Top Items:
John F. Harris / Politico:
An Epic Moment of National Shame: The Debate Was an Embarrassment for the Ages — At frequent intervals on Tuesday night, the natural human reaction—lower the sound, wince and look away—took over, and the first presidential debate of the 2020 general election became nearly unwatchable.
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Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
Exclusive poll: Biden won the debate convincingly — Photo by Jim Watson, Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images — A decisive win, powered mostly by character. — A new poll by Data for Progress provided exclusively to Vox shows that viewers thought Democratic nominee Joe Biden decisively won Tuesday's …
Discussion:
NPR, Washington Post and Political Wire
Seaborn Larson / Helena Independent Record:
Former Gov. Marc Racicot to vote for Biden — Former Montana governor and Republican National Committee Chair Marc Racicot on Tuesday said he would not vote for President Donald Trump, citing Trump's character as fault enough to vote for Democrat challenger Joe Biden on Nov. 3.
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Hill, Fox Business, Political Wire, Bangor Daily News and The Slot
NBC News:
Trump's last best tactic: Burn it all down — WASHINGTON — Trailing in the polls with five weeks to go, President Trump didn't use last night's debate to disqualify his opponent or outline his vision for the next four years. — Instead, he decided to burn down the debate …
Discussion:
The Hill, Reuters, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, IJR, One America News Network, Los Angeles Times, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, The Week, CNN, New York Post, Breitbart and ABC7
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
“This Is So Unpresidential”: Notes from the Worst Debate in American History — Trump talked and talked on Tuesday night, but, politically speaking, it added up to nothing. — What does the worst debate in American history look like? It looks like the debate that took place …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Week, The Hill, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Kos, Fox News, New Republic, BNO News and National Review
Jonathan Allen / NBC News:
Trump's fear dominated his first debate with Biden — WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump may be the only person in America who is afraid of Democrat Joe Biden. — Before their debate Tuesday night, he and his allies demanded that Biden submit to a drug test and let officials check the former vice president for an earpiece.
Discussion:
Slate, Associated Press, emptywheel, The Atlantic, Breitbart, New York Times, Just The News and Twitchy
Laura Barrón-López / Politico:
Undecided voters call Trump ‘unhinged’ and ‘un-American’ — but are unswayed by debate — After watching the first presidential debate Tuesday night, undecided voters from battleground states across the country still had plenty they wanted to know about coronavirus, racial injustice …
David Weigel / Washington Post:
The Trailer: What happened in Cleveland — In this special post-debate edition: How months of expectation-setting fell apart in a Cleveland auditorium. — To fully enjoy the newsletter today, please interrupt your friends and family by reading sections out loud. This is The Trailer.
Discussion:
Reuters, CNN, Occupy Democrats, Fox News, The Hill, USA Today, Talking Points Memo and New York Post
Tara Golshan / HuffPost:
Joe Biden Releases His 2019 Tax Returns — Biden's campaign posted his latest tax returns just days after The New York Times revealed that Donald Trump has paid very little in income taxes over the years. — Just hours before the first presidential debate of 2020, the campaign …
Discussion:
The Dispatch, Cronkite News and Axios
Associated Press:
Analysis: Trump leans on tone that turns off voters he needs
Analysis: Trump leans on tone that turns off voters he needs
Discussion:
CBS News, POLITICUSUSA, Florida Politics, Washington Post, Raw Story, Vanity Fair, New Republic, The Nation and The National Interest
Amee Vanderpool / SHERO:
Trump's Taxes Shed New Light on IRS Whistleblower Complaint
Trump's Taxes Shed New Light on IRS Whistleblower Complaint
Discussion:
New Republic, Bloomberg, Slate, ABC7, LewRockwell and Megaphone
Axios:
Commission on Presidential Debates wants “additional structure” for remaining debates
