memeorandum: US slashes Cuba embassy staff, warns Americans not to visit (Associated Press)

4:10 PM ET, September 29, 2017

Top Items:

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: The Ringer - All, Raw Story, The Root, Shakesville and Politicus USA, more at Mediagazer »

Daniella Diaz / CNN:

San Juan mayor: ‘Dammit, this is not a good news story’ — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Washington (CNN)San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz reacted with shock and anger to acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke on Friday, saying Puerto Rico's recovery is “not a good news story.”

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: Shareblue, The Moderate Voice, The Root and Hullabaloo

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.’ — The mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, lashed out at acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke's comment that the Hurricane Maria relief efforts are a “good news story,” …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Shakesville and Political Wire

Avery Anapol / The Hill:
General who handled Katrina response blasts Trump on Puerto Rico

Discussion: IJR, Raw Story, Common Dreams, AOL, The Daily Caller and Bloomberg

Veronica Stracqualursi / ABC News:
The Note: Has Trump had his ‘heckuva job’ moment with Puerto Rico?

Discussion: Salt Lake Tribune, Politico, Axios, DCReport.org, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Liberal Values

taxpolicycenter.org:

A Preliminary Analysis of the Unified Framework — ABSTRACT — The Tax Policy Center has produced preliminary estimates of the potential impact proposals included in the “Unified Framework for Fixing our Broken Tax Code.” We find they would reduce federal revenue by $2.4 trillion …

Discussion: The Atlantic, Political Wire, Business Insider, HuffPost and New York Times

Carolyn Y. Johnson / Washington Post:

GOP tax plan would provide major gains for richest 1%, uneven benefits for the middle class, report says — The Republican tax plan would deliver a major benefit to the top 1 percent of Americans, according to a new analysis by a leading group of nonpartisan tax experts that challenges the White House's portrayal of its effects.

Discussion: The Week

Dylan Matthews / Vox:
The numbers are in: Trump's tax plan is a bonanza for the rich, not the middle class

Discussion: Politico, Mother Jones and Wall Street Journal

Alexi McCammond / Axios:
Some manufacturers are already acting on Trump's tax plan

Discussion: Politico

Washington Post:

VA chief took in Wimbledon, river cruise on European work trip; wife's expenses covered — Nearly three days into a trip to Europe this past July, Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin had attended a Wimbledon championship tennis match, toured Westminster Abbey and taken a cruise on the Thames.

Discussion: Politicus USA and Politico

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.”

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

Axios:

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: YouTube, Gazette 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: The Moderate Voice, The Hill, RedState, TheBlaze, ThinkProgress, NBC News, Axios, Mashable, Mediaite and Air Force Times

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

Discussion: Mother Jones, Washington Post, Business Insider and Shakesville

ddhq.io:

Alabama Senate Special Election Poll — Immediately after the runoff Tuesday, we commissioned Opinion Savvy to conduct a poll of the upcoming special U.S. Senate general election in Alabama. Opinion Savvy contacted 590 voters through landline and mobile devices on September 27th and 28th.

Discussion: TheBlaze and Politicus USA

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

Jessie Hellmann / The Hill:

Anti-abortion groups fuming over GOP failure to defund Planned Parenthood — Anti-abortion groups fuming over the Republican failure to defund Planned Parenthood as part of ObamaCare repeal are eyeing tax reform as the next vehicle for their cause. — The groups want Republicans …

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Niv Elis / The Hill:
Senate unveils 2018 budget resolution

Discussion: TheStreet and IJR

Ed Kilgore / New York Magazine: Right-to-Lifers Look for a New Hostage for Their Demands

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: Little Green Footballs, Daily Kos and The Root

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

Nate Cohn / New York Times: Why Retirements May Hold the Key in Whether Republicans Can Keep the House

The Cook Political Report:
Why Virginia's Delegate Races Could Be the Most Telling 2017 Elections

Discussion: Washington Post

Julia Manchester / The Hill:

Rubio: US should kick out Cuban diplomats — (R-Fla.) on Friday called for Cuban diplomats in the U.S. to be expelled after the Trump administration ordered over half of its diplomatic staff to leave Havana in the wake of mysterious health attacks. — “In light of these harmful attacks …

Discussion: RedState, miamiherald, Gizmodo and Washington Free Beacon

Associated Press:
US slashes Cuba embassy staff, warns Americans not to visit

Discussion: Politico, US Department of State, New York Times, The Week, Joe.My.God. and Engage Cuba

CNN:
State Department orders nonessential diplomats and families out of Cuba following mysterious attacks

Discussion: Weekly Standard, RedState, The National Interest, Washington Free Beacon and The Daily Caller

Willa Frej / HuffPost:

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Stuck Taxpayers For $12,000 Charter Flight — Commercial travel didn't fit his schedule, a spokeswoman said. — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and several staffers chartered an oil company plane for a flight from Las Vegas to Zinke's home state of Montana in June …

Discussion: Washington Post, ThinkProgress, CNN, Mediaite and Talking Points Memo

Washington Post:
Zinke took $12,000 charter flight home in oil executive's plane, documents show

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

Allan Smith / Business Insider:

In private dinner, George W. Bush criticizes Trump's decision to add North Korea to travel ban — In a private dinner Thursday night, the former President George W. Bush was critical of President Donald Trump's decision to place added travel restrictions on North Korea as part …

Discussion: Axios, Raw Story and AOL

Washington Times:

D.C. Circuit lets stand concealed-carry ruling, cheering gun-rights activists — Case could head to Supreme Court — A federal appeals court let stand Thursday a decision that it is unconstitutional to require firearms owners prove a “good reason” in order to carry legally a concealed handgun …

Discussion: Hit & Run

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Lottery visa case could unmoot SCOTUS fight on travel ban

Discussion: Axios

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.

Nick Wadhams / Bloomberg:

Trump Goes Rogue on Iran — The disjointed effort by Team USA to rewrite the nuclear deal. — Donald Trump has railed against the Iran nuclear deal since it was agreed to in 2015. As a candidate, he said undoing it would be a top priority as president. As president, he's called it one of the worst deals ever.

Discussion: Vox

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.