memeorandum: Russian Military Uses Syria as Proving Ground, and West Takes Notice (New York Times)

5:15 PM ET, October 15, 2015

Top Items:

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Trump threatens to pull out of next GOP debate — A Republican National Committee conference call to discuss plans for the Oct. 28 GOP debate with top advisers to the presidential campaigns spiraled into chaos on Thursday afternoon, as Donald Trump threatened to pull out of the debate …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Bloomberg.com news, Outside the Beltway, Daily Kos, Political Wire, Business Insider and The Week

Maggie Haberman / New York Times:

Donald Trump Campaign Raises Specter of Boycotting Next Debate — An aide to Donald J. Trump has raised the possibility of the candidate not attending the next Republican presidential debate unless the criteria set by CNBC are changed, according to two people briefed on a conference call where the matter was discussed on Thursday.

Discussion: NBC News, OnPolitics, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Politico, Mediaite, Independent Journal, Hot Air and Daily Kos

Erick Erickson / RedState:

Rand Paul, It Is Time to Take Your Campaign Out Back and Shoot It — “Go home to Kentucky, Senator, and save your Senate seat before Kentucky's voters take the incompetence of your Presidential campaign as a reflection on you and your Senate campaign.” — What is the most endearing moment …

Discussion: Progress Pond, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider and Washington Post

The Intercept:

THE DRONE PAPERS … DRONES ARE A TOOL, not a policy. The policy is assassination. While every president since Gerald Ford has upheld an executive order banning assassinations by U.S. personnel, Congress has avoided legislating the issue or even defining the word “assassination.”

Discussion: US News, Fox News, Daily Mail, Guardian, Hullabaloo, VICE, The Week, Business Insider, Common Dreams and Hit & Run

Matthew Rosenberg / New York Times:

Obama Announces Halt of U.S. Troop Withdrawal in Afghanistan — WASHINGTON — The United States will halt its military withdrawal from Afghanistan and instead keep thousands of troops in the country through the end of President Obama's term in 2017, Mr. Obama announced on Thursday …

Ken Dilanian / Associated Press:
APNewsBreak: US analysts knew Afghan site was hospital

Discussion: Washington Times, VICE, Mediaite and Guardian

The Intercept:
THE DRONE PAPERS … INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY DOCUMENTS obtained …

Discussion: The Verge, Washington Times and Shadowproof

Associated Press:
Obama to keep 5,500 US troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016

Discussion: whorunsGov, Fox News Insider, Trail Blazers Blog and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

The Intercept:
THE DRONE PAPERS … THOSE SHORTFALLS STEM from the remote geography …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Sputnik International and Common Dreams

Jim Acosta / CNN:
Obama to make Afghanistan forces announcement

Discussion: Rare, The Daily Signal, AMERICAblog News, Common Dreams, Hit & Run, Scared Monkeys, Washington Post and New York Times

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:

Why Talk of “Tyranny” Is Dangerous — So here was Ted Cruz' calm and reflective observations about the first Democratic presidential debate, as conveyed to an Iowa audience (per the Dallas Morning News' Todd Gillman): … I'm guessing a lot of observers hear this sort of thing and just shrug …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Trail Blazers Blog and Independent Journal

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Keeping His Distance from the RINOizer — In recent days, I've had a very hard time figuring out whether we're in a ‘Paul Ryan considering phase’ in the House leadership drama or in a ‘GOP caucus in epic denial’ phase of the same. Frankly, I'm not sure anyone quite knows. Ryan has said he's not running for Speaker.

Discussion: bradford-delong.com

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Morning Plum: Republicans are destroying the House Benghazi probe's credibility. But will it matter?

Discussion: CNN, Daily Kos, Mother Jones, BostonGlobe.com, Outside the Beltway and Guardian

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Republican: Benghazi probe ‘designed to go after’ Hillary

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, Hot Air, Daily Mail, Taylor Marsh, AMERICAblog News, ThinkProgress, The Moderate Voice and Mediaite

Dan Merica / CNN:
Another GOP congressman says Benghazi panel meant to hurt Clinton

Discussion: New York Times, Hot Air, Daily Kos, The Huffington Post, NBC News, Washington Post, Slantpoint and MSNBC

Dylan Byers / CNNMoney:

Wayne Simmons, recurring Fox News guest, charged with lying about CIA ties — Wayne Simmons, a recurring guest on Fox News who claimed to have 27 years of experience with the CIA, was arrested Thursday after being indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he lied about his service.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Huffington Post, Mother Jones, Mediaite and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »

Heba Amin:

“Arabian Street Artists” Bomb Homeland: Why We Hacked an Award-Winning Series — What's wrong with Homeland's political message? The very first season of “Homeland” explained to the American public that Al Qaida is actually an Iranian venture. According to the storyline …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Post, New York Times, Talking Points Memo, VICE, Guardian, Cinema Blend Television, The Verge, BizPac Review, Common Dreams, The Local, Refinery29, Washington Times and The Week

