memeorandum: Mike Pence argued homosexuality was ‘a choice’ or ‘learned behavior’ during 1990s fight against gay rights ordinance (Andrew Kaczynski/CNN)

4:15 PM ET, September 13, 2019

Top Items:

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: Rolling Stone, No More Mister Nice Blog, PJ Media Home, The Federalist, Mother Jones, Vox and New York Times

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

For most of the night, Biden weathers a volley of attacks — HOUSTON — With all the leading Democratic candidates on the same stage for the first time this year, former vice president Joe Biden on Thursday delivered the kind of performance his supporters have been waiting for …

Julie Pace / Associated Press:

Analysis: Biden looks like a front-runner, until he doesn't — WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden is the Democratic front-runner. And there were moments in Thursday night's debate when he looked the part. — Standing between a pair of liberal senators offering radical change …

Discussion: Victory Girls Blog, FOX40, Deseret News and CBS Boston

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 …, Mercury News and Townhall

Matt Welch / Reason:
There's Only 1 Democrat Talking About the Constitution, and It's (Shudder) Joe Biden

Discussion: Splinter, Breitbart, Townhall, PJ Media Home, Raw Story, Patterico's Pontifications and WHYY

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

Discussion: Axios and The Week

John Nichols / The Nation:
Jorge Ramos Was the Best Debate Moderator Yet

Discussion: Washington Post, New Yorker, The Federalist, Lawfare, Spectator USA, Politico and Michigan Advance

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

Frank Bruni / New York Times:
Up, Up, Up With Elizabeth Warren

Discussion: National Review, CNN, Fox News and Daily Wire

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Winners and losers from the third Democratic debate

Discussion: Politico, The Root, New York Times, Raw Story, BizPac Review, Daily Kos and Breitbart

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Biden's debate performance was either ‘presidential’ or ‘disqualifying’ — depending on your media source

Discussion: CNN, Slate and Lawyers, Guns & Money

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: Breitbart

Bloomberg:

Trump Finances Closer to Scrutiny as U.S. Court Revives Suit — Emoluments lawsuit is reinstated by New York appeals court — Trump says his family now manages his business empire — President Donald Trump was ordered by a federal appeals court to defend a lawsuit accusing him of profiting from his presidency.

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

Chris Dolmetsch / Bloomberg:
Fox Must Face Suit by Seth Rich's Parents Over Stories on His Death

Discussion: Political Wire and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

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

Brett Samuels / The Hill:
Appeals court allows Trump emoluments case to move forward

Discussion: Washington Post

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: RedState, Shareblue Media, Axios, Breitbart, Common Dreams, BizPac Review and Talking Points Memo

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

CNN:
CNN and New York Times to co-host next Democratic presidential debate

Discussion: The Daily Caller, KTLA and WPIX 11 New York

Marina Fang / U.S. Political News …:
Appeals Court Revives Seth Rich Lawsuit Against Fox News

Discussion: Law & Crime and Raw Story

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, Splinter, Washington Post, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, The Week, Mediaite and Political Flare

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

Discussion: Political Wire

Matt Fuller / U.S. Political News …:
Trump Gives A Rambling Mess Of A Speech At The GOP's Baltimore Retreat — And He's A Hit

Discussion: New York Times, Daily Kos, Mother Jones, Vox and ABC News

Washington Post:
Republicans seize on O'Rourke's emphatic call for mandatory buyback of assault weapons

Discussion: Breitbart

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

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 …

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, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Eschaton

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

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 …

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: Splinter

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, The Daily Beast, Breitbart, Raw Story and The Root

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’.

Quint Forgey / Politico:

O'Rourke responds to ‘death threat’ from Texas lawmaker — Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke early Friday morning characterized an incendiary tweet from a Texas state representative as “a death threat” against him, and charged that the Republican lawmaker should be stripped of his assault weapon.

Discussion: Vox, RedState and The Hill

CNN:
Twitter removes Texas State Rep's tweet threatening Beto O'Rourke with AR

Discussion: The Bulwark, The Texas Tribune, The Daily Beast and Fortune

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: Power Line, New York Times, CNN, BizPac Review, Raw Story, Salon and Hullabaloo

Stefanos Chen / New York Times:

One in Four of New York's New Luxury Apartments Are Unsold — A quarter of the new condos built since 2013 in New York City have not yet found buyers, according to a new analysis of closed sales. — Picture an empty apartment — there are thousands in Manhattan's new towers …

Discussion: Curbed NY

New York Times:

Mystery Solved: Private-Equity-Backed Firms Are Behind Ad Blitz on ‘Surprise Billing’ — Two doctor-staffing companies are pushing back against legislation that could hit their bottom lines. — Early this summer, Congress appeared on its way to eradicating the large medical bills that have shocked many patients after emergency care.

Discussion: OpenSecrets.org

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: Axios

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