memeorandum: Families search for missing loved ones after Thousand Oaks shooting: 'My gut is saying she's inside the bar, dead.' (Andrea Castillo/Los Angeles Times)

10:20 AM ET, November 8, 2018

Top Items:

Jeff Sessions' Replacement, Matthew Whitaker, Led Secretive Anti-Dem Group — Acting AG Matthew Whitaker ‘is on record as being more interested in propping up Trump than in upholding the rule of law,’ one Justice Department lawyer says. — Acting Attorney General Mark Whitaker …

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, POLITICUSUSA, IJR, The Gateway Pundit, Talking Points Memo, Conservative News Today, The Hill, CANNONFIRE, Breitbart and Raw Story

Brittany Shammas / Miami New Times:

Trump's Acting Attorney General Was Part of Miami-Based Invention Scam Company … Today, President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions and announced that his chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker, would become acting attorney general. Whitaker is a former U.S. attorney in Iowa …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money and Slate

Jon Swaine / The Guardian:

Trump's acting attorney general was part of firm US accused of vast scam — Matthew Whitaker sat on advisory board of World Patent Marketing, which was ordered to pay $26m settlement in May — Donald Trump's new acting attorney general was part of a company accused by the US government of running a multimillion-dollar scam.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Joe.My.God., Hot Air, Raw Story, Gizmodo, New Republic, Hill Reporter and Mediaite

Gabriel Sherman / Vanity Fair:

“The President Is Very Depressed”: With Don Jr. Facing Possible Indictment, and Endless House Investigations Forthcoming, No Wonder Trump Is in a Bad Mood — He finally got rid of Jeff Sessions—but Donald Trump's life is about to get much harder. — BY - GABRIEL SHERMANNovember 7, 2018,

Discussion: CNN and Taylor Marsh

Marty Lederman / Just Security:

A Quick Primer on the Legality of Appointing Matthew Whitaker as “Acting” Attorney General, and Whitaker's Power to Influence the Russia Investigation — Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned from his office yesterday afternoon, at President Trump's “request.”

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post and Conservative News Today

Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: Trump delivers first Dem probe on a silver platter

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, Washington Post and The Week, more at Mediagazer »

Ryan Goodman / Just Security:
A Thousand Cuts: How the Acting Attorney General Could Kill Russia Investigations Without Firing …

Discussion: CNN and KTLA

WCBS Newsradio 880: CBS News: Chris Christie Being Considered To Replace Jeff Sessions As Attorney General

Des Moines Register:
Matthew Whitaker's troubling opinion: Judges need a biblical view

Discussion: Friendly Atheist and Raw Story

Annie Karni / Politico:
After Sessions, who will Trump dump next?

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo and Washington Monthly

New York Times:
Trump Installs a Critic of the Mueller Investigation to Oversee It

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, Lawfare, Patterico's Pontifications, Just Security, TIME, BuzzFeed News, BloombergQuint, HuffPost, Talking Points Memo, emptywheel, Fox News and Law & Crime

Andrew C. McCarthy / National Review:
Sessions Out, Whitaker In — For Now, and Maybe for Good

Discussion: demwritepress.com, CNN and Axios

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Sessions might run for old Senate seat in Alabama

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Week, Breitbart, FiveThirtyEight and The Gateway Pundit

Washington Post:
Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigns at Trump's request

Lawfare:
Jeff Sessions's Firing, Matthew Whitaker's Rise and the Attorney General's Role In the Mueller Investigation

Discussion: The Atlantic, emptywheel, Politico, New York Magazine, Washington Post and The Hill

Washington Post:
In Matthew Whitaker, Trump has a loyalist at the helm of the Justice Department

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Salt Lake Tribune, Associated Press, Chicago Tribune and The Intercept

Los Angeles Times:

Gunman kills 12 in ‘horrific’ mass shooting at Thousand Oaks bar packed with college students — A gunman threw smoke bombs and rained bullets on a crowd of hundreds inside a Thousand Oaks bar that is popular with college students Wednesday night, leaving 12 dead including a Sheriff's sergeant shot trying to stop the carnage.

Discussion: USA Today, twitchy.com, CBS News, Townhall, The Trace, KTLA, The Gateway Pundit, abc7.com, Joe.My.God., IJR, CBS Los Angeles, Media Matters for America, Outside the Beltway and The Week

Washington Post:

Breaking: 13 dead including deputy, gunman, in bar filled with college students in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Dozens injured. — Authorities in Thousand Oaks, Calif., northwest of Los Angeles, reported 13 fatalities at a bar and dance hall late Wednesday after multiple shots were fired by a man inside.

Discussion: RedState, Shakesville, POLITICUSUSA and abc7.com

Associated Press:

The Latest: 29-year-old used smoke, .45-caliber handgun — THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on a shooting at a bar in Southern California (all times local): — A law enforcement official says authorities have identified the gunman and the handgun he used to kill 12 people at a Southern California bar.

Discussion: CBS Los Angeles, Geller Report, Mediaite, Jihad Watch and The Week

New York Times:

12 Killed in California Shooting; Gunman Targeted Bar in Thousand Oaks — THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — A armed man dressed in black opened fire late Wednesday night inside a crowded country and western dance hall in Thousand Oaks, Calif., killing at least 12 people, including a sheriff's deputy who had responded to the scene.

