memeorandum: The Unnerving Insecurities of Donald Trump (Conor Friedersdorf/The Atlantic)

3:05 PM ET, March 22, 2016

Top Items:

Deadly Explosions Bring Brussels Airport to a Halt — BRUSSELS — Two explosions killed at least one person and forced the evacuation of Brussels Airport around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the authorities and news reports, halting arrivals and departures.

BBC:

Brussels explosions: Airport and metro hit with ‘at least 13 killed’ — Several explosions have struck Brussels airport and the metro system, causing at least 13 deaths, Belgian media say. — Two blasts tore through the departures area of Zaventem airport shortly after 08:00 local time (07:00 GMT).

Aaron Rupar / ThinkProgress:

Donald Trump's Frightening Response To The Brussels Attacks — Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump is seizing upon the attacks in Brussels to again call for the Mexican border to be closed, Muslims to be banned from entering the country, and terrorism suspects to be waterboarded.

Discussion: Business Insider, NBC News, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, BizPac Review, Telegraph, Talking Points Memo, Mashable and WGN-TV

CNN:

2 explosions at Brussels airport, reports of several killed — Brussels, Belgium (CNN)[Breaking news update, posted at 4:44 a.m. ET] — An explosion has occurred at a subway station in Molenbeek, Brussels, according to CNN affiliate RTL. The station is near the European quarter.

Discussion: The Daily Signal, The Independent, NBC News, The Last Refuge, Guardian, The Long War Journal, The Daily Caller, The Other McCain, Friendly Atheist, Hot Air, WLS-AM 890, The New Civil Rights Movement, The Jawa Report, Bloomberg Business, Daily Kos and PerezHilton

Daily Mail:

BREAKING NEWS: At least 23 dead after ‘suicide bombers’ attack American Airlines check-in desk at Brussels Airport - as SECOND ‘terror attack’ hits Metro station near EU headquarters — Shouts ‘in Arabic’ heard before two explosions went off near the American Airlines check-in desk at 8am (7am GMT)

Discussion: Business Insider, AOL, alan.com, Jihad Watch, Vox Popoli and The Last Tradition

Ben Brody / Bloomberg Business:

Trump Calls for Border Closings, ‘A Lot More than Waterboarding’ After Attacks — “You have to get the information and you have to get it rapidly,” the Republican presidential front-runner said Tuesday morning following a series of deadly attacks in Brussels.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Politico, Vox, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Atlantic and ABC News

Mitch Prothero / BuzzFeed:

Belgian Authorities Overwhelmed By Terror Investigations — “It's literally an impossible situation,” one counterterrorism official told BuzzFeed News. — Michael Hastings Fellow — Reporting From — Brussels — BRUSSELS — Within minutes of a bomb blast at Brussels' main airport, mobile phone and internet networks crashed.

Discussion: Guardian, New York Times, CityLab, Business Insider, Center for Security Policy, The Week and Balloon Juice

Meghan Keneally / ABC News:

Who Is the Man in the Tan Jacket: Police Searching for Possible Suspect From Airport Blasts

Discussion: abc13.com and KTAR.com

Scott Stump / TODAY.com:
Donald Trump: Brussels is ‘catastrophic,’ waterboarding Paris suspect ‘would be fine’

Discussion: NBC News, Slate, Fox News Insider, WCMH-TV, Talking Points Memo, Associated Press, CNBC, KWQC-TV, ThinkProgress, AOL, The Week and WCBD News 2

Matthew Karnitschnig / Politico:
‘Why do they hate us so much?’ — How the Brussels attacks strike …

Discussion: Rush Limbaugh

Cortney O'Brien / Townhall.com:
Cruz: “We Don't Need Another Lecture on Islamophobia”

Discussion: Hot Air and The Daily Caller

Josh Rogin / BloombergView.com: Belgium Warned of Attacks. It Wasn't Enough.

Matthew Weaver / Guardian:
Brussels explosions: multiple casualties after airport and metro blasts - live

Discussion: Slate, Power Line, The Independent, Red Alert Politics, Raw Story, Hullabaloo, Washington Free Beacon and Balloon Juice

Daily Mail:
‘It was like the apocalypse.. you could see peoples’ …

Discussion: Politico, The Daily Caller and Independent Journal Review

Washington Post:
Blasts leave ‘scores’ dead at Brussels airport and metro station

Discussion: mormonnewsroom.org, CBS New York, Reuters, The Daily Beast, Hot Air and New York Magazine

David Wright / CNN:
Donald Trump: Brussels ‘just the beginning’

Discussion: Jihad Watch and BizPac Review

Danny Boyle / Telegraph:
Brussels attacks: 34 killed and hundreds wounded as Islamic State claims responsibility for airport …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Infowars

Jennifer Rankin / Guardian:
Brussels hit by explosions at Zaventem airport and Maelbeek metro station

Discussion: Salon, New York Times, Slantpoint and Daily Kos

Julian Hattem / The Hill:

AIPAC rebukes Trump for anti-Obama comments — The president of the pro-Israel lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) rebuked Donald Trump — on Tuesday, scolding him for his harsh comments about President Obama. — “Last evening, something occurred …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, USA Today, Washington Post, The New Civil Rights Movement and Politico

Joe Scarborough / Washington Post:
Can the media cover Trump minus the contempt?

