memeorandum: Cotton, Ernst stand by Trump (Burgess Everett/Politico)

5:15 PM ET, October 10, 2016

Top Items:

Paul Ryan Won't Defend Donald Trump, Upsetting Trump and G.O.P. Hard-Liners — House Speaker Paul D. Ryan dealt a hammer blow to Donald J. Trump's presidential candidacy Monday, dashing any remaining semblance of party unity and inviting fierce backlash from his own caucus by announcing …

John Bresnahan / Politico:

Ryan abandons Trump — Speaker Paul Ryan told House Republicans on a conference call Monday morning that he's done defending Donald Trump and will focus on maintaining his party's increasingly imperiled House majority, according to sources on the call. — The message amounted to a concession …

Discussion: TheBlaze.com, Independent Journal Review, Infowars, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Guardian and Balloon Juice

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:

Is Trump a Sufferable Evil? — The Republican party is looking down the road to disaster. — The emergence Friday of the disgusting Trump tape was a gift to the Republican party. It provided an occasion, at the very last minute, for the party to dump a fundamentally unworthy and radically unfit nominee.

Discussion: NBC News and Washington Post

Burgess Everett / Politico:

Cotton, Ernst stand by Trump — Donald Trump's performance on Sunday night was enough for Sens. Tom Cotton and Joni Ernst. — The Arkansas Republican challenged Trump on Saturday night at an Iowa Republican Party dinner “to throw himself on the mercy of the American people” and …

Discussion: Des Moines Register and Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times

Claude Brodesser-Akner / New Jersey Online:
Mike Pence cancels N.J. Trump fundraiser scheduled for Monday in Ocean County

Discussion: New Urban Legends, NBC News, Talking Points Memo, Politico, The Week and Mediaite

Alan Fram / Associated Press:
The Latest: Ryan Said to Avoid Question on Voting for Trump

Discussion: Politico, ABC News and The Right Scoop

Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:
Kellyanne Conway throws down the gauntlet to Paul Ryan

Discussion: Daily Kos

New York Times:
Donald Trump Vows Retaliation as Republicans Abandon Him

Discussion: Yahoo, Political Insider blog, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Mother Jones and The Week

Jonathan V. Last / Weekly Standard:
The Debate's Biggest Loser Was the GOP

Discussion: RedState, Political Wire and The Moderate Voice

John Bresnahan / Politico:
Sources: Ryan discussed revoking Trump endorsement

Discussion: ABC News, Political Insider blog and Vox

Tom LoBianco / CNN:
Pence: I never considered leaving Trump ticket

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, Daily Kos, NPR, The Stranger …, Business Insider, Politicus USA, WTVR-TV, The Resurgent, Joe.My.God., Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress, NBC News, The Daily Caller, The Right Scoop and Indianapolis Star

Louis Nelson / Politico:
Pence calls rumors of him weighing dropping off the ticket ‘absolutely false’

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The Daily Caller and ABC News

Kate Nocera / BuzzFeed:
Paul Ryan Tells House Republicans: Do What's Best For You When It Comes To Trump

Discussion: alan.com

Washington Post:

Trump's debate plan to seat Bill Clinton's accusers in family box was thwarted — ST. LOUIS — Donald Trump's campaign sought to intimidate Hillary Clinton and embarrass her husband by seating women who have accused former president Bill Clinton of sexual abuse in the Trump family's box …

MJ Lee / CNN:

Donald Trump's mission: Make Clinton's life hell for the next month — WARNING: This story contains graphic language. — St. Louis (CNN)Donald Trump issued an unmistakable threat to Hillary Clinton Sunday night: I am willing to cross any line to make the next 30 days of your life hell.

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Politicus USA, Rasmussen Reports, Washington Post, Daily Kos, FiveThirtyEight, WNCT-TV and The American Spectator

Joel B. Pollak / Breitbart:

Melania Trump Trolls Clintons with ‘Pussy Bow’ Blouse at Debate — Melania Trump, wife of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, wore a Gucci blouse to the second presidential debate that is called a “pussy bow.” — The potential First Lady's wardrobe choice came …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Full Feed, Mediaite and Joe.My.God.

Zack Beauchamp / Vox:
Donald Trump's threat to imprison Hillary Clinton is a threat to democracy

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico, Raw Story, neo-neocon, ABC News, ThinkProgress, RedState and Vogue

Callum Borchers / Washington Post:
Juanita Broaddrick's other debate-night claim could be trouble for Breitbart News

Discussion: Politico, The Gateway Pundit and Business Insider

Associated Press:
Trump Ally Paid Sexual Assault Victim Critical of Clinton

Discussion: ABC News, Vox, Raw Story, Media Matters for America and Politico

A.M. / Economist:
Donald Trump threatens to lock up Hillary Clinton

Discussion: Instapundit and Washington Post

John McCormack / Weekly Standard:

Jeff Sessions: Behavior Described by Trump in ‘Grab Them by the P—y’ Tape Isn't Sexual Assault — Two days after the videotape of Donald Trump's now-infamous 2005 lewd conversation was released, the Trump team remains divided over the most serious question arising from the tape: Is Trump talking about sexual assault?

David Edwards / Raw Story:

Pat Robertson: It's ‘macho’ for Trump to grab women ‘by the p*ssy’ without permission — Pat Robertson on Monday declared that Donald Trump was the “clear winner” of Sunday night's presidential debate, and the televangelist asserted that the GOP candidate's admission that he groped women was simply “macho” talk.

Discussion: Washington Post, Yahoo, Mother Jones, The Federalist, TheStreet.com, NY State of Politics, Business Insider, Atlanta Black Star and Guardian, more at Mediagazer »

Jack Shafer / Politico:

Why Did NBC News Sit on the Trump Tape for So Long? — As the political world ponders whether the past 72 hours have delivered a fatal knockout blow to Donald Trump's presidential campaign, the nation's media observers have been bedeviled by a separate question: Why did NBC News hold its story …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and New York Post

Chrissie.Thompsonfink / Cincinnati.com:
Which vote can they defend? Ohio GOP chair, wife watch debate

Discussion: Raw Story, Washington Post, The Resurgent, www.wnyc.org, Mother Jones, ThinkProgress, Mashable, WNCT-TV and AOL

Louis Nelson / Politico:
Conway slams Anderson Cooper for pressing Trump on sexual assault

Discussion: Associated Press and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Carrie Dann / NBC News:

Poll: After Trump Tape Revelation, Clinton's Lead Up to Double Digits — NBC/WSJ poll: Clinton holds major lead 7:03 — As Donald Trump's campaign reels over tapes of the presidential candidate's sexually aggressive comments about women in 2005, the Republican nominee now trails Hillary Clinton …

Elise Viebeck / Washington Post:
Ralph Nader predicts fastest impeachment in history for Trump

Discussion: RedState

Janet Hook / Wall Street Journal:
Hillary Clinton's Lead Jumped After Lewd Video, Before Debate, in WSJ Poll

Discussion: Vox, Mother Jones, Hot Air and Washington Post

Sarah B. Boxer / Yahoo:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Trump, Kaepernick and her lifelong love of the law — They don't call her the “Notorious RBG” for nothing. — In “My Own Words,” a new compilation of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's writings over the course her lifetime, the vim and vigor that she is famous for expressing …

Discussion: Mediaite, New York Magazine, Talking Points Memo, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Daily Caller, CBS Los Angeles, Washington Free Beacon, Business Insider, Mashable, The Root, The Week, theGrio, Heat Street and Independent Journal Review

Victoria M. Massie / Vox:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg respects Colin Kaepernick's right to protest, but thinks “it's dumb and disrespectful”

Discussion: ABC News and The Daily Caller

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:

Second Clinton-Trump debate sees big ratings drop compared to first — The second Clinton-Trump debate had about 20% fewer viewers than the first face-off did. — Why the drop-off? The “Sunday Night Football” game was definitely a factor. There is speculation that the ugly …

Discussion: Mediaite, The Week and FiveThirtyEight

Blake Neff / The Daily Caller:
CNN Possibly Caught Coaching Post-Debate Focus Group [VIDEO]

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Mediaite

Jason Easley / Politicus USA:
Post-Debate Polls Say Hillary Clinton Crushed Donald Trump For A Second Time

Discussion: Media Matters for America, YouGov US Opinion Center News, CNN, Guardian and The Mahablog

Business Wire:

Some Tax Facts for Donald Trump — OMAHA, Neb.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Answering a question last night about his $916 million income tax loss carryforward in 1995, Donald Trump stated that “Warren Buffett took a massive deduction.” Mr. Trump says he knows more about taxes than any other human.

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post and Business Insider

Jacob Pramuk / CNBC:

Warren Buffett fires back at Donald Trump's comments about his taxes — Warren Buffett responded Monday to Donald Trump's attacks on his tax payments, offering income tax information and criticizing Trump for not releasing his own tax records. — In Sunday night's presidential debate in St. Louis …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times

The Huffington Post:

There Are Transcripts Of Trump's Unaired Moments On ‘The Apprentice.’ We Got One. — The Republican nominee was hypercritical of one up-and-coming singer's skin. — Top Democratic operatives have offered to pay millions of dollars for unaired footage of Donald Trump on the set of …

Discussion: Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, alan.com, Vox, theGrio, New York Magazine, Joe.My.God., Raw Story, Politico and twitchy.com, more at Mediagazer »

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

GOP ex-prosecutors slam Trump over threat to ‘jail’ Clinton — Donald Trump's debate-night vow to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton's email setup and put her “in jail” provoked a sharp blowback from former U.S. prosecutors, who said Trump's view of the Justice Department serving …