memeorandum: No, Trump isn't Teflon. Scandals lower his approval among Republicans

9:55 AM ET, September 10, 2019

Top Items:

C.I.A. Informant Extracted From Russia Had Sent Secrets to U.S. for Decades — WASHINGTON — Decades ago, the C.I.A. recruited and carefully cultivated a midlevel Russian official who began rapidly advancing through the governmental ranks. Eventually, American spies struck gold …

Discussion: The Resurgent, Fox News, Power Line, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, twitchy.com, “Ве …, U.S. Political News …, The Week, Raw Story, RedState, The Daily Beast, New York Post, POLITICUSUSA, Front Page Magazine and Patterico's Pontifications

CNN:

Trump skeptical of using foreign spies to collect intel on hostile countries, sources say — US quietly removed top spy from Russia in 2017 — (CNN)President Donald Trump has privately and repeatedly expressed opposition to the use of foreign intelligence from covert sources …

Discussion: The Bulwark, KTLA, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos and Washington Post

Ken Dilanian / NBC News:

Possible Russian spy for CIA now living in Washington area — The former Russian government official, who had a job with access to secrets, was living openly under his true name. — A former senior Russian official is living in the Washington area under U.S. government protection …

Discussion: New York Times, Meduza.io, Fox News, The Daily Caller, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, The Guardian, Occupy Democrats, Law & Crime, Mediaite, Shareblue Media and The Week

Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: What tonight could tell us about 2020

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and The Texas Tribune

Washington Post: U.S. got key asset out of Russia following election hacking

Greg Bluestein / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

BREAKING: Ossoff to run for US Senate in Georgia — Former congressional candidate Jon Ossoff said he will challenge Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue and “mount a ruthless assault on corruption in our political system” that's prevented Congress from addressing urgent issues.

Discussion: Washington Post, National Review, Talking Points Memo, Washington Free Beacon, The Resurgent, RRH Elections, Daily Kos, U.S. Political News …, The Daily Caller, The Week, Fox News, twitchy.com and Associated Press

Maggie Astor / New York Times:
Jon Ossoff Will Run for Senate in Georgia

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Politico:
Republicans face crunch time on guns as Trump wavers

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Greg Bluestein / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Abrams memo: It's ‘malpractice’ for Democrats not to compete in Georgia in 2020

Discussion: Hullabaloo and The Resurgent

New York Times:

Commerce Chief Threatened Firings at NOAA After Trump's Dorian Tweets, Sources Say — WASHINGTON — The Secretary of Commerce threatened to fire top employees at NOAA on Friday after the agency's Birmingham office contradicted President Trump's claim that Hurricane Dorian might hit Alabama …

Catherine Rampell / Washington Post:
The Trump administration's war on statistics is now threatening lives

Discussion: CNN, American Greatness, DeSmogBlog, Law & Crime and The Atlantic

Ed Pilkington / The Guardian:
Wilbur Ross faces calls to resign after report he threatened firings over ‘Sharpiegate’

Discussion: New York Times, The Hill and The Week

Eric Lipton / New York Times:

Trump Had Deal With Scotland Airport That Sent Flight Crews to His Resort — WASHINGTON — Back in 2014, soon after acquiring a golf resort in Scotland, Donald J. Trump entered a partnership with a struggling local airport there to increase air traffic and boost tourism in the region.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite, ABC News, The Week, New York Post, CNN, Daily Kos, Raw Story, National Review, Washington Press, The Daily Caller and The Independent

Connor O'Brien / Politico:
Air Force crews have lodged at Trump's Scottish resort at least 4 times

Discussion: CNN, Washington Examiner, Scotsman, Raw Story, emptywheel, U.S. Political News …, New York Post, Press Herald, One America News Network, Task & Purpose, Vox and Mother Jones

Washington Post:

Six in 10 Americans expect a recession and higher prices as Trump's approval rating slips, Washington Post-ABC News poll finds — President Trump is ending a tumultuous summer with his approval rating slipping back from a July high as Americans express widespread concern about the trade war …

Discussion: CNN, Bloomberg and Political Wire

Gary Langer / ABC News:

6 in 10 call a recession likely; Trump approval drops by 6 points: POLL — 6 in 10 Americans say a recession is likely in the next year and as many are concerned about higher prices because of the trade war with China, helping to knock 6 points off Donald Trump's job approval rating in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll.

Discussion: Washington Times and The Week

Aaron Rupar / Vox:

Trump makes unfounded voter fraud claim — while campaigning for seat opened by GOP cheating — The height of irony in Fayetteville. — On Monday night, President Donald Trump was in North Carolina to stump for Dan Bishop, a Republican who is competing with Democrat Dan McCready …

Discussion: Washington Post, CNN and Progress Pond

Amisa Ratliff / Issue One:
Outside money plays major role in hotly contested North Carolina special election: Here are 7 numbers …

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, New York Times and Old North State Politics

Nate Cohn / New York Times: Moderate Democrats Fared Best in 2018. One Gets Another Chance Today.

Gregory Krieg / CNN: What to watch for in Tuesday's North Carolina special elections

John Harwood / CNBC:

These are the three biggest warning signs for Trump's reelection bid — KEY POINTS — Vegas oddsmakers, shrugging off the House Democrats' midterm election triumph, favor President Trump to win a second term in 2020. So do Wall Street insiders. — It's easy to understand why they would consider 2018 a temporary setback.

Discussion: The Week

Philip Gefter / New York Times:

Robert Frank, Pivotal Figure in Documentary Photography, Is Dead at 94 — Mr. Frank's visually raw and personally expressive style made him one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. — Robert Frank, one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century …

Discussion: The Week

Washington Post:

No, Trump isn't Teflon. Scandals lower his approval among Republicans — if they see the news. — Here's how we know. — Mingxiao Sui , — Kirill Bryanov and Martina Santia — President Trump's time in office has been a roller coaster of startling tweets, controversies and scandals.

