memeorandum: Trump using campaign, RNC funds to pay Russia probe legal bills: Reuters, citing sources (CNBC)

12:05 AM ET, September 20, 2017

Top Items:

CNBC:

Trump using campaign, RNC funds to pay Russia probe legal bills: Reuters, citing sources — The U.S. Federal Election Commission allows the use of private campaign funds to pay legal bills arising from being a candidate or elected official. — Trump would be the first U.S. president …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Politico, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, RedState, IJR and Eschaton

CNN:

Exclusive: Mueller team's focus on Manafort spans 11 years — Washington (CNN)Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team is reaching back more than a decade in its investigation of Paul Manafort, a sign of the pressure Mueller is placing on President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman.

Reuters:
Trump using campaign, RNC funds to pay legal bills from Russia probe: sources

Discussion: KTLA, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Occupy Democrats, Jezebel, Axios, Mother Jones, The Week and Political Wire

Matea Gold / Washington Post:
RNC taps legal account to help pay for President Trump's lawyers in Russia probes

Discussion: Raw Story

Jeremy Diamond / CNN:
RNC covering more than $230,000 in Trump legal fees

Discussion: RT, Raw Story, Vox, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, Business Insider, Washington Post and Fox News Insider

The Daily Beast:
Michael Flynn Prepping for a $1 Million Legal Tab

Discussion: Mediaite

Politico:

Full text: Trump's 2017 U.N. speech transcript — President Donald Trump's statement to the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 19, 2017, as prepared for delivery. — Mr. Secretary General, Mr. President, world leaders, and distinguished delegates: Welcome to New York.

Discussion: USA Today, Washington Post, CNN, The Hill, TheBlaze, Power Line, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, NPR, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, VDARE, IJR, Althouse, twitchy.com, Scripting News, TalkLeft, Balloon Juice and ABC News

Spencer Ackerman / The Daily Beast:

Trump Uses Putin's Arguments to Undermine the World … The leader stepped to the podium of the United Nations General Assembly, as close to a literal world stage as exists, and issued a stringent defense of the principle of national sovereignty. — “What is the state sovereignty, after all …

Discussion: Raw Story

Rich Lowry / National Review:

‘Holy Sh**’: Trump at the U.N. — A Jacksonian speech in Turtle Bay — As someone said on Twitter, never before has been there so much murmuring of “holy sh**” in so many different languages. Donald Trump's speech at the United Nations was a sometimes awkward marriage …

Kelly Swanson / Vox:
Read: Trump's full speech to the UN General Assembly

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Washington Post, The Root, Washington Monthly, Daily Wire, Faithwire, ABC News and New York Times

Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:
Trump warns that major portions of the world ‘are going to hell’

Discussion: The Hill, Power Line, Daily Wire, TheBlaze, No More Mister Nice Blog, Hullabaloo, ABC News, IJR and Just Security

Kaili Joy Gray / Shareblue:
World leaders watch “stone faced” as Trump casually threatens nuclear war at UN

Discussion: Mediaite, CNN, The Hill, Washington Post, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Vox, NBC News, CNBC, The Nation, IJR, Business Insider, Gothamist, Mother Jones, RedState, Washington Free Beacon, NPR, The Week and Axios

David Nakamura / Washington Post:
In U.N. speech, Trump threatens to ‘totally destroy North Korea’ and calls Kim Jong Un ‘Rocket Man’

Discussion: Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, FITSNews, Refinery29, ThinkProgress, Business Insider, The Mahablog, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite, IJR, The American Conservative and Balloon Juice

Associated Press:
In stark UN speech, Trump threatens to destroy North Korea

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit, IJR, Townhall.com, Mediaite, Washington Free Beacon and The Daily Caller

Rachael Bade / Politico:

Ryan, White House reject bipartisan health fix — House Speaker Paul Ryan and the White House have informed Senate Republican leaders that they oppose a bipartisan plan to stabilize Obamacare being written in the Senate, according to Trump administration and congressional sources …

Axios:

What's missing from the latest ACA repeal bill — Throughout this summer's effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Republican senators outlined a treasury of specific provisions they needed to see tweaked, added or eliminated in order to win their support.

Miranda Green / CNN:

Why Rand Paul opposes the GOP Obamacare repeal bill — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Washington (CNN)Sen. Rand Paul continues to attack the latest Republican attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare — the Graham-Cassidy bill — calling it “another big government boondoggle.”

Discussion: Shareblue, CNNMoney, Weekly Standard, The Daily Signal, IJR and Hit & Run

Caitlin Owens / Axios:
Senate likely to start voting on GOP health plan next Wednesday

Discussion: Political Wire and Politicus USA

Matt Fuller / HuffPost:
Senators Who Had Voted Against Obamacare Repeal Are Now Wavering

Discussion: CNN, Vox, TheStreet, Refinery29, New York Magazine and New York Times

Benjy Sarlin / NBC News:
Obamacare Is Suddenly in Grave Danger. Here's Why.

