memeorandum: Could black people in the U.S. qualify as refugees? (Raha Jorjani/Washington Post)

9:25 AM ET, August 16, 2015

Top Items:

Donald Trump: Undocumented Immigrants ‘Have to Go’ — Donald Trump would reverse President Obama's executive orders on immigration and deport all undocumented immigrants from the U.S. as president, he said in an exclusive interview with NBC's Chuck Todd. — “We're going to keep …

Discussion: Reuters, The Moderate Voice, Guardian and The Gateway Pundit

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:

Trump gives kids helicopter rides at Iowa State Fair — Billionaire businessman Donald Trump offered kids helicopter rides in a show of wealth as he bragged Saturday that he is willing to spend $1 billion on his presidential campaign. — “I'm turning down so much money,” …

Discussion: ABC News, PoliticusUSA, CNN, Hullabaloo and Washington Post

Mark Hensch / The Hill:

Sanders rips Trump: ‘We left the helicopter at home’ — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) mocked GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump on Saturday for offering rides in his helicopter outside of the Iowa State Fair. — “Oh look, what can you do? It's Donald Trump,” he quipped during the event …

Discussion: ABC News and Raw Story

Eli Stokols / Politico:

Trump Force One lands at the Iowa State Fair — Donald Trump vowed to spend as much as $1 billion to defeat Hillary Clinton as he brought his unique brand of pandemonium to Des Moines. — DES MOINES — There in the center of the sweaty, frothing mob of bodies and cameras and microphones …

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, The Huffington Post and Slantpoint

Ruth Sherlock / Telegraph:

Hillary Clinton steals the show at Iowa Democrats meet — Former secretary of state delivered the best speech of her presidential campaign at the Iowa Wing Dings dinner — Standing before a giant American flag, her arms outstretched before the cheering crowd, she broke into a wide irrepressible smile.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:
Sanders: I'll fight hardest to end racism

Discussion: Des Moines Register

Robert Costa / Washington Post:
Trump to reveal immigration, tax policy plans next month

Discussion: ABC News, Power Line and Business Insider

Morris Dees / Southern Poverty Law Center:

We've lost a champion — It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of legendary civil rights activist Julian Bond, SPLC's first president. He was 75 years old and died last evening, August 15, in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. — From his days as the co-founder and communications director …

Discussion: Associated Press, BuzzFeed, CNN, USA Today, New York Times, NPR, Towleroad, The Week and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Mark Hensch / The Hill:

Sharpton calls for black churches to lobby on Iran deal — Rev. Al Sharpton will push America's black churches to lobby in favor of the Iran nuclear deal, a new report says. — Sharpton is launching his push backing President Obama's pact with Tehran this weekend, according to The Huffington Post.

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:

Jeff Flake comes out against Iran deal — Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), one of the few potential GOP supporters of the international accord over Iran's nuclear program, announced Saturday he would oppose the deal, dealing a blow to the White House. — Flake said in a lengthy statement …

Discussion: The PJ Tatler

New York Times:

AT&T Helped U.S. Spy on Internet on a Vast Scale — The National Security Agency's ability to spy on vast quantities of Internet traffic passing through the United States has relied on its extraordinary, decades-long partnership with a single company: the telecom giant AT&T.

Discussion: Infowars, Prairie Weather, Informed Comment, Fox News, Liberaland and Reuters

ProPublica:
NSA Spying Relies on AT&T's ‘Extreme Willingness to Help’

Discussion: Guardian, The Verge, NPR and The Week

Ezra Klein / Vox:

Donald Trump is the perfect “moderate” — At the New York Times, Josh Barro argues that Donald Trump is a moderate Republican. — Here's the argument: Trump's affect is much more confrontational than his (occasionally self-contradictory) policy pronouncements.

Discussion: Christian Science Monitor

Politico:

Joe Biden strategy for White House run taking shape — 'I think he's getting closer to saying yes,' one Biden ally says. — CHICAGO — With his blessing, confidants to Vice President Joe Biden have begun strategizing about travel to early primary states and identified potential donors …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Slate, RedState and Balloon Juice

Daniel Strauss / Politico:

Donald Trump bad-mouths his rivals — The billionaire real estate mogul attacks Bush, and Paul, and Walker, and Graham, and Fiorina. — HAMPTON, N.H. — Donald Trump, doing a giddy victory lap after surviving another seemingly campaign-sinking controversy, went on a tear on Friday night, delivering take-downs of many of his rivals.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit