memeorandum: Behind The Jared And Ivanka PR Machine (Steven Perlberg/BuzzFeed)

2:05 AM ET, August 9, 2017

Top Items:

North Korea now making missile-ready nuclear weapons, U.S. analysts say … North Korea has successfully produced a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can fit inside its missiles, crossing a key threshold on the path to becoming a full-fledged nuclear power, U.S. intelligence officials have concluded in a confidential assessment.

Discussion: The Diplomat, zerohedge.com/fullrss2 …, CNBC, Toronto Star, The Hill, Associated Press, RedState, Axios, NASDAQ.com, Fox News, Religion News Service, Bloomberg, The Washington Journal, The Guardian, Reuters, RealClearPolitics, ABC News, Politico, BBC, The Atlantic, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Common Dreams, The Economic Collapse, TheBlaze, Talking Points Memo, NBC News, AOL, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The New Civil Rights Movement, National Review, NPR, Vox, Mediaite, Mother Jones, Infowars, The Daily Signal, CNN, ThinkProgress, The American Conservative, Gizmodo, Los Angeles Blade, WREG-TV, Taylor Marsh, Townhall.com, IJR, Weekly Standard, Refinery29, Fox News Insider, Joe.My.God., Outside the Beltway, Little Green Footballs, New York Magazine, The Week, CBS News, Washington Free Beacon, FOX News Radio and Military.com

Sarah Pulliam Bailey / Washington Post:

‘God has given Trump authority to take out Kim Jong Un,’ evangelical adviser says — Texas megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress, one of President Trump's evangelical advisers who preached the morning of his inauguration, has released a statement saying the president has the moral authority to take out North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Discussion: Political Wire, Raw Story and The Week

CNBC:

North Korea seriously considering strike on Guam: Reports, citing state media — North Korea is considering a plan to fire missiles at Guam, state media said. — A spokesman for North Korea's military told KCNA that it would carry out a pre-emptive operation if there were signs of U.S. provocation.

Discussion: Power Line, Los Angeles Times, RedState, Raw Story, Axios, Political Wire, Fox News Insider, The New Civil Rights Movement, New York Magazine and New York Times

Reuters:

Exclusive: U.S. envoys told to be coy on re-engaging in Paris climate deal - cable — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. diplomats should sidestep questions from foreign governments on what it would take for the Trump administration to re-engage in the global Paris climate agreement, according to a diplomatic cable seen by Reuters.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Reuters:

North Korea says seriously considering plan to strike Guam: KCNA — SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Wednesday it is “carefully examining” plans for a missile strike on the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump told the North that any threat …

Discussion: The Week and IJR

Will Ripley / CNN:

Canadian envoy arrives in Pyongyang, North Korean media says — (CNN) A Canadian government envoy, Daniel Jean, national security adviser to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and his party arrived in Pyongyang, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported.

Discussion: Raw Story

KTAR.com:

McCain warns Trump to not threaten North Korea until ready to act — Your browser does not support the audio element. — PHOENIX — U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Tuesday that President Donald Trump must tread cautiously when issuing threats to North Korea if he is unprepared to act.

Discussion: Axios, The Week, Joe.My.God. and Reuters

New York Times:
Trump Threatens ‘Fire and Fury’ Against North Korea if It Endangers U.S.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, CNN, The Hill, The Atlantic, Patterico's Pontifications, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Mahablog, Crooked Timber, The Stranger …, Fox News, MinBane, Talking Points Memo and Just Security, more at Mediagazer »

John Bowden / The Hill:
McCain takes exception to Trump remarks

Discussion: Washington Post, ABC News, The Washington Journal, The Atlantic, The Daily Caller, NPR, IJR, The Gateway Pundit, CNBC, TheBlaze and Mediaite

David Brody / CBN.com:
Just In to Brody File: Pastor Robert Jeffress Says ‘God Has Given Trump Authority to Take Out Kim Jong-un’

Discussion: The Daily Caller and The American Conservative

CNN:
Trump threatens North Korea after US assesses they have miniaturized a nuclear warhead

John Wagner / Washington Post:
Trump vows North Korea will be met with ‘fire and fury’ if threats continue

Discussion: Political Wire, Shareblue, Scripting News, IJR, ThinkProgress, The New Civil Rights Movement, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Times, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, CBS New York and Business Insider

CBS News:
Trump warns North Korea will be “met with fire and fury”

Discussion: RedState, CBS New York, The Daily Caller, IJR, Washington Post, Joe.My.God., The Week and Politico

USA Today:

President Trump has exchanged private messages with Russia special counsel Robert Mueller — WASHINGTON - President Trump has publicly called the widening federal investigation into Russia's election meddling a “witch hunt.” But through his lawyer, Trump has sent private messages of “appreciation” to special counsel Robert Mueller.

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story, The Washington Journal, The New Civil Rights Movement, New York Magazine, NBC News, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo, The Week, Axios, Washington Free Beacon, TheBlaze, Joe.My.God., AOL and Mediaite

Matt Zapotosky / Washington Post:

Mueller, several team members gave up million-dollar jobs to work on special counsel investigation — Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel probing Russian interference in the 2016 election, leaves Capitol Hill in June after a closed-door meeting. The Justice Department's ethics office …

Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:
Special counsel Robert Mueller's finances go public

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Alex Thompson / Vice News:

It's known as the “propaganda document” — Twice a day since the beginning of the Trump administration, a special folder is prepared for the president. The first document is prepared around 9:30 a.m. and the follow-up, around 4:30 p.m. Former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus …

Discussion: CNNMoney, Vox, Raw Story, IJR, AOL, Politicus USA, RedState, Mashable, Daily Kos, Shareblue, Talking Points Memo, TheBlaze, Joe.My.God., The Washington Journal, The Week, Mediaite, Balloon Juice and Politico