Discussion: NBC News, IJR, ThinkProgress, Reuters and Shakesville

Wall Street Journal:

Special Counsel's Office Interviewed Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein — Interview could be a sign that Rosenstein isn't seen as a central witness, as he hasn't withdrawn himself from his oversight role — Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office has interviewed Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein …

Discussion: Raw Story and The Week

Rachana Pradhan / Politico:

Price's private-jet travel breaks precedent — In a sharp departure from his predecessors, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price last week took private jets on five separate flights for official business, at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars more than commercial travel.

Discussion: Axios and Raw Story

Jerrod Laber / The Federalist:

Your Refusal To Date Conservatives Is One Reason We Have Donald Trump — The popular dating website OkCupid announced Wednesday that it would make the online dating scene a little easier for progressives who can't risk interacting with someone with whom they disagree (imagine the horror!).

Discussion: Washington Post, Mediaite and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Claire Atkinson / NBC News:

Networks Pass on Sean Spicer for Paid Contributor Role — The big five news organizations have passed on offering former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer a job as an exclusive paid contributor, network sources confirmed to NBC News Tuesday. — Since Spicer exited the White House …

Discussion: Political Wire and Mediaite

Kate Linthicum / Los Angeles Times:

At least 105 killed as powerful 7.1 earthquake strikes central Mexico — A powerful earthquake shook central Mexico on Tuesday, crumbling buildings and sending thousands of people in Mexico City fleeing into the streets screaming. — A powerful 7.1 earthquake shook central Mexico on Tuesday …

Discussion: Associated Press, KTLA, Daily Wire and Deadspin

Gabriella Paiella / thecut:

The Story Behind the Greatest Internet Recipe Comment of All Time — Two years ago, below a New York Times recipe for Katharine Hepburn's brownies, a woman named Sydne Newberry left what is perhaps the greatest recipe comment of all time, in a genre known for excellence.

New York Times:

Trump Administration Rejects Study Showing Positive Impact of Refugees — WASHINGTON — Trump administration officials, under pressure from the White House to provide a rationale for reducing the number of refugees allowed into the United States next year, rejected a study by the Department …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Post, Washington Blade, Washington Monthly, Vox, Business Insider, IJR, Common Dreams, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, Jezebel, Axios, New York Magazine and Raw Story

New Republic:
Ryu Spaeth — Donald Trump is the new Qaddafi of the United Nations General Assembly.

Discussion: IJR, Common Dreams, Washington Post, twitchy.com and Axios

Emily C. Singer / Mic:

Exclusive: Hillary Clinton says, “No one, including me, is saying we will contest the election” — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she's not going to contest the results of the election, clarifying a comment she made Monday on NPR in which she said wouldn't rule out questioning …

Discussion: Fox News, The Gateway Pundit, IJR, NewsBusters, Mediaite, AOL and Conservative News Today

Olivier Knox / Yahoo:

World leaders' faces react to Trump's U.N. speech — President Trump delivered a harsh message to world leaders on Tuesday, bluntly warning that the U.S. may have to “totally destroy” North Korea if it continues on its current path. Trump also criticized China, mildly rebuked Russia …

Discussion: Mashable, Mediaite and Politicus USA

Brian Lyman / The Montgomery Advertiser:

Bentley notes reveal thinking of governor, candidates in U.S. Senate appointment — Where were the three leading Republican candidates strongest? We look at their best results — and where Luther Strange and Roy Moore might need to improve. Brian Lyman / Advertiser

Tara Bahrampour / Washington Post:

Not drinking or driving, teens increasingly put off traditional markers of adulthood — When 17-year-old Quattro Musser hangs out with friends, they don't drink beer or cruise around in cars with their dates. Rather, they stick to G-rated activities such as rock-climbing or talking about books.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, TheBlaze, The Daily Caller, Jezebel and Althouse

Mary Katharine Ham / The Federalist:

After My Husband's Death, I'm Learning To Steward The Light He Left Behind — When you lose someone, you go through a lot of metaphors. Our vocabulary falters in the face of death. — Today is the two-year anniversary of the death of my husband, Jake. It took me about a year to come …

Dana Ferguson / Argus Leader:

S.D. GOP whip shares meme endorsing vehicular assault on protesters — RAPID CITY — A Republican state lawmaker faced calls to apologize Tuesday after she shared an image on Facebook depicting protesters being hit by a vehicle under the caption, “All Lives Splatter.”

Bill Barrow / Associated Press:

Republican governors get into the ‘news’ business — https://apnews.com/f97fbf53c0c84468ae04 6f861ecf3b64 — Link copied! — ATLANTA (AP) — Republican governors are getting into the “news” business. — The Republican Governors Association has quietly launched an online publication …

Discussion: Salon, New York Times, Raw Story and Politicus USA, more at Mediagazer »

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:

The fight over Jemele Hill's tweets won't go away. It's about truth and race in the Trump era. — I love words, but sometimes they just aren't up to the job. — Like the word “inappropriate,” which has been applied to certain tweets last week by Jemele Hill, the ESPN commentator …

Discussion: The Hill and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »

Eric Boehlert / Shareblue:

Senator warns White House press secretary she could be indicted for obstruction of justice — White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders may be the next administration official who needs to lawyer up as Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation accelerates.

Discussion: Latest from Crooks and Liars