memeorandum: Lots of Americans don't think slavery caused the Civil War (John Sides/Washington Post)

9:30 AM ET, November 1, 2017

Top Items:

Papadopoulos Claimed Trump Campaign Approved Russia Meeting — Former Trump adviser George Papadopoulos made a significant claim in an email: Top Trump campaign officials agreed to a pre-election meeting with representatives of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bloomberg News reports.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, RedState, Politicus USA and New York Times

CNN:

Trump didn't dismiss idea when foreign policy adviser suggested setting up Putin meeting — Washington (CNN)Candidate Donald Trump did not dismiss the idea of arranging a meeting with Russia's president when it was suggested in a meeting with his campaign foreign policy advisers last year, according to a person in the room.

New York Times:

Trump Foreign Policy Advisers Were Brought On to Solve a Political Problem. Now They Are One. — WASHINGTON — One lasted only 24 days as President Trump's national security adviser, done in by his lack of candor about conversations he had with the Russian ambassador.

NBC News:

Top Trump Campaign Aide Clovis Spoke to Mueller Team, Grand Jury — WASHINGTON — Sam Clovis, the former top Trump campaign official who supervised a man now cooperating with the FBI's Russia investigation, was questioned last week by special counsel Robert Mueller's team and testified …

Discussion: USA Today, The Week, NPR, The Daily Caller, Mother Jones, Politico, Splinter, Talking Points Memo, NBC News, emptywheel, Washington Post and New York Magazine

Shane Harris / Wall Street Journal:

Disclosure of Papadopoulos's Email Hunt Sheds Light on Quest for Clinton ‘Dirt’ — Former Trump campaign adviser was apparently among the first people to get a hint that Russians sought to steal emails — Former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos was discussing the possibility …

Discussion: USA Today, Telegraph, Business Insider and New York Times

Diana Stancy Correll / Washington Examiner:
FBI affidavit: George Papadopoulos said Trump campaign OK'd meeting with Russians

Discussion: Washington Post and Raw Story

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
DNC chair: Rot went all the way to the top in Trump campaign

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, IJR and The Daily Caller

Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:
For ‘low level volunteer,’ Papadopoulos sought high profile as Trump adviser

Discussion: New York Magazine, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo and New York Times

Los Angeles Times: First charges against former Trump aides reveal an aggressive strategy by Mueller

Washington Post:

Trump and allies gin up a new culprit for New York terrorist attack: Chuck Schumer — President Trump and some of his allies on the extreme right have found a new culprit in Tuesday's deadly terrorist attack in Manhattan: Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, Politico, The Gateway Pundit, twitchy.com, bizpacreview.com, Deadline, Raw Story, Blunt Force Truth, Sputnik International, The Week, Washington Free Beacon and Mediaite

New York Times:

Manhattan Terror Attack Kills 8 and Injures 11 — A driver plowed a pickup truck down a crowded bike path along the Hudson River in Manhattan on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring 11 before being shot by a police officer in what officials are calling the deadliest terrorist attack on New York City since Sept. 11, 2001.

abc7ny.com:

Bike path rampage: What we know about the suspect … <iframe width="476" height="267" src="http://abc7ny.com/video/embed/ ?pid=2590096" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> — Jim Hoffer reports on the investigation into the deadly terror attack in Lower Manhattan

Discussion: Axios, The Daily Caller, Conservative Review, Breitbart, Business Insider, bizpacreview.com, Power Line and The Last Tradition

Peter Baker / New York Times:

Trump Blames New York Terrorist Attack on Schumer and Immigration Policies — WASHINGTON — President Trump on Wednesday essentially blamed the terrorist attack in New York City on what he characterized as soft immigration policies promoted by Democrats, singling out Senator Chuck Schumer …

Discussion: Washington Times, Raw Story, Political Wire and The Daily Caller

New York Times:
From Truck Driver to Uber Driver to Terror Attack Suspect

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Guardian, Business Insider, The Gateway Pundit, ThinkProgress, CBS Miami and Mother Jones, more at Techmeme »

Brian Ross / ABC News:
Sayfullo Saipov identified as suspect in New York City vehicle attack: Officials

Discussion: Business Insider, AOL and The Week

Neil Munro / Breitbart: NY Sen. Schumer Created Diversity Visas Which Invited Alleged Killer to NY

NorthJersey.com:
NYC terror attack: Suspect lives in Paterson, sources say

Discussion: Fox News and 105.9 FM and AM 630

Gabrielle Fonrouge / New York Post:
Terror suspect was a ‘very friendly’ Uzbek immigrant who drove for Uber

