memeorandum: Man caught shaving on train in viral video says don't judge (Deepti Hajela/Associated Press)

10:50 PM ET, September 17, 2018

Top Items:

Julia Prodis Sulek / Mercury News:

MeToo spurred Christine Blasey Ford to open up about alleged attack year before Kavanaugh nomination, friends say — 'I've been trying to forget this all my life,' she told friend, 'and now I'm supposed to remember every little detail' — PALO ALTO — The fog was just lifting at Capitola beach …

HuffPost:

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, Daily Wire, Bustle, USA Today, Washington Post, NPR and CNN

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

Russ Feingold / HuffPost:

We Know Brett Kavanaugh Has Lied Already — This nation is suffering a significant breakdown of civility, bipartisanship and ethical behavior. For the Trump administration and the Republican leaders who enable it, truth is no longer a cherished value. To them, lying seems to be part of the strategy …

San Francisco Chronicle:

Kavanaugh accuser, a Palo Alto professor, is respected among academic colleagues — A Palo Alto professor who is expected to testify next week about her accusation of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is widely respected for her professional integrity and commitment to students, colleagues said Monday.

Discussion: Washington Post, Vox and Tampa Bay Times

Robert Costa / Washington Post:

With Trump muted, White House leans on Kavanaugh to defend himself — President Trump's routine reaction to allegations of sexual assault is to deny, retaliate and repeat. He has dismissed accusations against himself as “phony” and “false,” and when presented with claims against other men …

Discussion: Politico, Political Wire, Breitbart, ABC News and CNN

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

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: New York Times, Vox, Raw Story, Observer, Mother Jones, CNBC, Louder With Crowder, No More Mister Nice Blog and Daily Kos

New York Times:
Hearing Set for Monday to Hear Kavanaugh and His Accuser

Wall Street Journal:
The #MeToo Kavanaugh Ambush

Discussion: New York Times and The Hill

United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary:
Grassley Statement on the Supreme Court Nomination

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

Caitlin Flanagan / The Atlantic:
I Believe Her — “Dear Caitlin,” an inscription in my 12th-grade yearbook begins.

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Post, Washington Monthly and ABC News

Jia Tolentino / New Yorker:
Jian Ghomeshi, John Hockenberry, and the Laws of Patriarchal Physics

Discussion: HuffPost, The Daily Beast and Raw Story

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

Ken Meyer / Mediaite:
Orrin Hatch Defends Brett Kavanaugh: 'Somebody's Mixed Up,' I Think Christine Ford is ‘Mistaken’

Discussion: Splinter, Shareblue Media, Lawyers, Guns & Money and New Republic

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post: The claim against Kavanaugh is not a suspicious 11th-hour bombshell. Because we're not in the 11th hour.

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

Discussion: HuffPost, The Resurgent, Raw Story and National Review

Politico:
McConnell works feverishly behind the scenes to save Kavanaugh

Discussion: Washington Post, Axios and New York Times

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

Discussion: CNBC, The Slot, Washington Post, Breitbart and FiveThirtyEight

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

Discussion: Louder With Crowder, twitchy.com and Viking Pundit

CNN:
GOP senator calls for public hearing

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

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

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

Rebecca Traister / The Cut:
And You Thought Trump Voters Were Mad American women are furious — and our politics and culture will never be the same.

Discussion: Hullabaloo

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, TheBlaze, Bustle, Daily Kos and Vox

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, Balloon Juice, Axios and Splinter

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: Hit & Run, HuffPost 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

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: Raw Story, Political Wire and Mediaite

Deepti Hajela / Associated Press:

Man caught shaving on train in viral video says don't judge — NEW YORK (AP) — A man who was mocked online after he was recorded shaving at his seat on a commuter train headed out of New York City said he was just trying to clean up after days spent in a homeless shelter.

Discussion: CBS New York

Michael R. Pompeo / US Department of State:

U.S. Department of State — Search Input — Remarks to the Media — Remarks — Secretary of State — Treaty Room — Washington, DC — SECRETARY POMPEO: Good afternoon, everyone. The United States anticipates processing up to 310,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Fiscal Year 2019.

Nahal Toosi / Politico:
Trump administration to slash refugee cap

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

Robbie Gramer / Foreign Policy:
White and Male: Trump's Ambassadors Don't Look Like the Rest of America

Discussion: Politico and Diplopundit

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

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 …

Cora Currier / The Intercept:
Government Can Spy on Journalists in the U.S. Using Invasive Foreign Intelligence Process

Discussion: Common Dreams

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

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: Media Matters for America, RedState, Power Line, Observer, Mediaite, Raw Story, Law & Crime, Rate My Professors, The Gateway Pundit and No More Mister Nice Blog

Reuters:

Russia says a military aircraft vanishes near Syria during Israeli, French strikes — MOSCOW/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia's defense ministry said on Tuesday that one if its military aircraft with 14 people on board disappeared from radar screens over Syria at the same time that Israeli …

RT:
Russia detects missile launches from French frigate off Syria's coast in Mediterranean - MoD

Discussion: RedState

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

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 …