memeorandum: Oregon occupiers: What officials say happened at traffic stop (Evan Perez/CNN)

4:40 PM ET, January 28, 2016

Top Items:

J.D. Durkin / Mediaite:

CNN Political Commentator Stuns Trump Spox by Blasting ‘Sick and Vile’ Wounded Warriors Stunt — The fireworks were exploding early on Thursday morning ahead of the Fox News Republican debate, which frontrunner Donald Trump has repeatedly said he will not attend.

Discussion: Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit and Politico

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

The Trumph of the Will — I wanted to make a couple related observations about this Donald Trump debate drama. — First, an admission. — When I heard last night that Trump was pulling out of the Fox News GOP primary debate I was quite certain he had every intention of finally attending tomorrow night's event.

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, The Moderate Voice and Crooked Timber

The Federalist:

Trump's New Pro-Veterans Website Directs All Donations To Trump's Personal Foundation — After ducking the final Republican presidential debate heading into next week's Iowa caucuses, GOP front-runner Donald Trump announced that he would hold his own pro-veterans event during the debate to raise money for veterans.

Discussion: RedState, Washington Post, ThinkProgress, Weekly Standard, protein wisdom and Patterico's Pontifications

Kim LaCapria / snopes:

The Kelly Beguiles — A Saudi prince doesn't really “co-own” Fox News, and Fox political commentator Megyn Kelly didn't pose with him. — Claim: A photograph shows Fox political commentator Megyn Kelly posing with a Saudi prince who co-owns Fox News. — MOSTLY FALSE

Discussion: Daily Kos, Right Wing Watch, Business Insider and Mediaite

Michael Daly / The Daily Beast:
Donald Trump Wanted Vets Kicked Off Fifth Avenue

Discussion: RedState, TheStreet.com, Hot Air, Mediaite, The Week and The Hill

Fox News:
Trump campaign says Donald won't participate in Fox News/Google debate

Discussion: Salon, Washington Post, Raw Story, Hullabaloo, Horizons and TheBlaze.com

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:
Fox says Donald Trump is not telling the truth about its debate ad rates

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Washington Post:

Bernie Sanders's fiction-filled campaign — SEN. BERNIE Sanders (I-Vt.) is leading in New Hampshire and within striking distance in Iowa, in large part because he is playing the role of uncorrupted anti-establishment crusader. But Mr. Sanders is not a brave truth-teller.

Discussion: The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Common Dreams, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Daily Caller, The Week and New York Times

Jon Ralston / Ralston Reports:

Sanders workers are masquerading as Culinary members to campaign inside hotels — Operatives from Bernie Sanders' campaign have donned Culinary union pins and secured access to employee areas inside Strip hotels to try to garner votes for the Feb. 20 caucus, sources confirm.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, Politico, VegasInc.com and Slantpoint

Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:
Bernie Sanders in ‘overall very good health,’ doctor writes

Discussion: Yahoo Politics, ABC News, The Week, Joe.My.God. and The Hill

Alex Seitz-Wald / MSNBC:
Sanders camp suspicious of Microsoft's influence in Iowa Caucus

Discussion: The Hill, Hot Air and The Verge

Mark Hensch / The Hill:
WaPost: Sanders campaign ‘fiction’

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, CNN and Mediaite

Madeline McMahon / Bloomberg Business:
Sanders Says He'll Struggle to Win Iowa With Low Voter Turnout

Discussion: The Daily Caller

ABC News:

Clinton Seen as Winner in November; Trump Inspires Anxiety — Most Americans expect that Hillary Clinton would prevail against her leading GOP opponent in November, while Bernie Sanders' chances are rated less well. The thought of Donald Trump as president inspires high levels of public anxiety …

Discussion: Yahoo Politics, Politico, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Week, Mother Jones and Mediaite

Carrie Dann / NBC News:

Trump Strong in Three Early States as Clinton and Sanders Battle: Poll — With just four days to go until the Iowa caucuses, Donald Trump has pulled ahead of Ted Cruz with a seven-point lead among likely Iowa GOP caucus-goers, while Hillary Clinton remains just three points in front …

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, Hot Air, FiveThirtyEight, NBC News, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, Outside the Beltway, Politico, The Daily Beast, Political Wire and Politics Informer

Julian Hattem / The Hill:

FBI's Hillary Clinton email investigation not letting up — Six months after it began, the federal investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server shows no signs of slowing down. — Former FBI officials said the length of the probe is not unusual and speculated that a decision …

Discussion: Politico and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Ezra Klein / Vox:
Hillary Clinton and the audacity of political realism

