memeorandum: We Thought We Knew Faith, Until We Didn't The making of a white-nationalist poster girl. (Anna Silman/The Cut)

5:50 PM ET, November 9, 2018

Top Items:

Donald Trump Played Central Role in Hush Payoffs to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal — Federal prosecutors have gathered evidence of the president's participation in deals to buy the silence of a former adult-film actress and an ex-Playboy model. The deals have led Trump's former lawyer …

Wall Street Journal:

FBI Is Investigating Florida Company Where Whitaker Was Advisory-Board Member — Active case is being handled by FBI Miami office; acting attorney general oversees FBI — The Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting a criminal investigation of a Florida company accused of scamming millions …

Discussion: Law & Crime and Talking Points Memo

Erin Banco / The Daily Beast:

'He's a F*cking Fool': Justice Department Officials Trash Matt Whitaker, Their New Boss — The new, acting attorney general will have profound powers on things not just related to the Russia probe. — The appointment this week of Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general …

Discussion: Washington Post, Raw Story, New York Times and Daily Kos

Benjamin Wittes / The Atlantic:

It's Probably Too Late to Stop Mueller — At the end of last month, with the midterms looming, I gave a talk before a small private audience in California in which I argued for optimism because—among other things—the moment for firing Robert Mueller had passed.

Discussion: Politico, Mediaite, Washington Post, Raw Story and Talking Points Memo

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Momentum builds against acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker — Matt Whitaker has been acting attorney general for just one full day but he's already under extreme pressure. — Why it matters: President Trump, who shocked even some of his senior most staff with the hasty timing of his firing …

Discussion: Observer, CNN, CNN, Associated Press, The Nation, HuffPost, Politico, NPR, Vox, Breitbart, CNBC, Salon and Political Wire

Ruth Marcus / Washington Post:

Matthew Whitaker is a crackpot — The acting attorney general of the United States is a crackpot. — Matthew G. Whitaker, installed in the job by President Trump to replace Jeff Sessions, was asked in 2014, during an ill-fated run in the Republican senatorial primary in Iowa, about the worst decisions in the Supreme Court's history.

Discussion: Jewish Telegraphic Agency, CNN, The Week, Just Security, NBC News, Politico, Law & Crime, Al Jazeera English, Raw Story, Grist and ThinkProgress

Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:
Judges order Mueller to explain impact of Sessions-Whitaker DOJ shakeup

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Associated Press, Daily Kos and Splinter

Jon Swaine / The Guardian:
Trump's acting attorney general involved in firm that scammed veterans out of life savings

Discussion: New Republic and BloombergQuint

Associated Press: Trump on new acting AG: 'I don't know Matt Whitaker'

Reuters:
Top Senate Democrat challenges Trump on Whitaker appointment

Discussion: The Week

Stephen I. Vladeck / New York Times:
Whitaker May Be a Bad Choice, but He's a Legal One

Discussion: Washington Post, The Atlantic and emptywheel

New York Times:
Trump Says 'I Don't Know Matt Whitaker,' Despite Several Oval Office Visits

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Politico, NY State of Politics, Hudson County View and Hullabaloo

Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
Mueller Grand Jury Witness Cryptically Suggests He's In Legal Jeopardy

Discussion: emptywheel, The Atlantic, CNN and Politico

Judith Miller / Wall Street Journal:
Jeff Sessions's Exit Interview

Discussion: CNN, The Week, The Daily Caller, Mediaite and New York Times

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Trump's authoritarian response to Florida shenanigans hints at worse to come — In the run-up to Election Day in 2016, Donald Trump repeatedly and flatly declared that the outcome of the election would be legitimate only if he won. The claim, stripped down to its essence …

Discussion: Politico, CBS News, NBC News, Raw Story, The Hill, CNN, The Guardian and Politico

Nathaniel Rakich / FiveThirtyEight:

Something Looks Weird In Broward County. Here's What We Know About A Possible Florida Recount. — The Florida U.S. Senate race is still too close to call. According to unofficial results on the Florida Department of State website at 11:45 a.m. Eastern on Friday, Nov. 9 …

