memeorandum: Donald Trump Is Not the Frontrunner. Smarter Polls Would Prove It. (Sam Wang/The New Republic)

1:00 PM 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 …

CNN:

Jeb Bush defends McCain, but supported Swift Boat attacks against Kerry — Washington (CNN)After Donald Trump questioned Republican Sen. John McCain's status as a war hero, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush quickly jumped to McCain's defense. — “Enough with the slanderous attacks.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Hinterland Gazette, Democratic Strategist, Guardian, Slantpoint and ThinkProgress

Ginger Adams Otis / New York Daily News:

Photos show Donald Trump in military uniform, with athletic teams before dodging the Vietnam draft with ‘bull—t’ injury — Donald Trump — once a smiling teenage cadet at a military academy — dodged the Vietnam War with student deferments and a boo-boo on his foot, records show.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Business Insider and Mediaite

Hadas Gold / Politico:
Trump calls The Des Moines Register ‘sophomoric’

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Political Wire, Fox News and Business Insider

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

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

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
The Republican poll nightmare that is Donald Trump, in four charts

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

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

Discussion: New York Times, Mediaite and US News

NBC News:
Can John Kasich Get Traction in the Summer of Donald?

Discussion: Bloomberg View, Mock Paper Scissors, No More Mister Nice Blog, Political Wire and Washington Post

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

Discussion: Shakesville, Mediaite and The Week

Sam Wang / The New Republic:
Donald Trump Is Not the Frontrunner. Smarter Polls Would Prove It.

Discussion: The Atlantic, Washington Post, New York Times, Grist, AMERICAblog News, MN Progressive Project and Politico

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

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Huffington Post, Politico, Slantpoint, Addicting Info, Raw Story, The Week, Mediaite, Washington Examiner, Hot Air, US News, The Daily Caller, New York Daily News, Steyn Online, RedState and Wall Street Journal

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: American Spectator, Patterico's Pontifications, Weekly Standard, The Federalist, Washington Free Beacon, The PJ Tatler and Washington Times

Peter Sullivan / The Hill:

Second secretly recorded Planned Parenthood video fuels storm — A second secretly recorded video released by an anti-abortion rights group appears to show an official from Planned Parenthood negotiating prices for selling fetal tissue. — The new video from the Center for Medical Progress highlights …

Discussion: The Daily Signal

David Daleiden / The Center for Medical Progress:

Second Planned Parenthood Senior Executive Haggles Over Baby Parts Prices, Changes Abortion Methods — #PPSellsBabyParts SECOND PLANNED PARENTHOOD SENIOR EXECUTIVE HAGGLES OVER BABY PARTS PRICES, CHANGES ABORTION METHODS — President of PPFA Medical Directors' Council Mary Gatter Doesn't Want to …

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, Guardian, RH Reality Check, National Review, Life Legal Defense Foundation, The Federalist, Washington Free Beacon and Warren Throckmorton

Austin Ruse / BREITBART.COM:
New Video Shows Another Planned Parenthood Doctor Haggling Price of Baby Body Parts

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

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, FiveThirtyEight, The Columbus Dispatch, Fox News, RedState, The Hill, OnPolitics, Daily Kos, The PJ Tatler, Hit & Run and Phantom Public

Yahoo Politics:
John Kasich through the years

Discussion: Politico

Mark Z. Barabak / Los Angeles Times:
Ohio's John Kasich brings heat, intrigue to 2016 GOP race

Discussion: Washington Post and The PJ Tatler

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

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

Andy Greenberg / Wired:

Hackers Remotely Kill a Jeep on the Highway—With Me in It — I was driving 70 mph on the edge of downtown St. Louis when the exploit began to take hold. — Though I hadn't touched the dashboard, the vents in the Jeep Cherokee started blasting cold air at the maximum setting …

Discussion: Guardian, The Verge and Unfogged

Nahal Toosi / Politico:

White House to engage Iran critics through @TheIranDeal — The new Twitter handle will have a ‘have at me’ attitude. — The Obama administration is stepping up its defense of the Iran nuclear deal in a major forum filled with plenty of naysayers: Twitter.

Discussion: U.S. : NPR, Talk Radio News Service, Poynter., The PJ Tatler and The Week

Julian Hattem / The Hill: White House on defense after Security Council vote on Iran

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

Discussion: RedState

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: Associated Press, Washington Times, KTLA, Slantpoint and Guardian

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

Burgess Everett / Politico:

Mitch McConnell to headline fundraiser for former rival — Matt Bevin is running in a closely watched gubernatorial contest against Democrat Jack Conway this fall. — Mitch McConnell and Matt Bevin are trying to put last year's ugly Senate primary behind them.

Discussion: Political Wire

Kenneth Garger / New York Post:

Woman leaps to death off rooftop bar, patrons keep drinking — Police are the scene where a woman jumped 20 stories to her death from swanky rooftop bar 230 Fifth. — A woman jumped 20 stories to her death from a swanky rooftop bar in the Flatiron District Monday night.

Discussion: Business Insider and Gothamist

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, Human Rights Campaign Blog, Towleroad and RH Reality Check

Paul Bowers / Charleston City Paper:

Sousaphonist serenades Confederate flag supporters in Columbia — 'I didn't really know how to show my opposition, so that was my way of doing it,' says musician — Saturday afternoon, as defenders of the Confederate flag assembled in Columbia to protest the flag's removal from Statehouse grounds …

Discussion: Raw Story and Mediaite