memeorandum: Justice Department ends program scrutinizing local police forces (Devlin Barrett/Washington Post)

7:40 PM ET, September 15, 2017

Top Items:

GOP Congressman Sought Trump Deal on WikiLeaks, Russia — Rep. Rohrabacher asks for pardon of Julian Assange in return for evidence of no 2016 election meddling — WASHINGTON—A U.S. congressman contacted the White House this week trying to broker a deal that would end WikiLeaks founder …

Discussion: CNBC, Talking Points Memo, Los Angeles Times, Business Insider, Shareblue and Hullabaloo

Olivia Nuzzi / thecut:

Here's Why Steve Bannon Wears So Many Shirts — Physically, I feel slightly inhibited; but spiritually, I feel oddly secure. This is due to the many shirts I'm wearing as I type — three (3) shirts to be precise — a tank top, a dress shirt, another dress shirt, and on top of that, a blazer.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Business Insider

Chicago Tribune:

Judge rules in city's favor on sanctuary cities, grants nationwide injunction — The U.S. Department of Justice and Attorney General Jeff Sessions want to require sanctuary cities like Chicago to give notice when immigrants in the country illegally are about to be released from custody …

Discussion: Politico, The Hill, Mother Jones, Business Insider and The Gateway Pundit

Devlin Barrett / Washington Post:

Justice Department ends program scrutinizing local police forces — An arm of the Justice Department said Friday it would roll back Obama-era efforts to investigate local police departments and issue public reports about their failings — another way in which the Trump administration is trying to adopt a tough pro-police stance.

Discussion: The Root

BBC:

Parsons Green: London Underground blast is terror incident — An “improvised explosive device” was detonated on a Tube train in south-west London during Friday's rush hour, Scotland Yard has confirmed. — Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said hundreds of detectives, working with MI5 …

New York Times:
Trump Angers British as He Uses London Attack to Promote His Hard-Line Policies

Politico:
Theresa May on Trump terror tweet: unhelpful

Discussion: The Independent, BBC, CNN, Washington Post, ABC News, CNBC, Politicus USA and Vox

New York Times:
‘Bucket Bomb’ Strikes London's Vulnerable Underground

Discussion: The Atlantic, The Guardian, Associated Press, The Independent, New York Magazine, Mayor of London, Boing Boing, Refinery29, The Last Tradition, IJR, Weekly Standard, The Resurgent, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo, Joe.My.God., The Week, CityLab and Outside the Beltway

Dylan Scott / Vox:

Senate Republicans claim they are a few votes away from repealing Obamacare — But they always have been. — The Obamacare repeal drama is back, and everybody is picking up where they left off. — Senate Republicans are trying to build momentum for a last-gasp bill to replace the Affordable Care Act …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Politico, No More Mister Nice Blog and New York Magazine

Adam Cancryn / Politico:
Cassidy says he's close to having the votes to pass Obamacare repeal

Discussion: Vox, Washington Times, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Washington Examiner

Christian Berthelsen / Bloomberg:

Russia Laundering Probe Puts Trump Tower Meeting in New Light — U.S. prosecutors follow funds from alleged $230 million fraud — Criminal probe came as Russian lawyer in matter met Trump Jr. — Follow @bpolitics for all the latest news, and sign up for our daily Balance of Power newsletter.

Natasha Bertrand / Business Insider: New details about major Russian money-laundering investigation raise the stakes of Trump Tower meeting

Jason Leopold / BuzzFeed:

Trump Advisers Secretly Met With Jordan's King While One Was Pushing A Huge Nuclear Power Deal — Michael Flynn, Jared Kushner, and Steve Bannon met with King Abdullah II while Flynn was reportedly pressing for a controversial, for-profit deal to build nuclear power plants in the Middle East.

Discussion: RedState, Raw Story, Hullabaloo, Political Wire, The Week, The Hill, Politicus USA and Just Security

Harvard Kennedy School:

Statement from Dean Elmendorf regarding the invitation to Chelsea Manning to be a Visiting Fellow — HOME - NEWS - STATEMENT FROM DEAN ELMENDORF REGARDING THE INVITATION TO CHELSEA MANNING TO BE A VISITING FELLOW — Statement from Douglas W. Elmendorf, Dean of Harvard Kennedy School …

New York Times:
Harvard Disinvites Chelsea Manning, and the Feeling Is Mutual

Washington Post:

Taxpayers billed $1,092 for an official's two-night stay at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club … The bedroom suites at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, available only to members and their guests, feature hand-painted Moorish ceilings, antique Spanish-tiled mosaics and sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean.

