memeorandum: That Time the Media Dubbed Michael Avenatti ‘Savior of the Republic’ (David Rutz/Washington Free Beacon)

5:10 PM ET, April 13, 2019

Top Items:

Lois Beckett / The Guardian:

Yemeni bodegas boycott New York Post over attacks on Ilhan Omar — Murdoch-owned paper published front page that Yemeni American Merchants Association says ‘provoked hatred’ — A group of New York corner-store owners has announced a boycott on the sale of the New York Post …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Sputnik International, Geller Report, Washington Post, NPR and New York Post, more at Mediagazer »

Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic:

Ilhan Omar Falls Victim to the Outrage Exhibitionists — When the ideological left engages in what is variously denigrated as “political correctness,” virtue-signaling, performative wokeness, or “social-justice warrior” cry-bullying, many on the right find it easy to spot the flaws in those modes of discourse.

Discussion: Townhall, Mother Jones, Business Insider and No More Mister Nice Blog

Mary Papenfuss / HuffPost:
Now Outraged, Trump Boasted On 9/11 That His Building Was Tallest After Attack

Discussion: Slate, New York Times, Washington Press, New York Magazine and ThinkProgress

Rowaida Abdelaziz / HuffPost:
Latest Attacks On Ilhan Omar Show That Anti-Muslim Hate Isn't A Partisan Issue

Discussion: RedState, Washington Post and CBS News

Kyle Cheney / Politico:

Dems rip Nunes' plan for private huddle with Barr to discuss criminal allegations — House Democrats are crying foul over a plan by the Intelligence Committee's top Republican, Rep. Devin Nunes, to meet privately with Attorney General William Barr to push the Justice Department …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Bipartisan Report and Raw Story

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Stone cites Barr, Kavanaugh writings in last-ditch effort to dismiss Mueller indictment

Discussion: ABC News and Raw Story

Katelyn Polantz / CNN:
Roger Stone connected to matters still under investigation, Justice Dept. says

Discussion: Raw Story

Matt Flegenheimer / New York Times:

The Many Reasons to Run for President When You Probably Don't Stand a Chance — There is no discernible mass groundswell for an Eric Swalwell presidential campaign. — The case against: He is a 38-year-old California congressman of little legislative distinction.

Maria Sacchetti / Washington Post:

Trump's plan to send migrant detainees to sanctuary cities draws concerns about cost, legality — Should President Trump follow through on a proposal to release migrants in U.S. “sanctuary cities,” it would be a major departure from the way federal agencies are handling detainees.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Talking Points Memo, Wall Street Journal, Conservative News Today, Axios and Shareblue Media

Masha Gessen / New Yorker:

How to Resist Validating President Trump's View of Sanctuary Cities — On Thursday, the Washington Post reported that the Trump Administration has tried to pressure Immigration and Customs Enforcement to transport detained immigrants to sanctuary cities and release them there.

Discussion: Althouse, Washington Post, The Colorado Independent, IJR and CNN

Jenny A. Durkan / Washington Post:
Seattle isn't afraid of immigrants, Mr. Trump

Discussion: Conservative News Today, Outside the Beltway, Booman Tribune, CBS Philly, Common Dreams, Big League Politics and The Stranger

Jeff Stein / Washington Post:

House Democrats give IRS hard deadline of April 23 to turn over Trump tax returns, say administration's concerns ‘lack merit’ — House Democrats are giving the Trump administration a hard-deadline of April 23 to turn over President Trump's tax returns, pushing back against Treasury Secretary …

Discussion: Associated Press, Slate, The Guardian, Raw Story and New York Post

Barbie Latza Nadeau / The Daily Beast:
House Dems Give IRS Until April 23 to Hand Over Trump Taxes

Discussion: Reuters and Raw Story

Sarah Longwell / The Bulwark:

Democrats, Please Take Whatever Precautions Are Necessary To Prevent This Terrible Disaster — All of this has happened before. — I'm a Republican and I'm here to help. — I want to help because we live in the same country and while our politics may diverge, our future is inextricably bound together.

Discussion: Raw Story

Jennifer Valentino-DeVries / New York Times:

Tracking Phones, Google Is a Dragnet for the Police — The tech giant records people's locations worldwide. Now, investigators are using it to find suspects and witnesses near crimes, running the risk of snaring the innocent. — When detectives in a Phoenix suburb arrested a warehouse worker …

more at Techmeme »

Bret Stephens / New York Times:

Trump and the Annihilation of Shame — Charles Van Doren's death marks the end of an era. — I had never heard of Charles Van Doren until, in college, I saw the movie “Quiz Show,” and I probably never thought of him again until I read his obituary this week in The Times.

Radio Free Asia:

North Korea Stages Public Executions to Strengthen ‘Social Order’ — North Korean authorities staged a public trial and shot two female fortune tellers to death last month, forcing tens of thousands of people to watch, in what appeared to be a resumption of public executions.

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Politico:

Trump White House braces for full Mueller report — Aides insist they have nothing to fear from the special counsel's nearly 400-page report, though not all of the president's allies are so confident. — While most of official Washington is on edge ahead of the expected release …

Discussion: Raw Story

New York Times:

As Ecuador Harbored Assange, It Was Subjected to Threats and Leaks — The secrets came directly from the phones of President Lenín Moreno of Ecuador: intimate pictures of him and his family on vacation, text messages from his wife, even a photograph of the president himself in a posh bedroom, eating a lobster in bed.

Discussion: Politico

David R. Lurie / Slate:

William Barr Obliterated the DOJ's Standard for Defending Laws Because Donald Trump Asked — Attorney General William Barr has faced harsh criticism for his problematic treatment of the Mueller report, which some have suggested appeared to be calculated to benefit the president.

Benjamin Wallace-Wells / New Yorker:

Bernie Sanders Imagines a Progressive New Approach to Foreign Policy — In the early summer of 2017, a little less than a year after his Presidential campaign had ended, Bernie Sanders spent a few days on a speaking tour in England, to promote the European version of his book “Our Revolution.”