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Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:
Behind scenes, NBC execs concede Matt Lauer forum performance was “disaster” — NBC News knows the “Commander-in-Chief Forum” was not Matt Lauer's finest hour. — One executive, speaking anonymously, was blunt about it: “Disaster.” — The morning after Lauer's back-to-back interviews …
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, Politicus USA, Daily Kos and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
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Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Matt Lauer Fields Storm of Criticism Over Clinton-Trump Forum — It was a high-stakes political moment, far from the chummier confines of the “Today” show and, for Matt Lauer, NBC's stalwart of the morning, a chance to prove his broadcasting mettle on the presidential stage. — The consensus afterward was not kind.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, USA Today, TVNewser, The Federalist, Washington Post, TheStreet.com, Politicus USA, Gothamist, Mediaite, New Urban Legends, The Stranger …, Ghosts of Tom Joad, Political Insider blog, The Daily Caller, BillMoyers.com, Business Insider and Scared Monkeys, more at Mediagazer »
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Ok, I Admit It: I'm a Lauer Truther — The conventional wisdom has hardened to granite. Matt Lauer was the worst debate moderator in history. He was unprepared. He hammered Hillary and devoted too much time to emails. He let Trump lie like crazy without calling him to account at all.
Discussion:
The Atlantic and Balloon Juice
Charles C. W. Cooke / National Review:
Welcome to the Club, Jonathan Chait: Part II — Last year, New York magazine's Jonathan Chait came to the conclusion that “political correctness” was a problem after all. Why? Because, as Kevin Williamson put it at the time, the tool was “now being used as a cudgel against white liberals …
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Matt Lauer's Pathetic Interview of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Is the Scariest Thing I've Seen in This Campaign — I had not taken seriously the possibility that Donald Trump could win the presidency until I saw Matt Lauer host an hour-long interview with the two major party candidates.
James Poniewozik / New York Times:
Matt Lauer Loses the War in a Battle Between the Candidates — The NBC presidential forum on Wednesday night in Manhattan brought together the candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump to try to determine who has the strength, preparation and presence of mind to lead during a time of crisis.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Mahablog and Daily Kos
William Saletan / Slate:
NBC's Commander in Chief Forum Was an Authoritarian Farce
Discussion:
NBC News, PolitiFact, Washington Post, Guardian and fox8.com
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
As debates near, forum shows potential Trump advantage
Discussion:
Townhall.com, Power Line and Politico
Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:
Matt Lauer Failed The Moderator Test
Discussion:
press.nbcnews.com, The Intercept, Business Insider, Informed Comment, Washington Free Beacon, CNNMoney, Washington Post, Politico, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mother Jones, Talking Points Memo, AOL, Western Journalism, American Prospect, Mediaite, Independent Journal Review, Liberty Unyielding, Common Dreams, twitchy.com, Mashable and NBC News
NBC News:
What Really Happened at Donald Trump's Intelligence Briefing — What ‘body language’ is Trump talking about? — As U.S. officials cast doubt on Donald Trump's claim he read the “body language” of intelligence officials at a recent briefing, NBC News has learned exclusive details …
Discussion:
alan.com, The Atlantic, Daily Kos, CNBC, Independent Journal Review, Talking Points Memo, Gothamist, Hot Air and Balloon Juice
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Ken Dilanian / NBC News:
Clinton Slams Trump But Blabbed About Briefing in 2008 — Clinton on the offensive following IAVA Forum 5:07 — Hillary Clinton slammed Donald Trump for talking about an intelligence briefing he received — but she's done it, too. — “I think what he said was totally inappropriate …
Discussion:
Washington Post and Washington Free Beacon
Greg Miller / Washington Post:
It's unlikely Trump briefers disparaged Clinton or Obama, ex-intelligence officials say
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, U.S. Uncut, Raw Story, Politico and New York Magazine
True Pundit:
NYPD: Hillary Clinton Was Wearing “Invisible” Earpiece To Receive Stealth Coaching During Live NBC TV Town Hall — Hillary Clinton was sporting a mini earbud wired to receive stealth communications from her campaign handlers during Wednesday's Commander-in-Chief Forum carried live on NBC from New York City, True Pundit has learned.
Discussion:
Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mediaite, ThinkProgress and Independent Journal Review
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Joe Concha / The Hill:
Conservative media jumps on Hillary's ‘earpiece’ — Conservative media was dominated on Thursday by claims Hillary Clinton — was wearing an earpiece during a nationally televised presidential forum on veterans affairs the previous evening. — The story originally took off via a tweet …
Amie Parnes / The Hill:
Clinton campaign warns media to tread carefully — 's campaign is working the refs hard when it comes to reports about her health. — While Clinton responded to a fit of coughing this week with humor, saying she was “allergic” to GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump
Discussion:
Politico, Instapundit, RedState, naked capitalism, Infowars and John Hawkins' Right Wing News
Paul Joseph Watson / Infowars:
Was Hillary Wearing an Earpiece During Last Night's Presidential Forum? — Conservative actor James Woods: “She can't even lie without help” — Was Hillary Clinton wearing an earpiece during last night's presidential forum? That's the latest question swirling around the Internet …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Little Green Footballs, alan.com, LifeZette, New Century Times, ThinkProgress, Raw Story, Althouse, Breitbart, BizPac Review, The Week and twitchy.com
Alan Rappeport / New York Times:
‘What Is Aleppo?’ Gary Johnson Asks, in an Interview Stumble — Gary Johnson, the former New Mexico governor and Libertarian Party presidential nominee, revealed a surprising lack of foreign policy knowledge on Thursday that could rock his insurgent candidacy when he could not answer …
Discussion:
Slate, Talking Points Memo, Washington Free Beacon, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, FiveThirtyEight, The Federalist, twitchy.com, Red Alert Politics, BizPac Review, Hit & Run, Raw Story, Mediaite, Bloomberg, Politico, Salon, PRI, The Concourse, New Urban Legends, The American Conservative, Fox News Insider, The Atlantic, New York Magazine, Mashable, Independent Journal Review and Mother Jones
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Daniel Strauss / Politico:
Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson: ‘What is Aleppo?’
Discussion:
Washington Post, ABC News, The Hill, Bearing Drift, New York Times, The Daily Caller, Slate, Hit & Run, CNN, Mediaite, RedState and Talking Points Memo
Donald J. Trump / Esquire:
Donald Trump: How I'd Run the Country (Better) — This is what it felt like to be Donald J. Trump in 2004, when The Apprentice was on the air, and he was bros with Regis, and the Iraq War was still at the top of America's collective consciousness. Funnily enough, what he said 12 years ago helps us understand his (il)logic today.
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs, Vox, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire and Mediaite
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Matt Egan / CNNMoney:
5,300 Wells Fargo employees fired for creating over 2 million phony accounts — Everyone hates paying bank fees. But imagine paying fees on a ghost account you didn't even sign up for. — That's exactly what happened to Wells Fargo customers nationwide.
Discussion:
The Atlantic, USA Today, U.S. Uncut and The Resurgent
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Tal Kopan / CNN:
Mike Pence defends Donald Trump comments on Vladimir Putin: ‘inarguable’ — Washington (CNN)Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on Thursday defended his running mate's statement that Vladimir Putin is a stronger leader than President Barack Obama, calling it “inarguable.”
Discussion:
Washington Post
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Matthew Nussbaum / Politico:
Pence agrees with Trump: Calls Putin stronger than Obama
Discussion:
ABC News
Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
Inside the collapse of Trump's D.C. policy shop — The Trump campaign built a large policy shop in Washington that has now largely melted away because of neglect, mismanagement and promises of pay that were never honored. Many of the team's former members say the campaign leadership never took …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Mediaite and The New Civil Rights Movement
Hadas Gold / Politico:
AP deletes Clinton Foundation tweet — The Associated Press announced on Thursday that it is deleting a two week-old tweet about the Clinton Foundation. — “The Associated Press today is deleting a 2-week-old tweet about Hillary Clinton's meetings as Cabinet secretary after concluding …
Francesca Chambers / Daily Mail:
‘Read the reports’: Hillary Clinton refuses to explain what she told the FBI about how a concussion impaired her memory — DailyMail.com asked Hillary Clinton on Thursday if she could clarify what she told the FBI about a concussion that hampered her memory
Discussion:
Infowars and Washington Free Beacon
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Peter Beinart / The Atlantic:
Fear of a Female President — Except for her gender, Hillary Clinton is a highly conventional presidential candidate. She's been in public life for decades. Her rhetoric is carefully calibrated. She tailors her views to reflect the mainstream within her party.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Vox and Hullabaloo
Alan Levin / Bloomberg:
Alphabet and Chipotle Are Bringing Burrito Delivery Drones to Campus — Most extensive U.S. trial of deliveries starting this month — Chipotle, Virginia Tech cooperating in FAA-approved test — In what's sure to be a college student's dream come true, drones will soon be delivering burritos on the campus of Virginia Tech.
Discussion:
Daily Mail, Investor's Business Daily, The Verge, Consumerist, Engadget and Eater
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Trump accuses Clinton of running a ‘criminal enterprise’ — unleashed a new barrage of attacks against Hillary Clinton — in a blistering speech on Thursday, accusing his Democratic presidential rival of running a “criminal enterprise” and saying her policies have spread terrorism around the world.
Daily Mail:
Summer haze! Malia Obama is pictured ‘near a large bong at UPenn frat house’ wearing her ‘Smoking Kills’ T-shirt... weeks after she puffed on a suspicious cigarette at Lollapalooza — A picture circulating on social media appears to show Malia Obama near an item that resembles a large bong.
Discussion:
John Hawkins' Right Wing News
Tom Wheeler / Los Angeles Times:
Op-Ed FCC chairman: Here are the new proposed rules for set-top boxes — Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler at the FCC in Washington. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press) — There's never been a better time to watch television in America.
Discussion:
NPR, Morning Consult, Common Dreams, Consumerist and Engadget, more at Mediagazer »
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