memeorandum: Poll: Fiorina rockets to No. 2 behind Trump in GOP field (Eric Bradner/CNN)

3:30 PM ET, September 20, 2015

Top Items:

Eric Bradner / CNN:

Poll: Fiorina rockets to No. 2 behind Trump in GOP field — Washington (CNN)Carly Fiorina has rocketed into second place in the Republican presidential field on the heels another strong debate and Donald Trump has lost some support, a new national CNN/ORC poll shows.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Moderate Voice, Outside the Beltway, Business Insider, Political Wire, Hot Air, RedState, OnPolitics, Althouse, Slantpoint, Mashable, all, Washington Free Beacon, Balloon Juice and Townhall.com

Nick Gass / Politico:

Ben Carson: America's president can't be Muslim — <p>The president of the United States should not be a Muslim, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson declared during an interview airing Sunday morning. And Islam, a faith professed by some 3 million Americans, is not constitutional …

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Power Line, No More Mister Nice Blog and Mock Paper Scissors

ABC News:

???This Week??? Transcript: Donald Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio — THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT FOR ??? THIS WEEK??? ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2015 (BEGIN VIDETOAPE) ANNOUNCER (voice-over): Starting right now on ABC, THIS WEEK, Trump under fire. The GOP front-runner taking heat for what he didn't say.

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Politico and NPR

Alison Elkin / Bloomberg Business:

“It wasn't people from Sweden that blew up the World Trade Center,” he said. — Donald Trump on Sunday doubled down on last week's controversial comments about Muslims. — Trump, the front runner for the 2016 Republican nomination, was asked on CNN's State of the Union about his campaign rally in New Hampshire on Thursday.

Discussion: Politico

NBC News:

Carly Fiorina Won GOP Debate, but Trump Still Leads: NBC Online Survey — More than a third of Republican voters say that Carly Fiorina performed best in the Wednesday night debate on CNN. But debate performances don't translate into vote preference overnight, and Donald Trump maintains …

Discussion: Guardian

CNN:
Trump to CNN: ‘I love the Muslims’

Discussion: Raw Story, Daily Mail and Washington Post

Ed Demaria / NBC News:
Ben Carson Does Not Believe a Muslim Should Be President

Discussion: Mediaite, Washington Monthly and msnbc.com

Chris Strohm / Bloomberg Business:
Republican Ben Carson Says Muslim Shouldn't Be U.S. President

Discussion: The Hill

Martin Weil / Washington Post:

Cyclist, a White House staffer, dies on charity ride after collision with a car — A White House staff member was killed Saturday in Howard County while taking part in a bicycle ride to raise money to combat cancer. — Police said Jacob Thomas Brewer, 34, of Alexandria …

Discussion: Mediaite, Mashable, Outside the Beltway and Moe Lane

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Jake Brewer, RIP

Discussion: RedState

Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic:

The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration … Never marry again in slavery. — Margaret Garner, 1858 — Wherever the law is, crime can be found. — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, 1973 — I. — “lower-class behavior in our cities is shaking them apart.”

Discussion: Raw Story, ThinkProgress, Guardian, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Unfogged

Mike Lillis / The Hill:

Democrats: Sanders unelectable — The surging popularity of Sen. Bernie Sanders has done little to alleviate the chief concern that Democrats have about his presidential bid: Namely, that he's simply unelectable on a national stage. — The Vermont Independent has quickly closed the gap …

Discussion: Politico, Liberal Values, Taylor Marsh and Booman Tribune

Udi Segal / Jerusalem Post:

Analysis: Israel must prepare for Palestinian Authority's collapse — Abbas spokesman: If new Israeli gov't won't recognize 2-state solution, no chance for peace process - Jerusalem yawns at PA threat to tear up Oslo Accords — After the Kalashnikov era was put down and defeated during …

Discussion: Israel Matzav

NBC News:

Sources: Joe Biden Has Wife's Support for WH Bid — Contrary to reports suggesting Vice President Joe Biden's wife remains an obstacle to his potential presidential run, sources tell NBC News that Jill Biden is fully behind him for another bid. — Jill Biden, sources tell NBC's Chuck Todd …

Discussion: MichelleMalkin.com, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Political Wire and Wall Street Journal

Chris Johnson / Washington Blade:

Campaign seeks national park to honor Stonewall Riots — Advocates are pushing for a national park recognizing the Stonewall riots ahead of the debut of ‘Stonewall.’ (Photo by Philippe Bosse) — More than 40 years ago, after witnessing the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City …

Discussion: Raw Story and Towleroad

Kyle Smith / New York Post:

How Ahmed's clock became a false, convenient tale of racism — When is America going to get serious about the problem of white kids getting suspended from school for nothing? — By now you've heard the story of Ahmed Mohamed, crowned by the Daily Beast “The Muslim Hero America Has Been Waiting For” …

Discussion: The Virtual Militia Musters …