memeorandum: How a lie becomes respectable, step by cowardly step (Fred Hiatt/Washington Post)

9:00 AM ET, October 18, 2021

Top Items:

Hans Nichols / Axios:

Scoop: Manchin's red lines — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has told the White House the child tax credit must include a firm work requirement and family income cap in the $60,000 range, people familiar with the matter tell Axios. — Why it matters: While Manchin's demands would dramatically weaken …

Discussion: New York Times, Crooks and Liars, Politico, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, The Daily Caller, Townhall, Insider, Raw Story, NBC News, The Daily Wire, Political Wire and The Daily Poster

Will Bunch / The Philadelphia Inquirer:
A Jan. 6 ‘blood flag’ and a Bond villain in the Senate — it's no time to go back to brunch

Discussion: Axios

Devan Cole / CNN:

Colin Powell, military leader and first Black US secretary of state, dies — (CNN)Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state whose leadership in several Republican administrations helped shape American foreign policy in the last years of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st …

Discussion: ABC News, HotAir, Joe.My.God., Raw Story, WTOP and Townhall

Eric Schmitt / New York Times:

Colin Powell Dies at 84 — A former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, secretary of state and national security adviser, Mr. Powell died on Monday, his family said. — Colin L. Powell, who in four decades of public life served as the nation's top soldier, diplomat and national security adviser …

Discussion: Common Dreams

Mike Allen / Axios:

GOP senator smacks Trump — Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) told “Axios on HBO” he's not sure former President Donald Trump would win the Republican nomination if he ran in 2024 — a rare voice of criticism from within the party. — When I raised the conventional wisdom that Trump would be expected …

Discussion: HuffPost, Washington Examiner, YouTube, Insider and Political Wire

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:

As Trump Thunders About Last Election, Republicans Worry About the Next One — Donald Trump is the Republicans' greatest asset in mobilizing voters. But some fret that his obsession with false claims about the 2020 election could cost the G.O.P. in 2022. — Republicans believe they have a good shot at taking Congress next year.

Discussion: Mediaite, The Atlantic, Joe.My.God., Raw Story, The Hill, Sacramento Bee, Forbes and Breitbart

Mike Allen / Axios:

GOP senator calls for senility test for aging leaders — Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician, told me during an “Axios on HBO” interview that he favors cognition tests for aging leaders of all three branches of government. — Why it matters: Wisdom comes with age. But science also shows that we lose something.

Discussion: Joe.My.God.

Christina Zhao / Newsweek:
GOP Senator Bill Cassidy Doubts Trump Will Be 2024 Nominee: He Lost ‘House, Senate, Presidency’

Discussion: The Hill, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit and Mediaite

Ken Meyer / Mediaite:

WATCH: Christopher Steele Breaks Silence in ABC Interview, Says the Trump Pee Tape ‘Probably’ Exists — Former British spy Christopher Steele defended the contents of his Donald Trump dossier in his first major TV interview since his bombshell allegations came to light years ago.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Insider, HuffPost, Joe.My.God., Political Wire, The Gateway Pundit and Raw Story

CNN:
Ex-intel official who created controversial Trump Russia dossier speaks out

Discussion: New York Post and Washington Examiner

Ben Smith / New York Times:

At Axel Springer, Politico's New Owner, Allegations of Sex, Lies and a Secret Payment — A high-flying German media giant is ahead on digital media but seems stuck in the past when it comes to the workplace and deal-making. — A high-level editor at the powerful German tabloid Bild …

Discussion: Washington Post and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »

Eduardo Medina / New York Times:

As a Woman Was Raped, Train Riders Failed to Intervene, Police Say — The SEPTA train car near Philadelphia had several passengers aboard but none called 911 while the woman was sexually assaulted, the authorities said. — As a woman was being raped while on a train near Philadelphia on Wednesday night …

Discussion: HotAir, TheBlaze, Boston.com, Slate and WND

Fred Hiatt / Washington Post:

How a lie becomes respectable, step by cowardly step — How does a lie become respectable? — Bit by bit, step by step, cowardly dodge by cowardly dodge. — Case in point: The Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., inviting Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty (Tenn.) …

Discussion: Raw Story, Outside the Beltway and The Atlantic

Jeff Passan / ESPN:

Major League Baseball to require teams to provide housing for minor league players starting in 2022, sources say — Amid mounting pressure from players and advocacy groups, Major League Baseball will require teams to provide housing for minor league players starting in 2022, sources told ESPN.

