memeorandum: I've worked for Marianne Williamson. She is no kook. (Jonathan Merritt/Washington Post)

10:40 AM ET, July 31, 2019

Top Items:

Sanders and Warren Battle Accusations of ‘Fairy Tale’ Promises as Intraparty Rift Flares — DETROIT — The leading liberals in the Democratic presidential primary, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, strenuously fought back on Tuesday against accusations of making fanciful promises …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Week, Politico and New Republic

Chris Cillizza / CNN:

Winners and losers from the first night of the CNN debate — Detroit (CNN)The first of two CNN-sponsored Democratic presidential debates is over. — I watched — from the debate site in Detroit — and jotted down some of the best and worst performances from the 10 candidates on stage.

Discussion: Mediaite, Breitbart, Vox and Splinter

John F. Harris / Politico:

It's a center-left party after all — The assignment of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to the same debate stage in Detroit Tuesday night was random chance, but turned out to be a well-timed and clarifying event. — There was the possibility that the two heroes of the left would sharpen …

Discussion: Washington Post, NY State of Politics and Breitbart

David A. Graham / The Atlantic:

Elizabeth Warren's Big Night — Senator Bernie Sanders often positions himself as the political heir of Franklin D. Roosevelt, but tonight in Detroit, Senator Elizabeth Warren was the candidate who borrowed the 32nd president's dictum that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

Discussion: Washington Post, Daily Kos, Outside the Beltway and Vox

Eric Bradner / CNN:
7 takeaways from the Democratic debate's first night

Discussion: The Wrap and ImmigrationProf Blog

Bhaskar Sunkara / The Guardian:
It's Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren v the 'No We Can't' Democrats

Discussion: KTLA and Washington Post

Matthew Yglesias / Vox: America deserves a debate between Joe Biden and his main progressive critics

Axios:
A progressive win: Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders own the first Democratic debate

Discussion: Political Wire, Townhall and The National Interest

John Verhovek / ABC News:
5 key takeaways from the Democratic debate: The major battle lines of night 1

Discussion: Politico and The Daily Caller

Olga Khazan / The Atlantic:
John Delaney Had One Good Point on Medicare for All

Discussion: Spectator USA and Quartz

Matt Flegenheimer / New York Times:
Bernie Sanders ‘Wrote the Damn Bill.’ Everyone Else Is Just Fighting About It.

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post and The Henry J. Kaiser …

Axios:
Pete Buttigieg quotes scripture to attack Republicans on minimum wage

Discussion: Breitbart

Paul Mirengoff / Power Line: The debate that was and the debate that wasn't

Kendall Karson / ABC News:
Democratic Debate 2019: Progressives take center stage in heated exchanges

Discussion: Politico, Axios, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart and PJ Media Home

Washington Post:
In contentious Democratic debate, deep divisions on health care separate liberals and moderates

Discussion: Politico and Outside the Beltway

Emma Green / The Atlantic: Democrats Make the Case That They're the Moral Party

Jessie Hellmann / The Hill:
Coalition to air anti-Medicare for All ads during Democratic debates

Discussion: The Nation, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Reason, Axios, Politico, Breitbart and Splinter

Adam Shaw / Fox News:
Ryan, Sanders clash over climate change solutions: 'You don't have to yell'

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Breitbart

Jonathan Merritt / Washington Post:

I've worked for Marianne Williamson. She is no kook. — In a surprise twist on the first evening of the second Democratic debate, spiritual writer and presidential candidate Marianne Williamson received some of the night's largest applause lines. She ably argued for paying financial reparations …

Discussion: Mediaite and Quartz

John Podhoretz / New York Post:

New Age Marianne Williamson is breakout winner of Democratic debate — Used to be that Republicans running for president had the monopoly on unknowns, also-rans and non-politicians who would suddenly step up and deliver standout performances in debates. — It happened in 2008 …

Discussion: Washington Post, Fox News and Wall Street Journal

Rachel Frazin / The Hill:

Marianne Williamson supporters organize ‘occult task force’ — Some supporters of 2020 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson have reportedly organized an “occult task force” on her behalf, however, her campaign has tried to distance itself from such activities.

Discussion: Washington Post, Political Wire and The Guardian

Eugene Scott / Washington Post:
Marianne Williamson makes the case for reparations in her breakout debate moment

Discussion: Breitbart, Althouse and The Federalist

Noah Berlatsky / NBC News:
Marianne Williamson's Democratic debate performance raised eyebrows. But she's no friend of the left.

