memeorandum: Lindsey Graham, reverse ferret: how John McCain's spaniel became Trump's poodle (Sidney Blumenthal/The Guardian)

4:30 PM ET, October 11, 2020

Top Items:

Kaitlan Collins / CNN:

CNN exclusive: Fauci says he was taken out of context in new Trump campaign ad touting coronavirus response — (CNN)Dr. Anthony Fauci did not consent to being featured in a new advertisement from the Trump campaign touting President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Axios, Bloomberg, TMZ.com, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Mediaite and The Hill

NBC News:

Fauci rips new Trump campaign ad, says it uses his comments ‘out of context’ — National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday he was “taken out of context” in a new Trump campaign ad that features his comments “without my permission.”

Discussion: Raw Story, NBC New York and The Hill

Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:

Trump campaign twists Fauci comment to suggest praise of the president — “I can't imagine that anybody could be doing more.” — Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, misleadingly quoted in a Trump campaign ad released Oct. 10

Discussion: CNN and Political Wire

Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic: Trump Failed the 3 A.M. Test

Mike Allen / Axios:

New book by John McCain's closest aide details reaction to Trump's war hero attack — “The Luckiest Man: Life With John McCain,” out Tuesday, is a fascinating reminiscence by Mark Salter, who was the late senator's closest aide for 18 years, and collaborated with him on seven books.

Discussion: PBS NewsHour

Politico:

How Democrats hope to defeat Amy Coney Barrett's nomination — Immediately after paying their respects to the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden huddled in the Capitol to make sure their party was united in the campaign against her successor.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, NPR and One America News Network

Beth Baumann / Townhall:

'It's Not Unconstitutional': Jake Tapper Shreds Kate Bedingfield Over Biden's Take on the Supreme Court — CNN's Jake Tapper shredded Biden Campaign Manager Kate Bedingfield for the former vice president and his team running with the idea filling a Supreme Court vacancy during an election year is unconstitutional.

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Sabrina Rodriguez / Politico:

Once-dominant Republicans fret Arizona is slipping into blue column — Democrats are on track to win big in Arizona next month — from the presidential election to the state House. And Republicans fear it won't just be a one-time event but the start of long-term Democratic dominance in the state.

Discussion: Raw Story

Iris Samuels / Associated Press:
Daines, Bullock clash over pandemic, Supreme Court in debate

Discussion: Townhall, Breitbart, Washington Times, Occupy Democrats and Twitchy

Jane Chong / The Atlantic:
Senate Republicans Are Playing a Dangerous Game With the Court's Legitimacy

Discussion: Politico, Associated Press and The American Independent

Chelsea Janes / Washington Post:
Harris faces spotlight at Supreme Court hearing

Discussion: CNN, Politico, Axios, Breitbart, The Hill, Fox News and New York Times

Cristian Farias / New York Times:
Kamala Harris Should Grill Amy Coney Barrett

Discussion: IJR, Washington Post, Fox News, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Forbes, Florida Politics, ABC11 and NBC Los Angeles

Jonathan Turley / The Hill: Democrats want voters in the dark with this version of ‘Truman Show’

CNN:
READ: Amy Coney Barrett's opening statement to Senate Judiciary Committee

Discussion: National Review, Politico, NBC News and Fox News

Tyler Olson / Fox News:
Coons says that confirming Barrett ‘constitutes court-packing,’ Sasse responds that's ‘obviously’ incorrect

Discussion: Redstate, CNN, National Review, The Hill and Breitbart

Morgan Phillips / Fox News:
How to watch Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearings

Discussion: The Hill

John Verhovek / ABC News:
Biden ‘wants to debate Donald Trump again’: National campaign co-chair

Discussion: Townhall, New York Times, IJR, Forbes, Newsbusters, Just The News, Politico, Washington Times, The Hill, ABC11 and Conservative News Today

Gary Langer / ABC News:

Powered by trust on the pandemic, Biden leads by 12 points nationwide: POLL — Nearly 6 in 10 disapprove of how Trump has handled the coronavirus outbreak. — Visual Tracking: COVID-19 and the White House — At least 34 people connected to the White House have tested positive for COVID-19 …

Discussion: Reuters, Outside the Beltway, Washington Post, Slate, Mediaite, CNN, The Guardian, POLITICUSUSA, The Hill, Townhall and Fox News

