memeorandum: The conspiracy theories behind the anti-Semitic violence in New York (Jane Coaston/Vox)

5:50 PM ET, January 3, 2020

Top Items:

Pelosi Statement on Airstrike in Iraq Against High-Level Iranian Military Officials — Washington, D.C. - Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement after the Trump Administration conducted a deadly airstrike targeting Iranians and Iraqis at the Baghdad International Airport:

Discussion: NBC News, The Hill, ABC News, Redstate, Politico, WND, Vanity Fair, Washington Post, NPR, CNBC, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mother Jones, VICE, Vox, The Week, Breitbart, TheBlaze, Daily Kos, National Review, The American Independent, Al Jazeera, IJR, Reuters and Daily Sounder

Wesley Clark / Washington Post:

Killing a top Iranian military leader was a whack-for-tat move — Soleimani was no stateless outlaw like Osama bin Laden. This U.S. action sets us on a dangerous path of escalation. — Like the killing of Osama bin Laden, the strike on Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad …

Discussion: The Times of Israel, The Week, The Guardian and CNN

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Trump Thinks Attacking Iran Will Get Him Reelected. He's Wrong. — Beginning in 2011, and continuing through the next year, Donald Trump began obsessively predicting that President Obama would start a war with Iran in order to be reelected. Trump stated it publicly, on at least a half-dozen occasions …

Discussion: Daily Kos, New York Times, Reason, No More Mister Nice Blog, Talking Points Memo and The Gateway Pundit

Avi Selk / Washington Post:

Soleimani posted memes antagonizing Trump on social media — Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Iraq early Friday, wasn't just an infamous terrorist organizer and one of the regime's most powerful officials — he was also one of President Trump's social media antagonists.

Discussion: Daily Sounder, Right Wing Watch, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite and Daily Kos

Nahal Toosi / Politico:

How Trump decided to kill Iran's Soleimani — Hours before the U.S. military sent a Reaper drone to kill one of the most wanted men on the planet, President Donald Trump was relaxing at his palatial Florida properties. In the morning, he played 18 holes at Trump International, his West Palm Beach golf club.

Discussion: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE and Associated Press, more at Mediagazer »

Mehdi Hasan / The Intercept:

Four Years Ago, Trump Had No Clue Who Iran's Suleimani Was. Now He May Have Kicked Off WWIII. — President Donald Trump makes a video call to the troops stationed worldwide at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on Dec. 24, 2019. — Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

Discussion: Associated Press, CNN, DNyuz, FOX31 Denver, LabourList and HuffPost

Associated Press:

Trump says Iranian should have been ‘taken out’ years ago — PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that the targeted killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani was ordered because he was “plotting to kill” many Americans. — In his first comments since the early Friday strike …

Discussion: Vanity Fair, NBC News, The Gateway Pundit, HuffPost, One America News Network, The American Independent, The Daily Caller, WGN-TV and Breitbart

Robin Wright / New Yorker:

The Killing of Qassem Suleimani Is Tantamount to an Act of War — On orders from President Trump, the United States killed Major General Qassem Suleimani, the leader of Iran's élite Quds Force and the mastermind of its military operations across the Middle East, in an overnight air strike at Baghdad's International Airport.

Discussion: MarketWatch, Associated Press, The Guardian, Mother Jones, USA Today, The Gateway Pundit and VICE

George Packer / The Atlantic:

Killing Soleimani Was Worse Than a Crime — There was a case for killing Major General Qassem Soleimani. For two decades, as the commander of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, he executed Iran's long game of strategic depth in the Middle East—arming and guiding proxy militias in Lebanon …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times and Associated Press

Ryan C. Brooks / BuzzFeed News:

Trump's Strike Has Drawn A Sharp Line Between The Democrats Running For President — The Democratic presidential candidates have split into an anti-war camp, led by Bernie Sanders, and a set of more nuanced responses to the killing of a key Iranian official, a rare and sharp contrast inside …

