memeorandum: Congress under pressure from left and right to ‘demilitarize’ police (Tim Devaney/The Hill)

10:55 AM ET, August 15, 2014

Top Items:

Lawmaker drafting bill to demilitarize local police — A Democratic congressman from Georgia is drafting legislation to limit a Pentagon program that provides surplus military equipment to local law enforcement. — Rep. Hank Johnson is pushing the legislation amid the situation in Ferguson …

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post and Hot Air

Sen. Rand Paul / TIME:

Rand Paul: We Must Demilitarize the Police — Anyone who thinks that race does not skew the application of criminal justice in this country is just not paying close enough attention. And the root of the problem is big government. — The shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown is an awful tragedy …

Tim Devaney / The Hill:

Congress under pressure from left and right to ‘demilitarize’ police — Groups on the left and right are uniting behind calls to end what they say is the rise of a “militarized” police force in the United States. — They say the controversial police tactics seen this week in Ferguson …

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post and Instapundit

Paul Mirengoff / Power Line:

Opportunism knocks in Missouri — Add Rand Paul's name to the list of opportunists seeking to exploit for political purposes the tragic shooting of young Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. The race-hustlers populate the list, of course. So does President Obama, who sees a topic …

Discussion: Politico, Popular Mechanics, Balloon Juice, New York Times, Daily RFT and PoliticusUSA

Mario Trujillo / The Hill:

Police chief rips Obama remarks — The executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police criticized President Obama Thursday for his remarks about law enforcement in Ferguson, Mo. — “I would contend that discussing police tactics from Martha's Vineyard is not helpful to ultimately calming the situation …

Discussion: Shakesville, Hot Air, Independent Journal Review, Power Line and Politico

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

Libertarians make their voices heard on police in Ferguson, Mo. — The killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., has produced a rare and surprisingly unified response across the ideological spectrum, with Republicans and Democrats joining to decry the tactics …

Discussion: Democracy in America, RedState, Global Voices, Jezebel and Gawker, more at Mediagazer »

The United States Department of Justice:
Statement by Attorney General Eric Holder on Latest Developments in Ferguson, Missouri

Discussion: The White House, Politico, Washington Post, Hot Air, White House.gov Blog, Firedoglake, New York Times, Talking Points Memo and RedState

Taylor Wofford / Newsweek:
How America's Police Became an Army: The 1033 Program

Discussion: USA Today, No More Mister Nice Blog, BuzzFeed, Fox News, Washington Post, Balloon Juice, Talking Points Memo, The Raw Story, lehighvalleylive.com, The Daily Beast and New York Times

Lucy McCalmont / Politico:
Eric Holder ‘concerned’ over Ferguson

Discussion: Colorlines and The Last Refuge

The Huffington Post:
State Senator To Ferguson Police: ‘Will I Get Tear-Gassed Again?’

Discussion: USA Today, The New Republic, Vox, Colorlines, Mediaite, Mashable, Balkinization and Washington Post, more at Mediagazer »

Jason Noble / Des Moines Register:

Video: Steve King says blacks in Ferguson should “straighten up and fly right” — U.S. Rep. Steve King said the African-American community in Ferguson, Mo., should “settle down” and “straighten up and fly right,” and suggested a tattoo parlor was not damaged in rioting because of blacks …

Discussion: PoliticusUSA and Taegan Goddard's …

Jeff Roberson / ABC News:

Ferguson, Missouri, Police to Release Name of Officer in Fatal Shooting — Police in Ferguson, Missouri, plan to release the name today of the officer who shot and killed an unarmed teen — a shooting that sparked days of clashes in the streets of the St. Louis suburb.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, USA Today, Scared Monkeys, UPROXX, The Gateway Pundit and ABC News

CNN:
More Ferguson witnesses speak

Discussion: The Daily Banter, The Daily Caller and Los Angeles Times, more at Mediagazer »

Jack Jenkins / ThinkProgress:
Ferguson Faith Leaders Take To The Streets, March With Protestors

Discussion: CBS New York, The Huffington Post and Religion News Service

Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:
Scarborough: Reporters Detained In Ferguson Just ‘Want To Get On TV’ (VIDEO)

Discussion: Daily Kos, UPROXX, Gawker, Washington Post, Hullabaloo, Mediaite and The Daily Caller

Matt Pearce / Los Angeles Times:
Protests again roil Ferguson, Mo., over Michael Brown shooting

Discussion: Feminist Majority Foundation and The Last Refuge

Ashley Killough / CNN:
Rand Paul on Ferguson: Police too militarized

Discussion: Politico

Carrie Budoff Brown / Politico:

Close — President Barack Obama really wanted to take a vacation. But then the world intervened. — The president's plan to snag two weeks off in Martha's Vineyard has been an utter failure, marking his worst attempt at relaxation since the Detroit underwear bomber consumed his 2009 Christmas holiday in Hawaii.

Discussion: RedState

Paul Bedard / Washington Examiner:

White House rejects media's demand for openness, reporters slap ‘bunch of spin’ — WASHINGTON SECRETS BARACK OBAMA MEDIA JOSH EARNEST WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS ASSOC WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS — The White House blew off a demand for openness and transparency from 40 prominent media groups …

Discussion: Betsy's Page

David Nakamura / Washington Post:
White House walks a careful line on Ferguson

Discussion: Colorlines, New York Times, msnbc.com, The Huffington Post, Deadline and The Raw Story

U.S. Rep. Justin Amash / MLive.com:

Amash responds: Why my opponent's smears were ‘disgusting’ — U.S. Rep. Justin Amash said Brian Ellis ran a “disgusting despicable smear campaign” during Amash's victory speech in downtown Grand Rapids Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) — Editor's note: The following …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Politico and Mediaite

clickhole.com:

Police Or Army: Who Wore It Better? — Are we seeing double?! Nope, that's just what happens when two of the state's instruments of physical force bust out the exact same look. Time for a fashion face-off! — 1. Kevlar Tactical Body Armor — Via Wikimedia / Getty — Uh-oh!

Discussion: National Review and Hit & Run

Washington Post:

The Clintons break bread and build ties with Julian Castro, stoking talk of a 2016 ticket — As she expands her political network in advance of an expected presidential run, Hillary Rodham Clinton and her husband have been cultivating an important ally who some believe could become her vice presidential running mate.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Fox News and American Spectator

CNN:

Rick Santorum set to travel to Israel — (CNN) - Rick Santorum is heading to Israel. — The former senator from Pennsylvania and 2012 presidential candidate leaves Sunday for a three-day trip with a delegation of conservative and religious leaders, according to his group, Patriot Voices.

Discussion: Politico

Curtis Wilkie / New York Times:

The South's Lesson for the Tea Party — OXFORD, Miss. — LAST week's Republican primary in Tennessee resulted in a comfortable win for Senator Lamar Alexander over his Tea Party-backed challenger, State Assembly Representative Joe Carr. But make no mistake: The Tea Party is on a roll across the South …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney.com:

“Meet the Press:” Gregory out, Todd in — NBC will name Chuck Todd the new host of “Meet the Press” as soon as Thursday afternoon, according to people with direct knowledge of the network's plans. — The sources confirmed widespread speculation that David Gregory, who moderated the show …