memeorandum: Feds Order High School To Allow Boys Who Dress As Girls To Use Girls' Shower, Locker Room (Eric Owens/The Daily Caller)

3:15 PM ET, November 3, 2015

Top Items:

How The Debate Debacle Could Backfire On Republicans — A new round of chaos in the 2016 presidential primary has erupted, with a full-on revolt by GOP 2016ers against this cycle's debate structures. — After widespread frustration with the tough questioning candidates faced in last week's CNBC debate …

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, No More Mister Nice Blog, Naked Politics and Politico, more at Mediagazer »

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

Obama mocks GOP hopefuls for CNBC snit — President Obama on Monday mocked Republican presidential candidates as thin-skinned for lashing out at CNBC over the network's handling of last week's primary debate. — “They say, 'when I talk to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin …

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, Politico, The Week, ABC News and TVNewser, more at Mediagazer »

CNN:

Obama rips into 2016 GOP field, mocks their debate complaints — (CNN)President Barack Obama tore into Republican presidential candidates Monday night at a Democratic fundraising event in New York, saying their complaints about CNBC's debate moderation aren't an encouraging preview for their governing abilities.

Discussion: CNNMoney, Rush Limbaugh, American Spectator, Political Insider blog, The Federalist, New Jersey News … and The Gateway Pundit

Niall Stanage / The Hill:

Ninety days until Iowa caucuses: Turmoil in the Republican race — With just 90 days left before the Iowa caucuses, the race for the Republican presidential nomination is wide open — and the party appears to be losing control of the process. — The last 48 hours have been characterized …

Discussion: Politico

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:

The Great Debate Debate Is Unraveling — I realize news outlets (and for that matter, news-cycle blogs) have to go with what they've got, but I hope a few eyes were rolling over the weekend at the Great Debate Debate of 2015, said to be a rallying point for the vast Republican presidential field that was …

Discussion: Vox, Mother Jones and Talking Points Memo

David A. Graham / The Atlantic:
The Republicans Debate Their Debates

Discussion: Washington Post, Salon, Daily Kos, Independent Journal and TVNewser

Hbo Pr / Medium:

JON STEWART AND HBO CONCLUDE EXCLUSIVE FOUR-YEAR PRODUCTION PACT — Deal Kicks Off With Creation Of Topical Short-Form Digital Content — Jon Stewart and HBO have concluded an exclusive four-year production pact, it was announced today by Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Verge, Mediaite, Gizmodo, WGN-TV, The Daily Caller, Tech Times, NBC News, NPR and The Week, more at Mediagazer »

Mitch Smith / New York Times:

Illinois District Violated Transgender Student's Rights, U.S. Says — CHICAGO — Federal education authorities found on Monday that an Illinois school district had violated anti-discrimination laws when it did not allow a transgender student who identifies as a girl and participates in athletics …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Towleroad, National Review, Hot Air, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The American Conservative

CNN:
U.S.: Illinois district must give full locker room access to transgender student

Discussion: American Spectator, Mediaite, Allen B. West, Weekly Standard and Independent Journal

ACLU:
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FINDS THAT PALATINE DISTRICT 211'S DENIAL OF GENDER-APPROPRIATE …

Discussion: Washington Post, cbs8.com, Reuters, Washington Free Beacon, ThinkProgress, abc7chicago.com and Common Dreams

Ginger Gibson / Reuters:

Republicans trust Trump on economy, nuclear weapons: Reuters/Ipsos poll — Donald Trump is the Republican candidate most trusted to manage the economy, deal with foreign leaders and serve as commander in chief, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll of Republicans conducted after the party's third debate.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Week and Political Wire

Michael Falcone / ABC News:
The Note: Can Jeb Fix It?

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico and The New York Observer

Nick Gass / Politico:
Trump scorches his rivals as he trots out new book

Discussion: Bloomberg.com news

David Corn / Mother Jones:

Ben Carson on Americans: “Many of Them Are Stupid.” — When retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, the current GOP 2016 front-runner, campaigns, he routinely pitches “common sense solutions from We the People.” But it seems the candidate who celebrates a cheerful and straightforward populism …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Washington Monthly

Katie McHugh / Breitbart:
Exclusive — Ben Carson: ‘Obvious’ GOP Opponents Use National Review ‘As Their Political Tool’ to Attack Me

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Politico, National Review and Mediaite

Lisa Belkin / Yahoo:

Being married to Bernie — From the stage at the first Democratic presidential debate, nearly all the candidates opened with talk about their families. — “My wife, Hong, came to this country as a refugee from war-torn Vietnam,” said Jim Webb, who then went on to name his five children …

Discussion: Politico

Amie Parnes / The Hill:
Clinton faces challenge in winning over young women

Discussion: Hot Air

Alison Elkin / Bloomberg.com news:

Charles Koch Says He, Brother Largely Fail at Influence-Buying — “So far we're largely failures at it, as you can tell,” Republican mega-donor Charles Koch says in interview on MSNBC's “Morning Joe” when asked if he is buying political influence and if that is at odds with his desire to end so-called corporate welfare.