Discussion: Axios, New York Magazine, Shareblue, Talking Points Memo, CNN and The Week

Josh Delk / The Hill:
Government paid for official's stay at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club

Discussion: RedState and Washington Post

HuffPost:

Ex St. Louis Cop Who Said He'd ‘Kill This Motherf****r’ Before Shooting Black Man Found Not Guilty — Anthony Lamar Smith was fatally shot by Jason Stockley following a car chase in 2011. — ST. LOUIS The former St. Louis police officer who stood trial on first-degree murder …

Discussion: RedState, Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress, The Daily Caller, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and New York Magazine

KMOV-TV:
Former St. Louis officer Stockley found not guilty

Discussion: News Blog, Riverfront Times, FOX2now.com, The Rush Limbaugh Show and The Gateway Pundit

CNN:
Ex-cop Jason Stockley found not guilty in black man's death

Discussion: Newsweek, Vox, The Root, The Week, IJR and Daily Kos

Patrick Redford / Deadspin:

Here's What ESPN Employees Are Saying About The Jemele Hill Situation On Their Private Message Board — ESPN spent this week caving to the most cynically motivated people on the fringes of sports media and their manufactured outrage at SportsCenter anchor Jemele Hill's accurate comments about the president.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, USA Today, Mashable, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Ringer - All, Longreads, Decider, Conservative News Today, Red Alert Politics and theGrio, more at Mediagazer »

Itay Hod / The Wrap:
Sarah Huckabee Sanders Hit With Ethics Complaint Over Call for ESPN to Fire Jemele Hill

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, AOL, IJR and theGrio

Justin Baragona / Mediaite:

'I'm Done': CNN's Brooke Baldwin Ends Segment After Clay Travis Says He Believes in ‘Boobs’ — Well, that was something. — During a panel discussion on the Jemele Hill controversy and the White House calling her to be fired, things took an entirely different turn when sports radio host …

Discussion: Latest from Crooks and Liars, EW.com, Vox, Instapundit, Hit & Run, Mashable, twitchy.com, Business Insider, Decider and The Federalist, more at Mediagazer »

Callum Borchers / Washington Post:
Clay Travis used his ‘First Amendment and boobs’ line long before he shocked CNN

Discussion: Mediaite, Outkick the Coverage and The Big Lead

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

Meghan McCain to Leave Fox News Channel (EXCLUSIVE) — Meghan McCain, the political scion who turned a stint as a blogger and TV show host into a role as a contributor at Fox News Channel, is leaving the network. — McCain is the oldest daughter of U.S. Senator John McCain …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Conservative News Today, Washington Free Beacon and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Wall Street Journal:

Facebook Gave Special Counsel Robert Mueller More Details on Russian Ad Buys Than Congress — Social-media company shared copies of ads and account information, people familiar with the matter said — Facebook Inc. FB .40% has handed over to special counsel Robert Mueller detailed records …

more at Mediagazer »

Alex Kantrowitz / BuzzFeed:

Google Allowed Advertisers To Target “Jewish Parasite,” “Black People Ruin Everything” — Google prompted BuzzFeed News to run ads targeted to keywords like “black people ruin neighborhoods,” then allowed the campaign to go live. — Google, the world's biggest advertising platform …

Discussion: Facebook, Pacific Standard, New York Magazine, Engadget, Mashable, The Verge, Gizmodo, The Week, Talking Points Memo, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, NBC News, RT and The Atlantic, more at Mediagazer »

Deborah Strange / Gainesville Sun:

GPD receives complaint against ‘hot cop’ — In Facebook posts captured and sent to The Sun, Officer Michael Hamill makes jokes about Jews and recommends “the Hitler way” to deal with people who abuse government resources. — The Gainesville Police Department is reviewing a complaint …

Discussion: IJR, Mashable, New York Magazine, abc7ny.com, Boing Boing, Daily Mail, Associated Press, AOL and CBS Miami

CNN:

Former Sheriff David Clarke must revise thesis or risk losing degree, docs reveal — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — (CNN)Former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke must revise his master's thesis or risk losing his degree in security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Natasha Korecki / Politico:

Madigan stuns Illinois by announcing she won't seek reelection — CHICAGO — Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, one of the most popular elected officials in the state, announced Friday she will not run for reelection in 2018, a stunning move that has political insiders scrambling to guess what office …

Discussion: Political Wire

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Trump's top supporters are in a full-blown panic. They're right to be afraid. — THE MORNING PLUM: — With the chatter intensifying about the possibility of President Trump cutting a deal to protect the “dreamers,” The Post reports today that his loudest supporters are in a fury.

Discussion: The Mahablog, CNN, Booman Tribune and New York Times

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

Manafort's spokesman spends two-and-a-half hours testifying before grand jury — A spokesman for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, Jason Maloni, spent about two-and-a-half hours testifying Friday before a federal grand jury probing potential collusion between the campaign and Russia.

Discussion: Joe.My.God.

Tom Hamburger / Washington Post: Manafort spokesman testifies to Russia grand jury for more than two hours

TMZ.com:

Rosie O'Donnell's Ex-Wife Michelle Rounds Dead at 46 of Apparent Suicide — Rosie O'Donnell's ex-wife, Michelle Rounds, died at her home Monday of an apparent suicide ... sources tell TMZ. — Rosie tells TMZ ... “I am saddened to hear about this terrible tragedy.

Discussion: Washington Blade, Hollywood Life, AOL and Joe.My.God.

P.R. Lockhart / Mother Jones:

Trump Nominee Cited Dred Scott Slavery Decision as Sound Precedent — When Donald Trump recently announced his sixth wave of US attorney nominees, many noticed that of the 42 people nominated so far, only one is a woman, sparking a new wave of criticism and controversy for an administration …

Discussion: Raw Story