memeorandum: Why Men Aren't Funny — If November 2016 was a study in anguish … (Lindy West/New York Times)

1:25 PM ET, November 15, 2017

Top Items:

Fox News's Shepard Smith debunks his network's favorite Hillary Clinton ‘scandal,’ infuriates viewers — Fox News anchor Shepard Smith debunked what his own network has called the Hillary Clinton uranium “scandal,” infuriating Fox viewers, some of whom suggested that he ought to work for CNN or MSNBC.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Associated Press, Raw Story, Mediaite, Business Insider, Shareblue Media, bizpacreview.com, Joe.My.God. and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »

Jonah Goldberg / National Review:

Good for Shep Smith — I was going to do this as a column for tomorrow, but since Shep beat me to the punch I'll do it as a Corner post. Shep is right. The Uranium One story is crap. — Now let me say that I have no problem believing that Hillary Clinton sold influence or the appearance of influence.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Politico

Alvin Chang / Vox:
Sean Hannity has become the media's top conspiracy theorist

Discussion: IJR, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo and Automotive News …

Samantha Schmidt / Washington Post:
Even Sean Hannity has had it with Roy Moore, gives candidate 24 hours to explain ‘inconsistencies’

Discussion: HuffPost, Hit & Run and Salon

The Daily Beast:
Steve Bannon And Allies Have Second Thoughts About Roy Moore, Sources Say

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:

Bill Clinton should have resigned — What he did to Monica Lewinsky was wrong, and he should have paid the price. — Many years ago, when I was a high school student making my first visit to Washington for a two-week summer camp for weird politics dorks, the dominant news story …

Discussion: THE WARREN (HENRY) REPORT and Washington Free Beacon

Jeff Greenfield / Politico:
How Roy Moore's Misdeeds Are Forcing an Awakening on the Left

Discussion: Althouse, Washington Free Beacon, twitchy.com and Axios

David Harsanyi / The Federalist:
Liberals' Sudden Concern About Bill Clinton's Behavior Is Cynical And Self-Serving

Discussion: Power Line, Fox News, New York Post, twitchy.com and Mediaite

Jim Geraghty / National Review: Kennedy, Clinton, and Weinstein: A Convenient Reckoning

Bill Riales / WKRG-TV:

LISTEN: Curious Robocall Seeks ‘Damaging’ Information on Moore — UPDATE 3:31 p.m. (WKRG) — The Executive Editor, Marty Baron, of the Washington Post released the following statement: — “The Post has just learned that at least one person in Alabama has received a call from someone falsely claiming to be from The Washington Post.

Steve Deace:

Judge Roy Moore initiates first legal action against media for defamation, starting with local outlet Alabama Media Group. — UPDATE....similar version of this letter also sent to Washington Post.

Discussion: Washington Post, IJR, The Resurgent and The Gateway Pundit

Brandon Carter / The Hill:

Limbaugh: Moore was a Democrat at time of sexual misconduct allegations — Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh on Tuesday criticized Republicans for distancing themselves from Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore, while saying that Moore was a Democrat at the time he allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct with teenage girls.

Discussion: dailyrushbo.com, RedState and The Rush Limbaugh Show

Brandy Zadrozny / The Daily Beast:

‘Unsafe and Just Plain Dirty’: Women Accuse Vice of ‘Toxic’ Sexual-Harassment Culture … In the summer of 2015, Phoebe Barghouty was 23 years old and had a new master's degree in journalism from Stanford—but little other experience—when she landed what most of her peers would consider a dream job …

Discussion: Axios, The Daily Caller and Page Six

Jonathan Cohn / HuffPost:

The GOP Tax Cut Plan Opens A New Front In The War On Obamacare — Among the casualties: Millions of Americans who wouldn't have health insurance. — Here we are again, talking about a Republican proposal that would rattle health insurance markets, increase overall premiums …

Discussion: CNBC, Business Insider, The United States …, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Refinery29

Sam Baker / Axios:
The GOP makes another run at repealing the individual mandate

Discussion: Politico, RedState and Associated Press

Alan Rappeport / New York Times:
Republicans May Target Entitlement Programs to Reduce Deficit

Discussion: Daily Kos

Jason Burke / The Guardian:

Robert Mugabe in detention after military takes control of Zimbabwe — Army says it has taken temporary control to ‘target criminals’ around head of state, who sacked his vice-president last week — Robert Mugabe remains in detention at his home in Zimbabwe more than 12 hours …

Discussion: RedState, The Root, Business Insider, VICE News and France 24

New York Times:
Zimbabwe's Military, in Apparent Takeover, Says It Has Custody of Mugabe

Discussion: Townhall.com and twitchy.com

Washington Post:
Zimbabwe's military takes over country, says President Mugabe is ‘safe’

Discussion: New Republic, Hit & Run, Bloomberg and The Daily Caller

Steven Shepard / Politico:

Poll: Biden leads Trump in prospective 2020 matchup — Former Vice President Joe Biden would lead President Donald Trump in a 2020 general election, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. — Only 35 percent of voters would choose to reelect Trump in 2020, the poll shows …

Discussion: AOL, TheBlaze, IJR and Business Insider

Eli Yokley / Morning Consult:
Biden Would Beat Trump if 2020 Election Were Held Right Now

Discussion: Vox

Randy Krehbiel Tulsa / Tulsa World:

Democrat pulls off special election victory for Senate seat in west Tulsa County — A year ago, Democrats threw $200,000 and a first-tier candidate at Senate District 37, trying to unseat incumbent Republican Dan Newberry. — They lost the conservative west Tulsa County district by 15 percentage points.

