memeorandum: Trump's Travel Ban Decision Could Set Off New Wave of Turmoil (Bloomberg)

9:00 AM ET, September 22, 2017

Top Items:

Caitlin Owens / Axios:

The key states that would lose funding under Graham-Cassidy — A new estimate obtained by Axios from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) projects that Alaska, home to key swing vote Sen. Lisa Murkowski, would lose 38% of federal funding for premium subsidies and Medicaid by 2026 under the Graham-Cassidy proposal.

Discussion: New York Magazine, Balloon Juice and The Federalist

Haley Byrd / IJR:

Republicans Attempt to Buy Murkowski's Vote in New Draft of Health Care Bill — A Republican Senate aide told Independent Journal Review Thursday that Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) are attempting to buy Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski's support through new changes …

Discussion: his vorpal sword, New York Magazine, Honolulu Civil Beat, baker, Politico, The Week, Washington Post, Hit & Run, Washington Monthly, ACA Signups, Shareblue, The Daily Caller, Vox, ThinkProgress, Axios, The Hill, Political Wire and Politicus USA

Politico:

Trump publicly backs healthcare effort, privately harbors doubts — While the president appears all in some in the White House wonder about Graham-Cassidy's contents and its chances. — In public, President Donald Trump is all-in on the Senate's final chance to repeal Obamacare.

Discussion: ABC News and Vox

CNN: Axelrod: I cried when they passed Obamacare

Louis Nelson / Politico:
Trump cautions GOP to pass Obamacare repeal or face the consequences

Discussion: Political Wire

Brian Galle / Whatever Source Derived:
The “Alaska Purchase” Is Probably Unconstitutional

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Magazine and IJR

Russell Berman / The Atlantic:
How Democrats Gave the GOP One More Chance to Repeal Obamacare

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Megan Messerly / The Nevada Independent:

Sandoval doubles down on criticism of Heller-sponsored measure; state analysis highlights up to $2 billion loss — Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, left, and Senator Dean Heller speak with media inside the Grant Sawyer State Office Building in Las Vegas on Friday, June 23, 2017. Daniel Clark/The Nevada Independent

Discussion: Washington Post and Political Wire

Eugene Robinson / Washington Post:
This Republican health-care bill is the most monstrous yet

Discussion: CNN, WTVR-TV, Daily Kos, Shareblue, The Mahablog, Forbes, New York Magazine, Politico and NBC News

Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Cruelty, Incompetence and Lies

Discussion: Bloomberg, Vox, The Atlantic, Forbes, The Guardian, The Week and Whatever Source Derived

Daniella Diaz / CNN:
CNN to host town hall debate Monday with Graham, Cassidy, Sanders and Klobuchar

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, KTLA, Axios, The Atlantic and Washington Post

Washington Post:
Federal estimate shows states' big win-loss gap by 2026 under Cassidy-Graham bill

Discussion: Daily Kos, Marginal REVOLUTION, Hullabaloo and The Week

Theodore Kupfer / National Review:
Jimmy Kimmel, Policy-Wonk Wannabe

Discussion: Washington Post, The Week, Mashable, twitchy.com, Slate, Business Insider and Save My Care

David Nakamura / Washington Post:

Amid new sanctions, Trump calls North Korea's leader ‘madman’ whose regime will face new tests — NEW YORK — President Trump lashed back Friday at North Korea's leader, calling Kim Jong Un a “madman” whose regime will be “tested like never before” amid new U. S-imposed financial sanctions.

Discussion: The Hill, Reuters, Just Security, The American Conservative, NBC News, Business Insider, CNN, The Guardian, The Week, Mashable, Mediaite, RedState and New York Magazine

Associated Press:
Kim Jong Un: ‘Deranged’ Trump will ‘pay dearly’ for threat

Discussion: Axios, Talking Points Memo, USA Today, IJR and The Hill

Jonathan Cheng / Wall Street Journal: North Korea Warns of Hydrogen-Bomb Test Over Pacific Ocean

Yonhap News Agency:
N.K. FM says ‘highest-level’ actions in Kim's remarks may be H-bomb test in Pacific

Discussion: The Atlantic, The Daily Caller, AOL, CNBC, NBC News and The Week

Choe Sang-Hun / New York Times:
Kim's Rejoinder to Trump's Rocket Man: ‘Mentally Deranged U.S. Dotard’

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon

Dan Diamond / Politico:

Price traveled by private plane at least 24 times — Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price has taken at least 24 flights on private charter planes at taxpayers' expense since early May, according to people with knowledge of his travel plans and a review of HHS documents.

Discussion: Washington Post, Media Matters for America, Associated Press, New York Magazine, The Week, Politicus USA, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo and Hit & Run

Aaron C. Davis / Washington Post:

How Tom Price decided chartered, private jets were a good use of taxpayer money — After Tom Price was sworn in as health and human services secretary, the Georgia Republican faced an inconvenience known to millions of Americans: His flight was delayed, an aide said, and he was forced to spend hours at an airport.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Politico and FierceHealthcare

John Verhovek / ABC News:

5 moments that mattered in the Alabama US Senate debate — Senator Luther Strange and former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore faced off tonight in the only debate before the runoff election for the GOP nomination next Tuesday to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the U.S. Senate.