Politico:

POLITICO Playbook: He raised what? — DRIVING THE DAY — BONKERS, CRAZY, WHATEVER SUPERLATIVE YOU WANT TO USE: JAIME HARRISON, the Democrat running against Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.), raised $57 million in the third quarter. JAMES ARKIN called the sum “staggering” and reminds us that …

Discussion: Mother Jones, Vox and The Hill

Fadel Allassan / Axios:
ABC host says White House blocked Fauci from appearing on show

Discussion: Washington Post

Axios:
Kudlow says Trump may offer larger stimulus than Democrats' proposal

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Politico, Forbes, UPI, Washington Times, Political Wire, Washington Post, Associated Press and Bloomberg

Washington Post:
Post-ABC poll: Biden maintains lead nationally over Trump

Discussion: Forbes, Townhall, The Guardian, Politico, American Thinker, Fox News, KLAS, CNN, Big League Politics, Bloomberg and Associated Press

Maeve Reston / CNN:
Trump chooses denial and recklessness as he's set to resume campaign rallies

Discussion: KVIA-TV, ABC News, Lawyers, Guns & Money and New York Times

Dante Chinni / NBC News:

Republicans risk losing Texas, Florida & Arizona state races … WASHINGTON — The 2020 campaign isn't just about the White House or even the Congress. Across the country, seats in 86 legislative chambers in 44 states will be on the ballot as well. And those elections will have also consequences …

Discussion: Political Wire

Robert F. Bukaty / National Journal: Republicans ditching Trump as their Senate prospects worsen

Josh Kraushaar / National Journal:
Republicans ditching Trump as their Senate prospects worsen

Discussion: Dallas Morning News, Wall Street Journal, Raw Story, Bloomberg, CNN, The Guardian and Forbes

Politico:

Amateur hour at the Trump White House — Nearly everyone remembers the old cliché: If you can't trust someone to get the little things right, how can you ever count on them to do the big things? — President Donald Trump had better hope that bromide, invoked everywhere …

Discussion: Reuters, Bloomberg, One America News Network and Raw Story

CBS News:

Biden leads Trump in Michigan and Nevada, and race is tied in Iowa — CBS News Battleground Tracker poll — Most voters in the battleground states of Michigan, Nevada and Iowa feel President Trump set a bad example for the nation during his own recent battle with the coronavirus, handling things in a way they call irresponsible.

Discussion: Vox, CNN, Bloomberg, The Hill and Instapundit

Fadel Allassan / Axios:

Jaime Harrison smashes Senate fundraising record in race with Lindsey Graham — South Carolina Senate candidate Jaime Harrison's campaign announced Sunday it raised $57 million in the third quarter of 2020, shattering the quarterly fundraising record for a Senate race set by Beto O'Rourke in 2018 by almost $20 million.

Discussion: New York Times, Reuters, Politico, Vox, The Hill, ABC News, Eschaton, ABC11, Forbes and Daily Kos

Jamie Lovegrove / Post and Courier:
Jaime Harrison breaks record for biggest fundraising quarter by any Senate candidate ever

Discussion: Washington Post and The Daily Caller

Katrin Bennhold / New York Times:

QAnon Is Thriving in Germany. The Extreme Right Is Delighted. — As the U.S. conspiracy theory goes global, it has found fertile ground in the putsch fantasies and anti-Semitic tropes long popular on Germany's far-right fringe. Counterterrorism officials worry.

Jennifer Campbell-Hicks / KUSA-TV:

1 dead, security guard in custody after shooting near dueling Denver rallies — A “Patriot Rally” and a “BLM-Antifa Soup Drive” took place at Civic Center Saturday afternoon. — DENVER — A private security guard is being held as a suspect in a deadly shooting near the Denver Art Museum …

Linette Lopez / Business Insider:

The Republican Party has embraced American fascism … - Both President Trump and his Vice President have refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if they lose the election. Militia groups emboldened by Trump tried to kidnap a Democratic Governor. A GOP Senator tweeted that America is not a democracy.

Detroit Free Press:

13 men charged in alleged kidnapping plot, many with troubled pasts — A wide-ranging Free Press investigation into the defendants found many who vented their anger at government in Michigan both online and in person. — Detroit Free Press staff, Detroit Free Press