memeorandum: Mitch McConnell's Calculation (Amanda Carpenter/The Bulwark)

3:00 PM ET, September 19, 2020

Top Items:

Nina Totenberg / NPR:

A 5-Decade-Long Friendship That Began With A Phone Call — In 1971, newly assigned to cover the Supreme Court, I was reading a brief in what would ultimately be the landmark case of Reed v. Reed. It argued that the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause applied to women.

Discussion: Reason

Nina Totenberg / NPR:

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Champion Of Gender Equality, Dies At 87 — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the demure firebrand who in her 80s became a legal, cultural, and feminist icon has died. The Supreme Court announced her death, saying the cause was complications from cancer.

Discussion: Washington Post, The Daily Caller, Breitbart, Axios, NBC News, Associated Press, Vox, Marquette University, The Atlantic, Politico, Slate, The Wrap, Fox News, Raw Story, Redstate, USA Today, Mother Jones, Bloomberg, The Nation, Bangor Daily News, Washington Monthly, ImmigrationProf Blog, Mediaite, IJR, Outside the Beltway, Common Dreams, The Week, The National Interest, Gothamist, Talking Points Memo, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, KRON4, PinkNews, bet.com, Informed Comment, myfox8.com, CBS Pittsburgh, WORLD, The Ringer, Little Green Footballs, Wall Street Journal, Reason, KCLO-TV, Variety, Snopes.com, The Moderate Voice, BuzzFeed News, Rolling Stone, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Supreme Court …, The Hill, No More Mister Nice Blog, New Republic, Entertainment Tonight, KFOR-TV, BuzzFeed News, New York Post, NBC Bay Area, Balloon Juice, American Prospect, The 19th, WPRI-TV, Althouse, Rewire.News, TheJournal.ie, Blue Virginia, WGN-TV, Daily Kos, Axios, OutKick, The Root, Vanity Fair, KSNT-TV, CNN and electionlawblog.org

Amanda Carpenter / The Bulwark:

Mitch McConnell's Calculation — There is going to be a SCOTUS vote before the election — Anyone who has observed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's career knows there are only two things he cares about: maintaining his Senate majority leader position and confirming judges.

Discussion: New York Times, Vox, Law & Crime, VICE, The Hill, NPR, Raw Story, MyNorthwest.com, POLITICUSUSA, Newsbusters, Catholic Herald, TMZ.com, Daily Kos, Louder With Crowder, Twitchy and Politico

Barack Obama:

My Statement on the Passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — Sixty years ago, Ruth Bader Ginsburg applied to be a Supreme Court clerk. She'd studied at two of our finest law schools and had ringing recommendations. But because she was a woman, she was rejected.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Althouse, New York Times, Talking Points Memo, GEN, Vox, The Guardian, NPR, New York Post, U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, Outside the Beltway, TheBlaze, Washington Post, Newsy, Daily Kos, IJR, KXAN-TV, The Hill, KRON4, The Week, Slate, The Wrap, Redstate, KSNT-TV and Breitbart

Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:

Democrats shatter ActBlue's donation records after Ginsburg's death. — Democratic donors gave more money online in the 9 p.m. hour Friday after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death was announced — $6.2 million — than in any other single hour since ActBlue, the donation-processing site, was started 16 years ago.

Discussion: BuzzFeed News, NPR, The Hill, Mediaite, Rolling Stone, The Week, Politico, The Colorado Sun, Common Dreams, Slate and The Guardian

Rebecca Traister / The Cut:

It Shouldn't Have Come Down to Her Some will try to blame Ruth Bader Ginsburg for not stepping down sooner. They are missing the point. — She died at the Jewish New Year, and my family is not religious. But I had been so happy, in this time of being far from our loved ones …

Discussion: Washington Post

Edward-Isaac Dovere / The Atlantic:

What Republican Senators Say in Private — N, early every reporter in Washington has experienced it: A Republican member of Congress says, “Off the record,” shifts into a quieter voice, and expresses how much he or she doesn't like President Donald Trump. Soon after, you watch …

Discussion: New York Times, The Wrap, Forbes and The Hill

Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Coming Political Crisis — The annus horribilis of 2020 lurches on. — Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died at age 87, while in harness as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court. — She remained at her post for 21 years after being diagnosed with cancer.

Discussion: Raw Story, Bangor Daily News, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Spectator USA, Vox, Outside the Beltway, Radio Iowa, Chicago Sun-Times, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, Politico and Associated Press

Jesse Paul / The Colorado Sun:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death pours intensity on, could reshape Colorado's hotly contested Senate race — With 45 days until the 2020 election, Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death Friday promises to add more intensity to Colorado's hotly contested U.S. Senate race and will likely force both campaigns to change strategy in the final stretch.

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, Iowa Starting Line and WHTM-TV

Politico:

Trump team weighs whether to interview new candidates for high court — The president's aides prepared for months for a potential election-year Supreme Court replacement. Now they're weighing other election considerations. — President Donald Trump is expected to announce a nomination …

Discussion: The Week

Des Moines Register:

Here's how Iowa's Republican US senators said they would handle an election-year Supreme Court vacancy — Iowa's Republican U.S. senators are split on how they would address a new vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court created by Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death Friday.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Boston Herald, Slate, Fox News and NPR

Katelyn Burns / Vox:

Democratic donors raised millions after Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death — Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks after touring Jerry Alander Carpenter Training Center on September 18, 2020, in Hermantown, Minnesota. Drew Angerer/Getty Images — Swing state polls show voters …

Discussion: New York Times, Just The News and Outside the Beltway

Jonathan Cohn / HuffPost: What Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Death Could Mean For The Obamacare Hearing Nov. 10

Jill Filipovic / Washington Post:
If McConnell pushes through a nominee, President Biden should pack the court

Discussion: Mother Jones, The Week, The Daily Caller, LifeNews.com, TheJournal.ie and KNSD-TV

New York Times:
Polls Have Shown Voters Prefer Biden to Pick Next Justice

Discussion: Slate, Daily Kos, Politico, POLITICUSUSA, GZERO, TheJournal.ie, KSNT-TV and MyNorthwest.com

Michael Tomasky / The Daily Beast:
Here Are the Ways to Stop Mitch and Trump From Replacing RBG

Discussion: Raw Story

Glenn Thrush / New York Times:
The winner of the Arizona Senate race could be seated in time for a vote on a Supreme Court pick.

