memeorandum: Trump's War On Obamacare Is Also A War On Opioid Treatment (Jonathan Cohn/U.S. Political News …)

1:25 PM ET, September 15, 2019

Top Items:

NYT Reporters Say They Uncovered New Sexual Misconduct Claim Against Kavanaugh — Two New York Times reporters said they learned of the unreported claim while investigating Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh for an upcoming book. — Two New York Times reporters say they've uncovered …

Discussion: Breitbart, The Week, twitchy.com, Law & Crime, New York Post and Raw Story

New York Times:

Brett Kavanaugh Fit In With the Privileged Kids. She Did Not. — Deborah Ramirez's Yale experience says much about the college's efforts to diversify its student body in the 1980s. — Deborah Ramirez had the grades to go to Yale in 1983. But she wasn't prepared for what she'd find there.

David Cohen / Politico:

Trump stands up for Brett Kavanaugh over ‘liable’ — President Donald Trump on Sunday once again came to the defense of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. — “Brett Kavanaugh should start suing people for liable, or the Justice Department should come to his rescue,” the president tweeted, misspelling the word “libel.”

Discussion: Vox, Political Wire, Splinter, Breitbart and The Daily Caller

Tucker Higgins / CNBC:

Trump says Justice Brett Kavanaugh should ‘start suing people’ after new report of sexual misconduct — KEY POINTS — President Donald Trump said that Justice Brett Kavanaugh should “start suing people” or the Department of Justice “should come to his rescue” on Sunday.

Discussion: Raw Story, The Daily Caller and POLITICUSUSA

Audrey McNamara / The Daily Beast:
New Sexual Misconduct Allegation Against Brett Kavanaugh Emerges: NYT

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Week, Mediaite and Breitbart, more at Mediagazer »

Sydney Ember / New York Times: Bernie Sanders, in Las Vegas, Previews Plan for Affordable Housing

Hanna Rosin / New York Times:
‘The Education of Brett Kavanaugh’ Takes a Hard Look at the Supreme Court Justice and His Accusers

Discussion: Vox, CNBC and Washington Post

New York Times:

‘People Actively Hate Us’: Inside the Border Patrol's Morale Crisis — Overwhelmed by desperate migrants and criticized for mistreating the people in their care, many agents have grown defensive, insular and bitter. — One Border Patrol agent in Tucson said he had been called a “sellout” and a “kid killer.”

Discussion: Axios

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

Let's Debate: Are Democrats Doomed? — Trump changed the game forever. — WASHINGTON — He's in our heads. — Even more than we knew. — It isn't just that he hovered over the Democratic debate on Thursday night: Should the candidates attack him or leave him to self-destruct?

Discussion: Althouse

Marc Caputo / Politico:

Biden allies attack Warren's electability — As Elizabeth Warren climbs in the polls, Joe Biden's Massachusetts allies are warning that her home-state election history suggests she runs weakest among the types of voters Democrats need to win over to capture the White House.

Matthew Choi / Politico:
Texas congressman switches endorsement from Castro to Biden

Discussion: Breitbart

Robert Reich / The Guardian:

Trump is seriously, frighteningly unstable - the world is in danger — It is almost too late for impeachment. The 25th amendment is untested. The ballot box offers our only remaining hope — In retrospect, what's most disturbing about “Sharpiegate” isn't Trump's clumsy effort to doctor …

Discussion: Althouse

Amir Vera / CNN:

Minnesota police charge man with arson in connection with fire that destroyed a 119-year-old synagogue — (CNN)A man was arrested Friday in connection with a fire that destroyed a 119-year-old synagogue, Minnesota authorities said. — Adas Israel Synagogue in Duluth …

Discussion: New York Times

Brady Slater / duluthnewstribune.com:
Suspect arrested in Duluth synagogue fire

Discussion: Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Wall Street Journal:

Iran Rejects U.S. Accusations Over Saudi Oil-Facility Attacks — Saudis race to repair the damage from the strikes, which forced the suspension of more than half of the kingdom's output — Iran denied American accusations that it was behind Saturday's debilitating strikes on Saudi oil facilities …

Discussion: Spectator USA, Breitbart, The American Conservative, Outside the Beltway, Foreign Policy and NPR

Jon Gambrell / Associated Press:
Attack on Saudi oil sites raises risks amid US-Iran tension

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and Progress Pond

Washington Post:
Iran denies carrying out crippling attacks on Saudi oil facilities

Discussion: The Week

Chris Bumbaca / USA Today:

VP Mike Pence says Triple Crown winner American Pharoah bit him during visit to Kentucky farm — American Pharoah has it all these days. By becoming the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years in 2015, the horse secured a life of pampering and mating at Coolmore's Ashford Stud Farm in Versailles, Kentucky.

Discussion: Deadspin, The Independent and U.S. Political News …

Blake Schuster / Yahoo! Sports: American Pharoah manager denies horse bit Mike Pence during 2018 visit

David Edwards / Raw Story:

Kellyanne Conway: It's unconstitutional for Democrats to ‘embarrass this president’ with impeachment — White House aide Kellyanne Conway on Sunday insisted that Democrats do not have a “constitutional basis” to embarrass President Donald Trump by conducting an impeachment inquiry.

Matt Flegenheimer / New York Times:

Kamala Harris Was Ready to Brawl From the Beginning — In her first race, she defied her old boss, a fund-raising pledge — and the implication that she owed her career to her ex-boyfriend. — SAN FRANCISCO — The rebuttal sounded something like a threat. That seemed to be Kamala Harris's point.

Discussion: Althouse

Kevin D. Williamson / National Review:

Back Off from the ‘Resist’ Nonsense — Perhaps we should back off from the Third Reich analogies and begin to take our duties as citizens seriously. — When Donald Trump was elected president of these United States — or, more properly, president of the federal government of the United States of America …

Kalina Oroschakoff / Politico:

David Cameron: Boris Johnson 'didn't believe' in Brexit — David Cameron has accused Boris Johnson of not believing in Brexit but backing it anyway during the referendum campaign on Britain's EU membership to advance his political career. — In an extract from his forthcoming memoir …

Discussion: The Times & The Sunday Times

Maggie Haberman / New York Times:

Despite Turning Down Inauguration Gig, Elton John Has a Recurring Role in Trump's Presidency — The email was cordial, warm and deferential. — “Thank you so much for the extremely kind invitation to play at your inauguration,” wrote one of President Trump's favorite musicians, Sir Elton John.

Kansas City Star:

Kris Kobach sent names of Nebraska residents to ICE while running for Kansas governor — Kris Kobach was in the middle of running for Kansas governor in December 2017, but he had unfinished business in Nebraska. — The former Kansas secretary of state helped write an ordinance in 2010 for Fremont …

Discussion: Politico

Colby Itkowitz / Washington Post:

'I'm going to kill myself:' A veteran tells Sanders he's drowning in medical debt — John Weigel, a 58-year-old Navy veteran, was desperate to tell Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) his story. — So on Friday afternoon, he folded his $139,000 hospital bill into his pants pocket and took …

Discussion: Fox News