Discussion: ABC News, NPR, Florida Politics and Law & Crime

Matt Dixon / Politico:

After Scott requested investigation, law enforcement says no voter fraud allegations found — TALLAHASSEE — After the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Thursday night it would investigate two local election officials at the request of Gov. Rick Scott, the agency …

Discussion: Splinter, Reuters, POLITICUSUSA, Hill Reporter, Washington Free Beacon, electionlawblog.org and Miami New Times

Will Sommer / The Daily Beast:
Republicans Freak Out as New Ballots Threaten Florida Senate Win

Discussion: Politico, IVN.us, Sun-Sentinel, FOX13news, KAJ-TV, Geller Report, Shakesville, CNBC, The Gateway Pundit, Joe.My.God., miamiherald and Political Wire

miamiherald:
Rick Scott sues Broward, Palm Beach elections supervisors over ballot delays

Discussion: Mother Jones, NBC News, Politico, Vox, WEAR-TV, Tampa Bay Times, WPLG-TV, Tampa Bay Times, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Breitbart, CNN and HuffPost

Allegra Kirkland / Talking Points Memo:
Florida Law Enforcement: We Have No Voter Fraud Allegations To Investigate

Discussion: RealClearPolitics

Ben Domenech / The Federalist:
Broward County Is An Embarrassment, And The Potential For A Stolen Florida Election Is Real

Discussion: Tampa Bay Times, Geller Report and Townhall

Jared Holt / Right Wing Watch:
Is Roger Stone Scheming Another ‘Brooks Brothers Riot’ in Florida?

Discussion: Joe.My.God., Washington Post, Conservative News Today and Breitbart

Patricia Mazzei / New York Times:
Rick Scott Cites Rampant Fraud in Florida, as Senate and Governor Races Tighten

Kyle Swenson / Washington Post:
After Trump and Scott cry ‘fraud,’ critics pounce on Broward County's troubled election history

Discussion: USA Today, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, The Week, POLITICUSUSA, Mediaite, Townhall, TheBlaze, CNN, IJR and The Daily Caller

Miles Parks / NPR:
As Florida Races Narrow, Trump And Scott Spread Claims Of Fraud Without Evidence

Discussion: The Federalist, RT, The Root, The Week and VICE News

Kansas City Star:

Inside Kris Kobach's losing Kansas campaign: ‘Check logic and reason at the door’ — Kris Kobach blamed money. He blamed history. He didn't blame himself for losing a race for governor in a state where Republicans outnumber Democrats nearly 2 to 1. — “Obviously, if we'd had more money …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and Mediaite

Anna Silman / The Cut:

We Thought We Knew Faith, Until We Didn't The making of a white-nationalist poster girl. — Long before Faith Goldy became a poster girl for white nationalism, she was one of the most popular students at our all-girls private school in Toronto, Havergal College.

Discussion: VICE News

Washington Post:

Trump administration to end refueling for Saudi coalition aircraft in Yemen — The Trump administration is ending the practice of refueling Saudi coalition aircraft, halting the most tangible and controversial aspect of U.S. support for the kingdom's three-year war in Yemen, people familiar with the situation said.

Reid J. Epstein / Wall Street Journal:

Democrats Plan to Pursue Most Aggressive Gun-Control Legislation in Decades — Focus spurred by an incoming class of lawmakers with ‘F’ NRA ratings who campaigned on the issue — WASHINGTON—Democrats say they will pass the most aggressive gun-control legislation in decades when they become …

Discussion: Axios

Amy Walter / The Cook Political Report:

Why Aren't Democrats More Excited About the 2018 Results — For a party that had a great night on Tuesday, Democrats aren't really acting like it. Yes, they lost at least three Senate incumbents, but given the exposure they were up against, this is not such a bad result.