Discussion: Reason, Vanity Fair and Quartz

Jeremy Herb / CNN:

Ratcliffe questioned intelligence community's role in Russia investigation — CNN security analyst sounds the alarm on Trump's pick 03:47 — (CNN) — President Donald Trump's pick to be the next director of national intelligence, which has oversight over the CIA, has pushed …

New York Times:

Trump's Pick for Top Intelligence Post Overstated Parts of His Biography — Aides revised old claims about Representative John Ratcliffe's role in prosecuting a prominent terrorism case. — WASHINGTON — Aides to the congressman chosen by President Trump to lead the nation's intelligence agencies …

Discussion: The Intercept, VICE, Washington Post, NBC News and Dallas Morning News

Garrett M. Graff / Wired:

The Danger of John Ratcliffe — The director of national intelligence's main job is to speak truth to power. Trump's nominee, John Ratcliffe, seems destined to do the opposite. — The president's intent to nominate Robert Mueller's chief Capitol Hill inquisitor to head …

Discussion: CNN, emptywheel and Axios

Tim Naftali / The Atlantic:

Ronald Reagan's Long-Hidden Racist Conversation With Richard Nixon — The day after the United Nations voted to recognize the People's Republic of China, then-California Governor Ronald Reagan phoned President Richard Nixon at the White House and vented his frustration at the delegates who had sided against the United States.

Discussion: CNN, The Root, Splinter and Boing Boing

Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:

Nunes Ally Kash Patel Who Fought Russia Probe Gets Senior White House National Security Job — Patel was one of the leading staffers pushing back against FBI investigations of Trump-Russia. He's now senior director of the National Security Council's terrorism directorate.

Cary Aspinwall / Dallas Morning News:

'You're gonna kill me!': Dallas police body cam footage reveals the final minutes of Tony Timpa's life — Tony Timpa wailed and pleaded for help more than 30 times as Dallas police officers pinned his shoulders, knees and neck to the ground. — “You're gonna kill me! You're gonna kill me!

Associated Press:

Trump ‘rodent’ tweets ring true at Kushner-owned apartments — BALTIMORE (AP) — Davon Jones doesn't have to look far to see the irony in President Donald Trump's tweets that Baltimore is a “rat and rodent infested mess.” His apartment owned by the president's son-in-law has been invaded by mice since he moved in a year ago.

Discussion: The Minnesota Sun, CNN, The Guardian and PJ Media Home

New York Times:

Trump Administration Is Divided Over Tax Cut for Investors — WASHINGTON — Trump administration officials are divided over whether to give investors a big tax cut that would primarily benefit the rich before the 2020 election heats up in earnest. — Republican senators and conservative anti-tax groups …

Discussion: Washington Post and Common Dreams

Michael Hiltzik / Los Angeles Times:
Column: Incredibly, GOP senators are demanding billions more in tax cuts for the rich

Discussion: Mother Jones

Washington National Cathedral:

have we no decency? a response to president trump — The escalation of racialized rhetoric from the President of the United States has evoked responses from all sides of the political spectrum. On one side, African American leaders have led the way in rightfully expressing outrage.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Axios and POLITICUSUSA

Lindsay Wise / Wall Street Journal:

Pompeo Says Senate Run Is ‘Off the Table.’ His Actions Are Suggesting Otherwise — The secretary of state keeps finding reasons to tend to relationships back home, fueling speculation about his political future — WASHINGTON—Reporters had been shooed out of Mike Pompeo's meet-and-greet …

Jake Sherman / Politico:

GOP Rep. Mike Conaway won't seek reelection in 2020 — Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas will not seek reelection in 2020, according to multiple GOP sources, becoming the fifth Republican to announce their retirement over the past two weeks. — Conaway, a veteran lawmaker who represents a ruby red district …

Discussion: Shareblue Media, Talking Points Memo, Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, The Independent, Texas Scorecard, Axios and The Hill

Roger Kimball / American Greatness:

Donald Trump at the Overton Window — I shall leave it to the theologians to decide whether it is providential or merely coincidental that it was this very week in 1729, on Tuesday in fact, that the city of Baltimore was founded. I think we can say that, for the genus rattus, the city has been providential, at least since 1967.

Discussion: Washington Post, Vanity Fair and ThinkProgress

Maria Sacchetti / Washington Post:

ACLU: U.S. has taken nearly 1,000 child migrants from their parents since judge ordered stop to border separations — Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union told a federal judge Tuesday that the Trump administration has taken nearly 1,000 migrant children from their parents …

Discussion: ACLU, Splinter, Axios, Common Dreams, The Week and Lawyers, Guns & Money

San Francisco Chronicle:

Search of Gilroy gunman's home finds items suggesting massive attack, white supremacy materials — Investigators who searched the Nevada home of the Gilroy Garlic Festival shooter found the makings of a massive attack, including a gas mask, bulletproof vest and empty boxes of ammunition …

Discussion: UPI and American Greatness

Wall Street Journal:

Regulators Found High Risk of Emergency After First Boeing MAX Crash — An FAA analysis found it 'didn't take that much' for a malfunction like the one confronted by the plane's pilots — An internal risk analysis after the first of two Boeing 737 MAX airliner crashes showed the likelihood …