memeorandum: Why the Trump administration has so many vacancies (Andrew Restuccia/Politico)

3:20 PM ET, April 11, 2017

Top Items:

Alexander Smith / NBC News:

Eric Trump Says Syria Strike Was Swayed By ‘Heartbroken’ Ivanka — Donald Trump's decision to bomb Syria was influenced by his daughter, Ivanka, being “heartbroken and outraged” at the country's alleged chemical weapons attack, one of the president's sons told a British newspaper.

Discussion: Joe.My.God., Talking Points Memo, Daily Wire, Telegraph, Hot Air, ABC News, Politico, Politicus USA, New York Magazine, Daily Kos, Infowars, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit and Political Wire

Simon Johnson / Telegraph:

Ivanka Trump encouraged my father to launch air strikes against Assad in Syria after chemical weapons attack, says Eric Trump — Eric Trump has said he is “sure” his sister Ivanka used her influence over their father to encourage the US president to launch military action against Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Discussion: CNN, RedState, ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, KTLA, Sputnik International, New York Magazine, RT and IJR

Julie Hirschfeld Davis / New York Times:

White House Accuses Russia of Cover-up in Syria Chemical Attack — WASHINGTON — The White House on Tuesday accused the Russian government of engaging in a cover-up of the chemical weapons attack last week by Syrian forces that prompted American airstrikes, saying that United States intelligence …

Discussion: UPI, IJR and Associated Press

Eli Lake / Bloomberg:

What Reset? White House to Call Out Russia's Fake News on Syria — President Donald Trump's Russian reset is in big trouble. — That's one message of a four-page dossier on the Syrian government's April 4 chemical weapons attack that killed up to 100 people and injured many more.

Discussion: Hot Air

Mark Hensch / The Hill:

Putin: US plans to fake chemical weapons in Syria — Russian President Vladimir Putin will reportedly press the United Nations to officially investigate last week's chemical attack in Syria, claiming, without evidence, that there are plans to fake the use of chemical weapons.

Discussion: RedState, ABC News, Politico, CNN and Reuters

Louis Nelson / Politico:
Spicer claims even Hitler didn't use chemical weapons against his people

Discussion: ABC News

James Hohmann / Washington Post:
The Daily 202: Reflexive partisanship drives polling lurch on Syria strikes

Discussion: Politico, New Republic, New York Magazine, al.com, Friendly Atheist, The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, Axios, Latest from Crooks and Liars, Shareblue and Salon

New York Times:
On Trump's Syria Strategy, One Voice Is Missing: Trump's

Discussion: The Atlantic, NPR, The Daily Caller, Vox, Washington Post, Infowars, Just Security, New York Magazine and Politicus USA

Matthew Rozsa / Salon:
Eric Trump: Donald Trump bombed Syria because Ivanka told him to

Discussion: The Daily Caller, CNBC, Balloon Juice and Axios

RT:
Idlib ‘chemical attack’ was false flag to set Assad up, more may come - Putin

Discussion: Breitbart, RedState, New York Magazine, Politico and The Gateway Pundit

Elizabeth Preza / Raw Story:
Eric Trump is ‘sure’ Ivanka encouraged their father to strike Syria: 'I think that's a great thing'

Discussion: Telegraph, ThinkProgress and Sputnik International

Justin Bachman / Bloomberg:

United Airlines Tumbles After Social-Media Storm Goes Global — Passenger's removal becomes trending item on Chinese platform — Carrier's CEO says man was ‘disruptive’ and ‘belligerent’ — United Continental Holdings Inc. tumbled early Tuesday as outrage on social media over the removal …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Daily Mail:

PICTURED: The internal medicine specialist father-of-five who was beaten and dragged off an overbooked United flight as CEO pens ‘tone deaf’ email DEFENDING staff — The 69-year-old Vietnamese-American is married to a pediatrician who has a clinic in Elizabethtown, Kentucky - about 40 miles south of Louisville

Discussion: New York Post, Heavy.com, Washington Times, View from the Wing, Raw Story, Hollywood Life, Joe.My.God., IJR and TMZ.com

CNBC:

United shares slide as PR nightmare catches up with investors — The airline's stock had climbed nearly 1 percent Monday, not reacting much initially to the internet's response to an ugly video of a passenger being dragged off an overbooked flight. — Shares of United Continental slipped …

Discussion: The Ring of Fire Network and twitchy.com

Melanie Zanona / The Hill:
Petition calls for United CEO to resign after passenger dragged off flight

Discussion: Politico and The Daily Caller

Avi Selk / Washington Post:
United CEO, facing boycott calls, defends booting passenger so crew could take his seat

Discussion: Vox, View from the Wing, Courier-Journal, Media Matters for America, The Federalist and Hollywood Life

Matt Rosoff / CNBC:
United CEO doubles down in email to employees, says passenger was ‘disruptive and belligerent’

Discussion: USA Today, The Guardian, twitchy.com, New York Magazine, Power Line, IJR, Refinery29, New York Times and The Atlantic

TMZ.com:
Convicted of Exchanging Drugs for Sex

Discussion: RedState, Courier-Journal, Hollywood Life, IJR, The Daily Caller, twitchy.com and AOL

CNN:
Man filmed being dragged off United flight causes outrage in China

Discussion: CNNMoney, The Guardian and The Daily Caller

New York Times:
Video of United Airlines Passenger Creates Furor in China, Too

Discussion: Washington Post, Infowars, The Stranger …, CNN, PinkNews, en.people.cn, CNNMoney, Hit & Run, Mediaite, FOX News Radio, New York Magazine, IJR, Daily Wire, CBS Chicago, The Guardian, ThinkProgress, CBS New York, Joe.My.God., Townhall.com, RedState and CBS Boston

