memeorandum: Joint Statement on the Salisbury Attack (US Department of State)

4:00 AM ET, September 7, 2018

Top Items:

White House officials flagged Trump's behavior to psychiatrist last year — White House officials reached out to a noted Yale University psychiatrist last fall out of concern over President Trump's increasingly erratic behavior. — Dr. Bandy Lee, who edited the best-selling book …

Discussion: CANNONFIRE and Political Wire

The Daily Beast:

‘We See Ourselves as Rebels’: Trump's Internal Resistance Celebrates — There were smiles—and fear that a blockbuster New York Times op-ed could backfire on those inside the bureaucracy trying to blunt the President. — Either Wednesday's explosive New York Times op-ed becomes the start of a bigger …

Discussion: Liberty Unyielding

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:

‘A never-ending cycle’: Some aides work to slow-walk or ignore Trump's directives — This week's revelations of a purported “resistance” force of senior government officials acting as guardrails against President Trump — manipulating him, infantilizing him and ignoring his directives — raised the specter of a shadow administration.

Discussion: Front Page Magazine, NewsBusters, Mediaite, Metro.co.uk, Tennessee Star, Associated Press, Fox News, Bloomberg, New York Times, Liberty Unyielding and Splinter, more at Mediagazer »

Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:

Crazytown: A Bob Woodward Book, an Anonymous New York Times Op-Ed, and a Growing Crisis for the Trump Presidency — The Republican “resistance” goes public (sort of), and everyone freaks out. — On Wednesday morning, the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders …

Michael Gerson / Washington Post:

We are a superpower run by a simpleton — One of the major problems with President Trump's impulsivity is its utter predictability. — A recent op-ed in the New York Times by an anonymous administration official accused the president of impetuous, reckless rants, and Trump responded with impetuous, reckless rants ("TREASON?").

Discussion: RealityChek, Investor's Business Daily and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »

Christopher Cadelago / Politico:

Trump insists all's calm at White House after bombshell op-ed — President Donald Trump insisted on Thursday that he wasn't rattled by an explosive op-ed that shook his administration to the core this week, using a rally nearly 2,000 miles from Washington to try to quell mounting concerns …

Discussion: MSNBC, The Daily Beast and ABC News

Matt Flegenheimer / New York Times:
Who Is a Senior Administration Official? It Depends

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Breitbart, Bloomberg and Liberty Unyielding

The Daily Beast:
Secret Trump Resistance Rebels Are ‘Fist-Bumping’ Each Other

Discussion: CBS News, Raw Story, The Daily Beast and CNN

Jenavieve Hatch / HuffPost:

Brett Kavanaugh Refers To Birth Control As ‘Abortion-Inducing Drugs’ At Confirmation Hearing — Trump's Supreme Court nominee defended his support of Priests for Life on the third day of his hearing. — On the third day of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing …

Discussion: Salon, POLITICUSUSA, Shareblue Media, Bustle and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

HuffPost:

Here's Another Brett Kavanaugh Email Republicans Didn't Want You To See — Kavanaugh and his bros were planning a sailing weekend. — A major issue in Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hearings is Democratic anger over the limited release of documents related to his time working for President George W. Bush.

Discussion: twitchy.com and AOL

Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Leaked Documents From Kavanaugh's Time in White House Discuss Abortion and Affirmative Action

Brian Schwartz / CNBC:
Marc Kasowitz denies Kavanaugh ever spoke to anyone at his firm about Mueller probe, contradicting Kamala Harris claim

Discussion: Daily Wire

Eric Bradner / CNN:
Trump slams ‘deep state operatives,’ vulnerable Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in Montana

Discussion: Raw Story and Mediaite

Tierney Sneed / Talking Points Memo:
There's Now A Big Dumb Fight Over How Dems Released Kavanaugh Docs

Discussion: Daily Wire, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze, Common Dreams, New York Times, Washington Monthly and twitchy.com

Jonathan Lemire / Associated Press:

Giuliani to AP: Trump will not answer obstruction questions — NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump will not answer federal investigators' questions, in writing or in person, about whether he tried to block the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Discussion: BuzzFeed News, Raw Story, Splinter and Mother Jones

Aidan McLaughlin / Mediaite: Scoop: George Papadopoulos Spills on Mueller Cooperation in First TV Interview With Jake Tapper

NBC News:
Giuliani says Trump will not answer Mueller's obstruction questions

Discussion: RedState and The Gateway Pundit

Donie O'Sullivan / CNNMoney:

Twitter bans Alex Jones and InfoWars — Why Facebook, YouTube and Apple are removing InfoWars content — Twitter banned far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his website InfoWars from its platform Thursday afternoon, a month after several of its Silicon Valley counterparts did so.

Discussion: USA Today, Fox News, New York Times, The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, RedState, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, Deadline, NPR, National Review, Engadget, Mother Jones, ThinkProgress and New Republic, more at Techmeme »

The Daily Beast:

Twitter Permanently Bans Alex Jones and Infowars — A video of him berating a CNN reporter with ‘the eyes of a rat’ was the final violation after a series of them by Infowars and its founder. — Twitter banned Infowars and its founder, the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, following months of public pressure to do so.

