memeorandum: Report for America aims to get 1,000 journalists in local newsrooms in next 5 years (Kristen Hare/Poynter)

11:45 PM ET, September 18, 2017

Top Items:

CNN:

Exclusive: US government wiretapped former Trump campaign chairman — Washington (CNN)US investigators wiretapped former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort under secret court orders before and after the election, sources tell CNN, an extraordinary step involving a high-ranking campaign official …

New York Times:

With a Picked Lock and a Threatened Indictment, Mueller's Inquiry Sets a Tone — WASHINGTON — Paul J. Manafort was in bed early one morning in July when federal agents bearing a search warrant picked the lock on his front door and raided his Virginia home.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Weekly Standard, Business Insider, National Review, Lawfare, Shareblue, The Week, TheBlaze, Raw Story, Daily Wire, Politicus USA, Balloon Juice, IJR and Talking Points Memo

Jordain Carney / The Hill:

McCain blasts latest ObamaCare repeal process — (R-Ariz.) ripped his party's process for trying to repeal and replace ObamaCare on Monday but stopped short of saying he would oppose their latest bill. — “I have talked and talked and talked about the need to do regular order.

Discussion: Politicus USA

CBO's Publications:

CBO aims to provide preliminary assessment of Graham-Cassidy bill by early next week — CBO is aiming to provide a preliminary assessment of the Graham-Cassidy bill by early next week. That assessment, which is being prepared with the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation …

Discussion: Washington Post, The AHA/ASA Newsroom, ThinkProgress, Center For Children …, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, ACA Signups, New York Magazine and The Atlantic

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
On health care, Cassidy flunks his own ‘Jimmy Kimmel test’

Discussion: The Guardian, Occupy Democrats, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Daily Kos and New York Times

Dylan Scott / Vox:
John McCain might have just received permission to vote for Obamacare repeal

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, Axios, Shareblue, New York Magazine and Daily Kos

Caitlin Owens / Axios:
Murray makes big concession in bipartisan health talks

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Jennifer Haberkorn / Politico:
Momentum builds for Obamacare repeal

Discussion: Vox

New York Times:
Obamacare Repeal, Thought Dead in July, May Be Revived in Senate

Discussion: Arizona Republic, Washington Post, Vox, Balkinization, Talking Points Memo, ACA Signups, NPR, The Daily Caller and Axios

Sen. Rand Paul / Fox News:
Graham/Cassidy does NOT repeal ObamaCare and I oppose it

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon

Paige Winfield Cunningham / Washington Post: The new GOP health-care measure goes further than the failed one

Judy Stone / Forbes:
The Graham-Cassidy Bill: A Last-Ditch GOP Effort To Deprive Millions Of Health Care

Discussion: Center for American …, Shareblue and Vox

Heather Caygle / Politico:
Obamacare repeal plan won't get full CBO analysis by key deadline

Discussion: Washington Post, MSNBC, IJR, FiveThirtyEight, LifeNews.com, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, The Atlantic, Vox, FierceHealthcare, ThinkProgress, Common Dreams, The Week, Political Wire and Washington Free Beacon

New York Times:

Sean Spicer Says He Regrets Berating Reporters Over Inauguration Crowds — During his surprise comedy skit at the Emmys on Sunday, Sean Spicer may have made light of his six-month tenure as the White House press secretary, but a message was also embedded in his performance.

Discussion: Washington Post, USA Today, The Hill, East Bay Times, AOL, Mediaite, Raw Story, Mashable, Washington Free Beacon, Axios, IJR, theGrio, Slate and Political Wire

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:
Why did the Emmys help Sean Spicer rebrand?

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Hollywood Reporter, Washingtonian, The Root, The Guardian, IJR, Jezebel, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Atlantic, Business Insider and Page Six, more at Mediagazer »

Charly Wilder / New York Times:
The Best and Worst Moments of the 2017 Emmys

Discussion: RedState

Dominic Patten / Deadline:
Emmy Awards Match All-Time Low Of 2016 With 11.4M Viewers; Hits Demo Low

Discussion: Conservative News Today, The Federalist, Red Alert Politics, Washington Free Beacon, Decider, Washington Post, NewsBusters, Mediaite, USA Today and TVLine

Emily Steel / New York Times:

Fox News Contributor Says Rape Allegation Blacklisted Her — Fox News, which for more than a year has dealt with the fallout from an embarrassing sexual harassment scandal, was sued on Monday by the political commentator Scottie Nell Hughes, who claimed that she had been raped …

Discussion: The Hill, TheBlaze, Jezebel, Refinery29, The Gateway Pundit, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »

Terry Gross / NPR:

Clinton Won't Rule Out Questioning 2016 Election, But Says No Clear Means To Do So — Hillary Clinton says she would not rule out questioning the legitimacy of the 2016 election if new information surfaces that the Russians interfered even more deeply than currently known.

Discussion: Politico, Little Green Footballs, CNN, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, TheBlaze, IJR, RedState, Outside the Beltway, Politicus USA, Talking Points Memo, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Mediaite and Washington Free Beacon

Chris Cillizza / CNN:

Hillary Clinton just floated the possibility of contesting the 2016 election — (CNN)In interviews over the last week surrounding the release of her 2016 memoir “What Happened,” Hillary Clinton has been hugely critical of President Donald Trump. She's suggested he is a misogynist …

Discussion: Politico, IJR and Mediaite

New York Times:

Donald Trump Jr. Gives Up Secret Service Protection, Seeking Privacy — WASHINGTON — Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, has elected for forgo protection by the Secret Service, according to a senior administration official. — The agency ceased protecting Mr. Trump …

Discussion: Washington Post, Business Insider, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story and Mediaite

Ben Kamisar / The Hill:

Moore laments racial division between ‘reds and yellows’ — Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, one of two Republicans competing in a primary runoff next week, appeared to use racially insensitive terms to describe Native Americans and Asians during a campaign speech on Sunday.

