memeorandum: Politics Counts: A 2014 Wave? More Like a Ripple (Dante Chinni/Wall Street Journal)

8:10 AM ET, August 8, 2014

Top Items:

Alissa J. Rubin / New York Times:

American Forces Said to Bomb ISIS Targets in Iraq — DOHUK, Iraq — American military forces bombed at least two targets in northern Iraq on Thursday night to rout Islamist insurgents who have trapped tens of thousands of religious minorities in Kurdish areas, Kurdish officials said.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Hinterland Gazette, Yahoo! News, The PJ Tatler, Business Insider, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo, Hot Air and The Moderate Voice

Rebecca Kaplan / CBS News:

Obama authorizes targeted airstrikes in Iraq — Shares - — President Obama authorized airstrikes “if necessary” against Islamic militants if they move toward Erbil in northern Iraq where American military, diplomats and civilians are stationed. — He announced Thursday night …

Discussion: CBS New York, Washington Free Beacon and Washington Post

Mitchell Prothero / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Jets, explosions reported near Islamic State lines as Kurds beg for U.S. help — IRBIL, IRAQ — Jet aircraft attacked Islamic State positions outside the town of Kalak, 25 miles northwest of Irbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, a resident of Kalak told McClatchy early Friday.

Discussion: Washington Post, Reuters, The White House, Prairie Weather, Taylor Marsh, Global Guerrillas, Yahoo! News, Booman Tribune and Hot Air

CNN:

U.S. considers air strikes in Iraq — Washington (CNN) — U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday that he's authorized “targeted airstrikes” in Iraq to protect American personnel and help Iraqi forces. — “We do whatever is necessary to protect our people,” Obama said.

Discussion: Fox17, Washington Post, WBBH-TV, Balloon Juice, Mediaite and National Review

ABC News:

US Begins Humanitarian Airdrops in Iraq — The United States is sending cargo planes to drop pallets of humanitarian aid and supplies to stranded Iraqi citizens threatened by the militant Islamic group ISIS, according to U.S. officials. — The air drops have begun, officials told ABC News.

Discussion: Guardian, Business Insider and Hot Air

Peter Baker / New York Times:

Obama, With Reluctance, Returns to Action in Iraq — WASHINGTON — In sending warplanes back into the skies over Iraq, President Obama on Thursday night found himself exactly where he did not want to be. Hoping to end the war in Iraq, Mr. Obama became the fourth president in a row …

New York Times:
Obama Allows Limited Airstrikes on ISIS

Loveday Morris / Washington Post:
Chaos in Iraq's north as Yazidi refugees starve and Islamic State presses Kurds

Discussion: The Hugh Hewitt Show, New York Times, Washington Free Beacon and The PJ Tatler

Loveday Morris / Washington Post:
Islamic State militants seize major Christian town in Iraq; thousands flee

Discussion: ABC News, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, Hot Air, USA Today, National Review, justoneminute.typepad.com, NewsBusters and Samizdata

Charles S. Johnson / Billings Gazette:

Walsh drops out of U.S. Senate race — HELENA — Sen. John Walsh said Thursday he is pulling out of the Senate race because his campaign was distracted by the controversy over allegations that he plagiarized a U.S. Army War College research paper. — Walsh, a Democrat, said he decided to drop out of the race.

Discussion: NewsBusters, Hot Air, Guardian, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Outside the Beltway, ABC News, Scared Monkeys, CNN, The Daily Caller, Inside Higher Ed, Daily Kos, PoliticusUSA, Washington Monthly, Washington Free Beacon and National Review

Susan Davis / USA Today:
Sen. John Walsh quits Montana Senate race

Discussion: RedState and The Gateway Pundit

Politico:
Montana's John Walsh quits Senate race

Discussion: The PJ Tatler

Jonathan Martin / New York Times:
Senator Quits Montana Race After Charge Of Plagiarism

Discussion: American Spectator, Washington Post, Real Clear Politics, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Ricochet

Dean Baquet / New York Times:

The Executive Editor on the Word ‘Torture’ — Dean Baquet is the executive editor of The Times. — Over the past few months, reporters and editors of The Times have debated a subject that has come up regularly ever since the world learned of the C.I.A.'s brutal questioning of terrorism suspects …

Discussion: Techdirt, emptywheel, Mediaite, Hit & Run and The Dish, more at Mediagazer »

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System:

For release at 12:00 p.m. EDT — In its new Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households, the Federal Reserve Board provides a snapshot of the self-perceived financial and economic well-being of U.S. households and the issues they face, based on responses to the Board's 2013 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking.

Discussion: Daily Kos and Washington Post

Eric Morath / Wall Street Journal: Fed Survey: A Third of Americans Say They're Worse Off Post-Recession

Dante Chinni / Wall Street Journal:

Politics Counts: A 2014 Wave? More Like a Ripple — The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows an angry electorate that blames Washington for much of its pain. And with their blood boiling and Election Day only three months away, voters look ready to do ... maybe not too much.

Discussion: Daily Surge

Chas Sisk / Tennessean.com:

Scott DesJarlais, Jim Tracy in nail-biter — U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais was clinging to what appeared to be a narrow victory over challenger Jim Tracy, defeating the state senator by 35 votes. — With all precincts reported, the secretary of state's office reported that DesJarlais …

Discussion: Nashville Public Radio and Washington Post

Cameron Joseph / The Hill:

Murkowski sends ‘cease and desist’ letter to Begich over ad — Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) isn't happy about Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) using her in his latest campaign ad — and has called in her lawyers to try to force Begich to stop airing it. — Murkowski's campaign lawyers sent a …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Katie Glueck / Politico:
Lisa Murkowski to Mark Begich: Knock it off

Discussion: New York Times and Wall Street Journal

Paul Steinhauser / CNN:

CNN Poll: Trust in government at all-time low — Washington (CNN) - Four decades after President Richard Nixon resigned, a slight majority of Americans still consider Watergate a very serious matter, a new national survey shows. But how serious depends on when you were born.

Discussion: Politico

Andrew W.K. / Sound of the City:

Ask Andrew W.K.: My Dad Is a Right-Wing A**hole — [Editor's note: Every Wednesday New York City's own Andrew W.K. takes your life questions, and sets you safely down the right path to a solution, a purpose or — no surprise here — a party. Need his help? Just ask: AskAWK@villagevoice.com]

Discussion: Hot Air, The Daily Caller and Ricochet

ABC News:

‘Porch Shooter’ Theodore Wafer Found Guilty of Murder … A Detroit jury ruled today that Theodore Wafer was guilty of murder in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Renisha McBride on his porch. — The jury, which consisted of seven men and five women, began its deliberations on Wednesday after nine days of testimony.

Discussion: Detroit Free Press, Global Grind, ThinkProgress, Hinterland Gazette and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Chris Ariens / TVNewser:

Sean Hannity: 'Where's CBS? Where is all this so-called reporting on NBC and CNN?' — For his first trip to Israel, Sean Hannity had a mission: put the emphasis on what the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has on the average Israeli. As he returns home today from a 4-day reporting trip …