Discussion: Raw Story

Jessica Contrera / Washington Post:

A controversial dog park that divided Chevy Chase will be dismantled — More than 100 people packed into a public hearing in Chevy Chase Village Monday to debate what one board member called “the most contentious and emotionally-charged issue” in the community's history: the barking of dogs.

Madeline Peltz / Media Matters for America:

Jeanine Pirro went on C-SPAN. It didn't go well. — A September 8 appearance Fox News host Jeanine Pirro made on C-SPAN's Washington Week to promote her new book backfired after callers confronted her over various controversies she's generated. — The session began with host Steve Scully asking Pirro …

Associated Press:

Tennessee Senator calls higher education a ‘liberal breeding ground,’ calls to remove it all together — NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Republican Tennessee lawmaker says he supports getting rid of higher education because he argues it would cut off the “liberal breeding ground.”

Discussion: Political Wire and Raw Story

Alex Roarty / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Biden is labeled a moderate. But his agenda is far more liberal than Hillary Clinton's. — Many Democrats see Joe Biden as a voice of ideological restraint in a party rapidly moving to the left. — But the 2020 Democratic frontrunner's emerging policy agenda is anything but moderate …

Discussion: Common Dreams

Jon Ward / Yahoo News:

Limbaugh and Hannity are ‘party leaders’ just as much as McConnell, new book argues — To many Republican voters, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is an establishment hack who can't be trusted, while Fox News' Sean Hannity is a straight talker who keeps the GOP honest.

Jonathan Bernstein / Bloomberg:

Republicans Actually Do Stand Up to Trump — In many cases, the president is simply doing what his party wants, not the other way around. — I suppose someone has to come to the defense of Republicans in Congress after a series of confused complaints over the past week.

Discussion: Brookings

BuzzFeed News:

In 2011, Jeffrey Epstein Was A Known Sex Offender. The Founders Of Amazon, Google, And Tesla Dined With Him Anyway — After pleading guilty to charges of soliciting prostitution from an underage girl, Jeffrey Epstein spent part of 2011 reintroducing himself to elite society.

Discussion: Raw Story, CNBC, New York Post and Big League Politics

Robin Wright / New Yorker:

Trump's Stunt with the Taliban Was Not About Negotiating Peace — Eighteen years ago, after hijacked planes dive-bombed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, it would have been considered delusional to imagine an American President sitting down with the jihadis tied …

Discussion: Mediaite, Roll Call and Daily Wire

Erin Banco / The Daily Beast:

McConnell Said No to Money for Miners, Yes to Russian-Backed Plant — The Senate majority leader worked to keep money out of Kentucky coal miners' hands—even as he maneuvered to steer federal cash to an aluminum plant connected to a Putin ally. — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell …

Discussion: Raw Story

Michelle Theriault Boots / Anchorage Daily News:

Todd Palin files for divorce from former Alaska governor Sarah Palin — Todd Palin appears to have filed for divorce from former Alaska governor and one-time vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, his wife of 31 years. — In a document filed Friday in Anchorage Superior Court, Todd Palin …

Kamara Daughtry / ABC News:

Dad posts adorable video of toddler ‘besties’ running toward each other in NYC — Two toddlers in New York City are warming hearts all over Facebook after one dad posted a video of these two “besties.” — Maxwell and Finnegan are inseparable, Michael Cisneros, Maxwell's father, told ABC News.

Discussion: TheBlaze and New York Post

Jeff Stein / Washington Post:

As billions flow to farmers, Trump administration faces internal concerns over unprecedented bailout — Senior government officials, including some in the White House, privately expressed concern that the Trump administration's nearly $30 billion bailout for farmers needed stronger legal backing …

Discussion: Daily Kos

Paul Dallison / Politico:

Von der Leyen: UK must nominate a commissioner if Brexit date extended — If the U.K. is granted a Brexit extension by the EU, then it will have to nominate a European commissioner, Ursula von der Leyen said. — The president-elect of the Commission was speaking in Brussels as she unveiled …

Discussion: One America News Network

Michelle Ye Hee Lee / Washington Post:

President Trump's critics are weaponizing information about his donors, raising concerns about federal donor disclosure requirements — Organized campaigns to publicly attack President Trump's political donors have sparked growing concern among conservatives and advocates of greater transparency …

Seung Min Kim / Washington Post:

Senate Democrats to force one more vote against Trump's border emergency declaration — Senate Democrats plan to force another vote in Congress aimed at overturning President Trump's border emergency — potentially triggering another standoff between the administration and congressional Republicans …

Discussion: Political Wire

Drew Costley / San Francisco Chronicle:

NRA sues San Francisco for declaring it a domestic terrorist organization — The National Rifle Association is suing the city and county of San Francisco and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for declaring it a domestic terrorist organization earlier this month through a resolution passed by the board.

Meredith Shiner / The Daily Beast:

For House Republicans, a Baby Born at 23 Weeks Is a Political Prop. For Me, It Was Life. — Just short of 23 weeks, I awoke to find I was having contractions. This was nightmare enough. A Republican bill would compound the nightmare for every woman in my position. — Dear Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy,

Aijaz Hussain / Associated Press:

Kashmiris allege night terror by Indian troops in crackdown — HEFF SHIRMAL, India (AP) — The Indian soldiers descended on Bashir Ahmed Dar's house in southern Kashmir on Aug. 10, a few days after the government in New Delhi stripped the disputed Himalayan region of its statehood and launched a crackdown.