Discussion: CNN, AOL, TheBlaze, Splinter and Daily Kos

NBC News:

Mass shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California — Several hundred people were inside the venue at the time, police said. The gunman later was confirmed dead. — Twelve people including a police officer were killed by a gunman at a crowded bar in Thousand Oaks, California, late Wednesday, officials said.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Law & Crime, Shareblue Media and Mediaite

Associated Press:
13 dead including gunman in shooting at California bar

Discussion: ABC News, The Daily Beast, Breitbart and Jezebel

Fox News:
California bar shooting leaves 12 dead, including sheriff's sergeant, police say

Discussion: Bloomberg, Talking Points Memo, Hit & Run, Breitbart, Chicks On The Right and Daily Wire

Brett Molina / USA Today: ‘He died a hero’: Ventura County Sheriff Sgt. Ron Helus among those killed in bar shooting

Ventura County Star:
12, including officer killed in mass shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks

Discussion: USA Today, Los Angeles Times, abc7.com, NPR, Law & Crime, WHNT-TV and fox8.com

Jamie Ross / The Daily Beast: 12 Killed in Mass Shooting at Thousand Oaks, California Bar; Gunman in All Black Threw Smoke Grenades

Michael Goodwin / New York Post:

Jim Acosta violated one of the oldest rules of journalism — By producing a split decision, the election that was supposed to end all elections turned out to be fairly predictable. But it's the day after that was unlike any other. — The Republican president, the likely speaker …

Discussion: Hot Air and Instapundit

Brian Stelter / CNN:

White House pulls CNN's Jim Acosta's pass after contentious news conference — (CNN Business)Breaking news update: — In a stunning break with protocol, the White House said Wednesday night that it's suspending CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta's hard pass “until further notice.”

The Daily Beast:
A White Nationalist Leader Just Posted Pics From His White House Visit

Discussion: checkyourfact.com and The Daily Caller

Sinéad Baker / Business Insider:
White House appears to share Jim Acosta mic grab video doctored by far-right Infowars

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, twitchy.com, HuffPost, Mashable and Joe.My.God., more at Mediagazer »

Axios:
Trump uses CNN's Jim Acosta to act on longtime fantasy against media

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Vox and TechCrunch, more at Mediagazer »

Allyson Chiu / Washington Post:

‘They were threatening me and my family’: Tucker Carlson's home targeted by protesters — Fox News host Tucker Carlson was at his desk Wednesday evening, less than two hours before his 8 p.m. live show, when he suddenly started receiving multiple text messages.

Discussion: Axios and Chicks On The Right

Peter Hasson / The Daily Caller:
A Mob Showed Up Outside Tucker Carlson's House And Ordered Him To ‘Leave Town’

Discussion: TMZ.com, twitchy.com, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, LifeNews.com, AOL, National Review, Washington Free Beacon, Conservative News Today, TVNewser, Splinter, RT, The Daily Signal, Daily Wire, TheBlaze, The Gateway Pundit and Townhall

Ashley May / USA Today:
Mob chants outside Fox's Tucker Carlson's home, breaks door

Discussion: Fox News

Joseph A. Wulfsohn / Mediaite:
Mob Gathers Outside Tucker Carlson's Home: ‘We Know Where You Sleep at Night!’

Discussion: The Federalist

EndPlay / WSB-TV:

Karen Handel concedes 6th District race to Lucy McBath — ATLANTA - Karen Handel has conceded the Georgia's 6th Congressional District race to Lucy McBath Thursday morning. — In a letter to Channel 2 Action News, Handel said, “After carefully reviewing all of the election results data …

Discussion: Axios

Karen Handel:
After carefully reviewing all of the election results data …

Discussion: Washington Post and Mother Jones

Bret Stephens / New York Times:

The Midterm Results Are a Warning to the Democrats — Derision gets you nowhere. — For months we've heard from sundry media apocalypticians that this year's midterms were the last exit off the road to autocracy. On Tuesday, the American people delivered a less dramatic verdict about the significance of the occasion.

Sun-Sentinel:

Broward still counting votes, but elections supervisor doesn't know how many are left — Republican Rick Scott declared victory in Florida's U.S. Senate race, but with a such a slim lead over incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson, the race may be headed toward a recount. — South Florida Sun Sentinel

Discussion: New York Times, The Capitolist, Orlando Sentinel and Florida Politics

Arizona Republic:

Election Day in Arizona: Ballots are processed … With the U.S. Senate seat hanging in the balance, the Yuma, Navajo, Apache and Maricopa County Republican parties filed a lawsuit against all Arizona county recorders and the Secretary of State late Wednesday.

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Isaac Stanley-Becker / Washington Post:

A 69-year-old man asks to be declared 49, claiming age is as fluid as gender — In the quixotic battle against old age, some people use skin care and spin class. — That's not enough for Emile Ratelband, a 69-year-old who feels like he's in his 40s. The Dutch pensioner is asking a court …

Discussion: Althouse