memeorandum: Top Intel Dem says Trump's pardon sends message to targets of Russia probe: “I have your back” (Dan Desai Martin/Shareblue)

8:15 PM ET, August 26, 2017

Top Items:

House Speaker Paul Ryan Criticizes Donald Trump's Pardon for Joe Arpaio — Republican joins two GOP senators from Arizona in opposing the move — House Speaker Paul Ryan on Saturday criticized President Donald Trump for pardoning a former Arizona sheriff, Joe Arpaio, becoming the highest-ranking Republican to object to the move.

Discussion: The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Axios, IJR and Politico

Washington Post:

Trump asked Sessions about closing case against Arpaio, an ally since ‘birtherism’ … As Joseph Arpaio's federal case headed toward trial this past spring, President Trump wanted to act to help the former Arizona county sheriff who had become a campaign-trail companion and a partner in their crusade against illegal immigration.

Discussion: Political Wire, The Atlantic, Joe.My.God., Mediaite, Refinery29, Weekly Standard, CBS San Francisco and Infowars

Joe Arpaio / Arizona Republic:

Our View: Donald Trump just resurrected Joe Arpaio from irrelevance … CONNECT — While America was talking about tearing down monuments that offend historically oppressed people, Donald Trump effectively erected yet another one. — His pardon of Joe Arpaio elevated …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite, Little Green Footballs, Politicus USA, Daily Kos, Joe.My.God., Hit & Run, WND, The Hill, RedState and TheBlaze

mccain.senate.gov:

STATEMENT BY SENATOR JOHN McCAIN ON PRESIDENT TRUMP'S PARDON OF JOE ARPAIO — Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) released the following statement today on President Trump's pardon of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio: — “No one is above the law and the individuals entrusted …

Francisco Chairez / Washington Post:

The year I spent in Joe Arpaio's tent jail was hell. He should never walk free. — I was born in Mexico, grew up in Tijuana, and moved to Arizona when I was 14. I went to high school in a small town called Holbrook, then went to Phoenix to go to Arizona State University.

Discussion: ThinkProgress

David Frum / The Atlantic:

Trump Won't Back Down — At 11:46 a.m. on Friday, August 25, President Trump issued the first of what would become a sequence of 12 tweets that day about the government's readiness for Hurricane Harvey. — Seldom if ever before in his tenure has this president so publicly performed the role …

Discussion: The Independent, The Guardian, Washington Post, Conservative News Today, Outside the Beltway, ThinkProgress, New York Magazine, The Root, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire, Mediaite and Business Insider

Bbauer / Lawfare:

The Arpaio Pardon — Joe Arpaio speaks at a campaign rally in Arizona in October 2016. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) — President Trump issued his pardon of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio apparently without a Justice Department recommendation or even consultation, according to various outlets citing unnamed officials.

Margaret Talbot / New Yorker:
Why Donald Trump Pardoned Joe Arpaio

Discussion: New York Times, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Week

Dan Desai Martin / Shareblue:
Top Intel Dem says Trump's pardon sends message to targets of Russia probe: “I have your back”

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico, Daily Kos and Talking Points Memo

YouGov US Opinion Center News:
The Politics of Pardoning Sheriff Joe

Discussion: Washington Post, FiveThirtyEight, Los Angeles Times and New York Times

Brandon Carter / The Hill:
McCain blasts Trump over Arpaio pardon

Discussion: Politico, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Axios, IJR, RedState, France 24 and The Gateway Pundit

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
If he'll pardon Arpaio, why wouldn't Trump pardon those who ignore Robert Mueller?

Discussion: The Contrarian Conservative, emptywheel, The Mahablog, Balloon Juice and Associated Press

CNN:

Latest developments — Harvey's impact will be devastating and leave areas “uninhabitable for weeks or months,” forecasters said. — Even though Harvey had made landfall and weakened, it was still a dangerous storm and “turning into a deadly inland event,” the FEMA chief tweeted.

