memeorandum: In a switch, GOP deserts its budget-cutting mantra (Damian Paletta/Washington Post)

9:10 AM ET, October 8, 2017

Top Items:

Lisa Bloom, Lawyer Advising Harvey Weinstein, Resigns Amid Criticism From Board Members — The lawyer Lisa Bloom resigned on Saturday as an adviser to Harvey Weinstein, the high-powered film producer facing allegations of rampant sexual harassment, amid harsh criticism of her handling of his defense.

Discussion: IndieWire, Breitbart, Splinter, ThinkProgress, Washington Post, Althouse, Jezebel, Mediaite, Townhall.com, The Guardian, Refinery29, Gothamist, AOL, Fox News and Washington Free Beacon, more at Mediagazer »

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

The Pigs of Liberalism — If you are surprised by the news that Harvey Weinstein of Miramax fame, a man well known for profane tirades and physical altercations and scrounging M&Ms off movie theater floors, is also the sort of charmer who loafs around semi-nude while asking subordinates for …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, National Review, Washington Post and IndieWire, more at Mediagazer »

Angelina Chapin / HuffPost:
Attorney Lisa Bloom Drops Harvey Weinstein As Sexual Harassment Allegations Escalate

Discussion: Variety, Washington Examiner, RedState, NBC News, The Guardian, Deadline, NPR and Patterico's Pontifications, more at Mediagazer »

Damian Paletta / Washington Post:

In a switch, GOP deserts its budget-cutting mantra — The Republican Party has largely abandoned its platform of fiscal restraint, pivoting sharply in a way that could add trillions of dollars in federal debt over the next decade. — Cutting spending to balance the budget was almost religion …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Balloon Juice and Political Wire

Julia Manchester / The Hill:

White nationalists return to Charlottesville … White nationalists returned to Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday less than two months after one person was killed and dozens were injured when violence broke out after the “Unite the Right” rally. — White nationalist leader Richard Spencer led …

Discussion: RedState

Susan Svrluga / Washington Post:
‘We will keep coming back:’ Richard Spencer leads another torchlight march in Charlottesville

Discussion: New York Times, TheBlaze, Al Jazeera English and Raw Story

New York Times:

Hoping to Have Trump Cleared, Legal Team Eases Resistance to Inquiry — WASHINGTON — White House officials once debated a scorched-earth strategy of publicly criticizing and undercutting Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating Russian efforts to disrupt last year's election.

Sam Kim / Bloomberg:

Kim Jong Un Boosts Sister Within North Korea's Inner Circle — Younger sister sanctioned by U.S. for ‘human rights abuses’ — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has promoted his 28-year-old sister to the ruling party's political wing, bringing her closer to the center of power and tightening the family's control on the regime.

Brent D. Griffiths / Politico:

Trump on North Korea: ‘Only one thing will work’ — President Donald Trump on Saturday lamented decades of “failed” foreign policy with North Korea, saying “only one thing” will work. — “Presidents and their administrations have been talking to North Korea for 25 years …

Discussion: Axios, CANNONFIRE and TalkLeft

Louise Radnofsky / Wall Street Journal:

Trump to Sign Order Easing Health Plan Rules, Official Says — Executive action expected next week would roll back some Obamacare requirements — WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump will sign an executive order next week to start lifting some insurance rules set by his predecessor's Affordable Care Act …

Discussion: New York Times

The Hill:
Critics see Trump sabotage on Obamacare

Discussion: RedState and Splinter

Christine Dunn / providencejournal.com:

James Woods to sell home in Exeter — PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Oscar-nominated actor James Woods is selling one of his four homes in Rhode Island, a property on Boone Lake in Exeter, for $1.39 million, according to the listing real-estate agent, Allen Gammons. — Gammons said the property …

Discussion: Washington Post, IJR, Deadline and Los Angeles Times

Patrick McGreevy / Los Angeles Times:

Knowingly exposing others to HIV will no longer be a felony in California — Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Friday that lowers from a felony to a misdemeanor the crime of knowingly exposing a sexual partner to HIV without disclosing the infection. — The measure also applies …

Discussion: Instapundit, twitchy.com and National Review

Mike Martindale / Detroit News:

Michigan rapist gets joint custody — A Sanilac County Circuit judge has granted parenting time and joint legal custody of an 8-year-old boy to a convicted sex offender who allegedly raped the child's mother nine years ago. — Christopher Mirasolo, 27, of Brown City was awarded joint legal custody …

Discussion: Raw Story

Paul Bedard / Washington Examiner:

Shock poll: NFL now least liked sport, core fans down 31% — Over just one month of player, coach, and owner protests of the flag and National Anthem, the National Football League has gone from America's sport to the least liked of top professional and college sports, according to a new poll.

Discussion: TheBlaze, The Hill, Instapundit, NewsBusters and The Daily Caller

Daily Mail:

Eleven injured as taxi driver ‘deliberately mows down pedestrians’ after mounting the pavement outside London's Natural History Museum before being pinned to the ground and arrested in front of stunned tourists — Man arrested in the heart of capital's museum land after several pedestrians were mowed down by a vehicle