memeorandum: Maher: ‘Capt. Carnival Barker and Crazy McSleepy Pants’ are winning because US voters are dumb (Arturo Garcia/Raw Story)

2:55 PM ET, November 7, 2015

Top Items:

Ben Carson's Past Faces Deeper Questions — In harsh light of presidential politics, parts of his inspirational biography are questioned — The day after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in 1968, Ben Carson's black classmates unleashed their anger and grief on white students who were a minority at Detroit's Southwestern High.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Telegraph, Business Insider, Mediaite, addictinginfo.org, The Week, No More Mister Nice Blog, Drudge Retort, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Talking Points Memo and Balloon Juice

Detroit News:

Carson's Westmoreland story doesn't match records — Carlisle, Pa. — Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson's published account of having dinner with a top commander in the Vietnam War after marching in a Memorial Day parade in 1969 as a high school ROTC cadet in Detroit does not match historical records.

Discussion: National Review, ThinkProgress, CNNMoney, Business Insider, Washington Post, Politico, Fox News Insider, CNN, Trail Blazers Blog and NBC News

Kevin Drum / Mother Jones:
Ben Carson Seems to Have a Serious Personal Honesty Problem

Discussion: Political Wire, The Moderate Voice, The Hinterland Gazette, The Gateway Pundit, addictinginfo.org, Balloon Juice, Slantpoint and Erick on the Radio

Michael Barbaro / New York Times:
Ben Carson Turns Heat on Reporters in Feisty News Conference

Discussion: Slantpoint, OnPolitics, Guardian, Fusion, The PJ Tatler and The Daily Caller

John Hinderaker / Power Line:
The West Point Flap: How Much Will It Hurt Carson? [With comment by Paul]

Discussion: Politico, The Bob and Chez Show and JustOneMinute

Haley Hudler / FIRE:

Yale Students Demand Resignations from Faculty Members Over Halloween Email — Tensions at Yale University hit a boiling point yesterday after an email about Halloween costumes created a week-long controversy on campus. — Students called for the resignation of Associate Master …

Discussion: The American Conservative, Hit & Run, ProfessorBainbridge.com, Washington Post and Instapundit

Jencey Paz / yaleherald.com:

Hurt at home … As a Silimander, I feel that my home is being threatened. Last week, Erika Christakis, the associate master of Silliman College, sent an email to the Silliman community that called an earlier entreaty for Yalies to be more sensitive about culturally appropriating Halloween costumes a threat to free speech.

Yale Daily News:

Students confront Christakis about Halloween email — This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Last updated at 6:36 p.m. — Following a three-hour-long impromptu confrontation on Cross Campus with Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway about the lack of administrative response …

Discussion: Business Insider, Daily Mail, The Daily Caller and Washington Post

New York Times:

Hundreds of Nude Photos Jolt Colorado School — CAÑON CITY, Colo. — At least 100 students at a high school in Cañon City traded naked pictures of themselves, the authorities said Friday, part of a large sexting ring. — The revelation has left parents outraged …

Discussion: Mediaite, Althouse, Hot Air, Deadspin and NBC News

Sarah Ferris / The Hill:

Reid, Pelosi pushing for repeal of ObamaCare's ‘Cadillac tax’ — Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) are working behind the scenes to repeal one of the most controversial taxes in ObamaCare, multiple sources tell The Hill.

Discussion: JustOneMinute and Josh Blackman's Blog

New York Times:

As U.S. Escalates Air War on ISIS, Allies Slip Away — AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar — As the United States prepares to intensify airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria, the Arab allies who with great fanfare sent warplanes on the initial missions there a year ago have largely vanished from the campaign.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Arturo Garcia / Raw Story:

Maher: ‘Capt. Carnival Barker and Crazy McSleepy Pants’ are winning because US voters are dumb — DON'T MISS STORIES. FOLLOW RAW STORY! — Real Time host Bill Maher closed his show out on Friday by ridiculing a Republican electorate demanding that their next presidential candidate have as little political experience as possible.

Discussion: Independent Journal and addictinginfo.org

Bill McMorris / Washington Free Beacon:

Union: Obama Threw Workers Under the Bus — One of the nation's largest unions accused President Obama of betraying workers and the labor movement by blocking the Keystone Pipeline and is backing up its rhetoric with campaign donations to Republicans. — The Laborers' International Union …

Discussion: Fox News, CNN, Slantpoint, FiveThirtyEight, The Daily Signal, Moe Lane, Washington Post and Bloomberg View

Rebecca Leber / New Republic:
Obama Rejects the Keystone XL Pipeline—And Secures His Environmental Legacy

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money and New York Times

New York Daily News:

Donald Trump had an uncredited ghostwriter for his new book, ‘Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again’ — Donald Trump's new book, “Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again,” was written by a ghostwriter, two sources confirm to Confidenti@l.

Anna Palmer / Politico:

House GOP's appetite for more votes shows limits — Speaker Paul Ryan wanted to find out whether Republicans wanted to restart the appropriations process by passing individual spending bills. — The answer: a resounding no. — House Majority Whip Steve Scalise's vote counters discovered …

Discussion: The Bob and Chez Show and Hullabaloo

Abby Phillip / Washington Post:

Clinton refrains from attacks while bearing the brunt of her opponents' — ROCK HILL, S.C. — It wasn't a debate — technically. But as the candidates sat in the bright red hot seat one after the other during a Friday night Democratic candidate forum in South Carolina …

Discussion: The Week