memeorandum: Irving police chief admits: Cops knew Ahmed Mohamed didn't have a bomb when they arrested him (Arturo Garcia/Raw Story)

12:55 PM ET, September 18, 2015

Top Items:

John Patrick Yob / Facebook:

Last night I went to a bar on Mackinac Island for the GOP Mackinac Conference. I ran into a guy named Rich Beeson, who frankly I didn't even know who it was at first because he isn't relevant in our political world. Anyway, he is Marco Rubio's national campaign manager.

Discussion: Detroit News, Guardian, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, Mediaite and The PJ Tatler

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Rand Paul strategist claims Rubio aide punched him in the face

Discussion: Bloomberg Business

Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo: Rubio Staffer Allegedly Punches Rand Paul Aide In The Face At Michigan Bar

West Michigan / WEST MICHIGAN POLITICS:
Breaking: Mackinac DRAMA: Top Rubio Leader Tries To Hit John Yob In The Face After Trying To Whip Straw Poll Support

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Guardian

Paul Egan / Detroit Free Press:
Punch thrown as GOP Mackinac confab begins

Discussion: Fox News, Daily Kos and Washington Free Beacon

Congressman Paul Gosar / Townhall.com:

Why I Am Boycotting Pope Francis' Address to Congress — It is difficult to convey the excitement I first felt when it was revealed that His Holiness Pope Francis was invited to Washington D.C. to address the world from the floor of the House of Representatives.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Mediaite, Raw Story and Balloon Juice

Katie Valentine / ThinkProgress:

Catholic Congressman Will Skip Papal Address To Congress, Cites Climate Change — When Pope Francis addresses Congress in Washington, D.C. next week, at least one Republican representative won't be in the audience. — Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) wrote a letter in Town Hall this week outlining …

Nick Gass / Politico:
Obama to further ease Cuba travel, business restrictions

Discussion: Bloomberg Business

New York Times:

Crazy Talk at the Republican Debate — Eleven presidential candidates had three prime-time hours on the national stage on Wednesday to tell the American people why they should lead the country. — Nobody forced them to be there. They were there freely, armed with the best arguments …

Discussion: RedState and Daily Kos

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Fantasies and Fictions at G.O.P. Debate — I've been going over what was said at Wednesday's Republican debate, and I'm terrified. You should be, too. After all, given the vagaries of elections, there's a pretty good chance that one of these people will end up in the White House. — Why is that scary?

Discussion: Red Alert Politics and Christian Science Monitor

Hannah Levintova / Mother Jones:

Republicans Hate Planned Parenthood but Want to Put One of Its Backers on the $10 Bill — At the end of last night's GOP debate, moderator Jake Tapper asked the candidates which woman they would choose to put on the $10 bill. Several of the 11 candidates on stage named their daughters or wives.

Discussion: Raw Story, Right Wing Watch, Hullabaloo, Liberaland and Slantpoint

Politico:

What Is Hillary's Greatest Accomplishment? — Carly Fiorina dared Democrats to name it. 20 top Dems accepted the challenge. — Getty — “If you want to stump a Democrat, ask them to name an accomplishment of Hillary Clinton,” Carly Fiorina quipped at Wednesday's Republican debate.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Taylor Marsh, Shakesville and Erick on the Radio

Ben Schreckinger / Politico:
New data shows Trump fever breaking

Discussion: Washington Monthly, CBS News, The Gateway Pundit, Bloomberg Business, ABC News, The Hill and CNNMoney

Theodore Schleifer / CNN:

Trump declines to correct questioner who says Obama is a Muslim — Washington (CNN)Donald Trump on Thursday declined to correct a supporter of his who alleged that President Barack Obama is Muslim and not an American. — “We have a problem in this country.

Discussion: Washington Post, Daily Kos, Refinery29, Jezebel, The Pulse 2016, Talking Points Memo, Common Dreams, Philly.com, Informed Comment and The Gateway Pundit

MaryAlice Parks / ABC News:
Trump Lets Comment About Muslims Being ‘Problem’ in US Slide

Discussion: Hot Air, abc7ny.com and Power Line

Jenna Johnson / Washington Post:
Trump doesn't correct rally attendee who says Obama is Muslim and ‘not even an American’

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, WND, Guardian, Daily Mail, Common Dreams, Daily Kos, Shakesville, The Gateway Pundit, Outside the Beltway, Politico and Business Insider

Michael R. Gordon / New York Times:

U.S. to Begin Military Talks With Russia on Syria — LONDON — Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that the United States was prepared to engage in military-to-military talks with Russia concerning Syria. — “The president believes that a military-to-military conversation …

Discussion: The Atlantic, Washington Free Beacon and Washington Post

Peter Baker / New York Times:
Finger-Pointing, but Few Answers, After a Syria Solution Fails

Discussion: Erick on the Radio, MichelleMalkin.com and Washington Free Beacon

Robin Wright / New Yorker:
Our High-Priced Mercenaries in Syria

Discussion: Prairie Weather and Informed Comment

Julian Hattem / The Hill:

Go ‘nuclear’ to stop Obama's Iran deal, urge 57 House Republicans in letter — Dozens of House Republican lawmakers are making a late stab at pressuring Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to abandon the filibuster on legislation to block the nuclear deal with Iran.

Patricia Zengerle / Reuters:
Last bid to kill Iran nuclear deal blocked in Senate

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Antiwar.com and RedState

Peggy Noonan / Wall Street Journal:

The Undercard and the Mane Event — Donald Trump's rivals try to give him a haircut, but he ends up trimming himself. — Simi Valley, Calif. — By the time you see this you will have seen the soundbites, quips and cuts. You'll have seen the clashes. So, quickly:

McKay Coppins / BuzzFeed:

Sources: Scott Walker's Donors Are Circulating Rumor About Campaign Manager — As Scott Walker's presidential bid founders, some in the candidate's orbit are participating in a whisper campaign against his top strategist and campaign manager, Rick Wiley. — A number of Walker's donors …

Discussion: Vox, Progress Pond and The Hill

ABC News:

Football Players Who Blindsided Ref Say They Were Following Coach's Orders — Shares- — Play

Discussion: NBCSports.com, Daily Mail and Hot Air

Ryan Lizza / New Yorker:

Donald Trump May Not Have a Second Act — In 1998, David Mamet, the acclaimed playwright, published a short treatise, “Three Uses of the Knife,” on “the nature and purpose of drama.” The book, based on lectures he delivered the previous year at Columbia University, is well regarded …

Discussion: Erick on the Radio

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Republican Candidates Promise to Keep Us As Safe As George W. Bush Did — <span>Should we feel comfortable giving the likes of Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio access to conventional weapons?</span> — Wednesday night's Republican presidential debate focused heavily on foreign policy …

Discussion: New York Times, Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality and Bloomberg Business