memeorandum: Obama outlines ISIS strategy: Airstrikes in Syria, more U.S. troops (Tom Cohen/CNN)

6:45 AM ET, September 11, 2014

Top Items:

AP NEWSBREAK: SOURCE SAYS RICE VIDEO SENT TO NFL — ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — A law enforcement official says he sent a video of Ray Rice punching his then-fiancee to an NFL executive three months ago, while league officers have insisted they didn't see the violent images until this week.

Discussion: ESPN, The MMQB with Peter King, New York Times, BuzzFeed, Mediaite, Deadspin, The Big Lead, Jezebel, FOX31 Denver, Daily Kos, Baltimore Sun, Gawker, Power Line, SportsGrid, SBNation.com and ThinkProgress

ESPN:

Sources: Ray Rice spat at fiancee — ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Ray Rice spat in the face of Janay Palmer the night he punched her in a hotel elevator, one current and one former security staffer at the Revel hotel told “Outside the Lines.” — Three current or former security staffers …

Discussion: abc7.com, Robert Littal Presents …, SportsGrid, 7online.com, Truth Revolt, The BRAD BLOG and Balloon Juice

ABC News:

NFL, Ravens Missed Chances to See Ray Rice Punch Video: Sources … The Baltimore Ravens knew shortly after Ray Rice knocked out his wife in a hotel elevator that a surveillance video of the assault existed and that Rice's lawyer had a copy of the video, but never asked to see it, sources told ABC News today.

Discussion: ProFootballTalk, SBNation.com, CNN, Guardian, Robert Littal Presents …, CBS DC, ThinkProgress, 7online.com and SportsGrid

Darin Gantt / ProFootballTalk:

Roger Goodell cancels appearance at banquet for Jerry Richardson — With the stuff that is brown hitting the fan this afternoon, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has decided to keep his friends from getting splattered with it. — Amid reports that law enforcement officials did provide …

Discussion: Robert Littal Presents …

Judy Kurtz / The Hill:
McCain: Goodell has ‘credibility issues’

Discussion: TMZ.com, Politico, Truth Revolt, ABC News, Broadcasting & Cable and ProFootballTalk

CBS News:
Goodell: No. — O'Donnell: No one in the NFL?

Discussion: Deadspin, Hit & Run, Taylor Marsh, The Big Lead, CBS DC, SBNation.com, ProFootballTalk and ABC News

Jeff Zrebiec / Baltimore Sun:
Ravens executives address Ray Rice investigation in exclusive interview

Discussion: Deadspin, Robert Littal Presents … and ProFootballTalk

Barry Petchesky / Deadspin:
Report: NFL Received Ray Rice Video In April

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Hullabaloo and Firedoglake

Elise Coletta / National Organization for Women:
NOW Calls for Roger Goodell's Resignation, Appointment of Independent Investigator

Discussion: Deadspin, ProFootballTalk, ThinkProgress, Mediaite, SBNation.com, USA Today and Robert Littal Presents …

Mark Landler / New York Times:

Obama, in Speech on ISIS, Promises Sustained Effort to Rout Militants — WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday authorized a major expansion of the military campaign against rampaging Sunni militants in the Middle East, including American airstrikes in Syria and the deployment of 475 more military advisers to Iraq.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Reuters, Taylor Marsh, Daily Kos and Gawker

Zeke J Miller / TIME:

Full Text of Obama's Address on ISIS — Full text of President Barack Obama's address to the nation on ISIS — President Barack Obama addressed the nation Wednesday on his strategy to confront the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS). — Below are his remarks as delivered:

Discussion: Guardian, Washington Post, Informed Comment, Daily Signal and Democracy in America

Peter Baker / New York Times:

Extending a Legacy of War — WASHINGTON — In ordering a sustained military campaign against Islamic extremists in Syria and Iraq, President Obama on Wednesday night effectively set a new course for the remainder of his presidency and all but ensured that he would pass his successor a volatile …

Washington Post:

Transcript: President Obama's speech outlining strategy to defeat Islamic State — President Obama outlined the U.S. military response to the Islamic State in a public address on Wednesday. Obama said that the U.S. will conduct a “systematic campaign of airstrikes” against the militant group, which could include airstrikes in Syria.

