memeorandum: Racial slurs written on doors of five black cadet candidates at Air Force Academy Preparatory School (Susan Svrluga/Washington Post)

1:40 PM ET, September 29, 2017

Top Items:

USAFA superintendent: “Grab your phones” — Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, superintendent of the Air Force Academy, yesterday “stood all of his 4,000 cadets at attention ... [c]hins in and chests out ... to deliver a message on racial slurs found written on message boards at the academy's preparatory school …

Discussion: Gazette, YouTube and The Daily Caller

Katherine Schafer / United States Air Force Academy:

Superintendent addresses racial slurs at USAFA — U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — The Air Force Academy superintendent addressed cadets, faculty, staff and cadet candidates today in the wake of racial slurs found Monday written on the dormitory message boards of five African American cadets at the Academy's Preparatory School.

Discussion: Axios, NBC News, Mashable and Mediaite

Susan Svrluga / Washington Post:

Racial slurs written on doors of five black cadet candidates at Air Force Academy Preparatory School — Five black cadet candidates found racial slurs written on the message boards on their doors at the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School this week, leading school officials to denounce racism and launch an investigation.

Discussion: Mother Jones, ThinkProgress, Air Force Times, Business Insider, IJR, The Guardian, AOL and Raw Story

Matthew Chapman / Shareblue:
“You should be outraged.” Lt. Gen. response to racism at Air Force Academy shames Trump

Discussion: Shakesville

Max Greenwood / The Hill:
Air Force general: 'If you can't treat someone with dignity and respect get out' of Academy

Discussion: RedState

Washington Post:

U.S. response in Puerto Rico pales next to actions after Haiti quake … After an earthquake shattered Haiti's capital on Jan. 12, 2010, the U.S. military mobilized as if it were going to war. — Before dawn the next morning, an Army unit was airborne, on its way to seize control of the main airport in Port-au-Prince.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Shareblue, The Root and Hullabaloo

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Trump's Deadly Narcissism — According to a new Quinnipiac poll, a majority of Americans believe that Donald Trump is unfit to be president. That's pretty remarkable. But you have to wonder how much higher the number would be if people really knew what's going on.

Discussion: Raw Story, The Root, Politicus USA and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »

Louis Nelson / Politico:
San Juan mayor hits back at Elaine Duke: ‘This is not a good news story. This is a people are dying story.’

Discussion: Political Wire

New York Times:

Trump Could Save More Than $1 Billion Under His New Tax Plan — Highlighted areas show what parts of President Trump's 2005 tax return could have been affected by the new tax plan. — President Trump could cut his tax bills by more than $1.1 billion, including saving tens of millions …

Discussion: The Week, Common Dreams, Daily Kos, Shakesville, Patterico's Pontifications, Politifact.com Truth …, ThinkProgress, NewsBusters, Gothamist and ABC News

Veronica Stracqualursi / ABC News:

The Note: Has Trump had his ‘heckuva job’ moment with Puerto Rico? — THE TAKE with ABC News' Rick Klein — The first two storms, it appears, were only wind-ups to the presidential moment that presents itself now. The crisis in Puerto Rico figures to define President Trump's responses to this remarkable string of powerful storms.

Discussion: Axios, Salt Lake Tribune, Associated Press, Politico, The Atlantic and Business Insider

Andrea Peterson / Politico:
White House launches probe of private email accounts

Ronald J. Hansen / Arizona Republic:

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema enters Senate race, hoping to unseat Jeff Flake — U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema is running for the Senate seat held by Jeff Flake, ending months of speculation about her political future and giving Democrats a top-tier fundraiser with experience on Capitol Hill.

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico, Joe.My.God., Friendly Atheist, Political Wire, YouTube and Shareblue

Gabriel Debenedetti / Politico:

Bernie backers give Dem incumbents a pass in 2018 — Democrats have long been terrified that the Sanders-Clinton slugfest of 2016 would set off a prolonged civil war in the party, forcing incumbents to fight off primary challengers from the left in Senate and gubernatorial races. — It hasn't happened.

Discussion: Washington Post and No More Mister Nice Blog

Jennifer E. Duffy / The Cook Political Report: Arizona Senate: Sinema's Candidacy Puts Race in Toss Up

Brooke Singman / Fox News:

Melania Trump fires back at librarian who rejected gift of Dr. Seuss books as ‘racist’ — First lady Melania Trump fired back Friday at a Massachusetts elementary school librarian who rejected her donation of Dr. Seuss books, claiming their illustrations are examples of “racist propaganda.”

Discussion: Hit & Run, Washington Free Beacon, CBS Boston, The Daily Caller, Fox News Insider, SARAH PALIN, IJR, AOL, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Last Tradition, PerezHilton, The College Fix, RedState, JustOneMinute, TheBlaze, Daily Wire and The Hill

Rachel Chason / Washington Post:

‘Racist propaganda’: Librarian rejects Melania Trump's gift of Dr. Seuss books — One of Melania Trump's favorite books is Dr. Seuss's “Oh, the Places You'll Go!,” which she read with her son, Barron, “over and over” when he was younger. — The first lady, who is increasingly carving …

Discussion: NBC4 Washington, Axios, Boston Globe, The Daily Caller, Patterico's Pontifications, The Guardian, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, CBS Philly, The Horn Book, CBS News and SARAH PALIN

CNN:

CNN poll: Americans split on anthem protests — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Washington (CNN)Americans are sharply divided over whether NFL players taking a knee during the National Anthem are doing the right thing to express their views, but a majority agree that President Donald Trump …

Discussion: FOX2now.com

Michelle Broder Van Dyke / BuzzFeed:

People Are Sharing This Fake Photo Of NFL Players Burning The American Flag — Conservative social media accounts are sharing a photoshopped image that makes it look like an NFL player is burning the US flag while his teammates cheer him on. — The fake picture is being used …

Discussion: The Root

Michael RothsteinESPN / ESPN:
DT Akeem Spence says father denied job in protest fallout

Discussion: New York Post, IJR, Instapundit, AOL, ProFootballTalk and Deadspin

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

The Berniecrats Have an Obama Problem — The ideological vanguard of the Bernie Sanders movement emerged from the 2016 election overflowing with dialectical certainty. Hillary Clinton's narrow win in the primary was the last gasp of a dying neoliberal order, the overthrow of which is now preordained.

