memeorandum: Police sources to NYT: Witnesses, forensics prove Wilson sustained an injury during his confrontation with Michael Brown (Allahpundit/Hot Air)

9:20 PM ET, August 20, 2014

Top Items:

Obama denounces killing of journalist James Foley and pledges ‘justice’ — On Wednesday, President Obama spoke at a news conference in Martha's Vineyard about American journalist James Foley, who Islamic State militants beheaded in a video. The president said groups like IS have “no place in the 21st century.”

Discussion: Guardian, RT, National Review, Business Insider, Hot Air, Defense One, The Moderate Voice, The Huffington Post, GlobalPost and BuzzFeed, more at Mediagazer »

Daily Mail:

'Spare the lives of the remaining hostages. Like Jim they are innocents': Brave mother of beheaded American journalist calls on ISIS to cease killing as she pays tribute to her ‘extraordinary son’ — A masked and robed member of ISIS speaking English in what is thought to be a British accent addresses the camera as well

Discussion: ABC News, American Spectator, Weekly Standard, Clash Daily, PUNDITGUY, Vox Popoli and Betsy's Page

Michael D. Shear / New York Times:

U.S. Tried to Take Foley and Other Hostages From ISIS — EDGARTOWN, Mass. — A United States Special Operations team tried and failed to rescue James Foley and other Americans held hostage in Syria during a secret mission in early July authorized by President Obama, senior administration officials said Wednesday.

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Gawker

Arlette Saenz / ABC News:
White House Knew of Recent ISIS Threat to Kill US Journalist

Discussion: Hot Air, Yahoo! News, CBS DC, Telegraph, ABC News, NewsBusters, abc13.com, protein wisdom, Patterico's Pontifications, Mediaite, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, The Daily Caller and The Huffington Post, more at Mediagazer »

Free James Foley / Facebook:
A message from Jim's mom, Diane Foley: — We have never been prouder of our son Jim.

Tim Hanrahan / Wall Street Journal:
Obama Transcript and Video: World ‘Appalled’ by Foley Murder; ISIS ‘Cancer’ Must Be Extracted

Discussion: CBS New York, Hot Air and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

John Kerry / US Department of State:
Murder of James Foley

Discussion: TalkLeft and The Moderate Voice

Hayes Brown / ThinkProgress:
The Social Media Strategy Behind The Brutal Beheading Of An American Journalist

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner and Shakesville, more at Mediagazer »

Fox News:
US intel confirms journalist execution video ‘authentic,’ Obama vows ‘relentless’ fight against ISIS

Discussion: Independent Journal Review, Fox News Insider and The News Commenter

Patrick Reis / NationalJournal.com:
These Are the Stories James Foley Risked His Life to Tell

Discussion: Telegraph, WBUR, Business Insider and The Huffington Post, more at Mediagazer »

Hollie McKay / Fox News:

Missouri cop was badly beaten before shooting Michael Brown, says source — Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, Mo., police officer whose fatal shooting of Michael Brown touched off more than a week of demonstrations, suffered severe facial injuries, including an orbital (eye socket) fracture …

Discussion: ABC News, The Daily Caller, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hit & Run, Hot Air, The Last Refuge, The PJ Tatler, Mediaite, FOX2now.com, Fox News Insider, PUNDITGUY and The Gateway Pundit

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Police sources to NYT: Witnesses, forensics prove Wilson sustained an injury during his confrontation with Michael Brown

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Yahoo! News, The Gateway Pundit, The PJ Tatler, St. Louis Public Radio and Business Insider

Jamelle Bouie / Slate:
Why the Fires in Ferguson Won't End Soon

Discussion: The Dish, Shakesville, Obsidian Wings, FiveThirtyEight, Alas, a Blog, International Business Times, Guardian, CNN, Mondoweiss and Prairie Weather

Hollywood Reporter:

‘SNL’ Political Secrets Revealed: Hillary's “Entitlement,” the Sketch Obama Killed and the Show's “Karl Rove” — In an exclusive book excerpt, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and even Sarah Palin recount the inner battle between the left and right … Lorne Michaels, executive producer …

Discussion: The Reaction, The Huffington Post, Washington Post, OnPolitics, The Daily Caller, FishbowlDC, The Verge and Mediaite

KFVS-TV:

Councilman under fire for posting what some call ‘racist photos’ on Facebook … POPLAR BLUFF, MO (KFVS) - — A Poplar Bluff city councilman is under fire for posting what some are calling racist photos of President Obama on his Facebook page. — The issue was brought up at Monday night's city council meeting.