Commission on Presidential Debates wants “additional structure” for remaining debates
Discussion:
CNN, Breitbart, Reuters and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
David Bossie / Fox News:
Trump clearly defeats Biden in first presidential debate
Trump clearly defeats Biden in first presidential debate
Discussion:
Washington Post, IJR, New Republic and OpsLens
Jason Whitlock / OutKick:
Chris Wallace, American Media Fiddle During Debate As BLM, Antifa Burn Our Country
Ebony Bowden / New York Post:
Ratings for chaotic Trump-Biden presidential debate nosedive from 2016
Ratings for chaotic Trump-Biden presidential debate nosedive from 2016
Josh Kraushaar / National Journal:
Trump's mistake by the lake: Taking his own voters for granted
Trump's mistake by the lake: Taking his own voters for granted
Discussion:
The Federalist, Mediaite, Real Clear Politics, HillReporter.com and Sputnik News
Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
The President's Debate Performance Was Pure Fascism
The President's Debate Performance Was Pure Fascism
Discussion:
Reason, Jacobin, Washington Post, One America News Network and The Hill
Dominic Patten / Deadline:
Presidential Debate Opener Drops Sharply From 2016's Record High In Early Numbers; ABC Tops Nets In First Trump-Biden Showdown
Presidential Debate Opener Drops Sharply From 2016's Record High In Early Numbers; ABC Tops Nets In First Trump-Biden Showdown
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Daily Kos and New York Post
Leo Shane III / Marine Corps Times:
Fact check: Trump claims Biden policies killed over 308,000 veterans, but that's not what investigators found
Fact check: Trump claims Biden policies killed over 308,000 veterans, but that's not what investigators found
Discussion:
Raw Story
Brooke Singman / Fox News:
Commission on Presidential Debates ‘carefully considering’ format changes after first Trump, Biden debate
Commission on Presidential Debates ‘carefully considering’ format changes after first Trump, Biden debate
Discussion:
abc7NY, The Week, The American Independent, Raw Story, The Hill and Washington Free Beacon
Washington Post:
Election live updates: Debate commission says it will change structure to ensure more ‘orderly discussion’
Election live updates: Debate commission says it will change structure to ensure more ‘orderly discussion’
Discussion:
ABC News, The Triad, Mother Jones, Real Clear Politics, The Mahablog, Balloon Juice, The Hill, POLITICUSUSA, Raw Story, The Post Millennial and abc7NY
Claire Sanford / Rev:
Donald Trump & Joe Biden 1st Presidential Debate Transcript 2020
Donald Trump & Joe Biden 1st Presidential Debate Transcript 2020
Discussion:
National Review, CNN, The Federalist, Reason, New York Times, Breitbart, Press Watch, HillReporter.com, The Unz Review, Task & Purpose, LifeSiteNews, Washington Post, The American Independent, IJR, CNBC, Fox News, Common Dreams, Daily Kos, Los Angeles Times, Legal Planet, TheBlaze, Althouse and ABC News
Mika Brzezinski / Cosmopolitan:
Cancel the Debates — host on how last night's broadcast damaged our democracy. — “Stand back and stand by.”
Cancel the Debates — host on how last night's broadcast damaged our democracy. — “Stand back and stand by.”
Quint Forgey / Politico:
Debates commission says it will add order to Trump and Biden's remaining showdowns
Debates commission says it will add order to Trump and Biden's remaining showdowns
Discussion:
Fox News, ABC News, Al Jazeera, Washington Post, The National Pulse, Mediaite, NPR, WCCO | CBS Minnesota, Mother Jones and WCDC-TV
N'dea Yancey-Bragg / USA Today:
Portland-area sheriff says he ‘will never’ support Donald Trump after president claims endorsement during debate
Portland-area sheriff says he ‘will never’ support Donald Trump after president claims endorsement during debate
Discussion:
Washington Post, Raw Story and NBC Boston
Axios:
Trump says he doesn't know who Proud Boys are after telling them to “stand by” — President Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he doesn't know who the “Proud Boys” are, after saying at the presidential debate last night that the far-right group should “stand back and stand by” …
Discussion:
Reuters, HillReporter.com, Deseret News, The Root, CNN, Political Wire, OpsLens and Mediaite
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New York Times:
Proud Boys celebrate Trump's mention of them at the debate.
Proud Boys celebrate Trump's mention of them at the debate.
