memeorandum: Mad About Kavanaugh and Gorsuch? The Best Way to Get Even Is to Pack the Court (Jamelle Bouie/New York Times)

2:45 PM ET, September 17, 2019

Top Items:

Karma Allen / ABC News:

Legendary journalist and political commentator Cokie Roberts dies at 75 — Renowned ABC News journalist and political commentator Cokie Roberts has died at the age of 75. — Roberts won countless awards, including three Emmys, throughout her decades-long career.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Week, Deadline, TVNewser, NPR, FOX40, Breitbart, Full Feed, Townhall, Associated Press and Page Six

Bobby Allyn / NPR:

Cokie Roberts, Pioneering Journalist Who Helped Shape NPR, Dies At 75 — Toggle more options — Veteran journalist Cokie Roberts, who joined an upstart NPR in 1978 and left an indelible imprint on the growing network with her coverage of Washington politics before later going to ABC News, has died.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Neil Genzlinger / New York Times: Cokie Roberts, Veteran Broadcast Newswoman, Is Dead at 75

Jamelle Bouie / New York Times:

Mad About Kavanaugh and Gorsuch? The Best Way to Get Even Is to Pack the Court — The lifetime appointments cry out for Democratic hardball. — President Trump bragged on Twitter recently about his success filling up the federal judiciary. “I want to congratulate” Senate majority leader …

Discussion: National Review, Slate, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Resurgent, Instapundit and The Atlantic

The Babylon Bee: Hypocrisy: Right-Wingers Who Love It When The Babylon Bee Makes Stuff Up Suddenly Get Mad When The NYT Does It

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
A key witness in the Brett Kavanaugh saga comes down on his side

Discussion: New York Times, Breitbart, National Review and Washington Examiner, more at Mediagazer »

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
“The Real Bombshell”: CBS News Hits NYT Over Kavanaugh Story To Focus On Witness Tampering

Discussion: RedState, Power Line, Townhall and Fox News

Heather Caygle / Politico:
‘Get real’: Senior Democrats shut down Kavanaugh impeachment push

David French / National Review:
The New York Times Still Doesn't Understand What It Did

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Fox News and Hot Air

Tiana Lowe / Washington Examiner: Go ahead, impeach Brett Kavanaugh

Ronn Blitzer / Fox News:
Could Kavanaugh sue New York Times over allegation report?

Discussion: Breitbart and Washington Times

Mimi Rocah / USA Today:
Confirmed: Powerful men ignored women in short-circuited Brett Kavanaugh investigation

Discussion: Daily Wire, The Atlantic, Politico, Breitbart and National Review

Washington Examiner:
In New York Times v. Kavanaugh, flagrant prosecutorial misconduct

Discussion: The Resurgent and Patterico's Pontifications

Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
NYT Reporters Say Editors Removed Exculpatory Information About Kavanaugh

Discussion: Washington Post, Townhall and The Gateway Pundit

Saagar Enjeti / The Hill:
Josh Hawley: Democratic calls for Kavanaugh impeachment show ‘war with constitution’

Discussion: Daily Wire, The Daily Caller, Washington Free Beacon, American Greatness and WBUR

Alexi McCammond / Axios:
First look: Harris asks for Kavanaugh investigation

Discussion: RedState, Townhall and Alternet.org

Scaachi Koul / BuzzFeed News:

How Did Lauren Duca's Revolution Backfire? — The viral writer wants to galvanize young people with her new book, How to Start a Revolution. But past controversies — and a new complaint filed by her New York University students — threaten to undermine her message.

Matt Wilstein / The Daily Beast:

Sean Spicer Has Most Embarrassing ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Debut Ever, Period — “It's like you were being attacked by a swarm of wasps,” one judge said after Spicer attempted a salsa dance. — Despite its best efforts, America could not shame Sean Spicer out of joining Dancing With the Stars.

Discussion: RedState, CNN, BizPac Review, Poynter, KTLA and New Yorker

Daniel Lippman / Politico:

White House intervenes in General Motors strike — The White House is seeking to end the United Auto Workers strike against General Motors with an agreement that would reopen an assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio that GM shut down in March. — The effort, described to POLITICO by two people close …

Discussion: Political Wire

Joe Concha / The Hill:
Spicer on Dancing with the Stars: 'Those of us who stand for #Christ won't be discounted'

Discussion: Mother Jones, LGBTQ Nation, Friendly Atheist and Political Wire

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Lewandowski clashes with Democrats as hearing descends into chaos

Discussion: Vox, Axios, The Independent and The Gateway Pundit

Anthony Capaccio / Bloomberg:

Pentagon Readying a Public Show of Evidence in Saudi Attacks — Defense Intelligence Agency plans public report in 48 hours — 'We're ready,' Vice President Pence says amid Gulf tensions — The Pentagon is preparing a report on who was responsible for the weekend attack …

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post: How the Iran conflict would have unfolded under a normal president

The Daily Beast:
Team Trump: Saudis See This Attack as Their 9/11

Discussion: Washington Post, LobeLog, New York Post, One America News Network, NPR, The Drive, The Atlantic, Daily Kos, The Bulwark and The Week

Anne Gearan / Washington Post:
Trump's dual instincts on Iran: Big threats and an eagerness to deal

Discussion: Associated Press, National Review, The Week, Politico, Axios, The Drive, Breitbart and Mother Jones

Christine Mai-Duc / Los Angeles Times:

California Republican Rep. Paul Cook to retire from Congress, run for county supervisor seat — Rep. Paul Cook (R-Yucca Valley) will retire from Congress at the end of his term and will announce a run for a seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, according to John Sobel, the congressman's chief of staff.

