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GOP debate: Early numbers suggest record audience — Early overnight Nielsen ratings suggest that Thursday's Republican debate was not just the most-watched primary debate in history — it may have been twice as big as the previous record-holder. — The debate on Fox News …
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Is Trump a Clinton plant? — Tongues are wagging throughout the world of political insiders with news that former president and potential future first gentleman Bill Clinton had a great chat with Donald Trump shortly before the real estate magnate announced his candidacy for president.

Fox News Couldn't Kill Trump's Momentum and May Have Only Made It Stronger — Judging by Thursday's electric debate, he may have sensed his true opponent before anyone else had a clue: the network. — t joshuagreen — A few hours before Thursday's Fox News debate, a friend of Donald Trump's confided to me that Trump was nervous.
Discussion:
NBC News, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg View, Politico, Shadowproof, Washington Post and New York Magazine


Transcript: Read the Full Text of the Primetime Republican Debate — Ten Republican presidential candidates met in Cleveland for a primetime debate on Fox News. — At the debate, real estate mogul Donald Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, RedState, Defense One, Right Wing Watch, Daily Kos, The Daily Caller, The Federalist, The Atlantic, Jaltcoh and Althouse

From Trump on Down, the Republicans Can't Be Serious — This was, according to many commentators, going to be the election cycle Republicans got to show off their “deep bench.” The race for the nomination would include experienced governors like Jeb Bush and Scott Walker …
Discussion:
The Daily Banter, Diane Ravitch's blog and Prairie Weather

The Big Dog That Didn't Bark in the Republican Debate — Pop quiz: what's the biggest strategic decision facing the Republican Party over the next two months? If you answered “whether to shut down the federal government over Planned Parenthood, climate change regs, immigration, Obamacare …
Discussion:
Daily Kos


7 things Trump said that would have destroyed any other GOP candidate — Donald Trump has said things publicly that seemingly no other candidate could have gotten away with. Criticize Sen. John McCain for being captured during the Vietnam War? Check. Call women he doesn't like fat pigs?
Discussion:
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, BuzzFeed and CNN


Graham: Trump questions were an ‘inquisition’ not a debate
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CNN, Instapundit, Politico, BuzzFeed and Daily Kos

Transcript of the 2015 GOP debate (9 pm)
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Daily Kos and National Review

Winners and losers from the first Republican presidential debate
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Fox News, Politico, National Journal, Slate, The Week, Betsy's Page, Washington Free Beacon, Talking Points Memo and The PJ Tatler

Donald Trump is an embarrassment who is impossible to embarrass. It's his superpower.
Discussion:
Business Insider, Hullabaloo and ThinkProgress

Fox News GOP primary debate smashes ratings records
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, The Federalist, The Daily Banter and RedState

A Foxy, Rowdy Republican Debate
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The Gateway Pundit, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, No More Mister Nice Blog and Liberaland


My Position on the Iran Deal — Every several years or so a legislator is called upon to cast a momentous vote in which the stakes are high and both sides of the issue are vociferous in their views. — Over the years, I have learned that the best way to treat such decisions is to study …
Discussion:
BREITBART.COM, Los Angeles Times, ThinkProgress, Slantpoint, The Hill, BillMoyers.com, New York Times, Washington Free Beacon, Washington Post, USA Today, Foreign Policy, Hot Air, Bloomberg View, The Daily Caller, Progress Pond, The Federalist, The Daily Signal, Algemeiner.com, The Atlantic, Gothamist, New York Post, CBS New York, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Tablet Magazine, CNN, Washington Times, Israel Matzav, Mashable, US News, NBC News, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, BuzzFeed, NPR, Business Insider and Fox News
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Schumer, White House at war over Iran
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US News, Washington Post and Political Wire

3 U.S. Defeats: Vietnam, Iraq and Now Iran
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Power Line and JustOneMinute

MoveOn rips Schumer on Iran, says Dems should find ‘a new leader’
Discussion:
ABC News, New York Post, National Review and New York Times


Recordings: State rep asked aide to hide relationship — Lansing — State Rep. Todd Courser planned the distribution of a fictional email alleging he had sex with a male prostitute in a bid to conceal his relationship with Rep. Cindy Gamrat, according to audio recordings obtained by The Detroit News.
Discussion:
Detroit Free Press, Yahoo Politics, The National Memo, Guardian, WBAY-TV, Daily Mail, Advocate, Fox News, Jezebel, Daily Kos, NPR, Fusion, Slantpoint, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, Right Wing Watch, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Associated Press, Political Wire, KFOR-TV and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Oops: Jeb's Website Publishes, Then Deletes, Attacks on Walker, Rubio — The former Florida governor's campaign describes the attacks as “draft pages.” — Jeb Bush's official campaign website on Thursday briefly featured two separate sections attacking two top Republican rivals …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, No More Mister Nice Blog, Political Wire and Politico
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GOP candidates take turns bashing Obama's Iran deal
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Washington Post, Algemeiner.com, ABC News and Politico

The GOP debate: 7 takeaways
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Trail Blazers Blog, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and The Hill

Firefox exploit found in the wild — Yesterday morning, August 5, a Firefox user informed us that an advertisement on a news site in Russia was serving a Firefox exploit that searched for sensitive files and uploaded them to a server that appears to be in Ukraine.
Discussion:
WTKR-TV, Computerworld, Mashable and The Verge


Judge sentences East Texas man to get married or face jail time — An East Texas couple says their choice to marry when they wanted to was taken away by a criminal court judge. — In July, a Smith County judge sentenced Josten Bundy to get married to his 19-year-old girlfriend as part of his probation …
Discussion:
Daily Mail, Raw Story, fox8.com, Talking Points Memo, Wall Street Journal, LiberalAmerica.org, Mediaite, ThinkProgress and Fox News Insider


Baby dies after being rescued from car at Austin Waffle House — Related Coverage — AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin police are investigating the death of a baby boy at a Waffle House location in Southeast Austin. — Police were called out to 7809 E Ben White Blvd. around 2:45 p.m. after receiving …
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24 Million Watch GOP Debate on Fox News; Most-Watched Cable News Program Ever — In the estimation of many reporters who cover the political and media beats, Fox News was the winner of the first GOP debate. And with the just-released ratings we can confirm that.
Discussion:
The Right Pundit, RedState and National Review


18-Year-Old Sentenced to Five Years for Robbing Man, 84, She Met on Dating Site — A teenager who with her twin sister robbed an octogenarian they met on an Internet dating site was sentenced on Thursday to five years in prison. — The woman, Shaina Foster, 18, had pleaded guilty to one count …
Discussion:
Jezebel and New York's PIX11

The Voting Rights Act is 50 years old. In North Carolina, its legacy hangs in the balance. — The Voting Rights Act turned 50 years old this week, and while the violent turmoil of that era's struggles now seem part of the distant past, the battle over access to the franchise continues a half century later.