memeorandum: Donald Trump, Traitor to His Class (Ross Douthat/New York Times)

7:35 AM ET, August 31, 2015

Top Items:

What happened to Scott Walker? — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker surged into the top tier of the Republican presidential race with a fiery speech in the depths of winter in Iowa. But his candidacy has wilted in the heat of a summer dominated by Donald Trump, with loyalists and supporters …

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Associated Press and Slantpoint

Eric Bradner / CNN:

Scott Walker: U.S.-Canada wall a ‘legitimate’ idea — Washington (CNN)It's not just the southern border: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says it's “legitimate” to discuss building a wall separating the United States from Canada, as well. — The Republican presidential contender said the idea …

Discussion: Globe and Mail, Slantpoint, Associated Press, The Moderate Voice, Outside the Beltway, Fusion and Bearing Drift

Alexandra Jaffe / NBC News:

Scott Walker: Politicians ‘Trying To Distract’ With Birthright Citizenship — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker again declined to clarify his position on birthright citizenship, arguing that it's necessary to secure the border and enforce immigration laws before addressing the issue. — 30:30

Discussion: Slate, Mashable and Guardian

Laura Barron-Lopez / The Huffington Post:
Scott Walker Open To Building Wall Along Border With Canada

Discussion: Hit & Run, LiberalAmerica.org, ThinkProgress and Outside the Beltway

Des Moines Register:
Iowa Poll: Trump blazes to lead; Carson quietly rises

Discussion: Washington Post, Addicting Info, Outside the Beltway, Raw Story, Weasel Zippers, NBC News, New York Times, Scared Monkeys, Daily Mail, Talking Points Memo, NPR, National Review and Washington Free Beacon

Mark Hensch / The Hill:
Trump, Carson in close fight in Iowa poll

Discussion: Politico, Weasel Zippers, Guardian, The PJ Tatler, Outside the Beltway and Taylor Marsh

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Donald Trump is set to blow up GOP orthodoxy — again — Share Tweet Reddit Digg Mail Print SMS More — First Donald Trump antagonized the Republican establishment with his proposals on immigration. Then he irritated some with his stands on trade and Social Security.

Discussion: BREITBART.COM and Hot Air

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

Donald Trump, Traitor to His Class — THE Donald Trump phenomenon is a great gift to pundits because it can be analyzed and criticized in so many different ways. But two shorthands seem particularly useful. First, Trump is essentially using the Republican primary to run a third-party campaign, not a right-wing insurgency.

Discussion: RedState, Lawyers, Guns & Money, BREITBART.COM, Power Line and No More Mister Nice Blog

Caitlin Dickson / Yahoo:
Sarah Palin gushes over Donald Trump in highly anticipated interview

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Slantpoint and Addicting Info

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
Bush and Clinton Dynasties Hit Trump Bump

Discussion: Hot Air

By Thr / Hollywood Reporter:

He directed ‘Scream’ and the ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ films. — Wes Craven, the famed writer-director of horror films known for the Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream movies, died Sunday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 76. — Craven, whose iconic Freddy Krueger character horrified viewers …

Discussion: Guardian, The Huffington Post, NOLA River, Lawyers, Guns & Money and EW.com

Erica Martinson / Anchorage Daily News:

President Obama OKs renaming of Mount McKinley to Denali — It's official: Denali is now the mountain formerly known as Mount McKinley. — With the approval of President Barack Obama, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell has signed a “secretarial order” to officially change the name …

Discussion: NBC News and The PJ Tatler

Joel Kotkin / The Daily Beast:

Economic Progress is More Effective Than Protests — Ta-Nehisi Coates and the new wave of black nationalists are selling a line that is inimical to real racial progress in America. — The election of Barack Obama promised to inaugurate the dawn of a post-racial America.

Bloomberg Business:

Islamic State Flips Gold Coins to Break Fed ‘Enslavement’ — ‘Return of the gold dinar’ follows battlefield setbacks — Gold likely to have been seized from banks, stores, Christians — Forget the printing press. In readying for the rollout of Islamic State's new money, goldsmiths and silver smelters have been toiling away.

Discussion: LewRockwell and Blogs of War

Senator Jeff Merkley / Medium:

My Statement on the Iran Nuclear Deal — Just after Labor Day, the U.S. Congress will consider a vital question: whether to support or reject an international agreement intended to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon. — This objective is critical to our national security.

Discussion: The Hill, PoliticusUSA, NPR and Guardian

Niels Lesniewski / Roll Call:

Larry Kudlow Says He Would Challenge Blumenthal Over Iran Deal — Blumenthal is undecided on the Iran deal. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo) — Conservative economist and media figure Larry Kudlow says he's talked to national Republicans about running for Senate in Connecticut.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and Moe Lane

New York Post:

‘Hillary for Prison’ signs keep getting stolen in the Hamptons — Andy Sabin has resorted to protecting his “Hillary for Prison” signs with an electric fence. — This Hamptonite wants Hillary Rodham Clinton behind bars — and had to put his signs saying so behind an electric fence.

Discussion: Twitchy, Weasel Zippers and BizPac Review

Julian Hattem / The Hill:

Sanders: ‘I can get beyond the noise’ to pass gun rules — Sen. Bernie Sanders is arguing that his record makes him the best qualified presidential candidate to push through new limits on guns. — Despite criticism that the independent Vermonter has been to the right of many liberals on gun rules …

Discussion: Raw Story, CNN, American Power and ABC News