memeorandum: Over the cliff: Durable goods orders drop 13.2% in August; Update: Q2 GDP downgraded from 1.7% to 1.3% (Ed Morrissey/Hot Air)

12:40 PM ET, September 27, 2012

Top Items:

From video to terrorist attack: a definitive timeline of administration statements on the Libya attack — “We are still doing an investigation.” — In any kind of confused overseas event, initial reports are often wrong. But the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Politico, Real Clear Politics, Wake up America, The PJ Tatler, The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller

CNN:

Sources: FBI can't get to Benghazi — (CNN) — More than two weeks after four Americans — including the U.S. ambassador to Libya — were killed in an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, FBI agents have not yet been granted access to investigate in the eastern Libyan city, and the crime scene has not been secured, sources said.

Discussion: Michelle Malkin, Macsmind, Weasel Zippers, Outside the Beltway, americanthinker.com and Washington Free Beacon

Wall Street Journal:

The Libya Debacle — The more we learn, the more Benghazi looks like a gross security failure. — In his United Nations speech on Tuesday, President Obama talked about the September 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya and declared that “there should be no doubt that we will be relentless …

Discussion: Politico, Washington Examiner, ABCNEWS and Weekly Standard

Fox News:

US officials knew Libya attack was terrorism within 24 hours, sources confirm — U.S. intelligence officials knew within 24 hours of the assault on the U.S. Consulate in Libya that it was a terrorist attack and suspected Al Qaeda-tied elements were involved, sources told Fox News …

Discussion: Power Line, Weasel Zippers, The PJ Tatler, The Daily Caller, Hot Air, Blazing Cat Fur and Los Angeles Times

First Read:

First Thoughts: Obama's closing ad (with 40 days to go) — Obama's closing TV ad of sorts with 40 days to go... Why? Because voters in 30 states are already voting in some form or fashion... The administration's evolving statements on Libya... Romney's evolving statements on health care …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, The Fix, National Review and Taylor Marsh

Steven Lee Myers / New York Times:
Clinton Suggests Link to Qaeda Offshoot in Deadly Libya Attack

Discussion: Politico, Fox News, The Heritage Foundation, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, Right Wing News, Althouse, Weasel Zippers, American Power, Mediaite and The Daily Caller

David Corn / Mother Jones:

NEW ROMNEY VIDEO: In 1985, He Said Bain Would “Harvest” Companies for Profits — This clip shows the young CEO focusing on businesses as targets for his investors, not as job creators or community stakeholders. — Campaigning for the presidency, Mitt Romney has pointed to his stint …

Discussion: Mediaite, Addicting Info and The Daily Dish

Jesse Drucker / Bloomberg:

Romney ‘I Dig It’ Trust Gives Heirs Triple Benefit — In January 1999, a trust set up by Mitt Romney for his children and grandchildren reaped a 1,000 percent return on the sale of shares in Internet advertising firm DoubleClick Inc. — If Romney had given the cash directly …

Discussion: Brad DeLong

Aviva Shen / ThinkProgress:

6 Conservatives Who Think The Media Is Fixing The Polls For Obama — With six weeks until Election Day, new polling from Quinnipiac, the New York Times and CBS News shows President Obama leading in crucial swing states including Ohio, Florida and Iowa. As Obama's lead grows …

Discussion: Slate, New York Magazine, Taegan Goddard's …, The Daily Beast, Hot Air and Shakesville

Molly Ball / The Atlantic Online:
Romney Is Flailing in Ohio

Discussion: The Reaction, The Caucus and Reuters

Alexander Burns / Politico:

Obama's two-minute, direct-to-camera ad — In a new commercial that has the feeling of a closing argument, President Barack Obama outlines a four-point agenda to restore “economic patriotism,” moving to crystallize a positive economic message for the last weeks of the campaign.

Discussion: The Impolitic, Taylor Marsh and Israel Matzav

Molly Ball / The Atlantic Online:
Obama's Brutal New ‘47 Percent’ Ad

Discussion: GOP 12 and New York Magazine

Carol E. Lee / Washington Wire:
Now On-Air: A 2-Minute Obama Ad, Romney Coal Ad

Discussion: The Daily Caller, CNN and Towleroad News #gay

Tara Palmeri / New York Post:

WATCH: Samuel L. Jackson debuts profanity-laced pro-Obama ad — He's hoping this scary bedtime story will make you run to the polls. — Samuel L. Jackson, whose video reading of the book “Go the F—k to Sleep” went viral on the Internet, is releasing a pro-Obama ad today in the spirit of Dr. Seuss …

Discussion: Business Insider, Jammie Wearing Fools, The Hinterland Gazette and Washington Examiner

Adele Hampton / The Hill:
Samuel L. Jackson tells voters to ‘wake the f—k up’ in new ad

Discussion: CNN

CNBC:

Durable Goods Orders Sink Even as Jobless Claims Fall — New durable goods orders in August fell by the most since the recession and a separate reading on the broader U.S. economy came in much weaker than expected. But weekly jobless claims sank to a two-month low, in a hopeful sign for the labor market.