Discussion: IJR and The Week

David E. Sanger / New York Times:

For Trump, a Risky Gamble to Deter Iran — The goal was to prove American resolve in the face of Iranian attacks. Now, American officials have no doubt the Iranians will respond — but they don't know how quickly, or how furiously. — President Trump's decision to strike and kill …

Discussion: Axios, Associated Press, Vox, DNyuz, Reason, Quartz, Alternet.org, The Week and VICE

CBS News:

“There will be dead Americans” as a result of Iran general being killed, ex-CIA deputy director says — The targeted killing of Qassem Soleimani, one of Iran's top military leaders, has escalated tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with Iran vowing revenge.

Discussion: The Economic Collapse, Associated Press, Breitbart, Raw Story and BizPac Review

New York Times:

Iranian General Traveled With Impunity, Until U.S. Drones Found Him — President Trump's decision to kill General Suleimani was one that his predecessors had rejected, fearing it would lead to war. — WASHINGTON — One night in January 2007, American Special Operations commandos tracked …

Discussion: Associated Press, The Guardian, WND, CNN, The American Independent, The Week and DNyuz

U.S. Embassy / U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Iraq:
Security Alert - U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Iraq, January 3, 2020

Discussion: CNN, Associated Press, Daily Kos, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, Gizmodo, Talking Points Memo, DNyuz, New York Times, KTLA, Sara A. Carter, Task & Purpose and WTVR-TV

Suzanne Maloney / Washington Post: Iran knows how to bide its time. Don't expect immediate retaliation for Soleimani.

Noga Tarnopolsky / Los Angeles Times:
Israel had advance notice of U.S. plan to kill Iranian general Suleimani, report says

Discussion: Raw Story

Mohammad Ali Shabani / The Guardian:
Donald Trump's assassination of Qassem Suleimani will come back to haunt him

Discussion: DNyuz

McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Trump has considered killing Iran's Soleimani since last summer, sources say

Discussion: Raw Story

Marc Champion / Bloomberg:
Iran Options Seem Narrow as It Seeks to Avenge Slain General

Discussion: DNyuz

Peter Nicholas / The Atlantic:
Trump Cultivated His Own Credibility Crisis on Iran

Discussion: HuffPost, Townhall, BBC and The Daily Wire

Michael Doran / New York Times:
Trump's Ground Game Against Iran

Discussion: The Federalist, The Week, Washington Post, Instapundit and Commentary

New York Times:
Qassim Suleimani, Master of Iran's Intrigue, Built a Shiite Axis of Power in Mideast

Discussion: Mother Jones, Townhall, NB Blog, americamagazine.org, VICE, DNyuz, One America News Network, Breitbart, New Republic, The Hill, JustOneMinute and Althouse

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE:
Statement by the Department of Defense

Sean Illing / Vox:
An expert on why the Soleimani assassination was almost certainly illegal

Discussion: National Review, The Hill and Raw Story

Ray Takeyh / Politico:
Why the Death of an Iranian Commander Won't Mean World War III

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Miscellanies, Jacobin, The Hill and One America News Network

New York Times:
Trump Says He Ordered Killing of Iranian to Prevent New Attack on Americans

Discussion: The New Neo, The Mahablog, Vox, Vanity Fair, Breitbart, Jihad Watch, The Hill, The Drive and Raw Story

Katherine Faulders / ABC News:
Trump defends killing of Iranian general, accuses him of ‘plotting imminent and sinister attacks’ on Americans

Discussion: Axios, The Hill and One America News Network

Julia Ioffe / GQ:
Trump's Faithful Will Follow Him to War

Discussion: New York Times, Politico, The Atlantic and Alternet.org

Barbara Slavin / New York Times:
Qassim Suleimani's Killing Will Unleash Chaos

Discussion: Washington Post, Vox, Lawyers, Guns & Money and NPR

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Trump's Iran strike demands a serious response from Democrats