Discussion: Consortiumnews.com and Campaign for America's Future

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Trump Leads Iowa; Some Rays of Hope for Cruz, Rubio

Discussion: Members

TIME.com:

Barbie's dress won't fit. — I'm sitting in a bright pink room at Mattel's headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., playing with a Barbie that only 20 people in the world know exists. Her creation has been kept so secret that the designers code-named the endeavor Project Dawn so that even their spouses …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Atlantic, Guardian, The Verge, Slantpoint, Washington Post, Mashable, Racked, Refinery29, WSLS-TV and The Week

Conrad Wilson / OPB:

More Arrests As FBI Negotiates With Remaining Militants — The FBI took three additional militants into custody Wednesday, as occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge began to trickle away from the site they have held for 26 days, and as the militants arrested Tuesday faced indictment in federal court.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Oregonian, Plain Dealer, KOIN-TV, NPR, The Atlantic, 89.3 KPCC, American Power, Shakesville, USA Today, Business Insider, Right Wing Watch and Washington Post

Evan Perez / CNN:
Oregon occupiers: What officials say happened at traffic stop

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, KOIN-TV, Bearing Arms, Mashable, Raw Story, American Power, The Atlantic, WSPA-TV and Oregonian

Arnold Law in Eugene, Oregon:
Ammon Bundy - Malheur Wildlife Refuge Case

Discussion: Oregonian, Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress and NPR

Peter Sterne / Politico:

HuffPost to publish anti-Trump kicker with all Trump coverage — The Huffington Post has started appending an editor's note to the bottom of posts about Republican presidential contender Donald Trump, calling him a “racist,” a “liar” and a “xenophobe,” and reminding readers of his proposal …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, The Week, Mediaite and The Huffington Post, more at Mediagazer »

Ed Mazza / The Huffington Post:
Donald Trump Tells Bill O'Reilly It's ‘An Eye For An Eye’ In War With Fox News

Discussion: Politico and Bloomberg Business

Myriah Towner For / Daily Mail:

US father tried for THEFT after he took his 12-year-old daughter's mobile phone away as a punishment — He had been charged with theft of property after taking his daughter's iPhone 4 when he found an inappropriate text in September 2013 — Teen's mom, Michelle Steppe …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, AOL, WFAA-TV and Fox News Insider

Jeff Paul / CBS Dallas:
Father Arrested For Theft After Taking Daughter's Phone Vindicated

Discussion: Mediaite, Mashable, WREG-TV, KFOR-TV and Q13 FOX News

Emily Atkin / ThinkProgress:

Ted Cruz Gathers Hundreds To Oppose Abortion — DES MOINES, IOWA — Banning abortion and withdrawing federal funding for Planned Parenthood were the main themes of Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz's rally Wednesday night in West Des Moines, where several hundred Iowans literally spilled …

Discussion: Cruz for President, Right Wing Watch, Washington Monthly and Advocate

Pema Levy / Mother Jones:
Cruz's Closing Argument in Iowa: Trump Is a Liberal in Disguise

Discussion: Mediaite and Yahoo Politics

Daily Mail:

BREAKING NEWS: Man carrying two guns and a copy of the Koran hidden in a bag is arrested at DisneyLand Paris as police hunt woman accomplice — A man has been arrested at DisneyLand Paris carrying two handguns, ammunition, and a copy of the Koran, but police are still hunting his female companion.

Discussion: American Spectator, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Mediaite and BizPac Review

Eva Schloss / Newsweek:

Anne Frank's stepsister: ‘Donald Trump is acting like Hitler’ — Eva Schloss, 86, is an Auschwitz survivor and the stepsister of Anne Frank. Both Frank and Schloss were Jewish refugees in Amsterdam together and the pair played together as children until their families were forced into hiding in 1942.

Discussion: ABC News, Talking Points Memo, Telegraph, CNN and abc13.com

Patrick Healy / New York Times:

It's Still Bill Clinton, but the Old Magic Seems Missing — MASON CITY, Iowa — Bill Clinton came to the vote-rich city of Mason City on Wednesday night and recounted his wife's life experiences, recited her policy ideas, and ripped into the Republicans a bit.

Discussion: Althouse and The Week

Alan Pyke / ThinkProgress:

Fresh off saying Maine should revive the guillotine to decapitate drug dealers, Gov. Paul LePage (R) said Wednesday that private citizens should get in on the criminal-killing action too. — “I tell ya, everybody in Maine, we have constitutional carry,” LePage said in an on-camera interview in Lewiston …