Discussion: GOP 12, Outside the Beltway, Weekly Standard, americanthinker.com and Jammie Wearing Fools

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Over the cliff: Durable goods orders drop 13.2% in August; Update: Q2 GDP downgraded from 1.7% to 1.3%

Discussion: Reuters, Power Line and Daily Kos

Martin Crutsinger / Associated Press:
US ECONOMY GREW 1.3 PERCENT IN SECOND QUARTER

Discussion: AEIdeas and Mother Jones

Associated Press:

Refs due back Thursday night — NEW YORK — So long, replacement refs. The NFL's regular crews will be back on the field starting Thursday night. — After two days of marathon negotiations — and mounting frustration among coaches, players and fans — the NFL and the referees' union announced …

Discussion: Hot Air, Firedoglake, The Daily Caller, americanthinker.com, Taylor Marsh and Patterico's Pontifications

Lateef Mungin / CNN:
Deal ends lockout, brings real refs back to the NFL

Discussion: The Monkey Cage, New York Times, The PJ Tatler and This Just In

The Fix:

Why Mitt Romney isn't going to get blown out — It's easy amid a slew of swing state and national polling that shows President Obama opening up a high single-digit lead over Republican challenger Mitt Romney to conclude that we could be witnessing an electoral blowout in the making.

Discussion: National Review, AEIdeas, The Daily Caller, Hotline On Call, Ballot Box and The Hill

Scott Wilson / Washington Post:
Obama, Romney differ on U.S. exceptionalism

Discussion: Althouse

Justin Sink / The Hill:
Defiant Romney: 'I'm going to win Ohio, become the next president'

Discussion: CNN, Politico, The Reaction, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and The Democratic Daily

Bloomberg:

Why Undecided Voters Won't Be Deciding This Election — “It seems that more than 96 percent of voters have already made up their minds about this election,” the ad begins. — “Well, I guess some of us are just a little harder to please,” it continues. “We're not impressed by political spin and 30-second sound bites.

Discussion: Washington Monthly

BuzzFeed:

Romney's Supporters Reject His Soft Line On Obama — A failed golfer-president, not Che Guevera Lite? Shouts of “No!” in Toledo. — Image by Brian Snyder / Reuters — TOLEDO, Ohio — Mitt Romney covered a lot of territory Wednesday — rhetorically and geographically …

Discussion: GOP 12

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:

Romney Campaign: No, We're Not Backing Off Our Tax Plan — Even as studies expose potential flaws with his tax plan, Mitt Romney is shutting down rumblings that his campaign is hedging on the notion that he can slash tax rates by 20 percent without lowering revenues.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Brad DeLong and The Daily Beast

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Romney camp goes all in on ad touting concern for ordinary Americans

Discussion: New York Times, The Reaction, The Maddow Blog, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, Politico, The Stranger …, The Caucus and Business Insider

Matthew Jaffe / ABCNEWS:

Police Search for Jimmy Hoffa's Body in Michigan Driveway — “Where is Jimmy Hoffa's body?” is a question that has spawned thousands of theories. Now, one Michigan police chief believes a break in the famous cold case could be close at hand. — James Berlin, the police chief in Roseville …

Discussion: CNN, Scared Monkeys and The Agonist

Charlie Savage / New York Times:

Election Will Decide Future of Interrogation Methods for Terrorism Suspects — WASHINGTON — Neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney has said much about torture as part of terror investigations during the 2012 general campaign. But the future of American government practices …

Discussion: Prairie Weather and Lawfare

NY Daily News:

While Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad soaks up Manhattan high life, his underlings go on shopping spree at discount chains Payless, Costco, Walgreens and Duane Reade — Visiting delegation rack up on shampoo, soap and vitamins. One visitor debated dropping $40 for kids' shoes at Fifth Ave.

Discussion: Algemeiner.com, New York Magazine and Althouse

Philip Dorling / Sydney Morning Herald:

US calls Assange ‘enemy of state’ — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange addresses a UN in event in New York via video link from the Ecuadorian embassy in London. — THE US military has designated Julian Assange and WikiLeaks as enemies of the United States - the same legal category …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, CANNONFIRE, The Talking Dog and Guardian

Julian Pecquet / The Hill:

Netanyahu to aim fiery UN address at both Obama, Israeli public — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to deliver a fiery address to the United Nations Thursday calling on the international community to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

William J. Bennett / CNN:

Why you shouldn't vote for Obama — (CNN) — It has been said that a democratic republic such as ours is a do-it-yourself enterprise. People change the course of this country through conversation, debate and, eventually, consensus. As the 2012 elections near, these debates …

Discussion: National Review