memeorandum: Post-Debate Poll: Trump Increases Lead; Fiorina Leaps, Carson Sinks (John Nolte/BREITBART.COM)

6:35 AM ET, September 19, 2015

Top Items:

Chris Littleton / Voter Gravity:

Fiorina Leads in NH in Post-CNN Debate Poll — All the talking heads were talking about Carly Fiorina's debate performance, but were the voters of New Hampshire impressed as well? — Yes, they were. — In Voter Gravity's latest presidential flash poll through touchtone phone responses …

Discussion: Mediaite, The Hill, Liberal Values, Power Line, Politico, The PJ Tatler and Hot Air

Reid Wilson / Morning Consult:

Poll: Fiorina Wins Debate, Trump Still Leads — Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina won Wednesday's second Republican presidential debate, according to voters who watched the Simi Valley showdown polled by Morning Consult. — It was a performance that vaulted Fiorina into the top tier of a crowded field.

Discussion: Mediaite, Washington Monthly, Hot Air, No More Mister Nice Blog, Townhall.com, Talking Points Memo, Weekly Standard and Democratic Strategist

John Nolte / BREITBART.COM:

Post-Debate Poll: Trump Increases Lead; Fiorina Leaps, Carson Sinks — A Morning Consult poll, released Friday, surveyed 504 registered voters who watched Wednesday's Republican primary debate and has only good news for Republican frontrunner Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina.

Discussion: Vox Popoli, UPROXX and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

David Brooks / New York Times: The Marco Rubio-Carly Fiorina Option

Patrick Healy / New York Times:
Willing to Spend $100 Million, Donald Trump Has So Far Reveled in Free Publicity

Discussion: OnPolitics and Jezebel

Francis X. Rocca / Wall Street Journal:

Vatican Disputes White House Guest List for Papal Visit — Invitations to transgender activists, first openly gay U.S. Episcopal bishop and activist nun to White House event prompt pushback — On the eve of Pope Francis's arrival in the U.S., the Vatican has taken offense …

Discussion: Fox News, Red Alert Politics, Washington Post, Daily Mail, The Daily Signal, Rush Limbaugh, The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, ThinkProgress, The PJ Tatler, Mediaite, Guardian, RedState and Althouse

Justin Wm / Washington Post:

This Ted Cruz booster is 13, black, and just shredded Obama on clock kid — CJ Pearson's recent YouTube video criticizing President Obama. — Earlier this week, a 13-year-old kid named Coreco JaQuan Pearson sat down in front of a camera in the kitchen of his home in Grovetown …

Discussion: USA Today, WJBF-TV, Mediaite, No More Mister Nice Blog and Pamela Geller

Pamela Geller / BREITBART.COM:
Ahmed Mohamed and the ‘Islamophobia’ Clock

Discussion: The Intercept, Raw Story, LiberalAmerica.org, alicublog, Jihad Watch, Pamela Geller, WND, Right Wing Watch and Guardian

Greg Jaffe / Washington Post:

Obama to nominate first openly gay service secretary to lead the Army — President Obama, in a historic first for the Pentagon, has chosen to nominate Eric Fanning to lead the Army, a move that would make him the first openly gay civilian secretary of one of the military services.

Discussion: Right Wing Watch, The Gateway Pundit, all and Joe.My.God.

Kristina Wong / The Hill:

Obama nominates openly gay man to lead Army — President Obama is nominating Eric Fanning to be the next Army secretary. If confirmed by the Senate, Fanning would be the first openly gay person to lead a branch of the armed services. — “Eric brings many years of proven experience …

Mark Hensch / The Hill:

Trump drops out of Heritage event after birther backlash — Donald Trump canceled his appearance Friday evening at a major campaign stop for the GOP presidential field in South Carolina as he faces criticism from both Republican and Democratic candidates over his failure to address claims …

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications, Twitchy, Politico, RedState, Hot Air and Common Dreams

