Here are the top stories we’re discussing at The Reid Report:
Sarah Palin: ‘Waterboarding Is How We’d Baptize Terrorists’ If I Were In Charge – “Speaking Saturday at the National Rifle Association’s ‘Stand And Fight’ rally at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate accused the Obama administration of instating counterterrorism policies that ‘coddle adversaries.’” [The Huffington Post]
Egypt Sentences Top Islamist and Over 680 Others to Death – “An Egyptian court here on Monday sentenced to death the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and more than 680 other people after a swift mass trial on charges of inciting or committing acts of violence that led to the destruction of a police station and the killing of an officer.” [The New York Times]
Donald Sterling being ousted by NBA doesn’t seem likely – “For all the tough talk that has come after of Sterling’s alleged comments to his girlfriend, the reality of the NBA’s constitution and bylaws is that the league can’t simply take away Sterling’s team because he reminded us of his warped world view.” [USA TODAY]
Malaysia Airlines MH370: search enters ‘new phase’ – “Air searches for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane are being cancelled as authorities switch to a new underwater operation that could take at least six to eight months.” [The Telegraph]
Lawmakers push for Obama library – “With the June 16 submission deadline quickly approaching, state legislators are pulling out all the stops to boost Chicago’s chance of being selected to house the Barack Obama Presidential Library—but not all lawmakers are on board with the effort.” [The Columbia Chronicle]
Kerry Warns Israel Could Become ‘An Apartheid State’ – “If there’s no two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict soon, Israel risks becoming ‘an apartheid state,’ Secretary of State John Kerry told a room of influential world leaders in a closed-door meeting Friday.” [The Daily Beast]
U.S. sanctions Russians over Ukraine – “The United States froze assets and imposed visa bans on seven powerful Russians close to President Vladimir Putin on Monday and also sanctioned 17 companies in reprisal for Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.” [Reuters]
George Clooney engaged? Retiring the playboy act is his best move in years – “In the case of George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin, whose possible engagement is being reported, the likely nuptials can be seen above all as a gift to gag merchants preparing opening monologues for chat shows the world over. ” [The Guardian]
Syria’s Assad to Run for President in June 3 Vote – “President Bashar Assad announced his candidacy for the June 3 presidential elections on Monday, a race he is likely to win amid a raging civil war that initially began as an uprising against his rule.” [Time.com]
Connecticut teen accused of stabbing fellow student to death held in psych ward – “The 16-year-old murder suspect, identified by classmates as Chris Plaskon, will not appear in Milford, Conn., court for an arraignment Monday, attorney Richard Meehan said.” [New York Daily News]
Fate of state’s only abortion clinic in federal court – “At issue today before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is a 2012 Mississippi law requiring any physician who does abortions at a clinic to have admitting privileges at a local hospital.” [Associated Press via Mississippi Business Journal]
Alexis Stodghill