memeorandum: After hours of questioning Lewandowski, Democrats finally land punches (Alexander Nazaryan/Yahoo News)

9:55 AM ET, September 18, 2019

Top Items:

John Bresnahan / Politico:

‘Feel free to leak this’: Inside the Pelosi-Nadler impeachment schism — In a closed-door meeting last week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi stunned lawmakers and aides with a swipe at Democratic staff on the House Judiciary Committee. — Pelosi criticized the panel's handling of impeachment in harsh terms …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, The Week, Washington Post, Fox News and Axios

Alexander Nazaryan / Yahoo News:

After hours of questioning Lewandowski, Democrats finally land punches — more than five hours of confrontational exchanges, but Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee finally managed to regain the narrative in their questioning of Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump's former campaign manager …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

CNN:

Lewandowski hearing was a disaster — In this weekly column “Cross-exam,” Elie Honig, a CNN legal analyst and former federal and state prosecutor, gives his take on the latest legal news. Post your questions below. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion articles on CNN.

Discussion: ABC News

Harry Litman / Washington Post:

Corey Lewandowski is the perfect model for a sustained Trumpian legacy — Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski took his tough-guy act to Capitol Hill Tuesday, putting on proud display the pro-Trump cowboy image he hopes to ride to a Senate candidacy.

Discussion: CNN, Daily Wire and Daily Kos

Melanie Zanona / Politico:
Inside the Pelosi-Nadler impeachment divide …

Discussion: Washington Post, Washington Times and Breitbart

Rick Wilson / gen.medium.com:
Corey Lewandowski Just Made the Democrats Look Utterly Bloodless

Discussion: Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit and The Hill

Zachary Basu / Axios:
Corey Lewandowski: “I have no obligation to be honest with the media”

Discussion: Breitbart, Washington Post and Politico

Olivia Beavers / The Hill:
Nadler considering holding Lewandowski in contempt

Discussion: Politico, twitchy.com, Breitbart, POLITICUSUSA and Townhall

Tiana Lowe / Washington Examiner:
House Democrats fully earned and deserve Corey Lewandowski's trolling

Discussion: Raw Story, Occupy Democrats and twitchy.com

Nicholas Fandos / New York Times:
Lewandowski Tells Congress 'I Wasn't Asked to Do Anything Illegal'

Discussion: Politico, Fortune, The Boston Globe, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and RedState

Berkeley Lovelace Jr / CNBC:
Pelosi to Cramer: There's no need to reinvent health care — just improve Obamacare

Discussion: Axios and Breitbart

Bill Barrow / Associated Press:

Jimmy Carter says he couldn't have managed presidency at 80 — ATLANTA (AP) — Weeks shy of his 95th birthday, former President Jimmy Carter said Tuesday he doesn't believe he could have managed the most powerful office in the world at 80 years old. — Carter, who earlier this year became …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Hill, U.S. Political News … and Axios

Ernie Suggs / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Jimmy Carter says Trump re-election would be ‘a disaster’ — AJC ON THE SCENE: CARTER CENTER September 18, 2019 — Former President Jimmy Carter took aim at President Donald Trump on Tuesday night, calling him “a disaster.” — Carter's wife, Rosalynn, also criticized Trump, saying he has encouraged racism.

John Wagner / Washington Post: 'I hope there's an age limit': Jimmy Carter questions whether he could have handled the presidency at 80

New York Times:

Acting Intelligence Chief Refuses to Testify, Prompting Standoff With Congress — WASHINGTON — The acting director of national intelligence will not testify before Congress this week or immediately hand over a whistle-blower complaint to lawmakers, escalating a standoff between Capitol Hill and leaders of the intelligence agencies.

Discussion: Axios

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Schiff: Top intel official has refused to turn over ‘urgent’ whistleblower complaint

Discussion: Just Security and Wall Street Journal

Kel McClanahan / Just Security:
Q&A on Whistleblower Complaint Being Withheld from Congressional Intelligence Committees

Discussion: Lawfare and Washington Post

NBC News:

NBC/WSJ poll shows both Biden and Warren building formidable coalitions — First Read is your briefing from “Meet the Press” and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter. — WASHINGTON — The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey is a good poll for only two 2020 Democrats.

Discussion: Washington Post

Mark Murray / NBC News:
NBC/WSJ poll: Biden leads Dem 2020 field, Warren's support grows

Discussion: The Bulwark, Washington Post, Washington Times, The Resurgent, Daily Kos, Axios, CNN, Hot Air, National Review, Politico, POLITICUSUSA and Breitbart

John Harwood / CNBC:
Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren separate themselves from the 2020 Democratic pack in new NBC/WSJ poll

Discussion: The Last Refuge

Wall Street Journal: Campaign Wire: 2020 Election

Trent Spiner / Politico:
Sanders campaign wracked by dissension

Discussion: Syracuse Post-Standard, The Week, Breitbart, VTDigger, Mediaite, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, POLITICUSUSA and Vanity Fair

Los Angeles Times:

Democratic donor Ed Buck charged with operating drug house after 2 men found dead in home — Prominent Democratic donor and LGBTQ political activist Ed Buck was arrested Tuesday and charged with operating a drug house, with prosecutors calling him a violent sexual predator who preys on men struggling with addiction and homelessness.