Discussion: NBC News, CNN, Jacobin, Arizona Republic, The Guardian, The Hill, Bulwark+ and TMI

Tim Alberta / Politico:
The Reason Why Trump Might Delay Replacing Ginsburg

Discussion: NBC News, Erick Erickson's Confessions …, Daily Kos, Washington Times, Washington Post, Fox News, Bloomberg, Raw Story and Axios

Dahlia Lithwick / Slate:
What Ruth Bader Ginsburg Would Want America to Do Now

Discussion: The Dispatch, The Atlantic, Washington Post and New Republic

Peter Baker / New York Times:
Trump Presses for New Justice ‘Without Delay’ as Election-Season Battle Looms

Discussion: Vox, Raw Story, The Federalist, ABC News, Bloomberg, Washington Times, Slate, Politico, The Daily Caller, NPR, New York Post, The Hill, Just The News and POLITICUSUSA

Elie Mystal / The Nation:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Dying Wish: DISSENT!

Discussion: Just The News, Forbes, Reuters, Data For Progress, Washington Post, Politico and New York Post

Richard Hine / Unprecedented:
A Moment of Grief and Terror

Discussion: The Daily Caller, NBC News and NPR

Jill Lepore / New Yorker:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Great Equalizer

Discussion: Balkinization, New Republic, The Guardian and New York Times

Brooke Singman / Fox News:
Trump urges Republicans to fill Ginsburg vacancy ‘without delay’

Discussion: Redstate, Townhall, NBC News, Washington Post, Orlando Sentinel, Breitbart, The Hill, Raw Story, NBC Boston and The Week

New York Times:
2020 Election Live Updates: In Minnesota, Biden Paints Trump as ‘Looking Down’ at the Middle Class

Discussion: Bloomberg, Mother Jones, Washington Post, Axios, The Wrap, Political Wire, Forbes, No More Mister Nice Blog, Reason, Vox, Los Angeles Times, Las Vegas Review-Journal, DeadState, Blue Virginia, Washingtonian, Bangor Daily News and The Mahablog

Washington Post: Fierce political battle heats up over whether to replace Ginsburg as tributes pour in

Arizona Republic:
Mark Kelly could be sworn into the U.S. Senate early if he wins race, experts say

Discussion: Washington Post, Vox and IJR

Phil Helsel / NBC News:
Obama on filling Ginsburg's seat: Apply rules with consistency

Discussion: New York Post, Talking Points Memo, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, Washington Times and Toledo Blade

Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dies at 87

Discussion: Mother Jones, Power Line, Yahoo Entertainment, Breitbart, Variety, Gothamist, The Wrap, Twitchy, IndieWire, Labor 411, The American Conservative and Mediaite

Axios:
Trump, McConnell to move fast to replace Ginsburg

Discussion: Politico, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Townhall, Poynter, Raw Story, Bangor Daily News, Daily Kos, Mediaite, The American Independent, BuzzFeed News, Bloomberg and Twitchy

ABC News:
Donald Trump to put forth nominee to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in coming days: Sources

Discussion: Reuters, Axios, New York Times, Politico, The Hill, Althouse, New York Post, Breitbart, Daily Kos, NBC News, POLITICUSUSA and Balloon Juice

NBC News:
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies at 87

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Slate, Fox News, Washington Post, Politico, Breitbart, The Hill, Reuters, One America News Network and WORLD

Irin Carmon / New York Magazine:
The Glorious RBG I learned, while writing about her, that her precision disguised her warmth.

Discussion: Raw Story, Vox and ACLU

Devin Dwyer / ABC News:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, powerhouse Supreme Court Justice, dies at 87

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, Redstate and Washington Post

Brooke Singman / Fox News:
McConnell: Trump's Supreme Court nominee ‘will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate’

Discussion: Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, The American Spectator, Vox, The Hill, Just The News, Daily Kos, Bloomberg, Reason, Slate and Mediaite

Rebecca Shabad / NBC News:
Schumer: Senate must not fill Ginsburg vacancy ‘until we have a new president’

Discussion: Politico, KCRG-TV, MSNBC, The Week, CBS News, myfox8.com, Taylor Marsh and NBC New York

NBC News:

U.S. Covid-19 death toll surpasses 200,000 — In the predawn hours of March 30, Dr. Deborah Birx stepped in front of the camera on the White House lawn and made an alarming prediction about the coronavirus, which had, by then, killed fewer than 3,000 people in the United States.

Discussion: Mother Jones

Evan Perez / CNN:

A package containing the poison ricin and addressed to Trump intercepted by law enforcement — (CNN)A package containing the poison ricin and addressed to President Donald Trump was intercepted by law enforcement earlier this week, according to two law enforcement officials.

David Sims / The Atlantic:

Antebellum Isn't Just Bad—It's Vile — This story contains spoilers for the film Antebellum. — Antebellum is the kind of film that requires true storytelling daring to pull off. A horror movie that blurs history, fantasy, and darkest nightmare, it would only work with the cleverest calibration …