Victor Reklaitis / MarketWatch:
United's stock is falling 3.1% and wiping $700million off the airline's market cap

Discussion: Heat Street, Mediaite, BGR, RT and Patterico's Pontifications

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:

Donald Trump and Paul Ryan are the problem — a staff shake-up won't fix anything — It's not Steve Bannon's fault the GOP's policy agenda is incoherent. — The Trump administration knows it hasn't gotten off to a very impressive start, with Shane Goldmacher reporting that officials …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Balloon Juice and ABC News

Eliza Collins / USA Today:

Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows pursues health care deal with Speaker Ryan — HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. — Rep. Mark Meadows intends to deliver an Obamacare repeal and replacement plan to House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., on Tuesday that would leave in place the existing law's mandates …

Discussion: Political Wire and Axios

Tom LoBianco / CNN:
House Freedom Caucus member Justin Amash suggests time for Ryan ouster, blasts Trump

Discussion: The Hill, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Infowars and rubber hose

Julie Hirschfeld Davis / New York Times:

The Latest Test for the White House? Pulling Off Its Easter Egg Roll — WASHINGTON — President Trump received an urgent warning in February, informing him of a crucial date he was about to miss. — “FYI manufacturing deadlines for the Easter eggs are near,” said a Twitter post directed at Mr. Trump …

Discussion: Progress Pond, Heat Street, Mother Jones, Washington Post, The Slot, Raw Story and twitchy.com

Jim O’Sullivan / BostonGlobe.com:

Remember Mitt Romney's ‘binders full of women?’ They're real. And we got them. — In the world of important political documents — from the Magna Carta to the Pentagon Papers — there are also those known for more pedestrian reasons. Count Mitt Romney's “binders full of women” in that category.

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, National Review, Axios, New York Magazine and The Daily Caller

Ed O'Keefe / Washington Post:

Schumer: If Trump doesn't release his tax returns, 'it's going to make tax reform much harder' — Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) is warning that President Trump needs to release his personal tax returns if he hopes to achieve comprehensive tax reform in the coming months.

Discussion: New York Post, Daily Kos, The Daily Caller, FOX News Radio, ABC News, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, RT, New York Times and rubber hose

Reuters:
Exclusive: North Korean ships head home after China orders coal returned

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Washington Times, FITSNews and Hot Air

Samuel Osborne / The Independent:

US election ‘hacking’: Russian man arrested in Spain at request of American authorities — Arrested man reportedly told wife he had created a computer virus 'linked to Trump's election win' — An alleged Russian hacker has been arrested in Spain at the request of American authorities.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice and Israpundit

Rich Lowry / New York Post: Turns out Obama was the real Russian stooge

Maya T. Prabhu / Post and Courier:

Attendees chant ‘you lie’ at U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson during Graniteville town hall … GRANITEVILLE — U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson received some protests Monday like other Republican congressmen nationwide during town halls this year, getting drowned out at times with loud boos and receiving 30 seconds of “You Lie” chants.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Fox News Insider, Washington Times and Balloon Juice

Sean Trende / Real Clear Politics:

Does Kansas Special Election Signal Trouble for GOP? — Since the inauguration of Donald Trump, speculation has abounded as to whether his unpopularity could drag down the Republican House majority in 2018. We've seen massive protests in liberal enclaves, but we haven't had a whole lot …

Discussion: NPR, New York Magazine and Raw Story

Bryan Lowry / Kansas City Star:
Republicans sweat surprisingly close Kansas congressional race

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Mother Jones, Associated Press, RT, FiveThirtyEight, Common Dreams, NBC News, Washington Post, CNN, Wichita Eagle, Talking Points Memo, AOL, Vox, The Cook Political Report, Shareblue, The Nation, Politicus USA and Balloon Juice

Judy Kurtz / The Hill:

Ginsburg refers to Graham as one of ‘the women of the Senate’ — Ruth Bader Ginsburg appears to have been caught up in a gender-swapping snafu, mistakenly dubbing Sen. Lindsey Graham — (R-S.C.) one of the “women of the Senate.” — The 84-year-old Supreme Court justice delivered remarks …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and twitchy.com

Jacqueline Alemany / CBS News:

Pennsylvania congressman to be named drug czar by Trump — Pennsylvania Congressman Tom Marino is expected to step down from his seat to take on a new role in the Trump administration. Multiple sources tell CBS News that Marino will head up the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), assuming the informal title of drug czar.

Ashe Schow / Watchdog.org:

Texas student commits suicide after Title IX kangaroo court — If every other egregious example of a male student denied due process after being accused of sexual misconduct gets ignored - this one should not be. — A male student who was accused of sexual harassment committed suicide …

Discussion: The Other McCain, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hot Air and Instapundit

Aruna Viswanatha / Wall Street Journal:

Undocumented Immigrants Who Commit Crimes Face Tougher Policy — Attorney General Jeff Sessions wants to add 125 judges to address a backlog of immigration cases — Attorney General Jeff Sessions directed federal prosecutors to pursue harsher charges against undocumented immigrants who commit crimes …

Discussion: twitchy.com

Maya Lau / Los Angeles Times:

He was a pastor and a gentleman: ‘She thought she had a wonderful husband’ — A school shooting has left San Bernardino reeling from violence once again. (April 11, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR) — Karen Smith tied the knot in January with a man she had known for years.