Jessica Schneider / CNN:

DOJ demands Facebook information from ‘anti-administration activists’ — Washington (CNN)Trump administration lawyers are demanding the private account information of potentially thousands of Facebook users in three separate search warrants served on the social media giant, according to court documents obtained by CNN.

Discussion: SFist, Gizmodo, IJR, BuzzFeed, Splinter, Shakesville, Engadget and Joe.My.God., more at Mediagazer »

CNNMoney:
Exclusive: Fake black activist accounts linked to Russian government

Discussion: JustOneMinute, CNBC, Politicus USA, RedState, BillMoyers.com, Business Insider, Althouse, Talking Points Memo, New York Times and TheBlaze, more at Mediagazer »

CBS News:

U.S. plans major withdrawal of staff from embassy in Cuba — Two sources tell CBS News the U.S. is preparing to announce a major withdrawal of staff and family from the U.S. embassy in Cuba in response to attacks targeting diplomats. Only essential personnel will be left.

Discussion: CBS New York

New York Times:
U.S. to Pull More Diplomats Out of Cuba After Attacks

Discussion: The Week and Political Wire

Washington Post:

Losing the part — How Darrell Hammond, SNL's best impressionist ever, found life after Trump — There is just a time when things end, Lorne will say. Even for the greatest impressionist in “Saturday Night Live” history. — For Darrell Hammond, that moment came last September.

Discussion: Business Insider

Lili Anolik / Vanity Fair:
The Kate McKinnon Report

Discussion: The Ringer - All and Splinter

Washington Post:

Zinke took $12,000 charter flight home in oil executive's plane, documents show — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke chartered a flight from Las Vegas to near his home in Montana this summer aboard a plane owned by oil-and-gas executives, internal documents show.

Discussion: E&E News, Shareblue, ThinkProgress, Politico, Center for Western Priorities, The Daily Caller and IJR

Ben Strauss / Politico:

‘This Is Bad for America, But Great for Us’ — “Is ‘tank’ too strong a word?” Clay Travis asked gleefully, tapping out a tweet to his nearly 500,000 followers. It wasn't, he decided, and he hit send: “NFL ratings tank as Trump feuds with NFL protesters, ESPN subscribers plummet.”

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, twitchy.com, Awful Announcing, The Daily Caller and FOX Sports Radio

Jim Treacher / The Daily Caller:

This Is My Last Blog Post At The Daily Caller Dot Com — Not a Rickroll, honest. — Looks like this is it. I've been blogging here at the Daily Caller since the site launched, all the way back on January 11, 2010. But now it's time for me to go. — Daily blogging can be a fun job, but it can also be a grind.

Extra:

Sarah Jessica Parker Confirms There Will Be No ‘Sex and the City 3’ — “Extra” caught up with Sarah Jessica Parker at the New York City Ballet Gala and talked about rumors of a third “Sex and the City” movie. — Parker, who attended with husband Matthew Broderick, confirmed what fans …

Discussion: Fortune, The Guardian, FOX6Now.com, AOL, Mashable, Jezebel and PerezHilton

Meghan Linsey / Washington Post:

I'm a white country singer. I still took a knee after I sang the national anthem at an NFL game. — I was on my way to Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Sunday morning when I got a phone call informing me that my performance of the national anthem before the Tennessee Titans game would be televised nationally later that day.

Discussion: Splinter

John Whitesides / Reuters:

Beyond the daily drama and Twitter battles, Trump begins to alter American life — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Even without delivering on his biggest campaign promises, President Donald Trump has begun to reshape American life in ways big and small. — Over his first nine months …

Scott Allen / Washington Post:

A kid walked into a GameStop wearing a Kaepernick jersey. Two NFL players bought him an Xbox. — Saundra Watts was getting her makeup done in the Dulles 28 Centre in Sterling on Tuesday, killing time while her dog was groomed at Petco, when her 10-year-old grandson, Jaden, came running into the store.

Discussion: The Root, Unfogged, WREG-TV and USA Today

Dan Diamond / Politico:

Price took military jets to Europe, Asia for over $500K — The White House approved the use of military aircraft for multi-national trips by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price to Africa and Europe this spring, and to Asia in the summer, at a cost of more than $500,000 to taxpayers.

Michael Kunzelman / Associated Press:

Judge: Black Lives Matter is a movement that can't be sued — https://apnews.com/b1a60cdffa1e46bb9146 443d0a915e91 — Link copied! — BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Black Lives Matter is a social movement, like the tea party or the civil rights movement, and therefore can't be sued, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

Discussion: Washington Post, Daily Kos, Mediaite, Splinter, The Root, TheBlaze and Joe.My.God.

Chris D'Angelo / HuffPost:

Millionaire Trump Adviser Says Americans Can ‘Buy A New Car’ With $1,000 Tax Cut — Gary Cohn also suggested that money could be used for a substantial home renovation. — President Donald Trump's chief economic adviser — Gary Cohn, the former Goldman Sachs president worth an estimated $266 million …

Discussion: ABC News, IJR, Washington Monthly and Business Insider