Discussion: Daily Kos and Shareblue Media

Associated Press:
Democrats add to win column in deep-red Oklahoma

Discussion: Washington Blade and Balloon Juice

Kyle Swenson / Washington Post:

His brother died mysteriously when they were toddlers. Years later, a Facebook photo changed everything. — It was an old photo, the original sharp black and white tones worn down into the same muddy gray as television static. — The young man, David Dearlove, sits against a brick wall …

Discussion: Telegraph

Bethany Mandel / New York Times:

Roy Moore Reminds Me of My Rabbi — In 2014, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, Rabbi Barry Freundel led the congregation of his Washington synagogue in pursuit of humble repentance before God. Ten days later, he was arrested and charged with dozens of counts of voyeurism.

Josh Dawsey / Politico:

Trump faces wrenching call on Moore — President Donald Trump is returning from Asia to a political maelstrom in the United States — one that could force him to decide whether to push out Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a Hail Mary attempt to save the Alabama Senate seat Sessions once held.

Discussion: Daily Kos, Media Matters for America, No More Mister Nice Blog, CNN, Balloon Juice and Breitbart

New York Times:
Attorney General Jeff Sessions Doesn't Recall

Discussion: Washington Post, Just Security, Hullabaloo, TalkLeft, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Althouse and Balloon Juice

Judy Kurtz / The Hill:

Porn star, Coolio launching 2020 White House bid — A porn star and a rapper say they have what it takes to win the White House in 2020. — Cherie DeVille, who's starred in such videos as “Ass Planet” and “Hot Tub Hottie,” says she was inspired to run for office out of her “personal frustration for the current political climate.”

Discussion: RedState

Joe Concha / The Hill:

Fox's Cavuto: I won't have Trump on my show — Neil Cavuto said he's “just not interested” in interviewing President Trump on his Fox News or Fox Business weekday programs, stating that sitting down with the former real estate mogul “probably would not add” value.

Discussion: IJR and Washington Times

James Hohmann / Washington Post:

The Daily 202: Inside Scott Walker's comeback strategy — (Matthew DeFour/Wisconsin State Journal/AP) — THE BIG IDEA: — GREEN BAY, Wis. — Scott Walker hit political rock bottom in September 2015, soon after his presidential campaign flamed out. It was depressing to be one of the first candidates …

Discussion: Althouse and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Julian Borger / The Guardian:

Christopher Steele believes his dossier on Trump-Russia is 70-90% accurate — The respected ex-MI6 officer told Guardian journalist and author Luke Harding that his FBI contacts greeted his intelligence report with ‘shock and horror’ … Christopher Steele, the former British intelligence officer …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Politicus USA

Jessie Hellmann / The Hill:

Nearly 1.5 million sign up for ObamaCare in first 11 days — Nearly 1.5 million people signed up for ObamaCare in the first 11 days of open enrollment, nearly 500,000 more than at the same time last year. — According to numbers released Wednesday by the Trump administration …

Discussion: Politico

Meghan Tribe / The American Lawyer:

Gordon Rees Partner Leaves Management After ‘Hannity’ Appearance — Mercedes Colwin, a litigator at Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, has stepped down from her role as managing partner of the firm's New York office following her controversial appearance in a segment that aired last week on Fox News.

Discussion: TVNewser and Above the Law

Rafael Bernal / The Hill:

Judge rules DOJ can't withhold money from Philadelphia over ‘sanctuary city’ policies — A federal judge in Philadelphia ruled Wednesday against the Trump administration's policy of withholding law enforcement grants from so-called “sanctuary cities,” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Discussion: Philly.com

US Food and Drug Administration:

Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. on FDA advisory about deadly risks associated with kratom — For Immediate Release — The FDA has issued a public health advisory related to mounting concerns regarding risks associated with the use of kratom.

Discussion: AOL, CNBC, NPR, WQAD-TV, The Verge, Hit & Run, CBS Boston, Snopes.com and STAT

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:

Watch CEOs admit they won't actually invest more if tax reform passes — A telling and important moment. — An awkward — but extremely telling — moment arose yesterday at a Wall Street Journal “CEO Council” event that featured the Trump administration's top economic policy hand, Gary Cohn, as a key speaker.

Discussion: CNBC