Discussion: Politico

Bloomberg:
Trump's Travel Ban Decision Could Set Off New Wave of Turmoil

Discussion: Axios

CNN:
Senate candidate Roy Moore in 2005: ‘Homosexual conduct should be illegal’

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Real Clear Politics, Business Insider, Washington Post, Mediaite, The Daily Caller and Booman Tribune

Henry C. Jackson / Politico: 45 After Dark: The Gambler edition

John Bresnahan / Politico:
McConnell lays it on the line

Discussion: Washington Post

Nancy Cook / Politico:

Trump aides begin looking for the exits — A fast-growing number of White House staffers are starting to look for the exits, even though the one-year mark of President Donald Trump's first term is still months away. — Many who joined the administration in January did so with the explicit idea …

Discussion: Raw Story, Washington Free Beacon and twitchy.com

Josh Dawsey / Politico:

Mueller requested phone records about Air Force One statement — The special counsel has also recently made requests for documents concerning a statement made by Sean Spicer in the days preceding James Comey's firing as FBI director. — Special counsel Robert Mueller has sought phone records concerning …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, The Hill, Daily Kos, Politicus USA, Raw Story, IJR, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Occupy Democrats, Media Matters for America, Shakesville, Hullabaloo, Boing Boing, Business Insider, Common Dreams and AOL

Salon: Captain odious: Stephen Miller, White House “alt-right” survivor

Financial Times:

Steve Bannon held secret meeting in Beijing — Steve Bannon flew to Beijing last week for a secret meeting with the second most powerful Chinese Communist party official, less than a month after the former chief White House strategist declared that America was at “economic war with China”.

Discussion: Raw Story and The Week

Mark Zuckerberg:

I just went live a minute ago. Here's what I said: — Today is my first day back in the office after taking parental leave. It was really special to be with Priscilla and August after she was born, and to get to spend some more time with Max. — While I was out on leave …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, RT, Facebook, NPR, Mashable, The Daily Caller, New York Times, Deadline, Axios, New York Magazine, Talking Points Memo, GeekWire, Engadget, The Verge, Gizmodo and Sunlight Foundation, more at Mediagazer »

CNNMoney:
Facebook says it will hand Russian ads over to Congress

Discussion: Facebook, BuzzFeed, The Guardian, IJR, Mother Jones, The Verge and Mashable, more at Mediagazer »

Shane Harris / Wall Street Journal:

U.S. Monitored Manafort After He Left Trump Campaign — The surveillance came as part of a counterintelligence probe into Russian interference with presidential election — U.S. authorities placed Paul Manafort under surveillance after he was ousted as Donald Trump's campaign manager …

Discussion: The Hill and Washington Post

Maxwell Tani / Business Insider:

Former CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson offers epic apology after tweeting anti-Semitic story: ‘One should not tweet while moving’ — Valerie Plame Wilson offered another apology Thursday hours after tweeting an anti-Semitic article titled “America's Jews Are Driving America's Wars,” …

Discussion: Power Line, twitchy.com, IJR, RedState, RedState, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Instapundit, NTK Network, Mediaite, Raw Story, The First Street Journal, CBS Los Angeles, JustOneMinute, AOL and The Federalist

Philip Wegmann / Washington Examiner:
The Left catapulted Valerie Plame to stardom without figuring out what she thinks

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications, IJR, twitchy.com and Washington Free Beacon

New York Times:

Trump Poised to Drop Some Limits on Drone Strikes and Commando Raids — WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is preparing to dismantle key Obama-era limits on drone strikes and commando raids outside conventional battlefields, according to officials familiar with internal deliberations.

Discussion: Lawfare and Just Security

Christopher Ingraham / Washington Post:

Flint's lead-poisoned water had a ‘horrifyingly large’ effect on fetal deaths, study finds — The fertility rate in Flint, Mich., dropped precipitously after the city decided to switch to lead-poisoned Flint River water in 2014, according to a new working paper.

Discussion: Mother Jones, AOL, Verrit, Jezebel, TheBlaze, Business Insider and The Reality-Based Community

Washington Post:

White House plan for tax cuts moves forward — The White House plan for a massive package of tax cuts is gaining new momentum as Republicans attempt to set aside months of intraparty squabbling and unify behind a key part of President Trump's agenda. — Two developments are accelerating the effort …

Discussion: Axios, Political Wire and CNBC

Alexandra Petri / Washington Post:

Sorry I can't go to your thing. I must call my senator to plead for my life. — An email template from the near future. — I am sorry I cannot make it to your event, but I have to call Congress every eight minutes to plead for my life. — Would I like to go to your wedding/bar mitzvah …