memeorandum: Iranian Blood Is on Our Hands, Too (Geraldine Brooks/New York Times)

1:35 PM ET, January 8, 2020

Top Items:

Joanna Piacenza / Morning Consult:

Can You Locate Iran? Few Voters Can. — A 47% plurality support the airstrike that killed Soleimani — Morning Consult Illustration by Vladimir Gorshkov — As tensions between the United States and Iran rise in the aftermath of the American drone strike that killed the country's …

Discussion: Tangle, The Hill and Mediaite

Jamelle Bouie / New York Times:

The Trump We Did Not Want to See — When are we going to stop trying to rationalize the irrational? — Much of the work of H.P. Lovecraft, an American horror and science fiction writer who worked during the first decades of the 20th century, is defined by individual encounters with the incomprehensible …

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, Raw Story, The Bulwark, Responsible Statecraft, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Outside the Beltway, Hullabaloo and HuffPost

USA Today:

President Donald Trump addresses nation after Iran's attack - latest updates — David Jackson John Fritze Courtney SubramanianUSA TODAY — WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is addressing the nation from the Grand Foyer at White House just hours after Iran rained more than a dozen rockets …

Discussion: The Week

CNN:

Some administration officials believe Iran intentionally missed areas with Americans — Washington (CNN)There is a growing belief among some Trump administration officials that Iran's missiles intentionally missed areas populated by Americans when they targeted two Iraqi bases housing US …

Discussion: Vox, Washington Post, Power Line, Talking Points Memo, HuffPost, KTLA, Defense One, NBC News, East Idaho News, Raw Story, HillReporter.com, The Economic Collapse, fox8.com, The American Spectator, UPI and Q13 FOX News

Washington Post:

Live updates: More than a dozen missiles hit U.S. bases in Iraq; Iran claims they caused heavy casualties — Iranian forces launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against two military bases in Iraq early Wednesday local time, marking the most significant Iranian attack in a growing conflict with the United States.

Discussion: Bloomberg, CNBC, The Week, Vox, No More Mister Nice Blog and New York Times

Brad Reed / Raw Story:

‘Their undoing will inevitably come’: Rev. William Barber explains why Trump-loving evangelicals are doomed — The Rev. William Barber on Wednesday took a hammer to Trump-loving evangelical Christians who have clung to the president despite both his personal immorality and what Barber says is an immoral political agenda.

Matthew Dresch / Mirror.co.uk:

Satellite image shows US airbase hit by Iranian missiles in revenge attack — Iran launched missiles at the American Ain al-Assad airbase in retaliation over the US assassination of the Iranian general Qassam Soleimani — The first picture showing the damage caused to a US airbase by an Iran missile strike has been released.

USA Today:
US knew Iranian missiles were coming ahead of strike on Iraq bases housing American troops

Discussion: Defense One, NATSECTACULAR, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, The Week, Politico, NBC News and New York Post

Brooke Singman / Fox News:
Trump to make statement on Iranian missile strikes, assures nation ‘All is well’

Discussion: Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, Reuters, Reason and The Federalist

ABC News:
Trump announces ‘powerful’ sanctions but not military retaliation after Iran missile strikes

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Breitbart and One America News Network

Washington Post:
After days of dire threats, Trump's tone shifts in the wake of Iran's retaliation

Discussion: Politico, The Hill, NBC News and Breitbart

Reverend William Barber / The Guardian: Evangelicals using religion for political gain is nothing new. It is a US tradition

Peter Baker / New York Times:

A Strategy for the Mideast That Has Even Trump's Allies Scratching Their Heads — Conflicting statements, crossed signals and mixed messages have left the president and his top officials scrambling to explain his mission and goals after the death of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani.

Discussion: The Nation, Politico, Columbia Journalism Review, Financial Times and Brookings, more at Mediagazer »

Politico:

POLITICO Playbook: Trump is a war president now — DRIVING THE DAY — WITH A RAIN OF BALLISTIC MISSILES at Iraq's Ain al-Asad and Irbil air bases, President DONALD TRUMP became a wartime leader at the dawn of an election year, and the contours of his ever-changing presidency have again shifted.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Politico and New York Post

Geraldine Brooks / New York Times:
Iranian Blood Is on Our Hands, Too

Discussion: The Week

New York Times:
In Address, Trump Announces New Sanctions vs. Iran: Live Updates

Discussion: Wired, Washington Post, ABC News, CNN, Foreign Policy, New York Post, The Federalist, IJR, Patterico's Pontifications, Althouse and Vox

Josh Lederman / NBC News:
Iran leaves Trump an off-ramp, but will he take it?

Discussion: JustOneMinute, The Hill, PJ Media Home, One America News Network and Politico

Public Policy Polling:

Democratic Unity Will Determine Trump's Fate — Over the last couple weeks PPP did polls testing the leading Democratic contenders for President against Donald Trump in both Arizona and Iowa. — On the surface the numbers are decent but not amazing for Democrats. Donald Trump won Arizona by 4 points in 2016.

Kyle Blaine / CNN:
CNN announces moderators for Iowa Democratic debate

Discussion: The Hill

Matt Smith / WISN:
Trump's Republican challengers won't appear on Wisconsin primary ballot

Discussion: Political Wire

Associated Press: Fears of Sanders win growing among Democratic establishment

Associated Press:

Ukrainian airplane crashes near Iran's capital, killing 176 — SHAHEDSHAHR, Iran (AP) — A Ukrainian passenger jet carrying 176 people crashed on Wednesday, just minutes after taking off from the Iranian capital's main airport, turning farmland on the outskirts of Tehran into fields of flaming debris and killing all on board.