Discussion: Fox News, NPR, The Gateway Pundit, TheBlaze, New York Magazine and The Daily Caller

CNN:
Truck attack in Manhattan being investigated as terrorism, sources say

Wall Street Journal:

GOP Tax Plan Won't Cut Rate for Highest Earners — Proposal also drops the corporate tax rate to 20%, and it delays a planned repeal of the estate tax — WASHINGTON—The House Republican tax plan will preserve a top individual tax rate of 39.6%, according to people familiar with the matter …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Week and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi

Aaron Lorenzo / Politico:
House GOP delays tax bill rollout

Discussion: Weekly Standard, New York Magazine, Axios, The Week, ABC News and IJR

Vox: The real cost of the Republican tax cuts

New York Times:
Republicans Delay Releasing Tax Bill, Signaling Trouble for Party

Discussion: The Week

Associated Press:
GOP tax writers delay rollout as Trump sets rapid timetable

Discussion: Politico and ABC News

Oliver Darcy / CNNMoney:

‘I want to quit’: Fox News employees say their network's Russia coverage was ‘an embarrassment’ — Some employees at Fox News were left embarrassed and humiliated by their network's coverage of the latest revelations in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election meddling …

Discussion: Associated Press, NewsBusters, The Week, Media Matters for America, The Atlantic, Splinter, Business Insider, Fox News Insider, Mediaite, Politicus USA and Washington Post, more at Mediagazer »

Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
Russia Inquiry Fails to Unite a Nation

Discussion: Washington Post, Newsweek and Townhall.com

Brad Reed / Raw Story: ‘An embarrassment’: Disgruntled Fox News employees lash out at network's ‘absurd’ Trump-Russia coverage

Los Angeles Times:

Six women accuse filmmaker Brett Ratner of sexual harassment or misconduct — Natasha Henstridge was watching a movie on Brett Ratner's couch when she fell asleep. She was a 19-year-old fashion model; he was an up-and-coming music video director in his early 20s.

Zeke Miller / Associated Press:

The real John Kelly slowly revealing himself at White House — WASHINGTON (AP) — In his three months on the job, John Kelly has been credited with bringing order to a chaotic West Wing, but don't call him a moderate. President Donald Trump's chief of staff was the enforcer …

John Sides / Washington Post:
Lots of Americans don't think slavery caused the Civil War

Discussion: New York Magazine and Right Wing Watch

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Sarah Sanders Claims John Kelly Learned Civil War Nonsense From Ken Burns. She's Probably Right.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Week, Reuters, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Daily Kos, IJR, Washington Monthly, CNN and Scripting News

James Hohmann / Washington Post:

The Daily 202: Negative ads are helping Ed Gillespie win over Trump supporters in the Virginia governor's race — THE BIG IDEA: The dirty little secret about attack ads is that they usually work. That's why campaigns run them, even though voters constantly complain about how much they hate negativity.

Discussion: CBS Miami, The Root and NewsBusters

Steven Shepard / Politico:
Polling techniques may account for erratic predictions in Virginia

Discussion: The Hill and Hot Air

Washington Post: A week before Election Day, new poll finds tightening race for Va. governor

Spencer S. Hsu / Washington Post:

Special counsel: Manafort's stated wealth fluctuated wildly; he keeps 3 passports — Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort leaves federal court, October 30 (Keith Lane/Getty Images) — Onetime Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort keeps three U.S. passports with different identification numbers …

Discussion: Raw Story

Katelyn Polantz / CNN:
Manafort has 3 passports, traveled to China with phone registered under fake name

Discussion: The Hill and WRIC-TV

Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:
Why the Mueller Indictments Should Terrify Trump

Discussion: ACS Blog, The Hill, The Guardian, Business Insider and CNN

Josh Dawsey / Politico:

Mueller schedules interview with Hope Hicks — The White House communications director is due to speak with prosecutors in the Russia probe after Trump returns from his Asia trip. — President Donald Trump's longtime aide and current communications director, Hope Hicks …

Discussion: KTLA, Axios, IJR, Washington Free Beacon, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and Political Wire

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
White House signals Trump will stay out of Mueller's way

Discussion: Mother Jones and Shareblue Media

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

NPR's top editor placed on leave after accusations of sexual harassment — NPR is investigating allegations by two women who said the head of its news department made unwanted physical contact with them while he was employed by another news organization nearly two decades ago.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, NPR, New York Times, Deadline, AOL and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:

Manafort's Spending Fails to Impress in Wealthy Enclaves — WASHINGTON — Look closely enough, and the document charging Paul Manafort with money laundering, tax evasion and foreign lobbying reads less like a 12-count federal indictment and more like the ultimate spendthrift whodunit.