Brian Schwartz / CNBC:

Trump is telling people he wants to replace Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross by the end of the year — President Donald Trump is telling people he wants to replace Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross by the end of the year, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

Discussion: Political Wire and Law & Crime

Katherine Faulders / ABC News:

Tensions rising between Mueller, Manafort over level of cooperation: Sources — Talks between Special Counsel Robert Mueller and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort have grown increasingly tense over Manafort's apparent lack of cooperation with the investigation, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Discussion: Observer, The Daily Caller and Raw Story

Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:

Trump Threatens to Retaliate Against Reporters Who Don't Show ‘Respect’ — President Trump said on Friday that he might revoke the credentials of additional White House reporters if they do not “treat the White House with respect,” lobbing another threat at the news media two days …

Poynter:
CNN's Jim Acosta's actions to Trump don't represent the best of journalism

Discussion: BBC, Breitbart and IJR, more at Mediagazer »

Ashley Feinberg / HuffPost:

Leak: Axios Editor Concedes Problems With HBO ‘S**tshow’ But Assures Staff That Haters Are Just Jealous — “They hate ya cause they ain't ya,” one employee wrote. — Their weekly staff meeting had become a crisis debriefing, and Axios employees were wondering where things had gone wrong.

Discussion: Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Will Oremus / Slate:

A Vox Co-Founder Got Doxed on Twitter by a Hate-Spewing Incel, and Twitter Allowed It — If verified users with huge followings can't get Twitter to enforce its safety rules, what hope does everyone else have? — It Took Me Less Than an Hour to Find Illegal Animal Products at a Chinese Traditional Medicine Market

Discussion: Bearing Arms, Breitbart, AOL and IJR

Washington Post:

Zinke is the Cabinet official most vulnerable to Democratic probe, White House fears — White House officials have identified Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke as the Cabinet member most vulnerable to a congressional probe under a Democratic majority in January, putting the colorful secretary closer …

Discussion: Political Wire, Raw Story, The Week and Politico

Los Angeles Times:

Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom names former Clinton advisor his chief of staff … Moving swiftly to fill the highest-ranking member of his nascent administration, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom tapped Ann O'Leary, a longtime policy advisor to Hillary Clinton, to serve as his chief of staff and a leader of the transition team this fall.

Andrew Sullivan / New York Magazine:

America's Fever Is Still Rising — Tuesday, if you step back, was an ordinary election in an extraordinary time. The swing against the president's party in the first midterm election was not far off the historical range. The average loss for the president's party in the House two years into a first term over the last century is 29.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money and Vox

Emma Roller / HuffPost:

Scott Walker Tried To Get Me Fired. Now He's Out Of A Job. — In the fall of 2011, I was an unemployed recent journalism school graduate in a country still clawing its way back from recession. At a family reunion, my grandma pulled out a piece of paper with a list of signatures …

Discussion: Raw Story

Spiegel Online:

'We Can't Stop Brexit' — Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn believes that politics have left young people behind. In an interview with DER SPIEGEL, he speaks about Brexit, the crisis of social democracy in Europe and the uphill battle to unite his party. — The man upon whom the hopes …

Discussion: Jo Johnson, Politico and The Guardian

Michael Shepherd / Bangor Daily News:

Exit polling gives Golden an edge in 2nd District ranked-choice count. See each candidate's road to victory. — AUGUSTA, Maine — Assistant Maine House Majority Leader Jared Golden is favored to beat U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin in a ranked-choice voting count that could decide the tight race …

Discussion: Political Wire, IVN.us and KAJ-TV

The White House:

Presidential Proclamation Addressing Mass Migration Through the Southern Border of the United States — The United States expects the arrival at the border between the United States and Mexico (southern border) of a substantial number of aliens primarily from Central America who appear …

CBS Los Angeles:

Thousand Oaks Gunman's High School Coach Speaks About Sexual Assault — NEWBURY PARK (CBSLA) — The Thousand Oaks shooter's high school track coach says that he assaulted her. — “I turned on the news and I was watching it and when they said his name my jaw just dropped,” said Dominique Colell.