memeorandum: Is the Pentagon Telling the Truth About Afghanistan? (New York Times)

7:30 AM ET, October 13, 2015

Top Items:

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Chris Wallace: Establishment groups are threatening to primary House conservatives who oppose Paul Ryan — Via Breitbart, this is the kind of claim that big-media types would sneer at as right-wing propaganda designed to build grassroots opposition to Ryan becoming Speaker ... if it wasn't a big-media type who was reporting it.

Discussion: BREITBART.COM, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Fox News and Washington Examiner

Jennifer Steinhauer / New York Times:

Latest Unease on Right: Ryan Is Too Far Left — WASHINGTON — Far-right media figures, relatively small in number but potent in their influence, have embarked on a furious Internet expedition to cover Representative Paul D. Ryan in political silt. — In 2012 when Mitt Romney picked Mr. Ryan …

Discussion: National Review, The Week, Hullabaloo and BREITBART.COM

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

The Crazies and the Con Man — How will the chaos that the crazies, I mean the Freedom Caucus, have wrought in the House get resolved? I have no idea. But as this column went to press, practically the whole Republican establishment was pleading with Paul Ryan, the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, to become speaker.

Discussion: driftglass and The Mahablog

Brian Beutler / New Republic:
The Adults Take the Stage in the Democratic Debate

Discussion: RedState and Slantpoint

David Freedlander / Bloomberg Business:

Bernie Sanders Isn't Socialist Enough for Many Socialists — The organized left is atwitter with talk of the Vermont senator's candidacy. Much of it is negative. — How to define the political philosophy Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders? — On Meet the Press on Sunday …

Discussion: ABC News and Politico

Arit John / Bloomberg Business:

Martin O'Malley Has the Most to Prove and Least to Lose at Tuesday's Debate — He'll have to avoid old rhetorical pitfalls that risk boring viewers—and land punches against Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders that they haven't been willing to throw against each other so far. — aritbenie

Discussion: Politico and Baltimore Sun

David Weigel / Washington Post:
Sidelined by Democrats, Larry Lessig considers running against them

Discussion: Salon, CNN, New York Times, Liberal Values and The Hill

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:
Anderson Cooper prepares ‘pointed questions’ for first Democratic debate

Discussion: BizPac Review and Real Clear Politics

John Wagner / Washington Post: LAS VEGAS — Martin O'Malley, who is hoping to jumpstart …

Ravi Somaiya / New York Times:

Nudes Are Old News at Playboy — Last month, Cory Jones, a top editor at Playboy, went to see its founder Hugh Hefner at the Playboy Mansion. — In a wood-paneled dining room, with Picasso and de Kooning prints on the walls, Mr. Jones nervously presented a radical suggestion: the magazine …

Discussion: Telegraph, Guardian, Raw Story, The Verge, Rare, The Week, Slantpoint, Mashable, The Daily Caller and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

New Jersey Online:

Is the Jersey Devil in Galloway Township? | Paranormal Corner — Little Egg Harbor resident Dave Black captured this photo in Galloway. He believes it may be the Jersey Devil. What do you think? (Photo provided by Dave Black) — For more than 200 years, people living …

Discussion: Rare, Slantpoint, FOX2now.com, KFOR-TV and Hollywood Life

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

Obama: Those taking religion seriously are often suspicious of others — President Obama lamented the rancorous, divided state of U.S. politics in a wide-ranging interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson. — In the unusual discussion, Obama revealed …

Discussion: JustOneMinute and Weekly Standard

New York Review of Books:

Marilynne Robinson: A Conversation in Iowa — The following conversation between President Obama and Marilynne Robinson was conducted in Des Moines, Iowa, on September 14. An audio recording of it can be heard at itunes.com/nybooks. —The Editors — President Obama and Marilynne Robinson …

Discussion: CNNMoney, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, Horizons, FishbowlDC, Liberty Unyielding, Daily Mail and The Daily Caller

Julian Hattem / The Hill:

Top Clinton aide worked on Abu Dhabi project while at State — Hilary Clinton's former chief of staff spent some of her time at the State Department working part time to build a campus for New York University (NYU) in Abu Dhabi. — Cheryl Mills disclosed the details of the special arrangement …

Discussion: Washington Post

Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:
While at State, Clinton chief of staff held job negotiating with Abu Dhabi

Discussion: Betsy's Page, Daily Mail, Talking Points Memo and Hot Air

Los Angeles Times:

Documents, former players point to Steve Sarkisian's alcohol use at Washington — Steve Sarkisian's strange behavior in the days surrounding high-pressure, high-profile college football games isn't unique to his time at USC. — Some regarded the coach's conduct, specifically the use of alcohol …

Discussion: Daily Bruin, CollegeFootballTalk, SBNation.com and The Week

10NEWS:

Florida woman Periscopes while drunk driving — LAKELAND, FL - Lakeland police believe a local woman is lucky to be alive today after going on a drunk driving trip she recorded and broadcast live on her own phone. On Saturday, LPD took in 911 calls about a possible drunk driver using …

Discussion: Orlando Sentinel, WFLA-TV, Raw Story, Mashable and Mediaite

Jonathan Rauch / The Atlantic:

Amateurs in the Oval Office … The presidency, it's often said, is a job for which everyone arrives unprepared. But just how unprepared is unprepared enough? — Political handicappers weigh presidential candidates' partisanship, ideology, money, endorsements, consultants, and, of course, experience.

Katie Glueck / Politico:

Donald Trump strikes sour note at No Labels — MANCHESTER, N.H.—The event organizers called for problem-solving and civility, policy substance over sideshows. But Donald Trump just couldn't help himself.President Barack Obama "bombed" on a recent "60 Minutes" appearance.

Discussion: Daily Kos and The Week

Tierney Sneed / Talking Points Memo: Trump Defends Tea Party, Cuts Off Woman Asking About His Record With Women

New York Times:

U.S.-Made Weaponry Is Turning Syrian Conflict Into Proxy War With Russia — BEIRUT, Lebanon — Insurgent commanders say that since Russia began air attacks in support of the Syrian government, they are receiving for the first time bountiful supplies of powerful American-made antitank missiles.

Discussion: Reuters, Fox News, Informed Comment, Tablet Magazine, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Business Insider

Liz Sly / Washington Post:
Did U.S. weapons supplied to Syrian rebels draw Russia into the conflict?

Discussion: Bwog

Paul Mirengoff / Power Line:

Russia and Iran running neck-and-neck in Obama-humiliating sweepstakes — Iran and Russia are competing to see which nation can humiliate President Obama more. Russia got off to a flying start with its intervention in Ukraine and its “assistance” to Obama in the non-enforcement …

Discussion: Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and Front Page Magazine, more at Mediagazer »

Robert A. Cronkleton / Kansas City Star:

Two firefighters dead after building collapse in Kansas City — Apartment building in 2600 block of Independence Avenue burns, then collapses — Some people rescued from the burning building with ladders … Two firefighters were killed and two hurt after a burning building …

Discussion: Associated Press and Slantpoint

Rebecca Ford / Hollywood Reporter:

Volkswagen Scandal Movie in the Works From Paramount, Leonardo DiCaprio — The film will be based on a proposal for a book by Jack Ewing. — The Volkswagen scandal is heading to the big screen. — Paramount and Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way have acquired the rights to a book proposal by Jack Ewing.

Discussion: Daily Mail and Mashable

Rare:

On Tuesday Rand Paul will become the first candidate to live stream an entire day on the campaign trail — Have you ever wondered what it would be like to hit the campaign trail with a presidential candidate? Typically, only staffers, maybe a few select reporters and the candidate themselves would know.

Discussion: Mashable, Hit & Run and The Week

New York Times:

Is the Pentagon Telling the Truth About Afghanistan? — New data from the United Nations on the military advances by a resurgent Taliban is alarming for what it says about the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan — and what it suggests about the American military's honesty about what is happening there.

Discussion: CNBC, Washington Post, Prairie Weather and Hot Air

Barbara Starr / CNN:

U.S. delivers 50 tons of ammunition to Syria rebel groups — (CNN)U.S. military cargo planes gave 50 tons of ammunition to rebel groups overnight in northern Syria, using an air drop of 112 pallets as the first step in the Obama Administration's urgent effort to find new ways to support those groups.

Discussion: CANNONFIRE and Washington Post

Sarkis Zeronian / BREITBART.COM:

Trump: Merkel ‘Insane’, Predicts German Riots, Says Migrants Look Like Prime Time Soldiers — German Chancellor Angela Merkel's invitation to migrants to come to her country has been described as “insane” by U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has predicted more violence will follow in the country as a result.

Discussion: Vox Popoli and The Gateway Pundit