Discussion: twitchy.com, Media Matters for America, Breitbart, Politico and Rantt

BuzzFeed:
After Multiple Provocations, Twitter Bans Alex Jones And Infowars

Discussion: Refinery29, Engadget, Vox and New Republic, more at Mediagazer »

Sara Salinas / CNBC:
Twitter permanently bans Alex Jones and Infowars accounts

Discussion: Hit & Run, The Atlantic, The Gateway Pundit, Mashable, Daily Wire, Mediaite, Political Wire and Media Matters for America

Mattathias Schwartz / New Yorker:
Facebook and Twitter's Rehearsed Dance on Capitol Hill

Discussion: Fast Company, BloombergQuint and Investor's Business Daily, more at Techmeme »

Jonathan Martin / New York Times:

Another Democratic Ambush? Not in Delaware, as Carper Rebuffs Outsider's Bid — Senator Tom Carper of Delaware fended off a primary challenge from his left on Thursday, dispatching a political newcomer, Kerri Evelyn Harris, in the latest test of strength between Democratic insurgents and the party establishment.

Discussion: Political Wire

Gideon Resnick / The Daily Beast: Kerri Harris, Progressives' Next Big Hope, Falls Short Against Tom Carper in Delaware

The Intercept:
Kerri Harris Got More Votes Than She Thought She Needed, But it Wasn't Enough

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, The Independent and CNBC

Associated Press:

The Latest: Trump: American flag needed in moon docudrama — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local): — President Donald Trump says a docudrama about the moon landing would have been a “much bigger success” had it shown the planting of the American flag.

Discussion: Politico and Breitbart

Washington Post:
Trump raises the specter of impeachment at Montana rally

Discussion: Common Dreams, Politico and ABC News

Jonathan Allen / NBC News:
At rally, Trump brings up ‘the impeachment word’ to embolden voters ahead of midterms

Discussion: HuffPost

Karen DeYoung / Washington Post:

In a shift, Trump approves an indefinite military and diplomatic effort in Syria, U.S. officials say — President Trump, who just five months ago said he wanted “to get out” of Syria and bring U.S. troops home soon, has approved a new strategy for an indefinitely extended military …

Discussion: The American Conservative and Bloomberg

Barbara Starr / CNN: Russia warns US of pending attack in Syrian area with US troops

Manu Raju / CNN:

Elizabeth Warren: Time to use 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office — (CNN)Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, seizing on an explosive op-ed from an anonymous administration official, said Thursday that it's time to use constitutional powers to remove President Donald Trump office if top officials don't think he can do the job.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Bustle, Breitbart, AOL, New York Times, HuffPost, Washington Times, CBS San Francisco, The Hill and CBS Miami

Tal Axelrod / The Hill:
Warren calls for 25th Amendment to be invoked against Trump

Discussion: Townhall, Washington Post, HuffPost, New Yorker, Breitbart and Axios, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:

Polling the 2018 Midterm Elections in Real Time — The Upshot has partnered with Siena College to poll dozens of the most competitive House and Senate races across the country. Our poll results are updated in real time, after every phone call. We hope to help you understand how polling works, and why it sometimes doesn't.

Discussion: Political Wire

Nate Cohn / New York Times: Live From the Battleground Districts: Polls of the Key Races for House Control

Nicholas Fandos / New York Times:

Frustration and Finger-Pointing as G.O.P. Pulls Out of Deal Talks on Hacked Materials — WASHINGTON — House Republicans withdrew on Thursday from negotiations with Democrats over a pact that would have effectively barred both parties from using hacked or stolen material on the campaign trail this fall.

CBS Pittsburgh:

College Removes Uniforms Featuring Nike Logo To Protest Kaepernick Deal — (AP) — The endorsement deal between Nike and Colin Kaepernick prompted a flood of debate Tuesday. It was a trending topic on Twitter and other social networks, with some fans urging a boycott of the company's clothes …

Discussion: Daily Wire, RedState and CBS Sacramento

Elaine Thompson / Worcester Telegram & Gazette:
Sturbridge jeweler takes heat for ‘take a knee’ billboard; Colin Kaepernick debate unfolds

Discussion: RedState and Daily Wire

Matt Zapotosky / Washington Post:

Prosecutors use grand jury as investigation of Andrew McCabe intensifies — Federal prosecutors have for months been using a grand jury to investigate former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe — an indication that the probe into whether he misled officials exploring his role …

Discussion: Instapundit, The Gateway Pundit, PJ Media Home and The Last Refuge

Carrie Johnson / NPR: Grand Jury Looking Into Case Of Ex-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe

Greg Bluestein / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Dead even: AJC/Channel 2 poll shows Georgia governor's race is tied — The race for Georgia governor couldn't be closer just two months before the election, as an Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Channel 2 Action News poll showed Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp deadlocked at 45 percent.

Discussion: Balloon Juice and Political Wire

Daily Mail:

Boris Johnson splits with lawyer wife Marina after she accuses him of ANOTHER ‘fling’ — Boris Johnson splits with lawyer wife of 25 years Marina after she accuses him of ANOTHER fling and his daughter brands him a ‘selfish b*****d’ — Boris Johnson has been kicked out of his marital home …

New York Times:

Jumaane Williams Is Democrats' Best Bet for Lieutenant Governor — The City Council member from Brooklyn can bring welcome change to Albany. — The editorial board represents the opinions of the board, its editor and the publisher. It is separate from the newsroom and the Op-Ed section.

Mark Murray / NBC News:

NBC/Marist poll: It's a neck-and-neck Senate race in Tennessee — Democrat Phil Bredesen gets support from 48 percent of likely voters, compared with 46 percent for Republican Marsha Blackburn. — WASHINGTON — Democrat Phil Bredesen and Republican Marsha Blackburn are running neck and neck …

Discussion: Tennessee Star, POLITICUSUSA and Talking Points Memo

NBC News:

Obama won't hold ‘punches’ as he kicks off midterm campaign push — The former president is expected to frame election as choice between an “inclusive” or “fearful” America, aides say. — WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama is set to launch a political offensive designed to focus …