Discussion: Blue Delaware, The Atlantic, The Nation, The Week, Balloon Juice, DNyuz and Washington Free Beacon

Daniel McCarthy / Spectator USA:
No, killing Soleimani doesn't mean war

Discussion: The Atlantic, The Federalist, Slate, Damian J. Penny and The Hill

Fred Kaplan / Slate:
The United States Is Now at War With Iran

Discussion: Mother Jones, Washington Free Beacon, The American Independent, Esquire and Vox

Clare Foran / CNN:

McConnell defends communication with White House on impeachment and says it's a ‘fantasy that the speaker of the House will get to hand design’ trial — Sen. McConnell: House Dems ‘flinched’ on impeachment — Washington (CNN)Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Friday firmly rejected …

Discussion: Redstate, Fox News and Townhall

CNN:
Top Democratic leaders kept in dark about Soleimani attack

Discussion: KTLA, CBS News, POLITICUSUSA, BizPac Review and The Daily Caller

Lisa Mascaro / Associated Press:
Senate impeachment trial in flux amid Mideast crisis

Discussion: Politico, Associated Press, The Hill, KTLA and The Week

Burgess Everett / Politico:
Why Democrats say they might not vote to convict Trump

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Hill, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, One America News Network, Raw Story and NBC News

Nancy Dillon / New York Daily News:

Ex-Fox News reporter Courtney Friel claims Donald Trump invited her to Trump Tower to ‘kiss’ — Former Fox News reporter Courtney Friel says Donald Trump called her with a creepy come-on before he became president — while they were both married. — Friel, who sometimes worked as a fill …

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, Alternet.org, The Hill, Mediaite, The Week and HuffPost

Edward Helmore / The Guardian:
Fox News reporter says Trump invited her to his office ‘so we can kiss’

Discussion: Mediaite

Politico:

The Hill's owner seeks potential buyers, investors — Under fire for its role in promoting alleged Ukraine conspiracy theories, the D.C.-based publication faces new questions about its future. — Jimmy Finkelstein in 2012. Jimmy Finkelstein, owner of The Hill, is shopping his publication …

more at Mediagazer »

Julie Zauzmer / Washington Post:

United Methodist Church is expected to split over gay marriage, fracturing the nation's third-largest denomination — Church leaders said Friday they had agreed to spin off a “traditionalist Methodist” denomination, and allow the remainder of the denomination to permit same-sex marriage …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, National Review, The Hill, Meduza.io, IJR, Disrn and WND

New York Times:
United Methodist Church Announces Plan to Split Over Same-Sex Marriage

Discussion: The Week and TheBlaze

Whitley Alexander / U.S. Representative Phil Roe, M.D.:

Congressman Roe: “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to represent East Tennessee.” — f t # e — JOHNSON CITY, TENN.- Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after announcing he will retire at the end of the 116th Congress:

Discussion: The Hill, New York Times, HuffPost, Talking Points Memo and IJR

Preston Ayres / WCYB:
Roe Retiring: Congressman won't seek another term

Discussion: Axios, Raw Story and The Daily Caller

Sarah Gamard / delawareonline:

Two Delaware GOP leaders under fire for Facebook posts called ‘homophobic,’ ‘anti-Semitic’ — Two of Delaware's Republican leaders are under fire after posting comments on Facebook that fellow party members have deemed “homophobic” and “anti-Semitic.” — New Castle County Republican Party …

Discussion: The Hill

Harmeet Kaur / CNN:
Two Delaware GOP leaders are facing backlash over homophobic and anti-Semitic comments

Discussion: PinkNews and Blue Delaware

Wall Street Journal:

Carlos Ghosn Sneaked Out of Japan in Box Used for Audio Gear — Two men, providing names matching those of private security contractors, flew with Ghosn to Turkey — A pair of men with names matching those of American security contractors accompanied former auto executive Carlos Ghosn …