Discussion: Associated Press, New York Times, CANNONFIRE, The Long War Journal, Fox News, National Review, Weekly Standard, The Dish, Hullabaloo, Hot Air and Guardian

Tim Hanrahan / Wall Street Journal:

Full Prepared Text of Obama's Speech Wednesday on ISIS Plans — President Barack Obama proposed Wednesday night a significantly expanded military offensive against Islamic State militants at a moment when the nation is deeply concerned about new threats to the country. Here is the full prepared text of his speech.

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, New York Times, No More Mister Nice Blog and Hit & Run

New York Times:

Obama to Liken ISIS Fight to Campaigns in Yemen and Somalia — WASHINGTON — President Obama will tell the nation on Wednesday night that America is prepared to wage a sustained air campaign against Islamic militants “wherever they exist,” much the same way the administration …

Discussion: The New Republic, Speaker.gov, Associated Press, The Moderate Voice, Hot Air and ThinkProgress

Hayes Brown / ThinkProgress:
The Most Discouraging Sentence in Obama's Entire ISIS Speech

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, The Dish, JustOneMinute, CNN, The Huffington Post and BBC

David Frum / The Atlantic Online:
Don't Go Back to Iraq, Mr. President

Discussion: Hot Air, Washington Post, The Daily Beast and Hit & Run

Tom Cohen / CNN:
Obama outlines ISIS strategy: Airstrikes in Syria, more U.S. troops

Discussion: The Talking Dog, msnbc.com, Fox News, The Moderate Voice and Mediaite

Richard B. Cheney / American Enterprise Institute:
9/11 and the future of US foreign policy

Discussion: Politico

Rick Klein / ABC News:

ANALYSIS: Obama Plays Catch-Up With Public and Himself … President Obama on Wednesday night entered a new phase of his presidency — and he did it in a most Obama of ways. — First, to what's changed: He's announcing a war, not ending one. He's preparing to act without Congress …

Discussion: 7online.com

Tristyn Bloom / The Daily Caller:

Ted Cruz Booed Off Stage At Middle East Christian Conference [VIDEO] — Sen. Ted Cruz was booed offstage at a conference for Middle Eastern Christians Wednesday night after saying that “Christians have no greater ally than Israel.” — Cruz, the keynote speaker at the sold-out D.C. dinner gala …

Discussion: Israel Matzav, Washington Free Beacon and RedState

Benjamin Weiser / New York Times:

Prosecutors Are Pushing Prison Time for D'Souza — Saying that Dinesh D'Souza had not yet accepted responsibility for his crime, prosecutors asked a federal judge in Manhattan on Wednesday to sentence the best-selling conservative author and filmmaker to 10 to 16 months in prison for violating campaign finance laws.

Sarah Ferris / The Hill:

IRS chief: ‘Whenever we can, we follow the law’ — During another grueling hearing on the ObamaCare rollout, the head of the Internal Revenue Service tried to offer lawmakers an assurance about the soon-to-open enrollment period. — “Whenever we can, we follow the law,” …

Discussion: Ed Driscoll and The Gateway Pundit

Kimberly Kagan / Weekly Standard:

Obama's ‘Strategy’ Has No Chance of Success — President Obama just announced that he is bringing a counter-terrorism strategy to an insurgency fight. He was at pains to repeat the phrase “counter-terror” four times in a short speech. Noting that ISIL is not a state …

Discussion: The Hugh Hewitt Show

Nick Cumming-Bruce / New York Times:

Chlorine Used As Weapon In Syria War, Group Says — GENEVA — A toxic chemical, probably chlorine, was used as a weapon to attack Syrian villages in April, an international watchdog agency confirmed on Wednesday. — The conclusion, based on months of investigation by a fact-finding team …

Discussion: RedState, Power Line and Washington Free Beacon

Peter Hamby / CNN:

Carney: Obama would give more speeches if networks would let him — Washington (CNN) — Former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney — a longtime journalist before he joined the Obama administration in its infancy — is back in the media game as a political analyst for CNN.

Discussion: Mediaite