Discussion: Wall Street Journal

Juan Cole / Informed Comment:
Hillary Clinton goes full Neocon at AIPAC, Demonizes Iran, Palestinians

Discussion: Salon, Common Dreams, Shadowproof, Washington Free Beacon, Balloon Juice, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Guardian

Aaron David Miller / Wall Street Journal:
At AIPAC, Unconventional Donald Trump Gave a Conventional Political Speech

Discussion: BloombergView.com, Guardian, Washington Post, Mondoweiss, Politico, Mediaite and Jewish Insider, more at Mediagazer »

Pema Levy / Mother Jones:

Ted Cruz Calls for Security Patrols in America's “Muslim Neighborhoods” — In the wake of the Brussels terror attacks Tuesday morning, GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz suggested that the United States “empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized.”

Discussion: Boing Boing, Occupy Democrats and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Eliza Collins / Politico:
Cruz calls for patrols of Muslim neighborhoods

Discussion: Joe.My.God.

Katie Glueck / Politico:
Cruz cites Brussels terrorism to attack Trump

Discussion: Associated Press and Political Wire

Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:
Ted Cruz Calls For Police To ‘Patrol And Secure Muslim Neighborhoods’

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Obsidian Wings and Guardian

MilitaryTimes:
American service member, family injured in Brussels attacks

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon

Rick Klein / ABC News:
Ted Cruz Calls for President Obama to Come Home or Go to Brussels

Discussion: Associated Press, Hit & Run, The New Civil Rights Movement, abc13.com and Politico

Post Opinions / Washington Post:

A transcript of Donald Trump's meeting with The Washington Post editorial board — BY POST OPINIONS STAFF March 21 at 6:04 PM — FREDERICK RYAN JR., WASHINGTON POST PUBLISHER: Mr. Trump, welcome to the Washington Post. Thank you for making time to meet with our editorial board.

Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic:
The Unnerving Insecurities of Donald Trump

Discussion: Washington Post, RedState, twitchy.com, Washington Monthly and Mother Jones

Karen Attiah / Washington Post:
I asked Trump a policy question. Then he called me ‘beautiful.’

Discussion: BloombergView.com, The Atlantic, Mother Jones, Guardian, The Lid, The Slot, Althouse, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Right Scoop, The New Civil Rights Movement, Mediaite, Oliver Willis and Mashable

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:

Trump Says He Will Delegate Supreme Court Appointments To The Heritage Foundation — Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, in an apparent bid to placate conservatives who fear that he could appoint an insufficiently ideological justice if elected president, plans to release a list of 5-10 names sometime in the next week.

Discussion: TIME, Right Wing Watch, The Bob and Chez Show and The New Civil Rights Movement

SSRN:

Why President Obama Has the Constitutional Power to Appoint—and Not Just Nominate—a Replacement for Justice Scalia — University of Illinois College of Law & University of Chicago Law School — Abstract: — After Justice Antonin Scalia's recent death, politicians wasted no time before teeing …

Discussion: Balkinization and Prairie Weather

Donovan Slack / USA Today:

Bill Clinton knocks ‘awful legacy’ of last 8 years — 10k Shares — Former President Bill Clinton, stumping on behalf of his wife in Washington state on Monday, urged people to vote for Hillary Clinton “if you believe we've finally come to the point where we can put the awful legacy of the last eight years behind us.”

Paul Bedard / Washington Examiner:
Strike 2: Bill Clinton again hits Obama and his ‘awful legacy’

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

David A. Fahrenthold / Washington Post:

Trump camp issues rare admission of error: Charity donation to Florida AG was a mistake … Aides to Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump said this week that his charitable foundation made a mistake when it donated $25,000 to a political committee backing Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Post On Politics

Maggie Severns / Politico:
Trump Foundation admits error in donation to Florida attorney general campaign

Discussion: RedState and International Business Times

Rick Madonik / Toronto Star:

Rob Ford, former Toronto mayor, dead after battle with cancer — Rob Ford, 46, seemed like an unstoppable political force, but the city councillor and former mayor could not beat cancer. — Former mayor Rob Ford, who was diagnosed with a rare cancer in 2014, would have turned 47 on May 28.

Discussion: KTLA, Boing Boing, Towleroad, The Week, The Daily Caller and PerezHilton

Christopher Massie / BuzzFeed:

Here's Bernie Sanders And A Radio Host Joking About Checking Out A Topless Woman — Which he then seamlessly turned into an economics answer. “Actually, I was trying to focus on a couple of other things. And what we were focusing on is the disappearance of the American middle class.”

Discussion: The Hill and The Week