memeorandum: K Street bouncing back in 2015 — Nearly all of Washington's … (Megan R. Wilson/The Hill)

11:00 AM ET, July 21, 2015

Top Items:

Trump should pull the plug on his bloviating side show — It's time for Donald Trump to drop out of the race for president of the United States. — People who run for public office typically perform a great public service, regardless of whether they win on Election Day.

Washington Post:

Poll: Trump surges to big lead in GOP presidential race — Businessman Donald Trump surged into the lead for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, with almost twice the support of his closest rival, just as he ignited a new controversy after making disparaging remarks …

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

The Republican poll nightmare that is Donald Trump, in four charts — Ten days ago, we raised an important point. People referring to Donald Trump as the Republican front-runner ignored that his leads, where they existed, were within the margin of error. Meaning that he was among the leaders, but he wasn't the clear leader.

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Week, Politico, Talking Points Memo and Salon

NBC News:

Can John Kasich Get Traction in the Summer of Donald? — First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter. — If the two-term governor of all-important Ohio — with a 60% approval rating in his state …

Discussion: Political Wire, No More Mister Nice Blog and Washington Post

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:
Rick Perry compares Trump to cancer

Discussion: National Review, Political Wire, Phantom Public, ThinkProgress, Washington Times and Hit & Run

Jake Tapper / CNN:
First on CNN: Palin calls both McCain and Trump heroes

Discussion: Politico, Raw Story, Addicting Info, Mediaite, The Week, Washington Examiner, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, New York Daily News, Steyn Online and Wall Street Journal

Adam Howard / msnbc.com:
Trump offers no apologizes for McCain war record attack

Discussion: Gothamist, Slantpoint and Addicting Info

Ginger Adams Otis / New York Daily News:
Photos show Donald Trump in military uniform, with athletic teams before dodging the Vietnam draft …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Business Insider

CNN:
Jeb Bush defends McCain, but supported Swift Boat attacks against Kerry

Discussion: Democratic Strategist, Guardian, Slantpoint and ThinkProgress

Ashley Killough / CNN:
Lindsey Graham: Donald Trump is a ‘jackass’

Discussion: Political Wire, The Week and Mediaite

Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic:
Why It's Hard for the GOP to Discredit Donald Trump

Discussion: Mediaite, RedState and Talking Points Memo

Maggie Haberman / New York Times:
Donald Trump Unfiltered, From His New York Times Interviews

Discussion: Fox News, Politico, Political Wire and Washington Post

Gary Langer / ABC News:
Donald Trump Gains Yet Shows Vulnerability in a Crowded, Contentious GOP Race (POLL)

Discussion: Politico, Business Insider and 7online.com

Steven Ertelt / LifeNews.com:

Shock Video Catches Another Top Planned Parenthood Doctor Selling Body Parts of Aborted Babies — A second shocking video in as many weeks has been released showing a top Planned Parenthood official discussing and arranging the sale of body parts of aborted babies.

Discussion: BREITBART.COM, Weekly Standard, The Federalist, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Free Beacon, The PJ Tatler and Washington Times

Ryan Anderson / Townhall.com:
How Redefining Marriage Puts Unborn Children at Risk

Discussion: Mock Paper Scissors

Kate Mather / Los Angeles Times:

LAPD finds 1,200 guns, two tons of ammo in dead man's Pacific Palisades home — It wasn't what police expected to find when they searched a man's Pacific Palisades home last week. — More than 1,200 guns were strewn about the Palisades Drive house and garage, police said.

Discussion: Guardian and Slantpoint

Jason Howerton / TheBlaze.com:

Legendary SEAL Marcus Luttrell Seemingly Sends Clear, Four-Word Message to Obama Over Chattanooga Shooting — Retired Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, author and subject of “Lone Survivor,” responded tersely Monday to reports indicating officials have told U.S. Marine recruiters not to wear …

Discussion: BizPac Review and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

John Kasich throws a Hail Mary — The Ohio governor needs to get his name out there, and fast. — Getty — John Kasich is poised to launch a Hail Mary bid for the presidency on Tuesday, making him the last entrant in the Republican Party's most crowded field in decades.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Columbus Dispatch, Daily Kos, FiveThirtyEight, Plunderbund and Phantom Public

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
John Kasich to Enter Crowded 2016 Race Facing Job of Catch-Up

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Washington Post, The Columbus Dispatch, The Atlantic and Yahoo Politics

Julian Hattem / The Hill:

White House on defense after Security Council vote on Iran — The Obama administration was forced to play defense on Monday after lawmakers in both parties criticized its decision to let the United Nations — not Congress — have the first say on the Iran nuclear deal.

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Dominic Holden / BuzzFeed:

Democrats Plan To Introduce Sweeping LGBT Rights Bill In Congress This Week — The measure, which lawmakers plan to file in the House and Senate, would ban discrimination in seven categories — including housing, education, and public accommodations. — Getty Images / Afp

Discussion: AMERICAblog News, PinkNews, Towleroad and RH Reality Check

The Texas Tribune:

Bland's Death Being Treated Like Murder Investigation … Editor's note: This story has been updated to include additional details. — HEMPSTEAD — The probe into Sandra Bland's hanging death inside a Texas jail — which a medical examiner ruled a suicide last week — now includes the possibility of murder.

Discussion: KHOU-TV, Washington Post, NBC News, Hot Air, Hit & Run and Off the Kuff

Megan R. Wilson / The Hill:

K Street bouncing back in 2015 — Nearly all of Washington's top lobby shops saw gains in revenue in the first half of 2015 as an uptick in activity within both Congress and the Obama administration translated to a boon for K Street. — Following a period of relative stagnation …

Discussion: RedState

Ryan Holiday / The New York Observer:

Is Gawker Destroying Itself From The Inside? Let's Hope So. — A few years ago I made a joke in a column about how a certain Gawker writer should quit before the place ruined her life. — Within moments of it going live, I got an email from Gawker's founder and publisher Nick Denton asking what I meant.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Politico, NPR, Poynter., Gawker and Talking Points Memo, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:

Formal Restoration of Diplomatic Ties With Cuba Is Just a Beginning — As a neatly pressed Cuban flag was raised outside Cuba's diplomatic mission in Washington on Monday morning, rancorous cries rang out from the crowd gathered outside the stately limestone building. — “Cuba without Castro!” a hoarse-voiced man yelled.

Azam Ahmed / New York Times:
U.S. Embassy in Cuba Reopens After More Than 50 Years

Discussion: The Week, The Hill and Outside the Beltway

William K. Rashbaum / New York Times:

Patience, Timing and Some Luck in New York Prisoner's Account of Escape — Night after night for months, David Sweat slipped through a hole he had sawed at the back of his cell in the Clinton Correctional Facility in northern New York. He would plumb the catacomb-like tunnels beneath the prison …

Discussion: KFOR-TV, Daily Mail, The Week and NPR

Timothy Cama / The Hill:

June sets new temperature record — Last month was the hottest June on record globally, setting yet another in a string of temperature records, federal scientists said. — A Monday report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also concluded that land …