memeorandum: Doug Burgum and Asa Hutchinson bare frustration with time running short to make GOP debate (Emma Barnett/NBC News)

12:10 PM ET, September 21, 2023

Top Items:

Playbook: A breakthrough or a mirage? — Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross — DRIVING THE DAY — WELCOME TO WASHINGTON, MR. ZELENSKYY — This morning, more than two dozen Hill Republicans — including six senators, led by Ohio's J.D. VANCE — are sending a letter …

Discussion: USA Today, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller and New York Times

Jeffrey Goldberg / The Atlantic:

The Patriot — How General Mark Milley protected the Constitution from Donald Trump — The missiles that comprise the land component of America's nuclear triad are scattered across thousands of square miles of prairie and farmland, mainly in North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming.

Discussion: Insider and Washington Post

Washington Post:
Russia-Ukraine war live updates

Discussion: The Messenger, The Hill, RedState, UPI, Associated Press, Daily Herald, New York Times, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, NBC News, NPR, Wall Street Journal and USA Today

Punchbowl News:
9/21/23 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM

Discussion: Insider, Politico, Los Angeles Times, Raw Story and Bloomberg

Lindsay Wise / Wall Street Journal:
GOP Lawmakers Warn White House on Ukraine Aid as Zelensky Visits Washington

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Politico, CBS News, The Daily Caller, NewsNation, Washington Times, Washington Post, NBC News, USA Today, NPR, The Hill, American Greatness, New York Times and Apa.az

Noah Berlatsky / Public Notice:

Republicans can't pass bills for the same reason they support insurrection — The defense bill disaster shows that they can't even make deals with themselves. … Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the foaming clown car that is his caucus once again performed their expected rituals …

Discussion: Raw Story, Axios, New York Times, Politico, Digby's Hullabaloo and Salon

Marianna Sotomayor / Washington Post:

House Republicans expected to break logjam on Pentagon funding bill Thursday — House Republicans on Thursday are expected to advance a Department of Defense appropriations bill after successfully appeasing some hard-right lawmakers to end a broader blockade on considering long-term spending bills.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Political Wire and Axios

Politico:
Republicans resigned to being the villains in the inevitable government shutdown

Discussion: The Messenger, NBC News, CNN, GovExec.com, Raw Story, Virginia Mercury, TheBlaze, Breitbart and Wall Street Journal

Politico:
Centrist Dems and McCarthy's allies are in secret talks to strike a deal

Discussion: CNN and Political Wire

Lindsey McPherson / The Messenger:
House Speaker McCarthy to Hardliners: 'It's Like You're Walking Into a Fight Losing'

Discussion: Associated Press, USA Today and Sacramento Bee

Wall Street Journal:

Why Is Donald Trump Afraid to Debate? — He's ducking exchanges with his competitors who could challenge his record and platform. — Donald Trump has a big lead in the polls for the GOP presidential nomination, but he's acting as if he has already won. After skipping the first GOP debate …

Discussion: HuffPost, Washington Post, The Messenger, IJR, Politico, Mediaite, Raw Story, New York Magazine, Fox News, Salon, Washington Times, Political Wire, PJ Media and Bloomberg

Harry Litman / Los Angeles Times:

What Trump's assistant told investigators about classified records and why it's so damning — Donald Trump has successfully made up his own rules in the political arena, but in the legal arena, he will have to adhere to the rules that apply to all. That's why a witness such as Molly Michael is so dangerous to him.

Discussion: Raw Story and UPROXX

Nate Cohn / New York Times:
It's Not a Race, Yet, in the Republican Primary

Discussion: KTSM-TV and NPR

Daniel Arkin / NBC News:

Conservative media titan Rupert Murdoch to step down as chairman of Fox Corp. and News Corp. — He will become chairman emeritus of the two corporations, the company said in a news release. — Rupert Murdoch, the Australian press baron who reshaped conservative media in his image …

NBC News:

Ron DeSantis' descent continues, unabated by the debate and time on the trail — At the same time, the Florida governor is racing to raise money in Texas and California. — Ron DeSantis' long slide continues. — The Florida governor, once seen as the top rival to former President Donald Trump …

Discussion: CNN, The Messenger, Washington Examiner and Associated Press

CNN:
CNN Poll: Trump leads in New Hampshire while Ramaswamy, Haley, Christie and DeSantis battle for second