Discussion: NTK Network, BuzzFeed, Raw Story, Politico, NBC News, Hullabaloo, Talking Points Memo, AOL, Axios, Washington Times and The Week

Eugene Scott / Washington Post:
Roy Moore includes ‘reds and yellows’ on list of racially divided groups

Discussion: New York Magazine and No More Mister Nice Blog

CNN:

Hurricane Maria is now a Category 5 — Maria is now a Category 5 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said. — Hurricane Maria became a Category 4 storm on Monday afternoon as it barreled toward Dominica in the Caribbean's Leeward Islands and took aim for the US territory of Puerto Rico.

Discussion: The BRAD BLOG, FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV, WTVR-TV and New York Magazine

Sarah Ferris / Politico: Virgin Islands lack supplies for second hurricane pummeling

John Villasenor / The future of the West:

Views among college students regarding the First Amendment: Results from a new survey — College students' views of the First Amendment are of profound importance for multiple reasons. First, colleges and universities are places where intellectual debate should flourish.

Catherine Rampell / Washington Post:
A chilling study shows how hostile college students are toward free speech

Discussion: TheBlaze

David Siders / Politico:

Jerry Brown compares Trump supporters to cave dwellers — California Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday called President Donald Trump's approach to climate change and North Korea “stupid and dangerous and silly,” sharpening his criticism of the president and comparing his supporters to cave dwellers.

Discussion: Associated Press, Occupy Democrats, Fox News Insider, Washington Times, The Daily Caller, JustOneMinute and Washington Free Beacon

Anna Fifield / Washington Post:
Trump's claim there were long gas lines in North Korea has residents puzzled

Discussion: Weekly Standard, NewsBusters, Toronto Star, CNBC, RT, IJR, New York Times, CBS Dallas, Talking Points Memo, ABC News, The Guardian, NPR, ThinkProgress, CNN, Washington Times, Deadline, RedState, The Daily Caller and CBS New York

Gerald F. Seib / Wall Street Journal: The Key Question at the U.N.: What Does North Korea Want?

Bloomberg:

Equifax Suffered a Hack Almost Five Months Earlier Than the Date It Disclosed — New timeline could have implications for executive stock sales — The company is the subject of multiple investigations — Equifax Inc. learned about a major breach of its computer systems in March …

Discussion: USA Today, Gizmodo, Mashable, Wall Street Journal and TheBlaze, more at Techmeme »

Bloomberg:
Equifax Stock Sales Are the Focus of U.S. Criminal Probe

Discussion: Daily Kos, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Vox, Engadget, Axios, Mother Jones and The Week, more at Techmeme »

Dan Alexander / Forbes:

Eric Trump's Old Foundation Apparently Held Secret Event At Trump-Owned Golf Club — The charity formerly known as the Eric Trump Foundation apparently held a secret event at Trump National Golf Club in Westchester County, New York on Monday, even though the Eric Trump Foundation remains under investigation …

Discussion: The Hill

Thomas E. Ricks / Foreign Policy:

Veterans Administration throws suicide stats out the back door on Friday at 5 p.m. — Veterans are about 20 percent more likely than nonveterans to kill themselves, according to a Veterans Affairs press release issued on Friday afternoon at the close of business.

Mara Siegler / Page Six:

Did Jedediah Bila exit ‘The View’ because of Hillary Clinton? … Jedediah Bila shocked audiences when she departed “The View” on Monday — and according to a source, this sudden departure may have something to do with Hillary Clinton. — Clinton was on the show last Wednesday promoting her book …

Discussion: CNNMoney, Daily Wire, Washington Free Beacon, IJR, Decider, TVNewser, PerezHilton, Conservative News Today, Axios and AOL

Gabriel Debenedetti / Politico:

Clinton urges government workers not to quit their posts — Hillary Clinton on Monday urged federal employees who disagree with the Trump administration to stay in their jobs if they can, condemning what she called the “disregard, even contempt, among many in this administration …

CBS San Francisco:

Demonstrators Shout Down Pelosi At San Francisco DREAM Act Event — SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — A vocal group of undocumented youths and their supporters drowned out House Minority Nancy Pelosi Monday at a news conference where she was calling for the immediate passage of the DREAM Act.

Discussion: Fox News Insider, Washington Post, KTLA, Talking Points Memo, Conservative News Today, Common Dreams, Business Insider, RedState, The Daily Caller, Los Angeles Blade and Daily Wire

Ryan Broderick / BuzzFeed:

Anti-Fascists Used Twitter To Find A Neo-Nazi Walking Around Seattle And Beat Him Up — On Sunday afternoon, a Twitter account called @bigotbasher posted a photo of a man apparently riding Seattle's D line while wearing a swastika armband. — Around the same time, the photo was posted to Reddit's Seattle subreddit.

Discussion: TheBlaze, Occupy Democrats, Mediaite, Raw Story, theGrio, The Daily Caller and New York Magazine

Wall Street Journal:

Senate Republicans Consider a Trillion-Dollar-Plus Tax Cut for Budget — Discussions remain fluid; Republicans would likely need to make some of the tax cuts expire after 10 years — WASHINGTON—Senate Republicans are considering writing a budget that would allow for up to $1.5 trillion …

Discussion: Axios