Discussion:
New Republic, Washington Post, The Daily Dot, CNN, Talking Points Memo, TheBlaze, IJR, Raw Story, The Daily Beast, Politico, Vox, Common Dreams, Vanity Fair, The American Independent, Mother Jones, Axios, KXAN-TV, The American Spectator, The Hill, The 19th, Outside the Beltway, Washington Times and The Root
Ben Sales / Jewish Telegraphic Agency:
Are the Proud Boys anti-Semitic? Your primer on the far-right group Trump told to ‘stand back and stand by’
Are the Proud Boys anti-Semitic? Your primer on the far-right group Trump told to ‘stand back and stand by’
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Sun, Washington Post, IJR, Raw Story, The Guardian, NPR, New York Post and NBC Chicago
CNN:
Trump's allies offer public praise but privately worry after debate
Trump's allies offer public praise but privately worry after debate
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Raw Story, CNBC, The Week and Washington Times
NBC News:
Proud Boys celebrate after Trump's debate call-out
Proud Boys celebrate after Trump's debate call-out
Discussion:
Axios, The American Independent, National Review, CNN, Washington Post, Spectator USA, The Atlantic, Sputnik News, The Bulwark, The Boston Globe, People.com, Wired, Slate, israpundit.org, The Root, Mediaite, New York Times, The Sun, Bloomberg, Los Angeles Times, Law & Crime, The Hill, The Guardian, Washington Monthly, Variety, NPR, The Week, Daily Kos, Politico and The Colorado Sun
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Chris Wallace Calls Debate ‘a Terrible Missed Opportunity’ — The veteran anchor conceded he was initially “reluctant” to step in during the Trump-Biden matchup. “I've never been through anything like this,” he said. — “I'm just sad with the way last night turned out.”
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Poll finds Trump, Biden in statistical dead heat in South Carolina — A new poll finds President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden statistically tied in South Carolina, which has not gone for the Democratic nominee in more than 40 years. — The Quinnipiac poll found Trump at 48 percent …
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Post, Political Wire and Axios
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Elena Schneider / Politico:
Biden smashes fundraising records during chaotic debate
Biden smashes fundraising records during chaotic debate
Discussion:
Forbes
Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
The media keeps making these cringeworthy mistakes
Gabriel Sherman / Vanity Fair:
“The Family Is Worried Brad Will Start Talking”: Trumpworld Panics Over Debate Fiasco as Campaign Turmoil Mounts — Over three days, the New York Times dropped a tax bombshell, Florida cops cuffed Brad Parscale, and the president just couldn't help himself onstage.
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Lachlan Markay / The Daily Beast:
The Trump Campaign Is Quietly Disappearing Brad Parscale From Their Website
The Trump Campaign Is Quietly Disappearing Brad Parscale From Their Website
Discussion:
Raw Story, Political Wire, Slate and Daily Mail
Wall Street Journal:
Intelligence Officials Urged Trump Spy Chief Not to Disclose Unverified Russian Claims About Clinton — Officials at CIA, NSA, Office of Director of National Intelligence warned disclosure to Congress would give credibility to Kremlin-backed material — WASHINGTON—Senior U.S. officials urged Director …
Discussion:
OpsLens
David E. Sanger / New York Times:
Tuesday's Debate Made Clear the Gravest Threat to the Election: The President Himself — President Trump's unwillingness to say he would abide by the result, and his disinformation campaign about election fraud went beyond anything President Vladimir V. Putin could have imagined.
Discussion:
Political Wire
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Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
How Trump's ‘Voter Fraud’ Lie Is Disenfranchising Americans
How Trump's ‘Voter Fraud’ Lie Is Disenfranchising Americans
Discussion:
Washington Post and Law & Crime
Sheila Kaplan / New York Times:
White House Blocked C.D.C. Order to Keep Cruise Ships Docked — The C.D.C. director wanted a “no sail” order extended until February, a policy that would have upset the tourism industry in the crucial swing state of Florida. — The White House has blocked a new order from the Centers …
Alex Yablon / Foreign Policy:
America Is About to Enter its Years of Lead — Trump's calls for political violence are a familiar far-right strategy. — “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by,” President Donald Trump told his supporters in the far-right street-fighting group from his podium at the first 2020 presidential debate.
Sarah Mimms / BuzzFeed News:
A Member Of Congress Is Facing Death Threats After QAnon Went After Him — The House Republican campaign committee falsely accused Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski of protecting sexual predators. “They knew exactly what they were doing,” he said. — Reporting From — Washington, DC — Copy
Discussion:
Political Wire and The Gateway Pundit
Mike Giglio / The Atlantic:
A Far-Right Militant Group Has Recruited Thousands of Police, Soldiers, and Veterans — Image above: Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers — Stewart Rhodes was living his vision of the future. On television, American cities were burning, while on the internet …