memeorandum: Mueller Scorches the Earth (Andrew C. McCarthy/National Review)

12:15 PM ET, September 24, 2017

Top Items:

Julia Manchester / The Hill:

Mnuchin: NFL players ‘can do free speech on their own time’ … Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Sunday defended President Trump's attacks on NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, saying members of the league “can do free speech on their own time.”

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Politico, Axios, Washington Post, FOX6Now.com, IJR, Balloon Juice, Mediaite, ABC News, NBC News, BBC and Common Dreams

Mike Allen / Axios:

What Trump, the NFL are thinking — White House director of social media Dan Scavino last evening cc'd Brian McCarthy, the NFL's vice president of communications (@NFLprguy), on a Trump tweet criticizing Commissioner Roger Goodell. — The taunt reflects the fact that far from being sheepish …

Discussion: Politico, Political Wire, Instapundit and The Hill

Abby Phillip / Washington Post:

Trump demands NFL teams ‘fire or suspend’ players or risk fan boycott — SOMERSET, N.J. — President Trump on Sunday morning renewed his demand that NFL owners fire or suspend players who kneel during the national anthem in protest, again urging that fans should boycott the sport to force change.

Discussion: ABC News, Althouse, Shareblue, Taylor Marsh, Mashable, The Last Tradition, IJR, New York Times, The Daily Caller, Hit & Run, ProFootballTalk, Raw Story, Political Wire, Deadspin, The Hill and CBS New York

David Remnick / New Yorker:

The Racial Demagoguery of Trump's Assaults on Colin Kaepernick and Steph Curry — Every day, and in countless and unexpected ways, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, finds new ways to divide and demoralize his country and undermine the national interest.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and Washington Post

Caroline Orr / Shareblue:

White House blows off constitution, declares new limits on free speech for private enterprise — Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin says NFL players only have free speech rights “off the field.” — Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin is as hostile to free speech as his boss

Discussion: USA Today

Chris Cillizza / CNN:

The dark racial sentiment in Trump's NBA and NFL criticism — Washington (CNN)In the last 24 hours, President Donald Trump has criticized NFL players who refuse to stand for the national anthem and NBA superstar Steph Curry for expressing ambivalence about whether or not to attend …

Justin Coleman / ABC News:
NFL players can have the ‘First Amendment off the field’: Treasury chief Mnuchin says

Discussion: Fox News Insider

Marissa Payne / Washington Post:
'To single out NFL players for doing this isn't something we should be doing': A's player takes up anthem protest

Discussion: JustOneMinute, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, Daily Wire, Associated Press, Mediaite, FOX6Now.com, TheBlaze and The Last Tradition

Sally Jenkins / Washington Post: What President Trump doesn't get about the NFL

New York Times:
Trump Attacks Warriors' Curry. LeBron James's Retort: ‘U Bum.’

Lauren Fox / CNN:

Collins: ‘Very difficult for me to envision a scenario’ where she backs GOP health care bill — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Watch Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, speak with CNN's Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” at 9 a.m. ET and noon ET. — (CNN)Sen. Susan Collins said Sunday morning …

Discussion: New York Magazine and NBC News

Kevin Robillard / Politico:

Graham: 'We're going to get the votes next week' — South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said the GOP would manage to round up the 50 votes necessary to pass Obamacare repeal through the Senate by the end of the next week. but their path to 50 is unclear. — “I think we're going to get the …

Discussion: Political Wire

Nicki Zink / ABC News:
GOP health care act sponsor to a Republican opponent: The bill will ‘save a lot of money’

Discussion: Politico and Associated Press

Politico:
Republicans continue Obamacare repeal work despite opposition

Discussion: Axios and ABC News

Andrew Carter / The Charlotte Observer:

UNC national championship team not visiting White House — CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina's 2017 national championship men's basketball team will not visit the White House, a team spokesman said on Saturday, though the Tar Heels were invited to visit, as is the custom for teams …

Discussion: Mediaite

Jacqueline Thomsen / The Hill:
Steph Curry: It's ‘beneath’ Trump's position to target me

Discussion: Power Line, USA Today, Associated Press, Raw Story and Mediaite

ESPN:
Warriors get shunned by president before there could be a dialogue

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, Raw Story, CBS Miami, NBC News, Associated Press, Axios, The Ringer - All, USA Today, AOL, ABC News, IJR, Daily Wire, Mediaite and The Daily Caller

Gary Langer / ABC News:

Trump seen by most Americans as doing more to divide than unite country (POLL) — President Donald Trump faces deep challenges on international and domestic issues alike, with a job approval rating mired in historic lows, a broad sense he's done more to divide than unite the country …

Discussion: The Hill, RedState, Politico and Opinion Today

Brooke Seipel / The Hill:
Trump on NK nuclear threats: 'They won't be around much longer'

Discussion: USA Today, RedState, Axios, CNBC, Reuters and The Daily Caller

Scott Clement / Washington Post:
Poll: Far more trust generals than Trump on N. Korea, while two-thirds oppose preemptive strike

Discussion: Axios and Political Wire

Associated Press:
The Latest: US showing North Korea its military might

Discussion: Washington Post, Axios and Politico

CNN:

CNN Poll: Opinion of the Republican Party falls to all-time low — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — WASHINGTON (CNN)There are fresh signs the Republican Party's brand is in trouble. — Fewer than three in 10 Americans — 29% — hold a favorable view of the Republican Party according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:

Exclusive: NFL airing unity ad in prime time on Sunday — With President Trump taking aim at the NFL and its players who protest during the national anthem, the league is broadcasting a message of unity. — The NFL is dusting off a one-minute ad that it produced for the Super Bowl earlier this year.

Discussion: Raw Story

Mercury News:

UC Berkeley's ‘Free Speech Week’ officially canceled, appeared to be set-up from the start — Email suggests organizers didn't intend for the event to happen — ederuy@bayareanewsgroup.com, LOUIS HANSEN | lhansen@bayareanewsgroup.com and LISA P. WHITE |

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Axios:

Exclusive: Trump, GOP to cut top rate to 35 percent — President Trump and Republican leaders plan to cut the top tax rate for the wealthiest Americans to 35 percent and dramatically reduce taxes on big and small businesses, according to details leaked to Axios.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Political Wire and Washington Post

Jacob J. Lew / New York Times:
Four Rules for the Coming Tax Reform Debate

Discussion: Washington Post

Dan Diamond / Politico:

Tom Price to halt taxpayer-funded travel on private jets — Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price told Fox News on Saturday that he'll stop his taxpayer-funded travel on private jets, pending a formal review by his department's inspector general. — “We've heard the criticism.

Discussion: New York Times and Axios