memeorandum: ABC's ratings show that interest in the Democratic primaries is still high (Brian Stelter/CNN)

7:20 PM ET, September 13, 2019

Top Items:

What If the Only Democrat Who Isn't Too Radical to Win Is Too Old? — Here is a science-fiction scenario: Imagine a strange new virus that incapacitates everybody below the age of 75. The virus wipes out the entire political leadership, except one old man, who has survived on account of his age …

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Think Castro was ‘mean’ to Biden? Get ready for an absolute bloodbath. — Joe Biden's Democratic rivals have now begun to raise questions about his age and mental competence. But they are doing so ever so gingerly, and even apologetically. — President Trump is not being nearly as cautious or circumspect.

Discussion: Inquirer.com, Reason, No More Mister Nice Blog, Patterico's Pontifications, PJ Media Home and The Federalist

Henry Olsen / Washington Post:

The three big winners of the Houston debate — Thursday's Democratic debate lacked the sparks and conflicts that characterized the first two outings. It nonetheless produced three clear winners: former vice president Joe Biden, Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).

Discussion: New Yorker, Michigan Advance and WHYY

Brian Schwartz / CNBC:
Kamala Harris' debate performance fails to sway big money donors

Discussion: Vanity Fair and Fox News

Yaron Steinbuch / New York Post:
Joe Biden struggles to keep his teeth in his mouth during Democratic debate

Discussion: Spectator USA

Dan Balz / Washington Post:
For most of the night, Biden weathers a volley of attacks

Jamil Smith / Rolling Stone:
Drop Out, Joe Biden

Discussion: Salon, The Nation, The Gateway Pundit and Washington Post

James Hohmann / Washington Post:
The Daily 202: Castro's kamikaze mission makes Biden more sympathetic - and six other debate takeaways

Discussion: U.S. Political News …, Slate and Mercury News

Tess Bonn / The Hill:
Sanders spokeswoman: A lot of candidates will have to answer for their past

Discussion: Washington Post and Breitbart

Maggie Astor / New York Times:
Who Won the Debate? Experts Weigh In

Discussion: Axios and The Week

Lawfare:

On the Mystery of the McCabe Grand Jury — Did a federal grand jury refuse to hand up an indictment of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe? — No media organization has reported that this is what happened Thursday, but something clearly happened when the grand jury met …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, New York Times and TheBlaze

New York Times:

Andrew McCabe Asks Justice Dept. Whether Grand Jury Rejected Charges — WASHINGTON — Lawyers for the former F.B.I. deputy director Andrew G. McCabe, a frequent target of President Trump's, have asked federal prosecutors whether a secret grand jury refused to indict him …

Discussion: CANNONFIRE, The Daily Caller, Hullabaloo, Power Line, Raw Story, The Crime Report and American Greatness

Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:

DOJ Inspector General Has Completed FISA Abuse Probe — The Justice Department's inspector general told Congress on Friday that he completed his investigation into possible FBI abuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act during the Trump-Russia probe, and has sent a draft version …

Washington Post:

Andrew McCabe's legal team asks Justice Dept. if grand jury rejected charges in his case — The legal team for Andrew McCabe has asked federal prosecutors in D.C. whether a grand jury had rejected their bid to indict the FBI's former acting director on charges of lying to investigators …

Discussion: RedState, Fox News, BizPac Review, Raw Story, CNN and CNBC

Fox News:
DOJ watchdog submits draft report on alleged FISA abuses to Barr

Discussion: Daily Wire and Tennessee Star

Wall Street Journal:

Trump, Awaiting Egyptian Counterpart at Summit, Called Out for ‘My Favorite Dictator’ — Quip drew attention to uncomfortable facet of U.S.-Egypt relationship — Inside a room of the ornately decorated Hotel du Palais during last month's Group of Seven summit in Biarritz, France …

Discussion: Axios, The Independent, The Week, Mediaite and The New Civil Rights Movement

BostonGlobe.com:

METRO SPORTS BUSINESS OPINION RHODE ISLAND POLITICS LIFESTYLE MARIJUANA ARTS MAGAZINE CARS REAL ESTATE EVENTS — Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the young liberal icon from New York, has endorsed Senator Ed Markey's reelection bid next year, as Representative Joe Kennedy III considers …

Discussion: Townhall and Political Wire

Ed Markey / YouTube:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsement — “I'm here to say that I'm proud to enthusiastically support and endorse Senator Ed Markey for re-election to the United States Senate. — Ed Markey is a proud and strong progressive champion for working families. Not just in Massachusetts, but across the country.

Discussion: Washington Post and CBS Boston

Jennifer Medina / New York Times:
Elizabeth Heng Ad, Targeting Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Draws a Backlash

Discussion: Townhall, Shareblue Media, Talking Points Memo, RedState, OpenSecrets.org, Common Dreams and Axios

Nancy Cook / Politico:

Ivanka tells donors she got her moral compass from her dad — At a mid-August fundraiser in Jackson Hole, Wyo., Ivanka Trump was asked to name the personality traits she inherited most from her parents. — Without much of a pause, Trump told the crowd of roughly 120 high-end donors …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Post, Raw Story, Splinter, Mediaite, Political Flare, Talking Points Memo and The Week

Melanie Zanona / Politico: Republicans clash with Trump-aligned operatives

Erik Wasson / Bloomberg:
House GOP to Run in 2020 on Reducing the Debt They Helped Grow

Discussion: The New Civil Rights Movement

Courtney Kube / NBC News:

Trump's plan to pay for border wall with Air Force funds risks national security, report says — The report, compiled by the U.S. Air Force and obtained by NBC News, details the importance of each of the 51 military projects chosen by the Trump administration to lose their funding.