Discussion: Politico, Talking Points Memo, Axios, Raw Story, POLITICUSUSA, Shareblue Media, The Daily Caller, Political Wire, Roll Call and Washington Times

Alexander Burns / New York Times:

Warren and Trump Lay Out Competing Visions of Populism — In New York, Senator Elizabeth Warren described a government compromised by the influence of the wealthy. President Trump, in New Mexico, denounced a “failed liberal establishment.” — Senator Elizabeth Warren stood beneath …

Discussion: Hullabaloo, Common Dreams and The Week

Bhaskar Sunkara / Jacobin:
The Working Families Party Has Written Itself Out of History

Discussion: TIME, The Week, Washington Post and The Editorial Board

U.S. Department of Justice:

United States Files Civil Lawsuit Against Edward Snowden — ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The United States today filed a lawsuit against Edward Snowden, a former employee of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA), who published a book entitled Permanent Record …

Discussion: CNBC, Talking Points Memo, Axios, NPR, VICE, The Verge, Mediaite and The Hill, more at Techmeme »

Katie Shepherd / Washington Post:

A teen allegedly wanted to ‘shoot 400 people for fun.’ Cops found an AK-47 in her bedroom. — Alexis Wilson was working an afternoon shift at the local Pizza Inn in McAlester, Okla., on Sunday, when she pulled a co-worker aside to boast about her new gun. — The slight 18-year-old …

Discussion: VICE, Raw Story and Law & Crime

Ben Schreckinger / Politico:

Air Force crews stayed at Trump's Turnberry resort for days at a time — TURNBERRY, Scotland— Air Force officers who have earned medals for their tours of duty can pick up some more brass with a short pit stop in Southwest Scotland. — As part of its relationship with the Air Force …

Discussion: Vox, Talking Points Memo, Alternet.org and Raw Story

Catie Edmondson / New York Times:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Back First 2020 Challenger to Sitting Democrat — WASHINGTON — Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez plans on Tuesday to announce her endorsement of Marie Newman, a progressive candidate seeking to oust Representative Daniel Lipinski, a conservative-leaning Illinois Democrat …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Fox News, The Hill, National Review, U.S. Political News …, Raw Story, Common Dreams, The Daily Caller, Political Wire and Daily Kos

Associated Press:
Ocasio-Cortez backs liberal challenger to Dem congressman

Discussion: Washington Post

Washington Post:

Border fence construction could destroy archaeological sites, National Park Service finds — The bulldozers and excavators rushing to install President Trump's border fence could damage or destroy up to 22 archaeological sites within Arizona's Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in coming months …

Derek Thompson / The Atlantic:

American Migration Patterns Should Terrify the GOP — Liberals in America have a density problem. Across the country, Democrats dominate in cities, racking up excessive margins in urban cores while narrowly losing in suburban districts and sparser states.

Discussion: Alternet.org and Raw Story

Angie Martoccio / Rolling Stone:

Mitch McConnell: The Man Who Sold America — Fittingly enough, it was hot as blazes in Kentucky when Mitch McConnell slunk back home for Congress' annual summer recess. One week earlier, Robert Mueller had testified that Russia was meddling in the 2020 U.S. elections.

Richard Lardner / Associated Press:

Trump's Cabinet has had more ex-lobbyists than Obama or Bush — WASHINGTON (AP) — In less than three years, President Donald Trump has named more former lobbyists to Cabinet-level posts than his most recent predecessors did in eight, putting a substantial amount of oversight in the hands …

Discussion: Political Wire

Meagan Flynn / Washington Post:

Sheriff helped plot his own deputy's killing over ‘racially offensive’ tape, prosecutors say — Granville County Sheriff Brindell Wilkins learned one of his deputies had a tape of him making “racially offensive” comments, prosecutors say. So the North Carolina lawman encouraged another man …

Discussion: Raw Story, Slate, New York Post, CBS17.com and The Crime Report

New York Times:

Women Poop. At Work. Get Over It. — Why must the bathroom continue to be fraught? — There once was a woman who walked regularly from her office in Midtown Manhattan to a hotel across the street in order to use the restroom, and that woman may have been one of us.

Matt Dixon / Politico:

CORRECTED: Trump campaign cuts ties with top adviser in Florida — TALLAHASSEE — President Donald Trump's campaign has severed ties with Florida adviser Susie Wiles, leaving the president without a top adviser in a major battleground state going into the 2020 election.

Discussion: Florida Politics

Sarah Smarsh / New York Times:

Something Special Is Happening in Rural America — There is a “brain gain” afoot that suggests a national homecoming to less bustling spaces. — Ms. Smarsh is the host of the podcast “The Homecomers” and the author of the memoir “Heartland.” — WICHITA, Kan. — For more than a century following …