memeorandum: Obama's Messy Iraq Intelligence Scandal (John R. Schindler/The New York Observer)

8:35 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: The Hill, Daily Kos, Mediaite, Liberal Values, Power Line, Politico and The PJ Tatler

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, Hot Air, Washington Monthly, No More Mister Nice Blog, Townhall.com, Weekly Standard, Talking Points Memo 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

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

White House rips Trump over birther reaction — President Obama's top spokesman slammed Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Friday for failing to condemn a supporter who claimed Obama is a Muslim who was born abroad. — “Is anybody really surprised this happened at a Donald Trump rally?”

Mark Hensch / The Hill:
Trump drops out of Heritage event after birther backlash

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications, Politico, Twitchy, Greenville News, RedState, Hot Air, Washington Monthly and Common Dreams

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

Discussion: OnPolitics and Jezebel

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

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

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

CBS News:

Is Kentucky clerk Kim Davis back in hot water? — Shares - — OWENSBORO, Ky. — The attorney for one of the deputy clerks in Kim Davis' office says Davis disobeyed a federal judge's order when she altered marriage license forms for same-sex couples. — In a separate filing Friday …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Mediaite and WATE-TV

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

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: BizPac Review, Right Wing Watch, all, The Gateway Pundit 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 …

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, Mediaite, WJBF-TV, No More Mister Nice Blog and Pamela Geller

Francis X. Rocca / Wall Street Journal:
Vatican Disputes White House Guest List for Papal Visit

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

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

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

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, abc7ny.com, SBNation.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

Anthony / Tech Voice:

Reverse Engineering Ahmed Mohamed's Clock... and Ourselves. — I have something in common with Ahmed Mohamed: as a youngster, I was also an electronics enthusiast. At his age and even earlier, I frequently took apart electronic devices - anything from my own toys, to broken things around the house …

Discussion: CNNMoney, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, Jezebel and Instapundit

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

Discussion: all, msnbc.com, Hullabaloo, Shakesville and Guardian

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, Mediaite and The Gateway Pundit

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

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 …