memeorandum: Under Trump, refugee admissions are falling way short

8:40 PM ET, September 17, 2018

Top Items:

Alumnae Of Christine Blasey Ford's High School Circulate Letter Of Support — Ford's allegations against Brett Kavanaugh are “all too consistent with stories we heard and lived while attending Holton,” they wrote. — A group of women who went to Christine Blasey Ford's high school …

Ryan Grim / The Intercept:

Attorney Sent Letter to Chuck Grassley and Dianne Feinstein Claiming Federal Court Employees Willing to Speak About Brett Kavanaugh — The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee were both approached in July by an attorney claiming to have information relevant …

Discussion: Hot Air, BuzzFeed News, New York Times, LifeNews.com, The Hill, The Guardian, Washington Examiner and Washington Post

Alexandra Petri / Washington Post:

Every man should be worried. At least, I'm worried. — “If somebody can be brought down by accusations like this, then you, me, every man certainly should be worried.” — A lawyer close to the White House, speaking to Politico — Look, who among us?

Discussion: ABC News, Raw Story, Bustle, Politico, ThinkProgress, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Media Matters for America

Grabien News:

'Something's Wrong with Her': Christine Ford's Students Savage Her in Reviews [STORY RETRACTED] — ‘Many dislike Professor Ford due to her dark personality’ — Editor's Note: We apologize for the error, but we've since learned there are two Christine Fords working in clinical psychology …

Discussion: RedState, Observer, Power Line, Raw Story, Mediaite, Law & Crime, Rate My Professors, The Gateway Pundit, Media Matters for America and Heavy.com

Michael Judge / Washingtonian:

Kavanaugh's Character Witness Once Wrote About His Family for Washingtonian. Check Out What His Brother Wrote in to Rebut Him. — Brett Kavanaugh's accuser says Mark Judge was in the room. He says Kavanaugh didn't do anything. — Christine Blasey Ford says Supreme Court nominee Brett …

Discussion: Vox, Raw Story, Observer, Louder With Crowder, Media Matters for America, Fox News, Hit & Run, Hullabaloo, No More Mister Nice Blog and Daily Kos

New York Times:

Hearing Set for Monday to Hear Kavanaugh and His Accuser — WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, under mounting pressure from senators of his own party, will call President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, and the woman who has accused …

Bloomberg:

White House Hasn't Asked FBI to Vet Kavanaugh Allegations, Sources Say — FBI needs request from White House to probe alleged assault — Kavanaugh, accuser say they're prepared to testify in Senate — The White House hasn't asked the FBI to investigate the allegation …

Discussion: Raw Story and BloombergQuint

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:

The claim against Kavanaugh is not a suspicious 11th-hour bombshell. Because we're not in the 11th hour. — Readers of the Los Angeles Times were furious in 2003 when — only five days before the California gubernatorial election — the paper published a stunning investigation …

United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary:

Grassley Statement on the Supreme Court Nomination — “Anyone who comes forward as Dr. Ford has deserves to be heard, so I will continue working on a way to hear her out in an appropriate, precedented and respectful manner. — “The standard procedure for updates to any nominee's background …

Discussion: The Federalist, LifeZette, twitchy.com, Daily Wire and PJ Media Home

CNN:
GOP senator calls for public hearing

Discussion: RedState, Axios, Washington Post, Daily Kos, The Week, ThinkProgress, Feeds and Breitbart

CNN:
Brett Kavanaugh is willing to answer questions on allegations, has hired an attorney

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Brett Kavanaugh's odd response

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, National Review, The Week and TIME

Amber Athey / The Daily Caller:
Kavanaugh Accuser's Lawyer: It's Not Her Job To Corroborate Her Story

Discussion: Louder With Crowder and twitchy.com

Washington Post: Senate committee to hold public hearing with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh after sexual …

Axios:
Scoop: GOP plans to play hardball on Kavanaugh

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico, ThinkProgress, CNN, The Atlantic, ABC News, CNNMoney, Breitbart, HuffPost, Raw Story, New York Times, Shareblue Media, CNBC, CBS News, USA Today, New York Post, Hot Air, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Week, Mother Jones and Daily Kos

David Harsanyi / The Federalist:
Democrats Have Made Sure That Brett Kavanaugh Will Never Get A Fair Hearing

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, POLITICUSUSA, Instapundit, Washington Post and twitchy.com

Media Matters for America:
After professor reports that Kavanaugh assaulted her, pro-Trump sycophants go after student reviews …

Discussion: Washington Post, HuffPost, Daily Kos, Palo Alto Daily Post, CNN, CANNONFIRE and Little Green Footballs

NBC News:
Trump says there's no rush on Kavanaugh vote: 'If it takes a little delay, it'll take a little delay'

Discussion: Roll Call, Bustle, TheBlaze, Vox and HuffPost

Caleb Howe / Mediaite:
Brett Kavanaugh's Mother Presided Over Foreclosure Hearing Involving Accuser's Parents

Discussion: Law & Crime, LifeZette, Media Matters for America, America First Media Group and Clayton Cramer

The Daily Caller:
Kavanaugh's Mother Presided Over Foreclosure Of Accuser's Family Home. But The Facts Are Complicated

Discussion: CNBC, Vox and Snopes.com

Hugh T. Ferguson / Politico:
Trump says he wants ‘full process’ on allegation against Kavanaugh

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Axios and Breitbart

Politico:

Trump orders declassification of surveillance application, release of Comey texts — President Donald Trump has moved to immediately declassify 20 pages of the surveillance application that authorized the FBI to monitor former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.