Discussion: New York Times, ABC News, Associated Press, San Antonio Current, myfox8.com, Shareblue, Q13 FOX News, IJR, KTLA, WHNT-TV, The Daily Caller, FOX2now.com, CBS New York, The Atlantic, FOX6Now.com, Talking Points Memo, Politicus USA, Mediaite, The Week, AOL, WGN-TV, CNNMoney and CNBC

Washington Post:
At least one dead, buildings destroyed as Hurricane Harvey drenches central Texas coast

Discussion: Slate, TheBlaze, The Daily Caller, The Atlantic and Grist

David Caplan / ABC News:
Hurricane Harvey bashes Texas coast, leaving thousands without power, homes damaged, residents injured

Discussion: CBS Dallas, Gizmodo, myfox8.com, NPR, Associated Press, FOX2now.com, Refinery29, IJR, KTLA, The Guardian, NBC News, WKRN-TV and New York Times

Houston Chronicle:
Hurricane Harvey downgraded further, spawns tornadoes

Discussion: Grist, NPR, Mother Jones and IJR

Tony Romm / Recode: Before Hurricane Harvey, wireless carriers lobbied against upgrades to a national emergency alert system

Meghan Keneally / ABC News:
Mayor tells those not evacuating for hurricane to put Social Security numbers on arms

Discussion: TheBlaze, The Hill and Althouse

Matthew Boyle / Breitbart:

Exclusive — Low Level White House Staffer Inflates Credentials to Lie About Dr. Sebastian Gorka's Resignation to Press — Kelly Sadler, a low-level staffer in the White House, lied about her credentials to push inaccurate leaked information to the press about the resignation of Dr. Sebastian Gorka from the administration.

Discussion: Conservative News Today, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Raw Story, TheBlaze, Daily Kos, twitchy.com and Splinter

Cristiano Lima / Politico:

Gorka says he's heading back to Breitbart — Former White House aide Sebastian Gorka said Saturday he will return to Breitbart News, reuniting him with longtime ally and ex-White House chief strategist Steve Bannon. — Gorka left his post on Friday as a national security adviser under …

Discussion: The Hill, more at Mediagazer »

Ben Kew / Breitbart:
Sebastian Gorka Resigns from Trump Administration

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Jayme Fraser / Billings Gazette:

Zinke's veteran daughter excoriates Trump in response to transgender military ban — The daughter of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, like her father a Navy veteran, appears, in the rawest of terms, to have excoriated President Donald Trump in a social media post after the announcement …

Discussion: The Hill, Political Wire and Raw Story

Brandon Carter / The Hill:

Mattis to US troops: ‘Hold the line until our country gets back to respecting each other’ — gave a pep talk to U.S. troops stationed abroad during his trip to three countries last week. — In a video that has recently surfaced on social media, Mattis is seen speaking to U.S. troops in an unknown location.

Discussion: ABC News, New York Magazine, Raw Story, Axios, The Week, The Daily Caller, U.S Army W.T.F! and RedState

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

Sarah Huckabee Sanders says she'll get back to you on that. Chances are she won't. — It's a stock response of every White House press secretary who's either caught off guard or is trying to dodge a sticky question. When a reporter asks a tough question during a briefing …

Discussion: The White House

Julianne Herrera / KRON4.com:

KRON4 speaks to Patriot Prayer organizer — SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — San Francisco Police Department is gating off Alamo Square Saturday morning, hours before a nationalist group was to hold a controversial press conference. — Organizers of the “Patriot Rally” cancelled their original event scheduled …

Discussion: SFist

Lizzie Johnson / San Francisco Chronicle:
Right-wing rallies in limbo in San Francisco and Berkeley

Discussion: San Francisco Chronicle, Mother Jones, Raw Story, SFist and Joe.My.God.

Niall Stanage / The Hill:

The Memo: Trump allies say he needs a GOP scalp — Republicans on Capitol Hill lament President Trump's aggressive behavior toward them, but some people in the president's orbit are urging him to up the ante even further. — They say that, far from making nice, Trump needs to instill fear …

Discussion: New York Magazine, IJR and Washington Post