Discussion: Payday Report, Crooks and Liars and Sports Illustrated

New York Times:

As Manchin Blocks Climate Plan, His State Can't Hold Back Floods — As the senator thwarts Democrats' major push to reduce warming, new data shows West Virginia is more exposed to worsening floods than anywhere else in the country. — FARMINGTON, W.Va. — In Senator Joe Manchin's hometown …

Discussion: Washington Post

Mike Elk / Payday Report:

Division Over IATSE Deal as Members Organize Wildcats Walkouts — NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA. - Yesterday the leadership of IATSE announced that they had reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that will avert a potential strike set to begin at midnight tonight.

Gene Maddaus / Variety:
IATSE Deal Could Be Rejected by Members: ‘Our Leadership Let Us Down’

more at Mediagazer »

Karol Markowicz / New York Post:

The incredible, disappearing — incompetent — Team Biden — Last week was another bad one for the continually disappearing Biden administration. — As Americans took to social media to post pictures of bare Dunkin' Donuts shelves, sold-out milk at big-box stores and other signs of an America in trouble …

Discussion: Fox Business and CNN

Mark Moore / New York Post:
Pete Buttigieg defends being on paternity leave amid supply-chain crisis

Discussion: CNN, Issues & Insights, IJR and Instapundit

Zachary Petrizzo / Salon:

Virginia GOP candidate Glenn Youngkin forced to boot white nationalist supporter from campaign event — As Youngkin takes fire for welcoming extremists, a white nationalist supporter causes a scene for the GOP hopeful — MANASSAS, Virginia — A routine campaign stop for Virginia gubernatorial …

Alex Seitz-Wald / NBC News:
In Virginia, Republicans see education, curriculum fears as a path to victory

Discussion: The Hill and Washington Examiner

Charles M. Blow / New York Times:

Last Chance to Save American Democracy — Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, has indicated that he plans to schedule a vote for Wednesday to open debate on a new voting rights bill, the Freedom to Vote Act. — The bill would set national standards for early voting, expand voting by mail …

Discussion: NBC News, Townhall and Raw Story

E.J. Dionne / Washington Post: Our system is biased against reform. Get used to it, Democrats.

Washington Post:

As Japan's yakuza mob weakens, former gangsters struggle to find a role outside crime — KITAKYUSHU, Japan — Noodle chef Takashi Nakamoto moves so deftly as he boils, strains and arranges his signature plates of udon that it's easy to overlook the brutal reminder of his former life: his missing left pinkie.

Greg B. Smith / THE CITY:

Eric Adams Once Led Sexist Smear Campaign Against a Whistleblower Cop — In 1991, Adams portrayed Officer Lizette Lebron as the “scorned lover” of another cop and displayed a picture of her in a bathing suit after she exposed a cheating scandal. The mayoral frontrunner now expresses …

David E. Sanger / New York Times:

Washington Hears Echoes of the '50s and Worries: Is This a Cold War With China? — Incursions into Taiwan's air zone, a space launch and what looked like a prisoner swap raise a question that is about more than just semantics. It could signal a dangerous new mind-set.

Nicole Hong / New York Times:

Inside the N.Y.C. Neighborhood With the Fastest Growing Asian Population — In a corner of Queens, a fivefold increase in Asian residents since 2010 is transforming the area's restaurants, housing and politics. — Yumpling, a Taiwanese eatery, opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in August 2020 …

Andrew Bucholtz / Awful Announcing:

Allison Williams is leaving ESPN over COVID-19 vaccine mandate, says “I am so morally and ethically not aligned with this.” … Disney, ESPN's parent company, is one of many large corporations requiring all employees to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, which has led to more than 722,000 deaths in the United States.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Daily Mail, New York Post, Fox News, TheBlaze, Deadline, Joe.My.God., NetBreaking, Townhall, Breitbart and The Hill

Kana Ruhalter / The Daily Beast:
ESPN Reporter Quits Her Job Instead of Getting Vaccinated

Discussion: The Daily Wire

Justin George / Washington Post:

Metro suspends more than half of its rail cars after investigation uncovers safety problems — An NTSB investigation revealed that multiple 7000-series train car axles are out of compliance with manufacturer specifications — Metro on Sunday night pulled more than half of its rail cars …