Discussion: Raw Story, Shareblue Media, Politico, Task & Purpose, Axios, Daily Kos and Political Wire, more at Mediagazer »

Matt Naham / Law & Crime:

U.S. Court of Appeals Brings Emoluments Lawsuit Against Trump Back to Life — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Friday brought back to life an emoluments-related lawsuit against President Donald Trump. The lawsuit filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington …

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Post and Breitbart

Bloomberg:
Trump Finances Closer to Scrutiny as U.S. Court Revives Suit

Discussion: Fox News, Politico, Raw Story, The Week, Deseret News, Axios and Political Wire

David A. Fahrenthold / Washington Post:
Appeals court revives lawsuit saying Trump is violating the Constitution by doing business with foreign governments

Discussion: Vox and Common Dreams

globalnews.ca:

RCMP intel director charged in major case was top adviser to former force head: sources — ABOVE: A high-level official with the RCMP has been arrested and is facing several charges under both the Criminal Code and Security of Information Act, according to multiple sources. Mercedes Stephenson reports.

Discussion: Fox News

Catharine Tunney / CBC News: RCMP intelligence director accused of violating secrets act

Maggie Astor / New York Times:

The Times and CNN Will Host the Next Democratic Debate in Ohio — The Democratic National Committee has announced that the next debate will be held on Oct. 15, with a possible second night on Oct. 16. — The New York Times and CNN will co-host the next Democratic debate near Columbus …

Discussion: CNN, Fox News, Talking Points Memo, Axios, The Daily Caller, Political Wire and Variety

Boris Kachka / New York Magazine:

Among the Moderate Chic at Bari Weiss's Book Party The embattled Establishment assembles to celebrate the Times Op-Ed columnist's book on antisemitism. — Bari Weiss — editor, Times columnist, Twitter piñata, extrovert, and now author — began the launch party for her first book …

Discussion: Splinter and Eschaton

Brian Stelter / CNN:

ABC's ratings show that interest in the Democratic primaries is still high — New York (CNN Business)If you're wondering whether interest in the Democratic primary process has cooled off, check the Nielsen ratings and stop wondering. — Thursday night's debate featuring ten presidential candidates brought a big audience to ABC.

Discussion: Deadline, FiveThirtyEight, Shareblue Media and Axios

Washington Post:

House Democrats pursue Sessions for testimony in impeachment probe of Trump — Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are negotiating for Jeff Sessions's testimony in their impeachment investigation of President Trump, an appearance they hope could bolster their inquiry given …

Discussion: Raw Story and Mediaite

Sam Brodey / The Daily Beast:
House Dems Leaning Against Calling Stormy Daniels as a Witness

Discussion: Raw Story

Edward Ongweso Jr / VICE:

Famed Computer Scientist Richard Stallman Described Epstein Victims As ‘Entirely Willing’ — Stallman, a pioneer of the free software movement, argued about the definition of “sexual assault” on an MIT email listserv about the university's connections to Jeffrey Epstein.

Discussion: New York Post, The Daily Dot and Financial Times

Olivia Messer / The Daily Beast:

Felicity Huffman Gets Prison Time in College Admissions Scandal — The most famous person stung by ‘Operation Varsity Blues’ paid $15,000 to inflate her daughter's SAT score. Now she says she's sorry. — BOSTON—When Felicity Huffman finally received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012 …

Discussion: NBC News, Associated Press, Law & Crime, Axios and Patterico's Pontifications

Sarah Maslin Nir / New York Times:

Giuliani Divorce: It's Ugly, It's Operatic. What Did You Expect? — The marriage of Rudolph and Judith Giuliani is coming to an end, and despite a judge's urging, the wreckage is being laid bare for all to see. — On a spring afternoon in 2000, Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani used a news conference …

Discussion: Mediaite and Splinter

Hansi Lo Wang / NPR:

Latinx Advocacy Groups Sue To Block Citizenship Data Release By Trump Officials — Latinx community groups based in Texas and Arizona are suing to block the Trump administration from collecting government records for the production of data concerning the U.S. citizenship status of every person living in the country.

Phil Helsel / NBC News:

Trump: I look orange, but so do you because of energy-efficient light bulbs — “The light is the worst,” Trump said. His administration earlier this month announced it would roll back regulations for increased energy efficiency. — On a night that featured the Democratic debate …

Discussion: The Hill, Breitbart, The Daily Beast, Raw Story and The Root

Dan Desai Martin / Shareblue Media:

Collins cast deciding vote to let Trump take money from military families for his wall — Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) claims she is opposed to Trump stealing money from the military to build a wall, but she doesn't vote that way. — At Senate Appropriations Committee meeting Thursday …

Discussion: U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy … and Bangor Daily News

Samantha Lock / The Sun:

MAKE TATTOOS GREAT AGAIN Donald Trump superfans show off their tattoos of president in eye-popping gallery — DONALD Trump certainly isn't short of adoring patriotic superfans who have pledged themselves with the president in a bid to ‘make America great again’.

Andrew Sullivan / New York Magazine:

The New York Times Has Abandoned Liberalism for Activism — “Our democracy's ideals were false when they were written.” — I've been struggling with that sentence — the opening statement of the introductory essay to the New York Times Magazine's 1619 Project on the legacy of slavery in America — for a few weeks now.

Discussion: The American Conservative and IJR