memeorandum: Lindsey Graham: Appoint special counsel to investigate ‘bureaucratic coup’ against Trump (Tom Hamburger/Washington Post)

8:05 PM ET, September 23, 2018

Top Items:

Kavanaugh to Give Senate Calendars From 1982 to Back Up Denial — WASHINGTON — Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh has calendars from the summer of 1982 that he plans to hand over to the Senate Judiciary Committee that do not show a party consistent with the description of his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford …

Discussion: Hit & Run, National Review, Power Line, Talking Points Memo, Axios, twitchy.com, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Wire, Law & Crime, Associated Press and Weekly Standard

New Yorker:

Senate Democrats Investigate a New Allegation of Sexual Misconduct, from Brett Kavanaugh's College Years — As Senate Republicans press for a swift vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, Senate Democrats are investigating a new allegation of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh.

Dana Blanton / Fox News:

Fox News Poll: Record number of voters oppose Kavanaugh nomination — Voter support for Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court is down in the wake of Christine Ford's assault allegations, as more believe her than him. — Currently, 40 percent of voters would confirm Kavanaugh …

Discussion: Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Outside the Beltway, POLITICUSUSA, Conservative News Today, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, Shareblue Media, Vox and Political Wire

Alyssa Milano / Vox:

I was sexually assaulted as a teen. Here's why I didn't report. — It took me 30 years to tell anyone. And I'm far from alone. — The courage of survivors will always be stronger than Donald Trump's hate. The lives of survivors will always be more important than Brett Kavanaugh's career.

Discussion: Daily Wire, IJR, Deadline and Mashable

Hayley Miller / HuffPost:

GOP Rep. Says Brett Kavanaugh Allegations Amount To ‘Character Assassination’ — “If that's the new standard, no man will ever qualify for the Supreme Court again,” Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said of Christine Blasey Ford's sexual assault claims. — Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) …

Discussion: Des Moines Register, Associated Press, Mother Jones, Talking Points Memo and McClatchy Washington Bureau

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:

Christine Blasey Ford Reaches Deal to Testify at Kavanaugh Hearing — The woman who has accused Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers has reached a final agreement with the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify on Thursday, her lawyers said on Sunday.

Discussion: ABC News, Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit, Refinery29 and Shareblue Media

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:

The party of men: Kavanaugh fight risks worsening the Trump GOP's gender problem — The Republican Party's fight to save President Trump's embattled Supreme Court nominee amid allegations of sexual assault has surfaced deep anxieties over the hypermasculine mind-set that has come to define the GOP in the nation's roiling gender debate.

Discussion: Raw Story, Hullabaloo, Splinter and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Ian Kullgren / Politico:

Graham: Ford's testimony won't change my vote — Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday the testimony of Brett Kavanaugh's accuser won't change his mind, no matter what she says. — “You can't bring it in a criminal court, you would never sue civilly, you couldn't even get a warrant,” Graham said on “Fox News Sunday” with Chris Wallace.

Discussion: Washington Post, Philly.com, USA Today, Florida Politics, No More Mister Nice Blog, Splinter, RedState, Washington Free Beacon, Breitbart, The Week, Raw Story, Townhall, Outside the Beltway, HuffPost, Washington Examiner and The Guardian

Eliot A. Cohen / The Atlantic: The Crisis of the American Elites

Jonathan Martin / New York Times:
Kavanaugh Was Supposed to Be a Midterm Boon for G.O.P. Not Anymore.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Hullabaloo, NY State of Politics, Politico, AOL, Raw Story, TheBlaze, Outside the Beltway, POLITICUSUSA, Axios, Taylor Marsh and HuffPost

Julie Pace / Associated Press: Tenn. Democrat aims for Senate win by edging away from party

Dan Levin / New York Times: What Teenagers Think About the Allegations Against Brett Kavanaugh

Tamar Auber / Mediaite:
Drudge Says Ronan Farrow and Jane Meyer Set to Break Report on Kavanaugh: ‘Another Woman?’

