memeorandum: Flake: Firing Sessions would be the ‘first domino to fall’ (Zachary Warmbrodt/Politico)

3:20 PM ET, August 26, 2018

Top Items:

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez / KARE-TV:

Arizona Senate candidate Kelli Ward suggests John McCain statement on ending treatment timed to hurt her campaign — Kelli Ward: McCain health statement timed to hurt her … Sen. John McCain poses at the Republic Media building in downtown Phoenix on Thursday, August 3, 2017. — Sen. John McCain.

Discussion: Washington Post, ThinkProgress, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, Splinter, Politico and Political Wire

Morgan Gstalter / The Hill:

GOP Arizona Senate candidate suggested McCain family statement on cancer treatment was meant to hurt her campaign — Arizona GOP Senate candidate Kelli Ward suggested Saturday that the Friday statement issued by Sen. John McCain — 's (R-Ariz.) family about ending medical treatment for brain cancer was intended to hurt her campaign.

Discussion: HuffPost, TVNewser and Washington Times

Martin Cizmar / Raw Story:

Arizona GOP Senate candidate Kelli Ward accuses John McCain of dying to push ‘negative narrative’ about her — Arizona Republican Kelli Ward and one of her staffers accused John McCain of announcing that he was about to die at a time that would harm their campaign.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Shareblue Media, Hill Reporter, TheBlaze, Mediaite and The Western Journal

Emily Cochrane / New York Times:

John McCain Funeral Plans: Lying in State at Capitol Rotunda — WASHINGTON — Senator John McCain, who died on Saturday at age 81, will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda and receive a full dress funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral. — Mr. McCain, who served for two decades …

Discussion: ABC News, CNN, CBS News, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Daily Caller, People.com, New York Post, The Root, IJR, Splinter, Daily Wire, Althouse, Chicago Sun-Times, Mother Jones and Breitbart

Tory Newmyer / Washington Post: Arizona governor to wait until after McCain burial to announce Senate successor

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez / Arizona Republic:
Who could be appointed to John McCain's Senate seat?

Discussion: Politico, FiveThirtyEight, POLITICUSUSA, The Western Journal, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze, Washington Post, Washington Times, Mediaite and Vox

Russell Feingold / New York Times:
Russ Feingold: John McCain Was a Committed Leader. He Was Also Really Fun.

Discussion: Clinton Foundation, The Week, TheBlaze and FOX59

Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
Keeping up with John McCain

Discussion: Voice of America and The Atlantic

Eliot A. Cohen / The Atlantic: Great-Heart Is Gone

Karen Ruiz / Daily Mail:
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: SARAH PALIN ON JOHN MCCAIN …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA

Robert D. McFadden / New York Times:
John McCain, War Hero, Senator, Presidential Contender, Dies at 81

Jeff Flake / Washington Post:
I am grateful for John McCain

Discussion: Roll Call, Washington Free Beacon, Mashable, Talking Points Memo, The Week, NBC News, Wall Street Journal and CBS Pittsburgh

Mark Salter / Washington Post:
John McCain spent his life serving the dignity of his fellow man

Discussion: Politico and Daily Kos

Washington Post:
John McCain, the irreplaceable American

Discussion: Q & A, Hosted, IJR and Vox

Carl Hulse / New York Times:
John McCain, a Last Lion of the Senate

Discussion: Refinery29

Washington Post:

Former Vatican ambassador says Pope Francis, Benedict knew of sexual misconduct allegations against McCarrick for years — DUBLIN — A former Vatican ambassador to the United States has alleged in an 11-page letter that Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis — among other top Catholic Church officials …

Edward Pentin / National Catholic Register …:

Ex-Nuncio Accuses Pope Francis of Failing to Act on McCarrick's Abuse — In a written testimony, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò claims Pope Francis withdrew sanctions against Archbishop Theodore McCarrick. — In an extraordinary 11-page written testament, a former apostolic nuncio …