Justin Sink / Bloomberg Business:
Rivals Condemn Trump as Muslim Obama Suggestion Returns to Spotlight

Discussion: The Atlantic, NBC News, Politico and Laura Ingraham

Katherine Krueger / Talking Points Memo:
Donald Trump Pulls Out Of Heritage Presidential Forum

Discussion: Daily Kos and Mediaite

Mark Hensch / The Hill:
GOP field heads to SC for Heritage sales pitch

Discussion: DawgNation, Greenville News, Washington Monthly and Daily Kos

Adam Beam / Associated Press:

Lawyer: Clerk may have interfered with order on gay marriage — OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky county clerk may have again defied a federal judge's order by altering marriage license forms to remove her name, according to an attorney that represents one of the clerk's employees.

Discussion: all, Joe.My.God. and Raw Story

Katherine Krueger / Talking Points Memo:
AP: Deputy Kentucky Clerk's Lawyer Says Kim Davis May Have Again Defied Fed Order

Discussion: Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times

TigerWoods.com:

Tiger undergoes successful back surgery, is hopeful to return in early 2016 — Woods' second microdiscectomy surgery was performed Sept. 16 in Park City, Utah — Tiger hopes to return to the PGA TOUR in early 2016 after a second successful microdiscectomy surgery. (Getty Images)

Discussion: USA Today, ABC News, SBNation.com, abc7ny.com, all, Guardian, Associated Press and CBS Los Angeles

Jason M. Breslow / FRONTLINE:

New: 87 Deceased NFL Players Test Positive for Brain Disease — A total of 87 out of 91 former NFL players have tested positive for the brain disease at the center of the debate over concussions in football, according to new figures from the nation's largest brain bank focused on the study of traumatic head injury.

Discussion: KFOR-TV, SBNation.com, abc7ny.com, USA Today, Tech Times, UPROXX and Guardian

Sarah Ferris / The Hill:

House votes to freeze federal funding for Planned Parenthood — The House on Friday voted along party lines to freeze federal funding for Planned Parenthood after weeks of escalating tension surrounding its use of fetal tissue. — In a 241-187 vote, nearly all Republicans …

Discussion: The Daily Signal, Daily Kos, The PJ Tatler, Hot Air, Politico, Jezebel, Refinery29 and BarbWire.com

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed: Marco Rubio: Obama And Democrats To Blame For A Shutdown Over Planned Parenthood

Hannah Levintova / Mother Jones:
Republicans Hate Planned Parenthood but Want to Put One of Its Backers on the $10 Bill

Discussion: Raw Story, Hullabaloo and Right Wing Watch

KDFW:

Cops: Texas dad vandalized own truck with anti-police messages — A Central Texas man who claimed anti-police vandals had attacked the family pickup truck has been arrested after police believe he vandalized the truck. — Scott Lattin, a disabled veteran, told Whitney police …

Discussion: Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit and Mediaite

Rex Features / BBC:

Liquid nitrogen cocktail: Lancaster's Oscar's Wine Bar fined £100k — A wine bar has been fined £100,000 after a woman drank a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen and had to have her stomach removed. — Gaby Scanlon, of Heysham, Lancashire, was served the Nitro-Jagermeister while celebrating her 18th birthday in 2012.

Discussion: KFOR-TV, Slantpoint and Refinery29

Katherine Krueger / Talking Points Memo:

WATCH: Anderson Cooper Loses His Cool With Trump Supporter On-Air — CNN host Anderson Cooper got heated with a Donald Trump backer Thursday night, losing his famously calm disposition when the guest tried to explain Trump's remarks about Muslims at a campaign event.

Discussion: Vox and US News

New York Daily News:

How Putin outflanks Obama: Russia's objectives in Syria are blindingly obvious — Once again, President Obama and his foreign policy team are stumped. Why is Vladimir Putin pouring troops and weaponry into Syria? After all, as Secretary of State John Kerry has thrice told his Russian counterpart …