Discussion: HuffPost, Semafor, Fox Business, The Floridian, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian, New Jersey Globe, Forbes, Mediaite, Washington Examiner, Florida Politics, 6abc, Raw Story and Political Wire

University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository:
Trump Leads, DeSantis Crashes in NH GOP Primary 9/20/2023

Discussion: NH Journal, New York Post, Breitbart, Raw Story, Florida Politics and Political Wire

Anjali Huynh / New York Times:
DeSantis Slams Biden Climate Policy: ‘An Agenda to Control You’

Discussion: HuffPost, ABC News, CBS News, Townhall, Washington Times, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, Fox News, RedState, Raw Story, Florida's Voice, Florida Politics, The Daily Caller, Political Wire and CNN

Miranda Devine / New York Post:

Ignorant, pathetic Merrick Garland wilts on the hot seat before Congress — You would think that an attorney general who has presided over the embarrassing debacle of the Hunter Biden investigation would express contrition, or maybe a little anger at the underlings who have shamed him …

Discussion: TheBlaze, The Western Journal, Power Line, The Daily Caller and Breitbart

Rebecca Shabad / NBC News:
Massie suggests Garland is in contempt of Congress

Discussion: The Daily Caller, RedState, Breitbart, The Western Journal, The Hill, New Republic, Washington Times, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Examiner, New York Post, Mediaite, Raw Story, Associated Press and CNN

Washington Post:
Merrick Garland faced fire from Republicans on Hunter Biden, Trump

Judd Legum / Popular Information:

Book banners target public libraries — The campaign to censor America's libraries is expanding. — A new report from the American Library Association (ALA) finds that this year, between January 1 and August 31, there have been “695 attempts to censor library materials and services and documented challenges to 1,915 unique titles.”

Discussion: PEN America, Fox News, NPR, RedState, The Hill, The Bulwark, Axios, News and Press Center, NBC News and Associated Press

Mike Damiano / The Boston Globe:

Following layoffs, Boston University announces ‘inquiry’ into Ibram Kendi's Antiracist Center — Boston University announced Wednesday it would conduct an “inquiry” into Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's Center for Antiracist Research after complaints emerged about the center's culture and financial management.

Discussion: HotAir, Washington Free Beacon, The Messenger, TheBlaze, American Greatness, Power Line, National Review and Fox News

Emma Barnett / NBC News:

Doug Burgum and Asa Hutchinson bare frustration with time running short to make GOP debate — Both are pondering what's next if they miss the second debate. — CONCORD, N.H. — Two candidates who were on the stage for the first GOP debate are still shy of the thresholds needed to make the second one on Sept. 27.

Discussion: New York Times and New York Magazine

Andrew Kerr / Washington Free Beacon:

Meet the Real Househusbands of the ‘Squad’ — It pays to be married to the “Squad.” — As Democratic Reps. Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), and Cori Bush (Mo.) rage against capitalism from within the halls of Congress, their husbands bring home the bacon …

Reuters:

Five suspected Russian spies to be charged in the U.K. — Britain has been seeking to take tougher action on external security threats and potential spies. — British prosecutors said on Thursday they had authorized charges to be brought against five Bulgarian nationals accused of spying for Russia for almost three years.

Discussion: cps.gov.uk, Bloomberg, Politico, The Sun, Apa.az and Political Wire

Politico:

Former prosecutor who quit Trump-Russia probe says she left over concerns with Barr — Nora Dannehy had been part of the investigation led by John Durham. — HARTFORD, Conn. — A former federal prosecutor who helped investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe said Wednesday she left …

Discussion: Raw Story and CT Mirror

Summer Concepcion / NBC News:

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton suggests he might run against Sen. John Cornyn — Paxton last week was acquitted on 16 impeachment articles alleging corruption, abuse of public trust, misuse of public funds and other charges. — In the wake of his impeachment acquittal …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Messenger, KXAN-TV, Associated Press, The Daily Caller and Politico

Julia Mueller / The Hill:
Paxton on possible challenge to Cornyn: 'Everything's on the table for me'

Discussion: NBC News, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Beast, The Texas Tribune and Political Wire

Washington Post:

Senate moving ahead on three key military nominations stalled by Tuberville delays — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with Democrats briefly relenting in their ongoing feud with Sen. Tommy Tuberville …