Discussion: The Raw Story

Ahiza Garcia / Talking Points Memo:

Missouri Councilman Explains Racist Facebook Posts: ‘I Was A Very Active Republican’ — A Republican city councilman in Missouri apologized this week for posting racist messages about President Obama on Facebook, citing his own strong engagement with the Republican Party as the reason behind his actions.

Discussion: Liberaland

Manu Raju / Politico:

McConnell's plan to shut down Obama — HENDERSON, Ky. — Mitch McConnell has a game plan to confront President Barack Obama with a stark choice next year: Accept bills reining in the administration's policies or veto them and risk a government shutdown. — In an extensive interview here …

Discussion: New York Times, Forbes, Outside the Beltway, ThinkProgress, No More Mister Nice Blog, Bloomberg View, Firedoglake, PoliticusUSA, Mediaite, The Hill, Washington Times, RedState, CNN, Washington Post and Political Insider blog

Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:
McConnell Promises Government Shutdown Wars In A GOP Majority

Discussion: Political Insider blog, Hot Air, Daily Kos, Washington Monthly, Washington Post and Politico

Julia Ioffe / The New Republic:

“No One Treats African-Americans Worse Than We Treat Each Other” — The troubling self-flagellation in Ferguson's black community — Last Thursday, the rapper Nelly went on the air of his hometown hip-hop radio station, St. Louis's Hot 104.1, to announce a college scholarship fund …

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

From a vulnerable red state Democrat, a strong pro-Obamacare ad — One of the key questions of this cycle has been: As the potency of anti-Obamacare attacks fading as enrollment mounts and roll-out problems are forgotten, will we reach a point where vulnerable Democrats in red state territory …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, Bloomberg View, The Daily Caller, Taylor Marsh, The Federalist, New York Times, Prairie Weather and Bloomberg

Soraya Nadia McDonald / Washington Post:

Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson is not a gang member. He's just a Kappa. — Today in Ferguson, Mo., news, The Washington Post takes on the assertion that Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson has been photographed flashing gang signs with members of the community. — He has not.

Discussion: Daily Kos, Hit & Run and The Raw Story

Daniel Strauss / Talking Points Memo:
Missouri's Capt. Johnson Flashes Fraternity Sign, Gets Called A ‘Gang Member’

Discussion: Shakesville

Chris Johnson / Washington Blade:

Supreme Court blocks Virginia same-sex marriages — The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked same-sex marriage from taking place this week in Virginia. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key) — The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to a stay Wednesday on a federal appeals court's ruling …

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Good As You

ABC News:
High Court Blocks Same-Sex Unions in Virginia

Discussion: Associated Press

Jerusalem Post:

In first, Hamas official takes credit for kidnap and murder of Israeli teens — Salah al-Aruri praises “heroic action” of Kassam Brigades; Hamas had previously denied kidnapping Fraenkel, Shaer and Yifrah. — A senior Hamas official admitted for the first time on Wednesday …

Discussion: CANNONFIRE, Business Insider, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Israel Matzav and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Matt Arco / New Jersey Online:

WATCH: Chris Christie spars with N.J. woman over Bruce Springsteen — LONG BRANCH — Gov. Chris Christie and Bruce Springsteen haven't always been on the same page. — But don't tell the governor he can't play his idol's music ahead of his town hall events.

Discussion: Business Insider, Politico, OnPolitics, Taylor Marsh, Gawker and Gothamist

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Holder tells Ferguson students he was a victim of racial profiling — FERUGUSON, Mo. — Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday told a group of black college students here that he had been a victim of racial profiling. — Holder, who is in Ferguson as part of the Justice Department's investigation …

Discussion: Mediaite

Ahiza Garcia / Talking Points Memo:

Joe The Plumber: Hold A Job Fair In Ferguson, Protestors Will ‘Scatter Like Cockroaches’ — Samuel Wurzelbacher, better known as “Joe the Plumber,” took to Facebook on Wednesday to post his thoughts about the ongoing conflict in Ferguson, Mo. and compared the protestors to “cockroaches.”

Discussion: Hinterland Gazette and No More Mister Nice Blog

Alex Roarty / NationalJournal.com:

Is Alaska's Senate Race Slipping Away From the GOP? — Thanks to a tougher-than-expected primary and a politically smart incumbent, Republicans are playing catch up in a key Senate battleground. But will the state's GOP lean ultimately lift them to victory?

Discussion: New York Times, Outside the Beltway and Washington Post

Suffolk University:

Suffolk University/USA TODAY NC Poll Shows Incumbent Sen. Hagan Up by 2 Points — Incumbent Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan is clinging to a 2-point lead over Republican challenger and North Carolina General Assembly Speaker Thom Tillis, according to a Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll of likely general-election voters.

Discussion: Politico