Discussion: Jerusalem Post, Reuters, Redstate, BBC, The Hill, The Guardian, Fox News, NBC News, Breitbart, Patterico's Pontifications, Townhall, The Week and Mediaite

David Martosko / Daily Mail: Was the Ukrainian jet brought down by an Iranian missile …

Burgess Everett / Politico:

McConnell's win on impeachment trial procedure was months in the making — Chuck Schumer demanded Tuesday morning that Republicans allow witnesses to testify during President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. But Mitch McConnell already knew he had the votes to roll over his adversary.

Discussion: The Editorial Board, Townhall, Washington Post, The Federalist, The Hill, Raw Story, Bangor Daily News, Blue Delaware, Balkinization, Power Line, Daily Kos, Slate, Breitbart, The Week and Balloon Juice

CNN:
McConnell on impeachment: ‘There will be no haggling with the House over Senate procedure’

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Political Wire

Brooke Singman / Fox News:
Pelosi clings to impeachment articles, demands McConnell release trial plan

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Declan Garvey / The Dispatch Fact Check:

Are Democratic Leaders and Presidential Candidates ‘Mourning’ Qassem Suleimani's Death? — Joining Sean Hannity's Fox News show on Monday night, former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley discussed the response to the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Suleimani, saying that …

Discussion: Washington Post and IJR

Luis Andres Henao / Associated Press:

Stabbings, shootings, assaults weigh on US Jewish youth — NEW YORK (AP) — When a man spewed anti-Semitic slurs and spat on her face, Shoshana Blum remembered her ancestors who survived the Holocaust, and instead of looking down - she defiantly stared at him eye to eye.

New York Times:
After Anti-Semitic Incidents, New Bail Law in N.Y. Comes Under Attack

Discussion: NBC News and Gothamist

Ben Kesslen / NBC News:

Kentucky judge accused of courthouse threesome is suspended — Judge Dawn Gentry, who is facing nine counts of misconduct, denies engaging in sexual activity at the courthouse with two employees. — A Kentucky family court judge was suspended temporarily without pay after she was accused of misconduct …

Brad Reed / Raw Story:

Trump's ‘crappy’ Iran speech torn to shreds after he spent much of it attacking Obama — President Donald Trump's big speech about the situation in Iran is not getting strong early reviews, in no small part because he spent much of it blaming former President Barack Obama for the current tensions with Tehran.

Discussion: Alternet.org

Richard North Patterson / The Bulwark:

For the Democrats, It's Biden—Or Chaos — It's the damnedest thing: After a year wherein his campaign too often evoked Weekend at Bernie's, a close look at the primary map augurs that Joe Biden will be the Democratic nominee. — For all his endemic flaws, sentient Democrats should hope so.

Discussion: ABC News

Marc Caputo / Politico:
Progressives play whack-a-Joe with Biden

Discussion: The Week, The Hill and Morning Consult

Michael Harriot / The Root:

Mayor Pete's Invisible Black Police — Given the choice of superpowers, would you rather have the ability to fly or the power of invisibility? — This comic book-based Rorschach test allegedly reveals deep-seated personality traits. Supposedly, people who choose the gift of flight …

CNN:

Glacier National Park is replacing signs that predicted its glaciers would be gone by 2020 — (CNN)The signs at Glacier National Park warning that its signature glaciers would be gone by 2020 are being changed. — The signs in the Montana park were added more than a decade ago …

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon and Twitchy

Jonah Goldberg / The Dispatch:

The Right's Bullsh*t Problem — Unless you're very, very, new to political debates, you're probably familiar with the “No True Scotsman” fallacy. — My favorite practitioner of it is the Twitter account of the Socialist Party of the United Kingdom. Somewhat like Beto O'Rourke's short-lived …

Discussion: Washington Monthly

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

A popular theory for Trump's popularity among Republicans appears to be wrong — It is not the case, despite President Trump's regular assertions, that his approval rating among Republicans is a consistent 95 percent. While that figure appears regularly in the president's Twitter feed …

Discussion: Gallup

Joshua Jamerson / Wall Street Journal:

Elizabeth Warren's Base Is Getting Anxious — Supporters at a town hall in Brooklyn say they are concerned the Massachusetts senator isn't connecting with more moderate Democrats — NEW YORK—Some of Sen. Elizabeth Warren's supporters are starting to worry about her ability to appeal …

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:

The media should spotlight a different kind of war expert: Those who voted ‘no’ on Iraq — There she was: Judith Miller, the former New York Times reporter most closely identified with the paper's flawed reporting in the run-up to the Iraq War, chattering away on Fox News.

more at Mediagazer »

Dominic Patten / Deadline:

Harvey Weinstein Wants Gloria Allred Banned From NYC Rape Trial Courtroom; Jury Selection Continues — The mother of one of Harvey Weinstein's former attorneys and one of America's most well-known lawyers was the object of the once powerful producer's legal derision on the third day of his rape trial in New York City this morning.

James Beal / The Sun US:

PRESIDENT AND THE ‘PIMP’ Bill Clinton poses with Epstein's ‘pimp’ Ghislaine Maxwell and a sex slave on board private jet the ‘Lolita Express’ — BILL Clinton poses side-by-side with suspected pimp Ghislaine Maxwell - as the pair board pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's notorious private jet.

Discussion: The Daily Caller