Eric Boehlert / Shareblue:
It's happening: Trump's base finally begins to flee

Discussion: AOL, Daily Kos, Mediaite and Politicus USA

Steven Perlberg / BuzzFeed:

Behind The Jared And Ivanka PR Machine — When reporters are working on stories that involve Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, they hear from Josh Raffel, a tough, former New York City flack now inside the White House. — On a Thursday late last month, shortly before the New Yorker published …

Discussion: Raw Story and Mediaite

Ryan Lizza / New Yorker:

What to Make of the Mike Pence 2020 Rumors — Two weeks ago, when I spoke to Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director—the same conversation in which he pilloried several colleagues, threatened to fire his entire staff, and claimed to have called the F.B.I. to investigate …

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, Daily Kos, GQ, Shareblue, Mediaite, Business Insider and Infowars

Eliana Johnson / Politico:

Mike Pence's real power move — The vice president's office hasn't been one of the competing power centers in President Donald Trump's faction-riven White House — but the recent arrival of Nick Ayers, the veteran campaign operative now serving as Mike Pence's chief of staff, is starting to change that.

Discussion: Political Wire

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:

Fact-checking of Trump falling on deaf ears? Far from it — How these leaks to reporters exposed lies — Widespread distrust of the White House, as shown in a new CNN poll, is not just a sign of President Trump's weakness. It's also a sign of the national news media's strength.

Michael Gartland / New York Post:

Emails reveal de Blasio bullies his staffers — Mayor de Blasio is an imperious bully of a boss who threatens his underlings with dire punishment if they fail to meet his demands, emails obtained by The Post reveal. — “What do I need to get you guys to follow a direct order?

Discussion: Mediaite

Ryan Nobles / CNN:

McConnell criticizes Trump's ‘excessive expectations’ — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — (CNN)Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell offered some of his toughest criticism yet for President Donald Trump in a speech Monday to a Rotary Group in northern Kentucky. — McConnell, who has been relatively measured …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Axios

Mallory Shelbourne / The Hill:
McConnell goes after Trump's ‘excessive expectations’

Discussion: The Daily Caller and The Gateway Pundit

Patrick Doyle / Rolling Stone:

Glen Campbell, ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ Singer Who Fused Country and Pop, Dead at 81 — Singer-guitarist and TV host who achieved crossover success succumbs to Alzheimer's disease — Glen Campbell, the indelible voice behind 21 Top 40 hits including “Rhinestone Cowboy,” “Wichita Lineman” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” died Tuesday.

Discussion: The Week, Boing Boing, Consequence of Sound, WKRN-TV, The Stranger …, IJR, The Daily Caller, Joe.My.God., Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times and CBS Los Angeles, more at Mediagazer »

Michael Pollak / New York Times:
Glen Campbell, Whose Hit Songs Bridged Country and Pop, Dies at 81

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money

Steven T. Dennis / Bloomberg:

Trump Campaign Turns Over Thousands of Documents in Russia Probe — Donald Trump Jr., Manafort also send data to Judiciary panel — Committee may hold public hearings on Russia in late September — Donald Trump's presidential campaign, his son Donald Trump Jr. and former campaign manager Paul Manafort …

Discussion: The Week and The Washington Journal

Investor's Business Daily:

Trump Approval Hits New Low Of 32% As Support From His Base Slips — IBD/TIPP Poll — President Trump's approval rating dropped 5 percentage points in August to a new low of 32%, according to the latest IBD/TIPP Poll.

Discussion: Washington Post, Politicus USA, Political Wire, CBS News and Outside the Beltway

John Bowden / The Hill:
Poll: Trump's approval rating sinks to new low

Discussion: The Washington Journal and RedState

Lesley Goldberg / Hollywood Reporter:

David Letterman Returning to TV With Netflix Talk Show — The six-episode untitled series will feature in-depth interviews as well as topics outside of the studio. — Two years after signing off CBS' The Late Show, David Letterman is returning to the small screen.

Discussion: Variety, Liberal Values, IJR, Consequence of Sound, The Daily Caller and ABC News, more at Mediagazer »

Jim Michaels / USA Today:

Trump White House weighs unprecedented plan to privatize much of the war in Afghanistan — The White House is actively considering a bold plan to turn over a big chunk of the U.S. war in Afghanistan to private contractors in an effort to turn the tide in a stalemated war …

Discussion: CNN, Balloon Juice, Daily Kos, Shareblue, The Daily Caller, The Washington Journal, Common Dreams, The Week, Shakesville and Political Wire

David Dayen / New Republic:

The Left's Misguided Debate Over Kamala Harris — My article about a bank's law-breaking during the housing crisis became a political football, obscuring the real issue at hand. — Back in January, after Donald Trump had nominated Steven Mnuchin as treasury secretary …

Discussion: Eschaton

Bre Payton / The Federalist:

Here Are All The Media Outlets Blatantly Lying About The Google Memo — Media outlets are lying about a memo written by one of Google's top scientists, which calls out the tech-giant's illegal discrimination practices and blinding liberal biases. — Google has fired the author of the memo …

Discussion: CNBC, IJR, Bloomberg, NBC News, Gizmodo and WeSearchr, more at Techmeme »

Daniel Strauss / Politico:

Trump tweets endorsement for Alabama Sen. Strange ahead of GOP primary — President Donald Trump endorsed Alabama Sen. Luther Strange in a tweet Tuesday night ahead of the state's Aug. 15 GOP Senate primary. — “Senator Luther Strange has done a great job representing the people of the Great State of Alabama.

Discussion: RedState