Discussion: Washington Post, Fox News, Breitbart, Towleroad Gay News, Splinter, Slate, CBS Los Angeles, New York Times, The Week, KTLA and Axios

Kabc / ABC7:
Democratic donor Ed Buck arrested on drug charges after new overdose at his West Hollywood home

Discussion: New York Post, ABC7, Townhall and Daily Wire

Steve Ganey / KTLA:
Dem Donor Ed Buck Arrested After 3rd Man's Overdose, Charged With Operating West Hollywood Drug House

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and BizPac Review

Paul Kane / Washington Post:

In whiplash moment, Democrats are now backing away from Kavanaugh allegations — In a head-spinning few days, Republicans have moved into a full offensive posture over the latest allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, leaving congressional Democrats in a defensive crouch as they try to change the subject.

Discussion: twitchy.com

Haley Byrd / CNN: Pelosi and other Democrats say no to Kavanaugh impeachment

Kate Kelly / The Atlantic:
We Spent 10 Months Investigating Kavanaugh. Here's What We Found.

Discussion: Hot Air, The Federalist and Washingtonian

Luis Martinez / ABC News:

Mike Pompeo heading to Saudi Arabia to ‘coordinate’ response to Saudi oil attack — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is heading to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday to discuss the recent attack on Saudi oil facilities that has rattled world markets and left the region on edge.

Discussion: The Guardian, NBC News, One America News Network, New York Times and LewRockwell

Politico:
Trump says he plans to ‘substantially increase’ sanctions on Iran

Discussion: Washington Post, Townhall and CNN

Brett Bruen / NBC News:
Even if Iran attacked Saudi Arabia's oil field, Trump's responsible for the fallout

Discussion: Just Security, Los Angeles Times, U.S. Political News … and The Week

David E. Sanger / New York Times:
Trump's Challenge: Can His Word on Iran Be Trusted?

Discussion: VICE, Washington Post and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Reuters: U.S. seeks U.N. action on Saudi attacks despite likely Russian opposition

Marc Caputo / Politico:

‘The ground is shifting’: Arizona emerges as a 2020 trouble spot for Trump — Arizona has long been touted as a potential swing state in the presidential election. Its time may have finally come. — Demographic shifts, progressive organizing efforts and President Donald Trump's potential weakness …

Owen Daugherty / The Hill:

Arizona Democratic Party will hold vote to censure Sinema — The Arizona Democratic Party is planning to hold a vote this week to determine whether Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) should be censured. — The Arizona Republic reports the censure vote is due to the fact that progressives …

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez / Arizona Republic:
Arizona progressives seek to censure Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema

Discussion: Fox News, Alternet.org, Daily Kos and Washington Free Beacon

New York Times:

White House Fires Homeland Security Dept.'s General Counsel — WASHINGTON — The White House on Tuesday fired John Mitnick, the general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, after months of shake-up at an agency responsible for carrying out President Trump's immigration agenda.

Discussion: CNN, Heritage Foundation and U.S. Political News …

Savannah Behrmann / USA Today:

6 things to know about teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg — WASHINGTON — Teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg will be one of the witnesses to testify before a joint hearing of two House committees Wednesday on the “global climate crisis.”

Discussion: The Guardian, Alternet.org and Raw Story

Karol Markowicz / New York Post:
The ‘Climate Strike’ is a crock that exploits kids

Discussion: Fox News, Vox and Axios

Aron Heller / Associated Press:

Netanyahu faces uphill battle after repeat election — JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's two main political parties were deadlocked Wednesday after an unprecedented repeat election, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing an uphill battle to hold on to his job.

New York Times:
After Tight Israeli Election, Netanyahu's Tenure Appears Perilous

Discussion: Washington Post, Jewish Insider, Outside the Beltway, Foreign Policy, Financial Times and Associated Press

Gil Hoffman / Jerusalem Post:
NETANYAHU-GANTZ STALEMATE: NO CLEAR WINNER IN SUPER-TIGHT ISRAELI ELECTION

Discussion: Haaretz, The Times of Israel, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Breitbart, Power Line, Mediaite and Raw Story

Natasha Korecki / Politico:

Why it will be hard for Trump to win Wisconsin again — They hate Donald Trump's tweets. They worry about his temperament. They're still uncomfortable with the name-calling. — But many voters in Milwaukee's Republican suburbs like his court appointments. And they approve of his stewardship of the economy.

Discussion: Raw Story

New York Times:

New Mexico Announces Plan for Free College for State Residents — Under the plan, tuition to all state colleges would be free for students regardless of family income. — ALBUQUERQUE — In one of the boldest state-led efforts to expand access to higher education, New Mexico is unveiling …

Discussion: Slate, The Week and Political Wire

Coral Davenport / New York Times:

Trump to Revoke California's Authority to Set Stricter Auto Emissions Rules — WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is expected on Wednesday to formally revoke California's legal authority to set tailpipe pollution rules that are stricter than federal rules, in a move designed by the White House …