DOJ: No contempt charges for former IRS official Lois Lerner — The Justice Department will not seek criminal contempt charges against former IRS official Lois Lerner, the central figure in a scandal that erupted over whether the tax agency improperly targeted conservative political groups.

Discussion: Mediaite, Outside the Beltway, NPR, neo-neocon, Washington Post, The Right Scoop and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Darius Dixon / Politico:
House panel inquiring into former energy official's $1.7 million job

Discussion: The PJ Tatler

Erick Erickson / RedState:

Two Years Later, You'll Still Be Made to Care — In the last twenty-four hours, much of the mainstream media has shown itself perfectly willing to serve as agents of Satan (or should I use Moloch to make you feel better?). Most of the news anchors, reporters, and opinion writers of the press …

Discussion: Political Insider blog, The Right Scoop, BizPac Review, Booman Tribune and The American Conservative

Michele Bachmann / Facebook:

With his Iran deal, Barack Obama is for the 300 million souls of the United States what Andreas Lubitz was for the 150 souls on the German Wings flight - a deranged pilot flying his entire nation into the rocks. After the fact, among the smoldering remains of American cities, the shocked survivors will ask, why did he do it?

Discussion: Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, PoliticusUSA, Mashable, Business Insider and The Daily Caller

Stephen Peters / Human Rights Campaign Blog:

More Tech Industry Leaders Make Unprecedented & Historic Joint Statement to Legislators — Today, in response to a host of anti-LGBT bills pending or signed in to law in states around the country, tech industry leaders signed an unprecedented joint statement supporting the addition …

Discussion: Washington Blade, Freedom Indiana, The Hill and Mashable

Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:
Tech Leaders Call For States To Pass LGBT Protections, Ban Denial Of Services

Discussion: The Verge and New York Times

The White House:

Executive Order — “Blocking the Property of Certain Persons Engaging in Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities” — BLOCKING THE PROPERTY OF CERTAIN PERSONS ENGAGING IN — SIGNIFICANT MALICIOUS CYBER-ENABLED ACTIVITIES — By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution …

Discussion: Politico, New York Times and NPR

Barack Obama / Medium:
A New Tool Against Cyber Threats

Discussion: The Hill, The Verge, New York Times, White House.gov Blog, Mashable, The Daily Caller and VentureBeat

Guy Benson / Townhall.com:

MSNBC ‘Debate’ on Indiana Law: ‘Cut His Mic Off!’ — The Heritage Foundation's Ryan Anderson (with whom I happen to disagree on same-sex marriage) appeared on Ed Schultz's MSNBC program (cough) last night to discuss Indiana's religious freedom law, and the resulting conversation culminated …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, NPR, Daily Signal and Maggie's Farm

Los Angeles Times:

Brown orders California's first mandatory water restrictions: 'It's a different world' — Gov. Jerry Brown, standing on a patch of brown grass in the Sierra Nevada that is usually covered with several feet of snow at this time of year, on Wednesday announced the first mandatory water restrictions in California history.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boing Boing, The Week and Mediaite

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Cruz enters top tier of GOP hopefuls — PPP's newest Republican national poll finds that Ted Cruz has the big momentum following the official announcement of his candidacy last week. His support has increased from 5% to 16% in just over a month, enough to make him one of three candidates …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Daily Kos, No More Mister Nice Blog and Real Clear Politics

Jason Horowitz / New York Times:

Scott Walker, Allergic to Dogs, May Run Against Political History — Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin and his wife, Tonette, had planned to spend a recent Friday night at the Nashua home of Jennifer Horn, the New Hampshire Republican chairwoman. — Then he heard about Al, the Horns' beloved Dalmatian-Catahoula Leopard mix.

Discussion: Greenville News, BarbWire.com, Hot Air, OnPolitics, Fox News Insider, Althouse and New York Magazine

Matthew Simon / WISC-TV:

Madison first in nation to pass ordinance protecting atheists — Council made move in last meeting before spring election — As the current common council met for the last time Tuesday, members unanimously voted to make discriminating against atheism, and others who do not believe in God, illegal.

Discussion: JSOnline, Raw Story, ThinkProgress and NPR

Daily Mail:

EXCLUSIVE: Who needs Rosie O'Donnell? Monica Lewinsky tapped by Barbara Walters to bring the mojo back to The View and make it the ‘runaway success’ it once was — The grand dame of broadcasters believes that Monica Lewinsky has the right stuff to bring The View back from the brink

Discussion: Deadline, Mediaite, American Spectator and The Week