Discussion: Townhall, Axios, POLITICUSUSA and The Gateway Pundit

Naomi Lim / Washington Examiner:
Democrats poised to grill Brett Kavanaugh on drinking, partying in high school

Discussion: twitchy.com, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Front Page Magazine

John Hinderaker / Power Line:
NY Times Wants to Know About Your High School Sex Life

Discussion: Althouse

CNN:
Kavanaugh accuser will testify in open hearing on Thursday

Discussion: Washington Post, Jezebel, IJR, Townhall and The Root

Quint Forgey / Politico:
Hirono: ‘I believe’ Kavanaugh accuser

Discussion: Breitbart, ABC News and Associated Press

CNN:
McConnell called Trump to say Kavanaugh tweets weren't helpful

Discussion: Townhall, LifeZette, Shareblue Media, France 24, New York Times, Political Wire and Talking Points Memo

Mark Murray / NBC News:

NBC News/WSJ poll: Democrats hold the advantage in November's elections — But the same poll shows that Republican enthusiasm about the upcoming election has increased, drawing nearly even with Democrats. — Poll: Democrats open largest margin-ever over GOP in Congressional preference

Discussion: TheBlaze and Political Wire

Dana Blanton / Fox News: Fox News Poll: Health care boosts Democrats in upcoming midterm elections

John Harwood / CNBC:
GOP heading for midterm wipeout as ‘blue wave’ scenario gives Democrats a 12-point generic ballot lead: NBC-WSJ poll

Discussion: The American Conservative

J. Patrick Coolican Star / Star Tribune: Tough news for GOP in Minnesota Poll

CBS News: House control edges toward Democrats - CBS News poll

Janet Hook / Wall Street Journal: More Voters Want Democrats to Control Congress, New Poll Shows

Samuel Chamberlain / Fox News:

Trump points finger at Sessions for Rosenstein controversy — President Trump appeared to blame Attorney General Jeff Sessions for the latest controversy surrounding Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Sunday, saying that Sessions had “hired” Rosenstein to be his second-in-command.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Political Wire

Jonathan Lemire / Associated Press:
Amid furor, Trump pushes pause on deciding Rosenstein's fate

Discussion: Political Wire, AOL and Mediaite

Tom Hamburger / Washington Post:
Lindsey Graham: Appoint special counsel to investigate ‘bureaucratic coup’ against Trump

Discussion: Political Wire

Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
Lindsey Graham: FBI And DOJ Waging ‘Bureaucratic Coup’ Against Trump

Discussion: RedState

Eppc / Ethics & Public Policy Center:

Statement from EPPC's Board of Directors — The board of the Ethics and Public Policy Center convened a special telephonic meeting on Friday, September 21, 2018. After the meeting, Edward Whelan, who has led EPPC with integrity and excellence for many years, offered his resignation in light …

Discussion: Washington Post, Mother Jones and Daily Kos

Associated Press:

At UN, unrepentant Trump set to rattle foes, friends alike — President Donald Trump is poised to redouble his commitment to “America First” on the most global of stages this week. — In the sequel to his stormy U.N. debut, Trump will stress his dedication to the primacy of U.S. interests …

Discussion: Axios and Politico

Nahal Toosi / Politico:
Foreign policy bigwigs: Trump risking war with Iran

Discussion: The Guardian

Kris Schneider / ABC News:
'I've never heard' President Trump's Cabinet members discuss removing him from office: Nikki Haley

Discussion: The Daily Caller, POLITICUSUSA and Breitbart

Nahal Toosi / Politico:
Bolton returns to a U.N. he made a career of blasting

Discussion: Washington Post

Shelby Steele / Wall Street Journal:

Why the Left Is Consumed With Hate — Lacking worthy menaces to fight, it is driven to find a replacement for racism. Failing this, what is left? — Even before President Trump's election, hatred had begun to emerge on the American left—counterintuitively, as an assertion of guilelessness and moral superiority.

Discussion: Booman Tribune

Hollywood Reporter:

James Woods' Twitter Account Locked — The actor posted a tweet in July that included a meme from a hoax campaign that encouraged men not to vote in the midterm elections. — Actor James Woods has been locked out of his Twitter account over a tweet that was found to be in violation of its rules.

New York Times:

Those Who Can't Forget — The rows of white marble headstones at Arlington National Cemetery, on 624 acres beside the Potomac River and the Pentagon, speak to the scale of United States military service across generations — and tell something of its human toll.

Howie Carr / Boston Herald:

Joe Kennedy's tweet on sexual assault insensitivity is a bit much — Tweets about sexual assaults when politically convenient — Should any member of the Kennedy family be lecturing any other politician about insensitivity to the rape and abuse of females? — I'm talking to you, Rep. Joe Kennedy III — JoJoJo — my congressman.

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Kushner's mission improbable: Winning over wealthy Trump skeptics — The president's son-in-law, once a member of New York City high society, has quietly taken on the role of ambassador to the GOP's moneyed set. — Jared Kushner huddled behind closed doors with some of the Republican Party's …