Discussion: RedState, ABC News and Axios

The White House:

Statement from the Press Secretary — At the request of a number of committees of Congress, and for reasons of transparency, the President has directed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Justice (including the FBI) to provide for the immediate declassification …

Discussion: HuffPost, Hit & Run and Raw Story

Julia Manchester / The Hill:
Jordan says FBI used ‘crushing power of the state’ to probe Trump campaign based on dossier

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Samuel Chamberlain / Fox News:
Trump orders feds to declassify key FISA documents, text messages in FBI Russia probe

Discussion: The Federalist, Fox News Insider and LifeZette

Michael C. Bender / Wall Street Journal:

Probe of FEMA Chief Brock Long Referred to Prosecutors — Investigators asked U.S. attorney's office to look into whether criminal statutes were violated by Long and two aides — WASHINGTON—An investigation targeting President Trump's top emergency-management official has been referred …

Discussion: Political Wire, Raw Story and Mediaite

Roque Planas / HuffPost:

Bombshell Washington Post Story On Trump Passport Crackdown Withheld, Distorted Key Facts — State Department data shows passport denials in suspect midwife cases have dropped under Donald Trump. You wouldn't know from reading the Post. — AUSTIN, Texas On Aug. 29 …

Discussion: RedState and Daily Wire

Alex Griswold / Washington Free Beacon:
WaPo Adds Huge Editor's Note to Story Blaming Trump for Denial of Passports to Hispanic U.S. Citizens

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Jonathan Tilove / mystatesman:

Searching for new wedge issue, Cruz says O'Rourke will ban barbecue — Highlights — Speaking at a campaign event in South Texas, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said his Democratic rival would ban barbecue. — Cruz has sought to portray U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, as out of touch with Texas values.

Discussion: Political Wire

CNN:

CNN Polls: Democrats hold the upper hand in Arizona, Tennessee Senate races — WASHINGTON (CNN)Democrats hold an advantage in two states that are critical to the party's chances of taking control of the US Senate, according to new CNN polls conducted by SSRS.

Discussion: Hot Air, Daily Kos, The Week, POLITICUSUSA, Mediaite and Political Wire

Morgan Chalfant / The Hill:

Mueller asks court to schedule Flynn sentencing — is asking a federal judge in Washington, D.C., to move forward with the sentencing of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, nearly 10 months after he pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about his Russia contacts.

Discussion: Politico and Political Wire

Nahal Toosi / Politico:

Trump administration to slash refugee cap — The Trump administration will admit no more than 30,000 refugees to the U.S. in the coming year, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, down from the current cap of 45,000. — Pompeo announced the lowered ceiling during a press conference Monday …

Discussion: Vox, ABC News, Associated Press and Refugee Resettlement Watch

Julie Hirschfeld Davis / New York Times:
Trump to Cap Refugees Allowed Into U.S. at 30,000, a Record Low

Discussion: Splinter

Trevor Timm / Freedom of the Press Foundation:

Revealed: The Justice Dept's secret rules for targeting journalists with FISA court orders — Today, we are revealing—for the first time—the Justice Department's rules for targeting journalists with secret FISA court orders. The documents were obtained as part of a Freedom …

Discussion: The Intercept and Common Dreams

New York Times:

Bloomberg May Run for President as a Democrat. Some of His Views May Cause Him Trouble. — SEATTLE — Michael R. Bloomberg is actively considering a campaign for president as a Democrat in 2020, concluding that it would be his only path to the White House even as he voices stark disagreements …

Discussion: CNN, Hit & Run, The Week, Splinter, AOL, Towleroad Gay News, Politico, Axios and Eschaton

Matthew Nanci / Times Herald-Record:

Actress Diane Neal wins appeal to run against Faso, Delgado — Matthew Nanci Times Herald-Record @mattnanci — ALBANY - Actress Diane Neal won her court appeal on Monday to appear on the ballot for the 19th Congressional District race as an independent candidate.

Discussion: ballot-access.org

John Frank / The Colorado Sun:

Hickenlooper forms leadership PAC — a step closer to possible 2020 presidential bid — The term-limited Colorado governor will raise money for his political work and other candidates — Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper took a significant step Monday toward a potential presidential run …

Discussion: The Guardian, Political Wire and Real Clear Politics

Raphael Satter / Associated Press:

New leak shows Julian Assange sought Russian visa in 2010 — LONDON (AP) — Julian Assange had just pulled off one of the biggest scoops in journalistic history, splaying the innards of American diplomacy across the web. But technology firms were cutting ties to his website, WikiLeaks …

Discussion: Task & Purpose, RT, Politico and Shakesville

Brad Parscale / Las Vegas Review-Journal:

Trump campaign manager: Twitter's liberal bias warrants action — In his recent attempts to disprove Twitter's ideological bias, CEO Jack Dorsey actually confirmed it. — Appearing at the Senate Intelligence Committee this month, Dorsey claimed Twitter doesn't treat conservative content and users on its site unfairly.

Marcus Weisgerber / Defense One:

Air Force Pushes Back on Pentagon's First Blueprints for Trump's Space Force — In a pointed memo, Heather Wilson counters several Space Force proposals championed by Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan. — Standing up the Pentagon's new Space Force will cost nearly $13 billion over five years …

New York Times:

Reversing Course, Chris Collins Will Seek 4th House Term Despite Indictment — Representative Chris Collins, the New York Republican indicted on insider trading charges last month, reversed course on Monday and planned to announce he would seek another term, according to two Republicans familiar with his plans.