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2:25 PM ET, October 18, 2014

Top Items:

Amid Assurances on Ebola, Obama Is Said to Seethe — WASHINGTON — Beneath the calming reassurance that President Obama has repeatedly offered during the Ebola crisis, there is a deepening frustration, even anger, with how the government has handled key elements of the response.

Discussion: Power Line and The Gateway Pundit

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:

Obama Disappointed (Again) By Clunky Big Government Fail (Again) — Here we go again, as the NY Times puts out their obligatory “Obama is as shocked and dismayed by this latest Big Government fail as the rest of you poor suckers” story: — Amid Assurances on Ebola, Obama Is Said to Seethe

Discussion: Prairie Weather

Joe Nocera / New York Times:

Failures of Competence — Et tu, C.D.C.? — For years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been the most trusted agency in the federal government. In 2003, when Gallup did a survey to determine what the public thought of various federal agencies, the C.D.C. topped the list …

Discussion: Prairie Weather

Ron Fournier / National Journal: Naked Politics: The Ebola Czar Has No Clothes

Matt Higgins / CBS DC:
Obama's New Ebola ‘Czar’ Does Not Have Medical, Health Care Background

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, POTUS Operandi, The Last Refuge and Washington Free Beacon

BuzzFeed:

Conservative Cardinal Who Clashed With Pope Francis Confirms He Has Been Ousted — The head of the Catholic Church's highest court speaks to BuzzFeed News from the Vatican. — Cardinal Raymond Burke leaves meeting during Extraordinary Synod on the Family in Vatican City. — Franco Origlia / Getty Images

Discussion: ncronline.org, Guardian, Religion News Service, Hot Air, Joe. My. God. and Towleroad News #gay

Adam Liptak / New York Times:

Supreme Court Allows Texas to Use Voter ID Law — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Saturday allowed Texas to use its strict voter identification law in the November election. The court's order, issued just after 5 a.m., was unsigned and contained no reasoning.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Daily Kos and Prairie Weather

Josh Gerstein / Politico: SCOTUS allows Texas voter ID to stand

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

Why An Ebola Flight Ban Wouldn't Work — On Sept. 19, Thomas Eric Duncan boarded a flight in Monrovia, Liberia, possibly after having lied on a screening questionnaire about his contact with persons carrying the Ebola virus. The next day, Duncan arrived in Dallas to visit his fiancée and son.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, CANNONFIRE and FOX News Radio

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:
Who Do They Think We Are? — The administration's Ebola …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Hot Air, Shot in the Dark, Mediaite, RealClearPolitics Videos, National Journal and Politico

Jonathan Cohn / The New Republic:
The Ripple Effects of a Travel Ban Could Make The Ebola Problem Even Worse

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Kos, The Hill, Outside the Beltway and The Dish

New York Times:

Police Officer in Ferguson Is Said to Recount a Struggle — WASHINGTON — The police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., two months ago has told investigators that he was pinned in his vehicle and in fear for his life as he struggled over his gun with Mr. Brown …

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, New York Magazine, Business Insider, The Gateway Pundit, Mashable, Gawker, CNN, Guardian, Mediaite, Hinterland Gazette, Raw Story, The Last Refuge, FOX2now.com and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Matt Wilstein / Mediaite:

Cliven Bundy Dares Eric Holder to Visit Nevada in Bizarre Campaign Ad — Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher who became famous for sharing his thoughts about “the Negro” earlier this year, has just inserted himself into the 2014 midterm elections. The one-time conservative icon appears …

Karoli / Latest from Crooks and Liars: Cliven Bundy Makes A Midterm Ad Showing What He Knows About ‘The Negro’

David Atkins / Washington Monthly:

Why aren't the deficit fetishists exalting President Obama? — Remember just a while back how the deficit was going to swallow the country whole and lead our children into indentured servitude? Remember the chorus of very serious people intoning that companies would hire more people …

Philip Terzian / Weekly Standard:

Biden Cocaine Scandal Mirrors Joe McCarthy Scandal — The brief military career of 44-year-old Hunter Biden, Vice President Joseph Biden's younger son, seems to have ended after one month in the naval reserve. Biden is reported to have tested positive for cocaine use, and was immediately discharged.

Discussion: RedState

Irene / Judicial Watch:

Obama Plans to Let Ebola-infected Foreigners Into U.S. for Treatment — Washington, DC - Judicial Watch has learned that the Obama administration is actively formulating plans to admit Ebola-infected non-U.S. citizens into the United States for treatment. Specifically, the goal …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and The Gateway Pundit

Sam Wang / Princeton Election Consortium:

Midterm National Senate Polling Error Is Five Times Larger Than In Presidential Years — Yesterday, Nate Silver and I both examined Senate polling errors. He saw no overall bias; I pointed out that recent bias has been unusually large. Both statements are true.

Discussion: Booman Tribune