memeorandum: Communism Through Rose-Colored Glasses (Bret Stephens/New York Times)

5:50 PM ET, October 28, 2017

Top Items:

First Charges Filed in Russia Probe Led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller — At least one defendant is expected to be taken into custody as soon as Monday — At least one person was charged Friday in connection with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's criminal investigation into alleged Russian meddling …

Discussion: Shareblue Media, The Last Tradition, Mother Jones, Last Men and OverMen, Vox, Palmer Report, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian and Washington Monthly

Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:

Trump lawyers scramble to prepare for new stage of Russia probe — President Donald Trump's White House and personal lawyers scrambled Saturday to learn where the knife might fall in the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller, triggering a guessing game among aides after days of trying …

Discussion: TalkLeft, Shareblue Media, IJR, The Week, Mediaite, CNN, KTLA, Business Insider, Joe.My.God., Politicus USA, Balloon Juice, The Gateway Pundit, Eschaton, twitchy.com, New York Magazine and The Daily Caller

CNN:

Exclusive: First charges filed in Mueller investigation — Washington (CNN)A federal grand jury in Washington, DC, on Friday approved the first charges in the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, according to sources briefed on the matter. — The charges are still sealed under orders from a federal judge.

Mike Allen / Axios:

What Mueller's move means — As soon as Monday, the Mueller investigation begins a new phase that moves it from background music in national politics to center stage, with massive stakes for President Trump and both parties. — What's new: “A federal grand jury in Washington [yesterday] …

Discussion: Political Wire and WGN-TV

Aaron Rupar / ThinkProgress:
Former Trump campaign boss reacts to Mueller news by attacking ‘the Clinton administration’

Discussion: Vox, Splinter, Shareblue Media, Newsweek, Washington Monthly, Raw Story, IJR and NorthJersey.com

CNBC:
First charges in Mueller investigation into Russia meddling have been filed

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, Refinery29, TheBlaze, Business Insider, The Gateway Pundit, The Week, RedState, Joe.My.God. and Politico

Ken Dilanian / NBC News:
Ex-CIA Director Spoke to Mueller About Flynn's Alleged Turkish Scheme

Discussion: Last Men and OverMen and The Gateway Pundit

USA Today:

Hundreds of white nationalists, counter-protesters turn out at Tennessee rallies — MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Hundreds of white nationalists and counter-protesters turned out to exchange chants and slogans Saturday at two White Lives Matter rallies in Tennessee.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Tennessean.com, Daily News Journal, IJR, Joe.My.God., Mashable and Splinter

Cameron McWhirter / Wall Street Journal:
Tennessee Towns Heighten Security Ahead of White Nationalist Rallies

Discussion: ABC News and Shareblue Media

Ronan Farrow / New Yorker:

Weighing the Costs of Speaking Out About Harvey Weinstein — Annabella Sciorra, Daryl Hannah, and other women explain their struggles with going public. — In March, Annabella Sciorra, who received an Emmy nomination for her role in “The Sopranos,” agreed to talk with me for a story I was reporting about Harvey Weinstein.

Discussion: RedState, The Daily Caller, Axios, IndieWire, Refinery29, Althouse, The Verge, Gothamist, Mediaite and Deadline

Julie Turkewitz / New York Times:

'You're a Quadriplegic': A Las Vegas Victim Faces a Hard Reality — LOMA LINDA, Calif. — “This is your life,” the doctor said. “You're a quadriplegic.” — When she heard the news, Kim Gervais broke down. The tears rolled out, and her daughter clasped her mother's head, overcome by her own inability to help.

Robert Burns / Associated Press:

Mattis says threat of nuclear attack by N.Korea accelerating — https://apnews.com/cdb523a4aece40fb8042 685b6bfafb47 — Link copied! — SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Saturday the threat of nuclear missile attack by North Korea is accelerating.

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Axios and Political Wire

Julia Manchester / The Hill:
Mattis: North Korea threat has ‘accelerated’

Discussion: RedState and IJR

CNN:

Melania Trump does things her way — What issues will the First Lady embrace? — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Washington (CNN)During a Thursday afternoon event in the White House's East Room, first lady Melania Trump stood at the podium and closed her remarks by saying something she has not often said …

Brandon Carter / The Hill:

Trump travels to his Virginia golf club for fourth consecutive weekend — President Trump traveled to his Virginia golf club on Saturday for the fourth consecutive weekend. — Trump left the White House shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday wearing a white hat, a dark jacket, a white shirt and golf shoes, according to pool reports.

Discussion: Politicus USA and Joe.My.God.

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:

Canning O'Reilly and other media men won't change a thing. Here's what would. — So, now that the dam has burst on sexual misconduct at media companies, we're good, right? — Don't believe that for a moment. — The appalling behavior that's been in the headlines for weeks isn't going to stop …

Discussion: Splinter, more at Mediagazer »

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
A #MeToo for clueless men

Discussion: Balloon Juice, New York Times, bradford-delong.com and Instapundit, more at Mediagazer »

Washington Post:

'It's just messed up': Most think political divisions as bad as Vietnam era, new poll shows — The Post-U. Md. survey reveals a starkly pessimistic view of the U.S. political system under President Trump. — Seven in 10 Americans say the nation's political divisions are at least as big …

Discussion: KTLA, Politicus USA and Political Wire

The Daily Caller:

CNN's Undisclosed Ties To Fusion GPS — CNN's reporting on the Trump-Russia dossier has left out at least one crucial fact: the close ties between the network and the opposition research firm at the center of the dossier controversy. — CNN's reporting on the dossier …

Discussion: RedState, The Last Tradition, TheBlaze, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and The Gateway Pundit

Charlie Savage / New York Times:

Will Congress Ever Limit the Forever-Expanding 9/11 War? — WASHINGTON — A Navy SEAL, killed alongside civilians in a January raid on a village in Yemen. Another SEAL, killed while accompanying Somali forces on a May raid. And now four Army soldiers, dead in an ambush this month in Niger.

Discussion: LewRockwell

Julia Manchester / The Hill:

Union: National Weather Service ‘on the brink of failure’ due to job vacancies — The National Weather Service (NWS) is dealing with hundreds of vacant positions in the wake of a series of extreme weather events that have plagued the U.S. — “The National Weather Service …

Discussion: RedState and Grist

Michelle Celarier / New York Magazine:

Billionaire Republicans Privately Diss Trump — Less than a year ago, the financial Republican elite was making its way through the brass doors of New York City's Trump Tower to kiss the ring of President-elect Donald Trump. Many of them had not supported their fellow billionaire …

Discussion: RedState and Raw Story

The Guardian:

Catalan leader vows ‘peaceful resistance’ as Madrid takes control of region — Carles Puigdemont issues defiant video message urging ‘democratic opposition’ as cabinet are removed from their posts — The Catalan leader has issued a defiant response to Madrid's decision to take direct control of Catalonia …

Discussion: The Independent, RedState, Joe.My.God. and The Daily Caller