Discussion: Al Jazeera English, Settimo Cielo, Catholic World Report, Vox, Small Dead Animals, Spectator USA, The Gateway Pundit, The Week and The American Conservative

CBS News:
Former Vatican official claims Pope Francis knew of abusive ex-cardinal, calls for his resignation

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Post, The Independent, CBS Chicago, Althouse, CBS New York and BBC

Diane Montagna / LifeSiteNews:
Pope Francis covered up McCarrick abuse, former US nuncio testifies (OFFICIAL TEXT)

Discussion: The American Conservative and The Right Scoop

Daniel Lippman / Politico:
Remembering John McCain

Discussion: Arizona Republic, New York Times, Breitbart and Washington Post

WJXT-TV:

Sources: Mass shooting at Jacksonville Landing leaves 4 dead, 11 wounded — Sources: 11 people shot, at least 4 dead in or near Chicago Pizza — By , Vic Micolucci - I-TEAM reporter, anchor, Roxy Tyler - Web producer, Steve Patrick - News4Jax digital managing editor

Discussion: RedState, Orlando Sentinel, Fox News, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, twitchy.com, CNN and Daily Kos

The Daily Beast:

Mass Shooting at Madden NFL Tournament Qualifier in Jacksonville Reportedly Leaves Several Dead — Several people were reportedly killed and multiple other injured Sunday afternoon during a mass shooting at the Madden NFL Tournament Regional Qualifier in Jacksonville, Florida.

Discussion: Associated Press

John Bacon / USA Today: ‘Multiple fatalities’ after shooting rampage at Madden tourney at Jacksonville Landing

NBC News:

NBC/WSJ poll: Trump approval ‘remarkably stable’ after a stormy week of bad news — But 56 percent of voters say Trump has not been honest and truthful about the Mueller probe. — WASHINGTON — After a week that saw President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman convicted on eight counts …

Discussion: BloombergQuint, Townhall, Mother Jones, Hot Air and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Charles Isherwood / New York Times:

Neil Simon, Broadway Master of Comedy, Is Dead at 91 — Neil Simon, the playwright whose name was synonymous with Broadway comedy and commercial success in the theater for decades, and who helped redefine popular American humor with an emphasis on the frictions of urban living …

Discussion: Raw Story, Outside the Beltway and The Blast

Adam Bernstein / Washington Post:
Neil Simon, Broadway's long-reigning king of comedy, dies at 91

Discussion: Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Mediaite

Richard Natale / Variety:
Neil Simon, King of Comedy Playwrights, Dies at 91

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Noah Feldman / Bloomberg:

The Prosecutors Who Have Declared War on the President — The Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York isn't done digging into the Trump Organization. — In the span of one week, we learned that the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York …

David A. Fahrenthold / Washington Post:
'He can't get rid of any of this': Trump's wall of secrecy erodes amid growing legal challenges

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA

David French / The Atlantic:

America Soured on My Multiracial Family — There are three fundamental, complicating truths about adoption. First, every single adoption begins with profound loss. Through death, abandonment, or even loving surrender, a child suffers the loss of his or her mother and father.

Andrew Marchand / New York Post:

Jemele Hill is out at ESPN — Jemele Hill needed to be out at ESPN. Hill knew it. ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro knew it. And, now, Jemele Hill is out at ESPN. — The marriage between ESPN and Hill — the controversial sports commentator who waded into politics and sparred …

Discussion: The Big Lead, Mediaite and Daily Wire, more at Mediagazer »

Peter Wehner / New York Times:

The Full-Spectrum Corruption of Donald Trump — Everyone and everything he touches rots. — Mr. Wehner served in the previous three Republican administrations and is a contributing opinion writer. — There's never been any confusion about the character defects of Donald Trump.

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Bob Bauer / The Atlantic:

Trump's Contempt for the Law Will Be His Downfall — Michael Cohen's guilty plea this week, on charges including campaign-finance violations, brought the investigations directly to the president. It has also, however, supplied Trump and his allies with new material with which to cry “witch hunt.”