memeorandum: Donald Trump's first 100 days have been a big success — at least when it comes to vicious racist policies (Sean McElwee/Salon)

2:10 AM ET, May 1, 2017

Top Items:

Mark Landler / New York Times:

Trump's ‘Very Friendly’ Talk With Duterte Stuns Aides and Critics Alike — WASHINGTON — When President Trump called President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines on Saturday, the American leader's national security aides saw it as part of a routine diplomatic outreach to Southeast Asian leaders.

Discussion: Althouse, Joe.My.God. and Political Wire

Sarah Westwood / Washington Examiner:

Sebastian Gorka to accept role outside White House … Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to President Trump, will soon accept a position outside the White House, two sources told the Washington Examiner on Sunday. — Gorka's new role will deal with the “war of ideas” involved …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Reuters, The Guardian, New York Times, Business Insider and Mediaite

David Ferguson / Raw Story:

Trump didn't consult State Department before inviting brutal Philippine strongman to White House — DON'T MISS STORIES. FOLLOW RAW STORY! — President Donald Trump invited brutal Philippine strongman Pres. Rodrigo Duterte to the White House without first consulting the State Department …

Discussion: Reuters

Brandon Carter / The Hill:
Trump did not clear Duterte invitation with State Department: report

Discussion: RedState, Raw Story and New York Times

Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
Sebastian Gorka to accept position outside White House: report

Discussion: New York Magazine and Raw Story

Sarah Kliff / Vox:

An interview suggests Trump doesn't know what's in his health bill — Either the president doesn't understand the proposal — or isn't telling the truth about it. — President Trump gave a lengthy interview Sunday morning to CBS' John Dickerson about the Republicans' health care plan.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, bradford-delong.com, Business Insider and Althouse

CBS News:

FULL TRANSCRIPT: President Donald Trump's interview with “Face the Nation” — On his 100th day in office Saturday, President Donald Trump spoke to CBS News' chief Washington correspondent and host of “Face the Nation,” John Dickerson, about his accomplishments at the traditional milestone and beyond …

Discussion: The Week, New York Times, AOL, Business Insider, Politicus USA, The Last Tradition, Daily Mail, TheBlaze, Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, Mother Jones, Althouse, Washington Post, NBC News and Mediaite

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

GOP faces make-or-break moment on Obamacare repeal — House Republican leaders and White House officials are increasingly confident about passing their long-stalled Obamacare replacement bill: More lawmakers than ever are committed to voting “yes,” they say, and GOP insiders insist they're within striking distance of a majority.

Pam Key / Breitbart:
Trump to CBS's Dickerson: ‘I Love Your Show — I Call It Deface the Nation’

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Kelsey Snell / Washington Post:
Congress reaches deal to keep government open through September

Discussion: Daily Kos

CNN:

Congressional negotiators reach deal on government funding through September — (CNN)Bipartisan congressional negotiators reached a critical agreement late Sunday on a massive spending bill that if approved by the House and Senate would fund the government through the end of September.

Discussion: Mother Jones

New York Times:

Bipartisan Agreement Reached to Fund Government Through September — WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders reached a bipartisan agreement on Sunday to fund the government through September, according to congressional aides from both parties, effectively ending suspense about the possibility of a government shutdown next weekend.

John Bresnahan / Politico:

Budget deal reached in Congress — UPDATE: — Congressional leaders have reached a government funding agreement through the end of September, according to two congressional aides familiar with the matter. — The deal delivers new defense spending, a $1.5 billion border security infusion …

Discussion: The Week

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Priebus: Trump Considering Amending or Abolishing 1st Amendment — A number of press reports have picked up this exchange this morning between ABC's Jonathan Karl and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. But people have missed the real significance. Priebus doesn't discuss changing ‘press laws’ or ‘libel laws’.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Hullabaloo and Daily Kos

Nicki Rossoll / ABC News:
White House official says 'we've looked at' changes to libel laws that would restrict press freedom

Discussion: CNNMoney, Washington Post, The Guardian, The Hill, Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine and RedState

ABC News:
‘This Week’ Transcript 4-30-17: Reince Priebus and Nancy Pelosi

Discussion: Politico, New York Magazine and Politicus USA

New York Times:

Emboldened by Trump but Divided by Generations, Democrats Look to 2020 — MANCHESTER, N.H. — A vast array of Democratic leaders, divided by generations but uniformly emboldened by President Trump's perceived vulnerability, have begun taking palpable steps toward seeking the White House …

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:

New York Times editor pens weak, vague response to critics of Bret Stephens's op-ed on climate change — The Erik Wemple Blog has been bugging the New York Times all weekend for an interview with James Bennet, the editorial page editor responsible for launching a new op-ed column by former Wall Street Journal writer Bret Stephens.

Discussion: CNNMoney, Patterico's Pontifications, The Daily Caller, Axios, Politico and Salon, more at Mediagazer »

Vivian Gornick / New York Times: When Communism Inspired Americans

Ross Douthat / New York Times:
Is There a Case for Le Pen?

Discussion: Marginal REVOLUTION, Outside the Beltway and NPR

Patricia Mazzei / miamiherald:

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen to retire from Congress — U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the dean of the Florida legislative delegation and the first Cuban American elected to Congress, is retiring at the end of her term next year, saying it's time to move on after more than 35 years in elected office.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, IJR, Washington Post, NPR, The Guardian, Politico, Talking Points Memo and Political Wire

Matthew Garrahan / Financial Times:

Fox in talks with Blackstone to buy Tribune Media — Joint bid for TV station operator aims to trump rival offer from Sinclair Broadcasting — Read next … Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox is in talks with Blackstone, the private equity firm, to launch a joint bid for Tribune Media …

Discussion: CNNMoney, Bloomberg, New York Times and Deadline, more at Mediagazer »

Associated Press:

Biden tells New Hampshire crowd: 'Guys, I'm not running' — Former Vice President Joe Biden insists he's not making another presidential bid in 2020, despite giving a rousing speech to New Hampshire Democrats about restoring dignity to politics and winning back working class voters.

Discussion: The Week

Edward-Isaac Dovere / Politico:
Biden keeps 2020 options open

Discussion: The Daily Caller, AOL and Politicus USA

Foster Klug / Associated Press:

Donald Trump on whether he could start war with North Korea: 'I don't know. I mean, we'll see' — Answering a question about whether another nuclear test by North Korea would mean a military response by the US, Mr Trump appears to be undecided — Woman shot by police in Willesden terror raids arrested

Discussion: The Guardian and IJR