Brendan James / International Business Times:
MSNBC Hosts Who Went On Palm Springs Koch Junket Score Historic Koch Interview

Discussion: Guardian, Hullabaloo, Mediaite and Slantpoint

Nick Gass / Politico:
Koch brothers: We're ‘failures’ at changing America

Discussion: MSNBC, EcoWatch and addictinginfo.org

Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project:

U.S. Public Becoming Less Religious — Modest Drop in Overall Rates of Belief and Practice, but Religiously Affiliated Americans Are as Observant as Before — Is the American public becoming less religious? Yes, at least by some key measures of what it means to be a religious person.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., Friendly Atheist, The Hugh Hewitt Show, Truth Revolt, The Week, NPR and Prairie Weather

CBS Los Angeles:

6 Passengers Kicked Off Plane At LAX Accused Of Being Unruly Claim Discrimination — LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (CBSLA.com) - Six passengers kicked off a Spirit Airlines plane at Los Angeles International Airport Monday night accused a flight attendant of discrimination.

Discussion: CBS News, Daily Mail and Mashable

Stephen A. Crockett Jr / The Root:
Spirit Airlines Accused of Discrimination After 6 Black Passengers Kicked Off Plane

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Shakesville, addictinginfo.org and NOLA River

New York Times:

In Religious Arbitration, Scripture Is the Rule of Law — A few months before he took a toxic mix of drugs and died on a stranger's couch, Nicklaus Ellison wrote a letter to his little sister. — He asked for Jolly Ranchers, Starburst and Silly Bandz bracelets, some of the treats permitted …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Washington Monthly, Erick on the Radio, AMERICAblog News, Crooked Timber and Friendly Atheist

Burgess Everett / Politico:

Franken gets serious about flipping Senate to Democrats — On a recent October afternoon, Democratic Sen. Al Franken mistakenly ambled toward the Mansfield Room, where the party in control — namely Republicans — meets weekly to hash out strategy. — “I keep thinking we're in the majority …

Discussion: NBC News, Moe Lane, America Rising and Joe.My.God.

Nicholas Stephanopoulos / The Atlantic:

A Feasible Roadmap to Compulsory Voting — Not enough people vote. It's a perennial source of concern in American politics. There's no shortage of reforms designed to address the problem, but one idea that seems particularly promising, at least in theory, is compulsory voting.

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Eitan Hersh / FiveThirtyEight:
How Democrats Suppress The Vote

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Independent Journal and Outside the Beltway

Sewell Chan / New York Times:

Ahmad Chalabi, Iraqi Politician Who Pushed for U.S. Invasion, Dies at 71 — Ahmad Chalabi, the Iraqi politician who from exile helped persuade the United States to invade Iraq in 2003, and then unsuccessfully tried to attain power as his country was nearly torn apart by sectarian violence, died at his home in Baghdad on Tuesday.

Discussion: Slate, Outside the Beltway, Bloomberg View, Associated Press, The Week, Independent Journal, Mother Jones, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Balloon Juice

RT:

Migrant crisis pushing Germany towards ‘anarchy and civil war’ … Germany now is somewhere at the edge of anarchy and sliding towards civil war, or to become a banana republic without any government, says Hansjoerg Mueller of the Alternative for Germany party.

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Gateway Pundit and Daily Mail

Jake Sherman / Politico:

Ryan says GOP plans ‘bold alternative’ agenda — Speaker Paul Ryan said he is “not concerned” with the tumultuous political climate engendered by the presidential election, and said House Republicans will work to “go on offense on ideas” to help bolster the Republican Party.

Discussion: Bloomberg Business

Jennifer Steinhauer / New York Times:
Speaker Paul Ryan Moves Fast to ‘Detoxify’ Boehner's Smoky Suite

Discussion: Towleroad, The Week and Moe Lane

Peter Sullivan / The Hill:

Top Republican says ObamaCare could ‘collapse’ this year — A top Senate Republican is predicting that ObamaCare could “collapse” this year. — Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.), the No. 4 Senate Republican and a leading critic of the healthcare law, made the prediction one day after ObamaCare's new sign-up period began.

Discussion: New York Times and Daily Kos