memeorandum: U.S. Congress and Its Leaders Suffer Public Discontent (Andrew Dugan/Gallup)

8:20 AM ET, August 12, 2015

Top Items:

‘Top Secret’ emails found as Clinton probe expands to key aides — Four former aides have turned over personal emails — Senior senator skeptical of the extent of the review — Intelligence investigators say they have yet to see aides' emails … WASHINGTON

Discussion: Washington Times, BizPac Review, Moe Lane, Business Insider, Townhall.com, Power Line, Hot Air, Washington Free Beacon and Viking Pundit

Washington Post:

Hillary Clinton agrees to provide private e-mail server to FBI — Hillary Rodham Clinton's attorney has agreed to provide the FBI with the private server that housed her e-mail during her four years as secretary of state, Clinton's presidential campaign said Tuesday.

Discussion: USA Today, Hot Air and Associated Press

Ben Kamisar / The Hill:

Clinton will turn over email server to Justice Department — Hillary Clinton will turn over her private email server and a backup thumb drive to the Justice Department, her spokesman confirmed Tuesday. — The news comes just hours after the Intelligence Community Inspector General told Congress …

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Daily Caller

Joe Battenfeld / Boston Herald:

Bernie Sanders surges ahead of Hillary Clinton in N.H., 44-37 — N.H. Democrats lukewarm to her tough image — Photo by: — Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders has rocketed past longtime front-runner Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, a stunning turn in a race once considered …

Discussion: OnPolitics, Washington Post, The Week, Fox News, Guardian, The Federalist, Los Angeles Times, Weekly Standard, Power Line and Fire Andrea Mitchell!

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

Donald Trump Is Winning The Polls — And Losing The Nomination — Twelve years ago, in August 2003, Joe Lieberman led in most polls of the Democratic primary. Eight years ago, in August 2007, Rudy Giuliani maintained a clear lead in polls of Republicans, while Hillary Clinton led in polls of the Democratic nomination contest.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Medium, Mediaite, Washington Post, neo-neocon, Hot Air, Real Clear Politics, Political Wire, The Daily Caller, The Federalist and Politico

Gabriel Debenedetti / Politico:
Black Lives Matter protesters try to disrupt Hillary Clinton event

Discussion: NewsBusters and Oliver Willis

Jamil Smith / The New Republic:
BlackLivesMatter Activists Plan to Disrupt Hillary Clinton Event

Discussion: CNN, Vox, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice, The Daily Caller and Guardian

Rasmussen Reports:

Has ‘The Donald’ Peaked? — Donald Trump remains the leader in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, but his support has fallen by a third over the past week-and-a-half. Carly Fiorina is now near the front of the pack. — The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds Trump …

Discussion: Political Wire, Political Insider blog, Weekly Standard, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, National Review, Hot Air and Guardian

Ben Schreckinger / Politico: Michigan gets full Trump show

Suffolk University:
Poll: Trump Leads Iowa GOP Field but Shows Less Strength among Debate Viewers

Discussion: WQAD-TV, Des Moines Register, PoliticusUSA, Washington Post and Guardian

Susan Page / USA Today:
Iowa poll: Trump leads the field, but his standing in GOP dented by debate

Discussion: The Hugh Hewitt Show, National Review and Washington Monthly

Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:

How Roger Ailes Picked Trump, and Fox News' Audience, Over Megyn Kelly — Ailes had to mute his defense of his star anchor after the GOP debate. — Shares — In the fallout since the first GOP debate, Fox News chairman Roger Ailes has found himself caught between Donald Trump …

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Fox Issues Unconditional Surrender

Discussion: Washington Monthly, CNNMoney, Business Insider and Mediaite

John Bresnahan / Politico:

Chuck Schumer working the phones on Iran — He calls colleagues to explain his decision and assure them he will not be whipping opposition. — With liberal groups furious over his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, Sen. Chuck Schumer has been quietly reaching out to dozens of his colleagues …

Discussion: St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Balloon Juice

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Dems rally around Schumer despite Iran stance — Democratic senators say Sen. Charles Schumer's opposition to President Obama's nuclear deal with Iran won't prevent him from becoming their next leader. — Even a potential rival to Schumer said Democratic senators who back the Iran deal …

Discussion: Politico

Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:

Donald Trump is Planned Parenthood's Favorite Republican — Donald Trump said in an interview Tuesday that he supported the status quo when it comes to Planned Parenthood. The group couldn't be more pleased. — Planned Parenthood gained an unlikely new booster on Tuesday morning: Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, RedState, Hot Air, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, The PJ Tatler, Erick on the Radio, Weekly Standard and CNN

Eliza Collins / Politico:
Donald Trump backs off Planned Parenthood defunding push

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and National Review

Katherine Krueger / Talking Points Memo:
Bristol Palin: Erickson Wasn't Worried About Sexism When It Came To My Mom

Discussion: Addicting Info, TheBlaze.com and RedState

Judy Kurtz / The Hill:

NBC ends suspension of Brian Williams — NBC has reportedly ended its on-air suspension of Brian Williams. — The former “NBC Nightly News” anchor and managing editor — who was suspended without pay after he admitted in February that a story he recounted several times about coming under enemy fire …

Tom Kludt / CNNMoney:

Brian Williams' suspension is over — It's been six months since Williams was suspended without pay by NBC News for telling an exaggerated story about a helicopter mission during the Iraq War. The network confirmed to CNNMoney that the suspension is over.

Discussion: Daily Mail and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Hadas Gold / Politico:

16 GOP candidates invited to CNN debate — Sixteen Republican presidential candidates — the entire GOP field, minus Jim Gilmore — have been invited to participate in the CNN/Reagan Library presidential debate on Sept. 16. — The debate will be split into two back-to-back debates …

Discussion: Political Wire

Sen. Claire McCaskill / Politico:

How I helped Todd Akin win — so I could beat him later — It was August 7, 2012, and I was standing in my hotel room in Kansas City about to shotgun a beer for the first time in my life. I had just made the biggest gamble of my political career—a $1.7 million gamble—and it had paid off.

Andrew C. McCarthy / National Review:

How Obama Misled Us about the Concessions He Was Making to Iran — If what senior Iranian officials are saying is true, the Obama administration's duplicity in explaining its nuclear negotiations with Iran is even more staggering than we realized. — In a new report, MEMRI …

Discussion: Betsy's Page, The PJ Tatler, Power Line and MEMRI

Abbas Milani / The Atlantic:
What the Iran-Deal Debate Is Like in Iran

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Bloomberg Business:

Scott Walker's $400 Million Arena Subsidy Belies His Tightfisted Image — Governor Scott Walker's fiscal conservatism will collide with the reality of sports-team subsidies when he commits Wisconsin taxpayers to pay $400 million for a new basketball arena. — At Wednesday's signing …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, NationofChange, Daily Kos and Hit & Run

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:

Lawrence Lessig wants to run for president — in a most unconventional way — Presidential candidates usually don't run on promises to vacate the White House once they get in office, but that's what Lawrence Lessig said he might do as he begins exploring a protest bid for the 2016 Democratic nomination.