Nancy Tartaglione / Deadline:
“'Homeland' Is Racist” Graffiti Airs On Showtime Series; Showrunner Alex Gansa Admires Act Of “Artistic Sabotage”

Discussion: New York Times and NBC News

Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:

Huckabee Suggests Poor People Should Be Sold Into Slavery For Stealing — The United States criminal justice system could be improved if we sell poor people convicted of crimes into slavery, according to Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. — The former Arkansas governor weighed …

Discussion: addictinginfo.org, Liberal Values and Raw Story

Daniel Strauss / Politico:

Rand Paul swears he's still running for president — Rand Paul wants you to know he's still running for president. In recent videos, interviews and in a memo released today, the Kentucky senator is trying to get the word out that his campaign is still breathing …

Discussion: Political Wire

Alex Pappas / The Daily Caller:
Rand Paul Campaign Releases Memo Explaining Why He Won't Drop Out Of Race

Discussion: Hit & Run

Mark Hensch / The Hill:

Carson puts public campaign events on hold — GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson is stepping away from the campaign trail to promote his new book, “A More Perfect Union,” according to ABC News. — The network reported late Wednesday that Carson is scheduled for over 20 private fundraisers during …

Discussion: Eschaton

Katherine Faulders / ABC News:
Ben Carson Puts Public Campaign Events on Hold for 2 Weeks

Discussion: Townhall.com, CNN, NBC News, National Review, RedState, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Hot Air, AMERICAblog News, Outside the Beltway, Washington Monthly, BizPac Review, Daily Kos, Independent Journal, Mother Jones, Political Wire, Washington Post, The PJ Tatler and alicublog

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:

Lindsey Graham: Democratic Debate “Made Me Sick” — “Everybody had an isolationist, disengagement policy regarding radical islam.” — Andrew Burton / Getty Images — South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham says Tuesday's first Democratic debate disgusted him.

Discussion: Mediaite

New York Times:
The Grown-Ups Take the Stage at the Democratic Debate

Discussion: Washington Post, naked capitalism, The Daily Caller, Raw Story and Associated Press

Science:

The Pluto system: Initial results from its exploration by New Horizons — 1Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA. — 2Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA. — 3National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) …

Discussion: Daily Mail, Washington Post, Guardian, The Verge and Mashable

Matt Flegenheimer / New York Times:

Moon Colony Idea No Lunacy, Says a Starry-Eyed Jeb Bush — CONCORD, N.H. - It was among the most memorable campaign pledges of the 2012 presidential race: In a Newt Gingrich administration, the onetime House speaker vowed, the United States would colonize the moon. — Debate audiences laughed.

Discussion: The Verge, Daily Kos and The Week

Dan Steinberg / Washington Post:
Jeb Bush has added the Redskins to his stump speech

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Mashable

Marc Caputo / Politico:

Jeb cuts back — On the first day of a two-day Iowa swing back in August, Jeb Bush flew from Davenport to Ankeny in a private plane. The next day, after he spent more than four hours bounding around the State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, a top adviser attributed Bush's high energy level …

Discussion: CNN, RedState, Daily Kos, Daily Mail, Fox News, Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, The PJ Tatler, YouGov US Opinion Center News and National Review

Jim Webb / Washington Post:

People are criticizing my dad, Jim Webb, for killing a man. Here's what they're missing. — If you watched the Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday night, you probably heard the closing comment by my father, Jim Webb. Without hesitation he answered that the enemy he was 'most proud …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Progress Pond and Independent Journal

Daniel Watson / U.S. Department of the Treasury:

Treasury Sends Debt Limit Letter to Congress — Dear Mr. Speaker: — I am writing to follow up on my previous letters regarding the debt limit and to provide additional information regarding the Department of the Treasury's ability to continue to finance the government.

Discussion: Mother Jones, US News, TaxVox, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo and Politico

Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic:

The Anti-Free-Speech Movement at UCLA — A half-century ago, student activists at the University of California clashed with administrators during the Berkeley Free Speech Movement, a series of events that would greatly expand free-speech rights of people at public colleges and universities.

Discussion: ProfessorBainbridge.com, The College Fix and Daily Bruin

Anna Palmer / Politico:

Schock shells out $900K on legal fees — Former Rep. Aaron Schock shelled out an additional $900,000 in legal fees during the third quarter of this year and still owes one firm nearly $747,000, according to Federal Election Commission filings made public Thursday. Schock (R-Ill.) …

Jason MeisnerContact / Chicago Tribune:

Lawyers for Dennis Hastert could reveal Thursday if plea deal reached … Lawyers for former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert could tell a federal judge Thursday if they have reached a plea deal with prosecutors that would keep bombshell allegations of hush-money payments from ever being aired in a public trial.

Discussion: USA Today, Talking Points Memo, KFOR-TV, Towleroad and The Week